Advocate III
Cost a lot compared to a truck bed or tent. What about offroad trails that are hard to maneuver in?
Is an overland trailer really worth the expense?
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If you're looking at those premade ones that can cost as much as a house - yes - way to friggin' expensive.
The trailer I bought cost me $50. Taking into account all of the modifications that are planned, including a RTT, total cost might be $2,500. It's going to be built so it can be used as an everyday trailer for hauling, but converted over for travel/camping with little fuss.
The trailer I bought cost me $50. Taking into account all of the modifications that are planned, including a RTT, total cost might be $2,500. It's going to be built so it can be used as an everyday trailer for hauling, but converted over for travel/camping with little fuss.
Costs a lot ?
Depends on what you buy. My trailer $1100.00 new. My home built Square Drop, $800.00. Likely less than a rack and RTT.
And the Square Drop slides out so the trailer can do trailer/pickup duties.
Depends on what you buy. My trailer $1100.00 new. My home built Square Drop, $800.00. Likely less than a rack and RTT.
And the Square Drop slides out so the trailer can do trailer/pickup duties.
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You saw my teardrop last weekend. It’s done it’s share of overlanding. I built it from scratch.
if I was going to do a pure adventure trailer With a RTT, I’d probably go one of these two routes. It’d depend on my time budget to build or buy.
an M416 ish trailer. I’d spring for the complete frame too.
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A complete basic trailer to start with. Morris Mule.
morrismule.com
if I was going to do a pure adventure trailer With a RTT, I’d probably go one of these two routes. It’d depend on my time budget to build or buy.
an M416 ish trailer. I’d spring for the complete frame too.
Dinoot Jeep & M416 Trailers - Dinoot Trailer Parts
Dinoot Jeep & M416 Trailers - Dinoot Trailer Parts. We have everything you need to build your Dinoot project. Jeep Trailer Parts by Dinoot Trailers,
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A complete basic trailer to start with. Morris Mule.
MORRIS MULE TRAILER COMPANY
I grew up liking tractors more than sports cars. My designs show it. The cornerstones of a Morris Mule Trailer are functionality, simplicity and strength. With proper care your great...
I'm about 1200 into mine. It's nice because you dont have to bring it everywhere. My gear stays with it. Leaving me with a nice open cabin for daily use. The hassle of moving things in and out gets annoying.
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Mine started off as a $100 4'x4' square frame and from there I've been slowly building it to my needs.It all depends on what you want to use it for, how often you will use it, and whether or not you do your research before buying it. If you're overlanding, most trailers designed for, or modified for it shouldn't hold you back from most trails. If you're hardcore rock crawling, then, yes, almost all of them will limit you to varying degrees. Trailers bring a lot of advantages and a few drawbacks. If you like to just stop for the night and then move on to a different location the next day, OR you like to take difficult trails, then a ground tent or roof top tent should be fine for you. If you want the additional comfort of a trailer, or like to set up a base camp, then leave during the day to explore and come back, then a trailer may be a better choice.
In our case, we opted to have the additional comfort of a trailer since we usually go out for 4 or more days at a time and tend to set up a base camp, unhook, and explore the area with the truck unencumbered. For us, that leaves the truck more trail capable than it would be if we had all the extra weight of a rack, RTT, and all of our gear loaded up while exploring. We also go out for 4 days usually twice a month plus a couple of weeks additionally during a year. Other than the height, our trailer is more trail capable than our truck, because it was designed for the purpose.
In our case, we opted to have the additional comfort of a trailer since we usually go out for 4 or more days at a time and tend to set up a base camp, unhook, and explore the area with the truck unencumbered. For us, that leaves the truck more trail capable than it would be if we had all the extra weight of a rack, RTT, and all of our gear loaded up while exploring. We also go out for 4 days usually twice a month plus a couple of weeks additionally during a year. Other than the height, our trailer is more trail capable than our truck, because it was designed for the purpose.
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Buy or build what you can afford. Only you can determine if a trailer is right for you. There is no perfect trailer and no perfect setup. Everything has pros and cons. It is as simple as that.
I love having a trailer and have owned 6 different ones! 3 DIY and 3 Production. Very happy with my Off Grid Expedition 2.0. It might not be your thing or anyone else's thing but that doesn't matter. I have found what is right for us.
My trailers have never limited me to what trails I want to go on. Could I take my trailers on the Rubicon? 3 of them could do it but I really have no interest in even doing the Rubicon so it is not relevant.
Trailers are convenient. Everything is packed and ready to go less clothing and food. Go camp with some people with trailers and see what you like. Go rent one if you can from Outdoorsey or a similar site to see if it makes sense for you.
I love having a trailer and have owned 6 different ones! 3 DIY and 3 Production. Very happy with my Off Grid Expedition 2.0. It might not be your thing or anyone else's thing but that doesn't matter. I have found what is right for us.
My trailers have never limited me to what trails I want to go on. Could I take my trailers on the Rubicon? 3 of them could do it but I really have no interest in even doing the Rubicon so it is not relevant.
Trailers are convenient. Everything is packed and ready to go less clothing and food. Go camp with some people with trailers and see what you like. Go rent one if you can from Outdoorsey or a similar site to see if it makes sense for you.
Advocate I
If you have only 1 vehicle yes. You use it as a daily driver and on a trip you hitch it and go. Your vehicle will not need a GVM upgrade so it will ride nice even on your daily commute.. It will limit some of the places you can go, specially muddy trails will be more difficult.
Advocate III
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Depends on how much you go out and where you want to go for how long. A truck rack and/or tent fits the bill perfectly for some folks.
Though having camped that way for decades and now have hauled a trailer for a long while, I prefer it even for short trips and weekends.
Doesn't have to be expensive, either. Before I got the trailer I have now, I had two different used 1/4 ton military trailers. An M416 for $300 and a Bantam T3 for $700. Both road-worthy and licensable, though to bring it up to what I wanted for adventuring would have added a bit more in expense. Still, pretty damned inexpensive.
Having a separate RTT and extra cargo space allows me to go a lot more places for a lot longer than I would otherwise. Sets up easy in half an hour and allows me to have a long kitchen area and workspace, 22gals of fresh water with sink and shower hookups, alternative power setup, etc.
I can also leave it set up for as long as I want without having to pack up if I want to go anywhere. I've left it set up as basecamp for as long as a month in various spots, miles from any pavement, people or facilities. It is as self-contained as I can make it for my needs.
I chose to invest in this rig rather than have a place to retire to, because I sure can't afford both, and I'd much rather be able to move around.
For a fraction of the cost, I have a very self-sufficient and very mobile adventure rig.
And, as others have posted, get the right trailer, it's handy for other cargo too. I can put a palette of plywood or sheetrock in mine or make a helluva dump run.
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You can always drop the trailer, drag it around, couple up and drive away.
If there is room to turn around a pickup there is room to drag around a trailer.
If you need to reverse a long ways, use 4LO. .... Even without a trailer.
I have a bit over 1000 dollars total in mine, mainly because I wanted to run the same wheels and tires.
Hitch it up and go.
Here is a trailer build summary.
Hitch it up and go.
Here is a trailer build summary.
If you are considering a trailer I assume you are able to tow it and back it up. Sincerely, cuz my wife has trouble reversing her Crosstrek. So yes, you need a certain skill level to not be intimidated by reversing with a trailer. It is most entertaining to check into a campground early and watch some of the husband, wife teams attempt parking their RVs. It is equally gratifying to find kindred spirits for cocktails with those who obviously have years of vocational experience.
But yes, stay within your comfort zone, or invest in a bit of trailer towing education. My wife would never pass, she'll never even drive a standard, but there are great courses to teach trailer towing. The frightening thing is we allow people with $$$ to buy a $50K dually and tow a 40" fifth wheel who have never driven anything bigger than a Prius.
Regardless of what you tow, a 10' expo trailer, or a 40' fifth wheel, you need schooling. Actually the longer the trailer, the easier it is to back up. No matter what you buy, reversing is easy if you can see the trailer in BOTH mirrors. If your trailer is too narrow to see in BOTH mirrors, it'll be impossible to look skillful backing up.
Final point, any trailer follows best when the vehicle AND the trailer have the same track, especially off road.
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That's exactly why we're building a small trailer. Everything is loaded in/on the trailer and the truck still has a useable truck bed for every day use.
There's a huge plus right there. One trailer setup and filled for overlanding. One trailer setup for my other hobbies. Hitchup Friday night, leave Sat. No packing, no forgotten gear.
For me right now, I have backpacks set up as such. Not entire trailers. Grab the overland bag and go. My ''slide out stove'' is actually just a Pepsi can.
My ''cruise ship diving'' suitcase never get's unpacked.
For me right now, I have backpacks set up as such. Not entire trailers. Grab the overland bag and go. My ''slide out stove'' is actually just a Pepsi can.
My ''cruise ship diving'' suitcase never get's unpacked.
With the Off Grid Expedition 2.0 trailer, do you find yourself wishing you had more space than just the cabin space? I'm looking at an Air Opus setup, just because it grants just a little bit more lounge area. I'll be traveling fulltime with my dog, and while I love the Off Grid trailers, having him jump into the camper with dirty paws and whatnot doesn't seem fun.
2LO is often used in Fords for slower reversing, easier backing. No dragging the brakes.
4LO might be a bad idea due to all the steering we do in reverse. But not a bad idea if straight back.
On my Ram, I need to unplug the trailer plug for long sections of reversing. The trailer brakes are way too sensitive. Dragging the brake to keep speed down, will lock up the trailer brakes. So it's tap the brakes, let truck accelerate, tap, release, tap........looks like I'm an idiot newb who's never backed a trailer before. 4LO solves that problem.
Everything is a trade-off. We have yet to take our dogs out with this trailer. They pretty much hate bouncing down the trails. I can setup my RV-5 tent on the driver side along with the optional awning enclosure to greatly increase the trailers footprint. The same could be done with an RTT on top I guess. A longer teardrop would allow the dogs to fit inside but I don't want that. Maybe a Teton X Hybrid or the Overkill pop-out would work but again you start trading size for features.
The 23Zero Peregrine 270 awning with walls provides plenty of lounge area for us. Even in crappy weather conditions.
