Advocate I
Our Pando arrived Sunday night! Now the fun begins. :D
Off Grid Trailers (OGT) brand Owner's Thread
- Thread starter korydavis
- Start date
Hey Off Grid Owners!
For those of you interested in camping out with the rest of the Pack at the Overland Expos in the USA and the Alberta Outdoor Adventure Expo in Canada we have set times and places to meet up.
For Overland Expo West, PNW & Mtn West we will meet up in a large parking lot in town and convoy to the event site together.
For Overland Expo East, the plan is to stage just inside the main gate, due to its proximity to any towns or large parking lots.
For the Alberta Outdoor Adventure Expo come see us at Booth 11 on your way in.
If you plan on attending please RSVP on this page so we know how many to expect and send updates incase there are any changes to the plan.
RSVP: https://offgridtrailers.com/pack-gatherings/
Looking forward to meeting you!
The OGT Team
For those of you interested in camping out with the rest of the Pack at the Overland Expos in the USA and the Alberta Outdoor Adventure Expo in Canada we have set times and places to meet up.
For Overland Expo West, PNW & Mtn West we will meet up in a large parking lot in town and convoy to the event site together.
For Overland Expo East, the plan is to stage just inside the main gate, due to its proximity to any towns or large parking lots.
For the Alberta Outdoor Adventure Expo come see us at Booth 11 on your way in.
If you plan on attending please RSVP on this page so we know how many to expect and send updates incase there are any changes to the plan.
RSVP: https://offgridtrailers.com/pack-gatherings/
Looking forward to meeting you!
The OGT Team
Member I
Hi, I'm looking at possibly buying a 2018 Expedition 2.0. I'm wondering what, if any, the differences are between that and a new one?
Also, other than the departure angle and kitchen setup, are there any significant difference between the Pando and Expedition?
thanks for any help!
Also, other than the departure angle and kitchen setup, are there any significant difference between the Pando and Expedition?
thanks for any help!
Off-Road Ranger I
- 357
- First Name
- William
- Last Name
- Cockrell
- Member #
-
22107
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- KJ7TOT
We have a late 2021 Expedition 2.0 and I can’t help with the differences between the 2018 and 2021 versions and the specific updates. We selected the Expo over the Pando as neither of us are anything resembling a chef, towing with a Jeep so the 500 lb lighter weight was an important consideration and the departure angle being 50° was also important.
Doors are different. Older models have standard RV doors, heater will be on the roof vs side if it has that option, one less door inside of the trailer, probably minor electrical differences. That’s about it. The differences are fairly minor.
Member I
Member I
Thanks. I'll be towing with a jku rubicon, the weight difference is something im thinking about between the expedition and the pando, as well as the departure angles
Advocate I
So, Sunday night I got back from the first long trip with our Pando 2.0. Total miles was around 3,500 (IL -> AZ and back for Expo West). Trailer was flawless! To recap, here's what I've done since we took delivery:
I currently have the standard 12v FLA deep cycle battery setup (~210Ah), electrical draw was the Dometic CFX3 55IM set to 34F and the ice maker turned off, some light use at night, went through most of the 14 gallon water tank, ran the fan here and there. I was parked at my mom's house Monday afternoon through Thursday morning, drove an hour to Flagstaff, then parked among the pines from Thursday around noon until Saturday afternoon. Other than the 1 hour drive to Flagstaff with the DC-DC charger connected I was only using solar with my single 120w panel. After 3-4 hours of decent sun and repositioning the panel the batteries would be charged. For the 12 hours or so with no solar the batteries never dropped below 12.5v and mostly only dropped to 12.6v. According to the Dometic app, the fridge averaged around 0.6Ah/h of draw once the fridge and food reached a steady temp.
The trailer was a little "jerky" over smaller bumps on paved roads, it was suggested that I run the trailer tires at 29PSI and that did make a big difference. When towing, I always drove the speed limit or no more than 5MPH over (max speed was 77MPH in 75MPH areas) and averaged just shy of 17MPG for the entire trip.
I want to thank @korydavis and the whole OGT crew for coordinating the group camping and putting together a great event at the Expo.
- Turned off the second bank of the NOCO GENPRO10x2 120v -> 12v charger as the new models don't support parallel charging to a single battery bank, both charger banks being on causes charger errors/resets and momentary overvolt (15+) conditions in the 12v trailer electrical system.
- Installed a Victron 100/30 MPPT solar charge controller, reused the existing Zamp/SAE wiring and am using an MC4 -> SAE adapter with my 120w portable solar panel.
- Installed a Victron 12/12-18 (18A) DC-DC charger using 6AWG wire and Andersen connectors.
- Installed an Expedition Essentials magnetic, folding paper towel holder w/ adhesive disks (because the trailer is aluminum).
- Wife made some interior window covers using quilting fabric with Insul-Bright insulating material in the middle. This still lets some light through so they're not full black-out covers. The sun can be shining directly on the windows and you won't feel heat coming through. They're exactly what I was hoping for.
I currently have the standard 12v FLA deep cycle battery setup (~210Ah), electrical draw was the Dometic CFX3 55IM set to 34F and the ice maker turned off, some light use at night, went through most of the 14 gallon water tank, ran the fan here and there. I was parked at my mom's house Monday afternoon through Thursday morning, drove an hour to Flagstaff, then parked among the pines from Thursday around noon until Saturday afternoon. Other than the 1 hour drive to Flagstaff with the DC-DC charger connected I was only using solar with my single 120w panel. After 3-4 hours of decent sun and repositioning the panel the batteries would be charged. For the 12 hours or so with no solar the batteries never dropped below 12.5v and mostly only dropped to 12.6v. According to the Dometic app, the fridge averaged around 0.6Ah/h of draw once the fridge and food reached a steady temp.
The trailer was a little "jerky" over smaller bumps on paved roads, it was suggested that I run the trailer tires at 29PSI and that did make a big difference. When towing, I always drove the speed limit or no more than 5MPH over (max speed was 77MPH in 75MPH areas) and averaged just shy of 17MPG for the entire trip.
I want to thank @korydavis and the whole OGT crew for coordinating the group camping and putting together a great event at the Expo.
Attachments
Enthusiast II
Many differences between the 2018 Expedition and the 2022 model. Some have been already noted, but here's what I can recall: Larger doors, lighting package, provision for A/C, inside cabin bin doors that open down (not up) and can be used as shelves, furnace on the side box with the water heater, water tank level view port, optional heavy jack, pure sine wave inverter option, different fridge options, independent trailing arm suspension option, optional heavier leveling jacks that can (I think) lift the trailer to change a tire, and interior shelf option. There's probably more.
The Pando has more of a kitchen. The Expo has more storage. I think fresh water tank capacity is different.
ruralpunk
Rank III
Off-Road Ranger I
- 503
- First Name
- Gretchen
- Last Name
- nottellingyou
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- VA7KTF
- Service Branch
- BCEHS Paramedic
Anyone have any real world experience with the upgraded "evolution series" suspension? I'm feeling underwhelmed by the Timbren suspension and looking to upgrade. Wondering if its acutally worth it or just a cash grab?
Advocate I
There is no upgrade path to it, if you don't get it from the factory then you can't get it at all. Requires frame modifications and such.
Enthusiast II
In the Feb 2022 Video Off Grid Trailers Presents the OGT Evolution Series By Fabtech Motorsports, OGT says in the comments "We are currently working on a retrofittable options. We will release details on that soon." I haven't seen anything further on that topic. Did OGT decide against it?
Advocate I
I spoke with Duane (President of OGT) while at Overland Expo West about this some more (I had a couple of comments on the retrofitting comment on their video), they have no plans to make a retrofit kit because of the modifications required to the frame as it wouldn't be just a bolt on change and as a result it would void their frame warranty. The only way to get the new suspension is on a new trailer.
Enthusiast II
Advocate I
You say you're feeling underwhelmed by the Timbren, can you be more specific? Also, what PSI are you running in the trailer tires? I ran 35PSI initially but was told 26PSI worked well all-around. My initial complaint was feeling the trailer being a bit bouncy and tuggy on rough pavement, this was before we had actually taken it off pavement. Lowering the PSI to 26 made a world of difference.
Earlier this month we got back from 1.5 weeks in Colorado with quite a bit of off-road towing and while I'm sure the new suspension would make a noticeable difference over the Timbren, I was satisfied with how the Timbren worked. It was never super bouncy or jarring, at most there would be a large rock/root/log that would cause the trailer to gently rock while going over them. We had various things loose on the mattress plus we had stuff in the Pando sink and all of the storage cabinets as well as sitting on the full-width front shelf and at no point did anything get chucked, knocked over, or fall. I didn't air down the trailer tires at all, still ran 26PSI.
ruralpunk
Rank III
Off-Road Ranger I
- 503
- First Name
- Gretchen
- Last Name
- nottellingyou
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- VA7KTF
- Service Branch
- BCEHS Paramedic
I think this was directed towards me.
The trailer is a dream on the highway. It's so tiny I forget that I'm pulling anything in my Gladiator. I'm just finding that the trailer is flying all over the place when off road. I'm concerned about beating up the water/propane/electrical systems. I'm already having issues with the water system (I'll say that dealing with the warranty department has been painless though). I'm not bombing through the bush or abusing it or anything too wild, but occasionally there is the odd unexpected bump and the trailer is not reacting well to it. I could see a huge benefit in having a proper suspension setup.
That's a shame if its true that they won't be offering an upgrade path. I was told by Chris that they would be when I bought it.
Advocate I
What pressure are you running in the trailer's tires? I had mentioned what I'm running but I don't see you mentioning what you're running (or if you changed it from when the trailer was delivered). I also don't know how loaded down you are, but we had both water tanks full, both fridges full, quite a bit of food and clothing in the storage compartments. No RTT, though. 26PSI has worked well for me on pavement and off-road. If you're still running 35PSI or whatever came from the factory then that could be a lot of your problem, the tires are bouncing more than conforming. The Timbren suspension has been working well. Not as great as the upgraded suspension but I'm not feeling like I need or want to upgrade yet.
Enthusiast II
I'll chime in with my experience. I run my 2019 Expo on the road with 30 psi in BFG KO2 tires. (Fully loaded, no RTT.) No issues with trailer bounce. Offroad, of course, the pressure depends on the trail condition, but around 18 psi is typical. The Timbren suspension is fine. The new suspension option looks great, but the trailer ride height is increased. I'm not sure I'd go for that if I was buying now because my tow vehicle is not lifted and I'm already running a rise in the hitch.
ruralpunk
Rank III
Off-Road Ranger I
- 503
- First Name
- Gretchen
- Last Name
- nottellingyou
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- VA7KTF
- Service Branch
- BCEHS Paramedic
35 on pavement, 25 on gravel, 20 off-road.
I have an Expedition, no RTT or anything like that. Certainly not overloaded.
Enthusiast II
Can anyone comment on the doors for the Expedition 2.0, I.e. their size and ease of entry. Trying to decide between the Expedition and the Switchback with the RTT and the 2 am trip down the ladder.
Thanks.
Thanks.
