Sleep in Vs. Sleep on trailers??

[LtShorty]

I cant decide.....? Just need some opinions on what you think?

Quick Background:
I am new to OB but have been a LURKER for a while. I have built one “utility/hunt/camp trailer and one flat bed trailer. Just retired from the fire service after 34 years. It’s time to get more involved with OB and the other members.

I have a good cache of steel, wheels, & RV parts in the shop but I can’t decide which kind trailer to build? I am leaning towards building a sleep in/ teardrop trailer similar to AT Trailers in AZ. There are several other designs out there to choose but I think the sleep in is the way to go.

What is your preference and why? Pros and Cons?

 

[Kent R]

I cant decide.....? Just need some opinions on what you think?

Quick Background:
I am new to OB but have been a LURKER for a while. I have built one “utility/hunt/camp trailer and one flat bed trailer. Just retired from the fire service after 34 years. It’s time to get more involved with OB and the other members.

I have a good cache of steel, wheels, & RV parts in the shop but I can’t decide which kind trailer to build? I am leaning towards building a sleep in/ teardrop trailer similar to AT Trailers in AZ. There are several other designs out there to choose but I think the sleep in is the way to go.

What is your preference and why? Pros and Cons?

There are several build threads on the form you should use the search function and I bet you will find lots of different views on this subject.
Personally we went with a sleep on top of trailer being built by Anchor Mountain Overland in Fruita CO. The main reason for us was storage and I really feel it is a much stronger trailer. After seeing a new Hiker in Death Valley in November have issues we were happy we did the later.
Congrats at making to to retirement!

 

[Steve]

What is your preference and why? Pros and Cons?

We chose "Sleep In" for our trailer. We are in our 60s, and climbing up and down a ladder during the night was definitely not appealing to Deb (I can use a Gatorade bottle.)

We can also camp anywhere with zero prep. Just pull over, climb in, and go to sleep. This works great for stealth camping. And, I can take my kayaks on top, which I couldn't if there was a RTT on top.

No waiting for the tent to dry, no packing, no climbing on the trailer to put the cover on or tighten straps. Just lock the doors and go.

We chose a "square drop" style instead of a traditional teardrop. More interior room at the expense of an inbuilt kitchen. But I don't want to cook in my camper, anyway.

Se our trailer thread in the link in my signature file.



[EDIT] I am familiar with the Hiker problem Kent mentioned, and it is unfortunate that occurred. But, I am also familiar with several other off-road Hiker owners with tens of thousands of miles on their trailer, hauled over some horrible rocky roads through Canada, Wyoming, and Alaska with zero problems.

 

[LtShorty]

There are several build threads on the form you should use the search function and I bet you will find lots of different views on this subject.
Personally we went with a sleep on top of trailer being built by Anchor Mountain Overland in Fruita CO. The main reason for us was storage and I really feel it is a much stronger trailer. After seeing a new Hiker in Death Valley in November have issues we were happy we did the later.
Congrats at making to to retirement!

 

[LtShorty]

There are several build threads on the form you should use the search function and I bet you will find lots of different views on this subject.
Personally we went with a sleep on top of trailer being built by Anchor Mountain Overland in Fruita CO. The main reason for us was storage and I really feel it is a much stronger trailer. After seeing a new Hiker in Death Valley in November have issues we were happy we did the later.
Congrats at making to to retirement!

Thank you KentR for the reply? I will dig into the search features as I am still learning to navigate the forums. We are heading over to Arches NP and will try to find Anchor Mountian Overland and take a look.
I’m not familiar with the hiker in Death Valley....Maybe carbon monoxide?

 

[LtShorty]

We chose "Sleep In" for our trailer. We are in our 60s, and climbing up and down a ladder during the night was definitely not appealing to Deb (I can use a Gatorade bottle.)

We can also camp anywhere with zero prep. Just pull over, climb in, and go to sleep. This works great for stealth camping. And, I can take my kayaks on top, which I couldn't if there was a RTT on top.

No waiting for the tent to dry, no packing, no climbing on the trailer to put the cover on or tighten straps. Just lock the doors and go.

We chose a "square drop" style instead of a traditional teardrop. More interior room at the expense of an inbuilt kitchen. But I don't want to cook in my camper, anyway.

Se our trailer thread in the link in my signature file.

View attachment 79141 View attachment 79142 View attachment 79143 View attachment 79144 View attachment 79145

[EDIT] I am familiar with the Hiker problem Kent mentioned, and it is unfortunate that occurred. But, I am also familiar with several other off-road Hiker owners with tens of thousands of miles on their trailer, hauled over some horrible rocky roads through Canada, Wyoming, and Alaska with zero problems.

Wow! What a nice set up! Looks very functional! Thank you for the pics. I will work on learning to post pics. I like traveling simple and lite. I have been twice to Alaska on duel sport bikes and camping was simple and fast. I just don’t want to do the wet and cold anymore.....hence, the “sleep in trailer”. It looks like you use the back of your vehicle for part of your kitchen. It would be nice to take the frig. while doing some exploring. Big expense leaving at camp and it would be nice to have a cold one while away from base camp.

 

[Steve]

Thanks, we really like it. The Hiker Road models start under $5000, but not for harder use than occasional forest road. The Mid-Range is %8k and up, I think, and the Off-Road Extreme, more than that. Depends on your wants and needs.

It looks like you use the back of your vehicle for part of your kitchen. It would be nice to take the frig. while doing some exploring. Big expense leaving at camp and it would be nice to have a cold one while away from base camp.

Yep, we had the National Luna 90 Twin in the 4Runner before getting the trailer, and that's where it stays. It is huge, and too big for the trailer, plus, we don't always have the trailer with us while traveling or exploring. For instance it is invaluable for taking food to and leftovers from Thanksgiving and Christmas with the family. :)

 

[Todd & Meg]

I'm building a teardrop for a few reasons. One being my wife hates ladders, anything more that a step or two. I like that you can pull up and go to bed, we were reading a trip report of a group that had both expo trailers and sleep in trailers. The pulled in to camp late in the rain, TD people went straight to bed, RTT people waited for the rain to let up to setup. That was 1:30 AM. In that same trip report one night got so windy a few of the RTT people put their tents down in the middle of the night it was so bad. They were in SW Utah. I like having a the full galley ready to go, just open the hatch and everything is there. I like if we need to we can stop at a rest area or Walmart parking lot and take a nap. No one would even know you were in the back, unless they heard the snoring. We had a few spots in Colorado a few years ago that because of a bear only hard side camping was allowed. I asked the ranger about a RTT (that was when we were thinking going that way) he said it didn't matter where the tent was if it was soft sided not allowed. That is a few things.


What is the Hiker at DV thing?

Todd

 

[Kent R]

I'm building a teardrop for a few reasons. One being my wife hates ladders, anything more that a step or two. I like that you can pull up and go to bed, we were reading a trip report of a group that had both expo trailers and sleep in trailers. The pulled in to camp late in the rain, TD people went straight to bed, RTT people waited for the rain to let up to setup. That was 1:30 AM. In that same trip report one night got so windy a few of the RTT people put their tents down in the middle of the night it was so bad. They were in SW Utah. I like having a the full galley ready to go, just open the hatch and everything is there. I like if we need to we can stop at a rest area or Walmart parking lot and take a nap. No one would even know you were in the back, unless they heard the snoring. We had a few spots in Colorado a few years ago that because of a bear only hard side camping was allowed. I asked the ranger about a RTT (that was when we were thinking going that way) he said it didn't matter where the tent was if it was soft sided not allowed. That is a few things.


What is the Hiker at DV thing?

Todd

One of our club members had a new Hiker and he had some problems with the spare tire carrier coming off and bending an axle. Hiker is 100% taking care of him and he is very satisfied with the customer service.

 

[ArkansasDon]

I'm guess by "Sleep On" is RTT?, the wife & I are both hunters (bear, deer) & dispersed campers. We've own ground tents, truck slide in campers pulling a jeep, & 5th wheel. I built our adventure trailer ground up over a year ago w\RTT. The wife & I are not spring chickens, late 50's mid 60's. Currently we like "Sleep-On" w\RTT because all our gear is stored into the bed of our adventure trailer with the exception of certain 12v. year we use @ different times of the year "seasons" : example Endless Breeze Fan (early summer, summer months) or Proplex H2000 tent furnace (winter & early spring months). Another factor "pro's" we like about "Sleep On" is the view you get waking up or star gazing. Your up high & the site of view is awesome. Another is the attraction a RTT trailer brings to your site (public sites) when we camp with our son & his family. People are amazed in awh! when they see a RTT adventure trailer in it's full glory, even at gas stations people walk up & ask about it..
Gear storage on a RTT Trailer has the advantage over a sleep in trailer IMO, the only gear I carry in the truck (not in the trailer) is my Engel portable fridg\freez, firewood, food pantry, dry goods box, & 30qt. Pelican Cooler with drinks & ice.
This 2019 spring (mid March) Sally & I are running the Arkansas & Oklahoma route of the Trans American Trail. We are planning 10days for this run to slowly travel & explore & enjoy the sites.

Now for the cons, they require a bit to be maintained, can not put them away wet because of the tent mildew or mold growth, so a thorough dry is a must, as you get older in age like the wife & I are it becomes more difficult to climb the ladder up & down whether sleep time, waking up or them late night bathroom runs. We have NO problem "yet" of climbing up or down into the tent.
Personally I can not find too many con's on a "sleep on" trailer.

Now in a few more years Sally & I will put this trailer up for sale & purchase a WeeRoll Wrangler Offroad or a Hiker. We plan on overlanding until were both are planted in the ground.

 

[Kent R]

I'm building a teardrop for a few reasons. One being my wife hates ladders, anything more that a step or two. I like that you can pull up and go to bed, we were reading a trip report of a group that had both expo trailers and sleep in trailers. The pulled in to camp late in the rain, TD people went straight to bed, RTT people waited for the rain to let up to setup. That was 1:30 AM. In that same trip report one night got so windy a few of the RTT people put their tents down in the middle of the night it was so bad. They were in SW Utah. I like having a the full galley ready to go, just open the hatch and everything is there. I like if we need to we can stop at a rest area or Walmart parking lot and take a nap. No one would even know you were in the back, unless they heard the snoring. We had a few spots in Colorado a few years ago that because of a bear only hard side camping was allowed. I asked the ranger about a RTT (that was when we were thinking going that way) he said it didn't matter where the tent was if it was soft sided not allowed. That is a few things.


What is the Hiker at DV thing?

Todd

One of our club members had a new Hiker and he had some problems with the spare tire carrier coming off and bending an axle. Hiker is 100% taking care of him and he is very satisfied with the customer service.

 

[Todd & Meg]

One of our club members had a new Hiker and he had some problems with the spare tire carrier coming off and bending an axle. Hiker is 100% taking care of him and he is very satisfied with the customer service.

Thanks. With the washboards in Death Valley I’m surprised we had anything still attached to the Jeep. Lol.

Good to hear Hiker is standing behind their camper.

Todd

 

[Otter155]

Thank you KentR for the reply? I will dig into the search features as I am still learning to navigate the forums. We are heading over to Arches NP and will try to find Anchor Mountian Overland and take a look.
I’m not familiar with the hiker in Death Valley....Maybe carbon monoxide?

It was my Hiker and no it was not carbon Monoxide; as Kent mentioned, it was a non-structural weld oddity that happened to the rear tire carrier on the trail. I have been really happy with the trailer overall, from sleeping inside, storage, weather protection etc.

More on point to the OPs question, I had the same questions on RTT vs Teardrop. After Death Valley, I feel that my purchase of the Hiker (Off-Road Extreme 5x8 model) was spot on. The trailer held up to all of the terrain we traveled through, from the washboards, to more technical rock sections, even down Lippincott Pass. At night, if prepared correctly and your not using the inside for additional storage, you can jump right in and fall asleep after a day of driving. The turning radius of a teardrop vs a small trailer is not the same, but again I never felt at a disadvantage with my trailer behind me. The question that sometimes doesn't come up, and I think is more important, is that of weight of the trailer. I'm at around 2k lbs. with my Hiker and while I have no trouble towing it, more gas is used than if I was to run with a lighter trailer. The last aspect of RTT vs Teardrop I would mention is that of storage; it is a lot easier to get a Trailer with RTT into a normal garage than some of the Teardrops with awnings. My wife and I lower the PSI on our tires to clear the garage door with our Hiker; once in, it's a great fit with no issues.

 

[LtShorty]

It was my Hiker and no it was not carbon Monoxide; as Kent mentioned, it was a non-structural weld oddity that happened to the rear tire carrier on the trail. I have been really happy with the trailer overall, from sleeping inside, storage, weather protection etc.

More on point to the OPs question, I had the same questions on RTT vs Teardrop. After Death Valley, I feel that my purchase of the Hiker (Off-Road Extreme 5x8 model) was spot on. The trailer held up to all of the terrain we traveled through, from the washboards, to more technical rock sections, even down Lippincott Pass. At night, if prepared correctly and your not using the inside for additional storage, you can jump right in and fall asleep after a day of driving. The turning radius of a teardrop vs a small trailer is not the same, but again I never felt at a disadvantage with my trailer behind me. The question that sometimes doesn't come up, and I think is more important, is that of weight of the trailer. I'm at around 2k lbs. with my Hiker and while I have no trouble towing it, more gas is used than if I was to run with a lighter trailer. The last aspect of RTT vs Teardrop I would mention is that of storage; it is a lot easier to get a Trailer with RTT into a normal garage than some of the Teardrops with awnings. My wife and I lower the PSI on our tires to clear the garage door with our Hiker; once in, it's a great fit with no issues.

Otter155, Thanks, I have not put a lot of thought into turning radius. Some of the teardrops that I have seen at OXpo are quite long!

 

[kootsfrontier]

We use a Sleep on trailer right now. A GoFSR Overlander. We have tried a few different Roof Top Tents and right now are using the GoFSR M60 tent and are very happy. For us we often camp as a family of 4 and are active so the gear hauling was the main reason to switch to a trailer.

 

[Realwarrior]

Mine is a combination of both. I have a twin single inside and rooftop on top. I also have a rv futon that I can put inside if needed.

 

[TJ Willy]

Me an mine also enjoy sleeping on top of are intech flyer. We have a Gordigear 165mm an we love it ! The rtt can breathe an doesn't stay cold or hot when the temps change. When it gets cold the inside of the trailer gets very cold an stays cold ! The rtt is very comfortable and we sleep great upstairs. But if need be we can also sleep in the trailer. We also arnt spring chickens anymore ( early 50, s an late late 50s) an yet climbing the ladder doesn't bother us a bit . The view is great !

 

[driftertrailers]

I prefer sleep in. It's just easier for us. Much faster to get ready than a tent. We do have a roof top tent we put on as a guest room.