Trailer or no trailer?

[1Louder]

I’m trying to decide on nomading in just my power wagon with a rtt or with an overland trailer. This would be full time and I’m currently planning on mountain house for food so it eliminates the need for refrigeration. However the modern age has spoiled me with air conditioning at night unless I’m in a climate at 50 degrees or less. I prefer the cold to heat when sleeping. I have the 3 piece military sleep system which is good down to -55

What made you all decide on a trailer and why. Air conditioning would be the only reason I could see at the moment for a trailer. I’m open to all suggestions and experience.

I know you started this in another thread and it got merged. Be sure to read through the other posts. I think you will get sick of Mountain House pretty quick (not that it is bad) but it is pricey. Save up for a fridge. It is a game changer.

In a nutshell:
- Everything is packed and ready to go in the trailer
- I can base camp with a trailer and leave it behind as required.
- I can carry more gear to stay out longer and more what-if gear
- It allows me to sleep off of the ground and out of the elements (teardrop trailer vs RTT)
- I don't have to unpack and re-pack my truck all the time
- Probably a few other things I can't think of off the top of my head

 

[Graeman]

RoyD

I’m going the trailer route

We’re in a Jeep and we’re over sleeping on the ground after bouncing all day on the trail

RTT on fixed posts on top of the trailer

All gear is set up inside and ready to rock.

View attachment 111656

That is one sweet looking trailer.

 

[Mike harpe]

@1Louder I read the entire thread. I didn’t know this had already been asked, but usually most things already are. Anyways a lot of good points were made especially with being able to base camp and go day tripping. Now I quest for finding the best one for me. So the search begins [emoji19]

 

[1Louder]

@1Louder I read the entire thread. I didn’t know this had already been asked, but usually most things already are. Anyways a lot of good points were made especially with being able to base camp and go day tripping. Now I quest for finding the best one for me. So the search begins [emoji19]

Plenty of good options. No such thing as a perfect trailer. I have owned 5! Keeping the 5th one and looking for my 6th. Ha

Set a budget and stick to it! Read. Read and read! Lots of good threads on Expedition Portal as well on home builds.

 

[Mike harpe]

Plenty of good options. No such thing as a perfect trailer. I have owned 5! Keeping the 5th one and looking for my 6th. Ha

Set a budget and stick to it! Read. Read and read! Lots of good threads on Expedition Portal as well on home builds.

I’ve been looking at the hiker extreme off road. I’m pretty much sold. Just waiting to see what the cost is so I can start saving for it.

 

[Billiebob]

Gas mileage is greatbup to 50mph. Not bad at 60mph. But at Interstate speeds you'll need a new limit on your VISA Card

 

[RubiVaughn]

Plenty of good options. No such thing as a perfect trailer. I have owned 5! Keeping the 5th one and looking for my 6th. Ha

Set a budget and stick to it! Read. Read and read! Lots of good threads on Expedition Portal as well on home builds.

The more I read the more I agree

It’s all about having options

Regardless of the set up... just get out there and do it.....

 

[RubiVaughn]

That is one sweet looking trailer.

Thank you
It’s been a dream in the making


Can’t wait to get it done and on the trail

 

[Jeff1]

I’ve been looking at the hiker extreme off road. I’m pretty much sold. Just waiting to see what the cost is so I can start saving for it.

Save up and get your deposit in, the Extreme is about 12 months out. I just ordered a Hiker Mid Range with a March/April 2020 delivery date!

I went the trailer route for convenience of having every thing packed and ready plus I'm not doing any real difficult trails.

 

[Mike harpe]

Save up and get your deposit in, the Extreme is about 12 months out. I just ordered a Hiker Mid Range with a March/April 2020 delivery date!

I went the trailer route for convenience of having every thing packed and ready plus I'm not doing any real difficult trails.

What’s the deposit usually? I won’t be able to overland until approx. 2024 so I’ve got time for a lengthy wait. When is the rest due? I filled out a build sheet and when they get back to me will change some things to reduce the cost. Things I can do myself/buy cheaper online. Like the 270 awning, solar system, and road shower.

 

[Jeff1]

What’s the deposit usually? I won’t be able to overland until approx. 2024 so I’ve got time for a lengthy wait. When is the rest due? I filled out a build sheet and when they get back to me will change some things to reduce the cost. Things I can do myself/buy cheaper online. Like the 270 awning, solar system, and road shower.

Deposit is 20%, balance due when you pick it up.

I filled out about 6 of those price requests to figure out all the options pricing so I can figure out if I wanted to do them myself!

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

I think trailers are great for a lot of applications. But I don't like them, having had experience both with trailers and without. There are three reasons I don't like them for my application, and I think these reasons are worth considering for others, but as with all things a person has to settle on what works for them. There are folks like BillieBob and Road (and many others in this thread) that have excellent trailer setups that do what they need to do and there's no reason others can't do the same.

1) Vehicle Design Limitations: There is only 1 off-road vehicle maker I'm aware of that provides designed specifications for towing in off road environments, and that's Land Rover. The off-road specs for towing on some Land Rover vehicles are as much as 1/3rd the weight of the 'normal' towing capacity for on-road travel. Other manufactures do not publish off-road specs, so people see they can tow 3500lbs with their JK and haul a 3450 lbs trailer off road, and that is well beyond what is safe for that vehicle -- the forces over uneven terrain are amplified hugely as compared to on-road towing, which is what the 3500lbs rating is talking about. If the majority of your travel is gravel roads, then this isn't a big deal. But if you go off road into tricky terrain, while the trailer may not feel like it's slowing you down/can't follow you, it does increase the risk of damage to the two vehicle.

Related to this, there is also a flood of 'off-road' trailers hitting the market now, and not all are created equally. Putting Jeep tires and a graphics package do not an off-road worthy vehicle make! So, between the increased risk of trip-ending failures in both the tow vehicle and the trailer, I prefer to go without.

2) Time to setup: For us, we like to explore all day and actually spend very little time in camp. Some nights, we'll stay in the back-of-beyond, other nights we will find ourselves having to stealth camp at a Wal Mart or something similar. The trailers I've seen (with a few well-designed exceptions) typically take longer to setup and teardown than a vehicle-based system, and they are typically more obviously a "camp".

3) Agility: Being able to turn in the vehicle's own radius is a huge asset off road. Trailers can get in the way on really tight switchbacks and some tracks. If you don't do this kind of track, then this is a moot point, but if you do, it'll be harder with the trailer and can take the enjoyment away a bit. A trailer + vehicle will always be less agile than the same vehicle without a trailer, but again -- this may not be a need for everyone.

Trailers have a lot of advantages though -- more payload, space, etc. in the tow vehicle, and the ability to base camp are both huge assets. Plus, I love the idea of "hook on and go"; we design our vehicles to be like that without a trailer, but that's not possible for every one who have other uses for their vehicles too. Ours is a DD, but we don't use the cargo space for hauling since we have another truck for that, so our Canyon will be set up where all we need to do is grab the dogs and hit the road (Our old JK was setup this way too).

 

[Craig M]

I know you started this in another thread and it got merged. Be sure to read through the other posts. I think you will get sick of Mountain House pretty quick (not that it is bad) but it is pricey. Save up for a fridge. It is a game changer.

@Mike harpe - Just to add my $0.02.. I finally bought a fridge this year, and I agree with @1Louder, that it's a game changer. I love it!

I also agree about Mountain House, but do want to add that there are a bunch of non-refrigerated options aside from freeze dried / Mountain House. A couple of recommendations:

Knorr Sides - These are mostly rice and pasta mixes, but there are a number of 'flavors', and they're pretty good. Best part, you just need to boil water. I like to make meals out of them, but adding in some canned protein.. For example, they have a chicken flavor one.. So with that, I add a can of chicken breast.
Bear Creek Soups - Also in the grocery store, a bunch of different types, and they are also 'just add water'. I also add some of my own ingredients sometimes, as well, to punch them up some. I actually just made the Minestrone for lunch, it's in the kitchen cooling.
Canned Soups and Foods - Obviously! I like the Campbell Chunky soups..
Tuna - Bring packets of mayo and relish (at least, that's what I like), so you don't have to refrigerate, and carry around a bunch extra you won't use.

As for other meats.. Spam is a good option, especially since they now sell them as 'singles' in a pouch. There are a number of different flavors..

For non-refrigerate options / ideas that are better than simple freeze dried, I recommend google searching 'backpacking recipes' and you should find some more good stuff

 

[Mike harpe]

I eat a paleo diet so no starch. It’s mostly fish, meats, and veggies.

 

[JButtress]

I had a trailer for a little while. a rugged military one with RTT on it. I liked the idea of it, but once I got out riding trails...the constant worry of running into dead ends with a trailer and full size rig just got too annoying.

 

[Mike harpe]

I had a trailer for a little while. a rugged military one with RTT on it. I liked the idea of it, but once I got out riding trails...the constant worry of running into dead ends with a trailer and full size rig just got too annoying.

Good point

 

[1Louder]

I had a trailer for a little while. a rugged military one with RTT on it. I liked the idea of it, but once I got out riding trails...the constant worry of running into dead ends with a trailer and full size rig just got too annoying.

Put an XO Jack by ArkPak on your trailer and it is pretty easy to move in move situations. To date I have never gotten stuck and I have been in some pretty tight situations. Sometimes it takes 20 turns to make "3 point turn" but I have been able to turn around. Most of the M416 style trailers are pretty light and very easy to move. I understand the concern if travelling solo and don't have some type of scouting vehicle... I will say that most true "Overlanding trails" vs "Off-road" should cause no issues with pulling a trailer.

 

[Billiebob]

One thing to consider when towing a trailer is that if the distance between rear axle of the tow vehicle and the axle of the trailer is the same as the wheelbase of your tow vehicle--or as close to the same as you can get--you will have a far easier time towing and backing up.

I'll have to measure up my rig. I sort of agree. But I'd word it differently.

For reversing, the longer the trailer wheelbase, and shorter the tow vehicle wheelbase, the easier it is to back up straight.
Worst possible combination is a quad cab wider than the trailer, and a super short tongue/wheelbase. The trailer will fock off before you see it and your only recovery is to pull ahead and get it all straight again.

But for backing up any trailer.... yer best bet is line it up so you don't need to turn. Position, position, position is everything when reversing with a trailer.

I agree, a good simple rule.... keep the distance from the hitch to the trailer axle at least as long as yer wheelbase.

 

[Road]

I'll have to measure up my rig. I sort of agree. But I'd word it differently.

For reversing, the longer the trailer wheelbase, and shorter the tow vehicle wheelbase, the easier it is to back up straight.
Worst possible combination is a quad cab wider than the trailer, and a super short tongue/wheelbase. The trailer will fock off before you see it and your only recovery is to pull ahead and get it all straight again.

But for backing up any trailer.... yer best bet is line it up so you don't need to turn. Position, position, position is everything when reversing with a trailer.

I agree, a good simple rule.... keep the distance from the hitch to the trailer axle at least as long as yer wheelbase.

.
Yep, you're right, better way to put it, but it should be the distance from tow vehicle's rear axle to trailer axle, not from the hitch. Axle to axle to axle. Makes perfect sense once I heard it. I learned the tip from an off-road trailer maker in Florida, originally from Argentina, who had this kick-ass trailer, very impressive. Wanted to talk about me coming to work for him.

I think having it tooo long would make it harder to turn tight on some trails, going forward or back, I don't know, but seems the trailer would want to cut the corner.

Definitely tracks and corners far better and with less worry if it's the same, and if you do a lot of backing, like construction or car lots, etc, sure, than longer. And we most all do a lot of backing, though I saw one trailer owner said he only picks sites he can pull through, because "that's the smartest way to use a trailer."

In my experience, though, having axle to axle to axle the same and knowing your off-road trailer really well will enable you to back it anywhere you want. I suppose a lot of it is just getting used to what you have, though I sure don't want a narrower trailer with a shorter rear axle to trailer axle setup.

Last week I backed mine up a hill, around a curve and around a boulder larger than my van without problem.


.

 

[Mike harpe]

I’ve got a full-size ram 2500. The more I’m reading the more I think as nice as a trailer would be, my original plan of a diamondback bed top, rtt, and bedslide with Plano boxes may be the best option for me.