Trailer overlanding

[brewski]

That Las to be a pretty nice, no nonsense set up. It looks to be light enough to unhitch and spin around by hand if your in a jamb and have a wee bit of room to either side. I too have had issues when the trail peters out and turning around. It’s great wheeling in the the pacific NW! Headed with my trailer to Death Valley end of March for a couple weeks of warmth and goofing off-

Death Valley is probably my favorite NP. Great sights and trails. I haven't been for 5ish years and there have been some changes which would be interesting to see (weather and human damage, like at the Racetrack Playa). I was suppose to be doing the NVBDR with some friends at the end of this month, but life has prevented me going. Luckily one of those friends is Mark Doiron, so I'll get to see the video of the trip.

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[Foster_WV]

Some really nice trailers on here!

Being able to leave the trailer at camp and hit the trails is great but the hands down reason for us is not having to pack and unpack. Literally all we do is pack food and clothes, and that makes the trip more enjoyable for the entire family.

Here’s our Hillbilly Hilton Hahahaha

 

[RenegadeJeeper]

What is it?

 

[Zandcwhite]

We‘ve considered a trailer over the years, but living in CA and tending to drive 80mph+ has always talked us out of it. At 80 on the freeway, CHP doesn’t bat an eye, 65+ with a trailer and you are getting a ticket. As convenient as these trailer setups are, time is money and I have places to be. We try to pack light and tent camp to keep cog low and the Jeep as nimble as possible. For the longer trips like Moab, we setup camp and wheel mostly empty.

 

[D90John]

We‘ve considered a trailer over the years, but living in CA and tending to drive 80mph+ has always talked us out of it. At 80 on the freeway, CHP doesn’t bat an eye, 65+ with a trailer and you are getting a ticket. As convenient as these trailer setups are, time is money and I have places to be. We try to pack light and tent camp to keep cog low and the Jeep as nimble as possible. For the longer trips like Moab, we setup camp and wheel mostly empty.

Zach- Now thats a perspective I hadn’t thought of. Me being from the Pacific NW I tend to focus on a slower, more (IMO) relaxed pace. My first goal is to stay off the freeways and travel on divided highways or byways. Even driving the 1000 miles to either Moab or down to the Death Valley area on some of the interstate highways we cruise in the 70 to 80 range tops. We both leave all the weight at camp and keep our Jeeps light and nimble for trail running. There are so many ways to have quality time with your Jeep. Enjoy the ride- John

 

[Zandcwhite]

Zach- Now thats a perspective I hadn’t thought of. Me being from the Pacific NW I tend to focus on a slower, more (IMO) relaxed pace. My first goal is to stay off the freeways and travel on divided highways or byways. Even driving the 1000 miles to either Moab or down to the Death Valley area on some of the interstate highways we cruise in the 70 to 80 range tops. We both leave all the weight at camp and keep our Jeeps light and nimble for trail running. There are so many ways to have quality time with your Jeep. Enjoy the ride- John

The 55mph trailer speed limit is just 1 of many CA laws that I’m not a fan of. Maybe we will slow down more with age, obviously road trips take a much more leisurely pace when retirement rolls around. For now, we try to maximize time at the destination, on the trails, etc and then bomb home for work.

 

[brewski]

Zach- Now thats a perspective I hadn’t thought of. Me being from the Pacific NW I tend to focus on a slower, more (IMO) relaxed pace. My first goal is to stay off the freeways and travel on divided highways or byways. Even driving the 1000 miles to either Moab or down to the Death Valley area on some of the interstate highways we cruise in the 70 to 80 range tops. We both leave all the weight at camp and keep our Jeeps light and nimble for trail running. There are so many ways to have quality time with your Jeep. Enjoy the ride- John

Same, I don't drive fast in the jeep and when traveling only take the interstates if I am in a huge rush to get somewhere. I often take an extra day to get somewhere to take the county highways because that is where a lot of great roads and sights can be found. Plus it makes the trip to a destination interesting.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Same, I don't drive fast in the jeep and when traveling only take the interstates if I am in a huge rush to get somewhere. I often take an extra day to get somewhere to take the county highways because that is where a lot of great roads and sights can be found. Plus it makes the trip to a destination interesting.

85mph on aired down 37’s through the multiple windy mountain passes on I-70 coming home from Moab at 3am definitely made the trip “interesting”. As an electrician, there’s no such thing as a paid day off. Commuting in Bay Area traffic daily has me ready to get off the pavement and into the dirt as quick as possible. Our extreme style of road trip definitely isn’t for everyone, but it works for us.

 

[MrGneissGuy]

Really enjoy this thread. I've been talking to my SO about getting a trailer so we can do more camping, and I have her where she now wants a teardrop. Little problem with that, however, that I'm hoping you all can help with. We have, on paper, a two car garage where she parks her Telluride. In reality, I can barely fit the Wrangler in with it, and it takes a lot of back and forth to make sure mirrors don't hit and that one can actually get in or out of them. So I only park there when we're getting a lot of snow, and figured a small trailer could be kept in there instead. I was initially thinking some of these small trailers with tents on top. But she has decided she only likes the nice curved top teardrops.

Problem is, I've been looking at a lot and most of those are wider (fender to fender) than the Jeep which means it isn't going to fit in the garage and we wouldn't want to keep it just parked outside (and the driveway is a little tight for that anyway). Are there any good teardrops with an outside width of less than 70"? I've only been able to find the Do Drop and the CampKat neither of which she (nor I) like that much. I like Timberleaf's Pika, which appears to be the same width as my Wrangler. But that's all I've found.

Or do we just get something and keep it in a storage unit?

 

[D90John]

Really enjoy this thread. I've been talking to my SO about getting a trailer so we can do more camping, and I have her where she now wants a teardrop. Little problem with that, however, that I'm hoping you all can help with. We have, on paper, a two car garage where she parks her Telluride. In reality, I can barely fit the Wrangler in with it, and it takes a lot of back and forth to make sure mirrors don't hit and that one can actually get in or out of them. So I only park there when we're getting a lot of snow, and figured a small trailer could be kept in there instead. I was initially thinking some of these small trailers with tents on top. But she has decided she only likes the nice curved top teardrops.

Problem is, I've been looking at a lot and most of those are wider (fender to fender) the the Jeep which means it isn't going to fit in the garage and we wouldn't want to keep it just parked outside (and the driveway is a little tight for that anyway). Are there any good teardrops with an outside width of less than 70"? I've only been able to find the Do Drop and the CampKat neither of which she (nor I) like that much. I like Timberleaf's Pika, which appears to be the same width as my Wrangler. But that's all I've found.

Or do we just get something and keep it in a storage unit?

Ya know Dennis- this is a tough assignment. As the OP of this thread I supported, and still do the minimal style. My wife and I are both over 70 as well. Our small tow behind with roof top tent works well and the tent has a 5” thick inflatable foam mattress that nears the comfort of home. Our trailer is 65” from outside tire to outside tire. The tent is lower than traditional RTT’s and therefore easier to get in and out of. The rough part about this style vs an enclosed teardrop is you need to set up the tent if the weather sucks vs jumping out of the jeep and into the teardrop. Guess its a bit of a give and take world out there so, while I have no recommendations for something that you may like that will fit in the garage I wish you well in your search and advise to keep an open mind and try out different configurations before you pull the trigger. Best- John

 

[north53overland]

This is my setup being made. It's a semi-custom teardrop.
1) Custom chassis
2) Standard living habitat made in BC, Canada
3) Custom galley




For full details visit here: https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...teardrop-trailer-build-alberta-canada.220617/

A little update, chassis is 100% done, off to Northern Teardrop Trailer tomorrow (about a 10 hour drive) and the chassis will stay with them until October. Then I get to pick it up and then over the winter finish the cabinets and the batter/fridge box at the front. A new addition is the heavily welded 2" receiver at the back and flush mounted into the rear bumper. This will accommodate a motorbike or scooter on a rack for when we do more urban exploring like in PSP or Scottsdale (when the borders open up from Canada to US).

 

[2JeepsJL&LJ]

Hello,
Any update on this build? I am curious on what your thought are regarding the suspension. I have a small teat drop trailer with a torsion axle and don't care for it in the off road. I am thinking about going to the axles suspension. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Chris

 

[catortega3881]

Here’s my contribution to this great thread…

We also have a trailer (Patriot X3) for our JLUR diesel. Was it expensive? Yes. Was it overpriced? Also yes. But, it’s very high quality and ticked many boxes for us. We looked into many other options but this was best for us.

We are a family of 3 so sleeps all of us, can stand up in it, has a “live in” component with lounge type area for eating, relaxing inside, is pretty lightweight, and narrower than the Jeep as well as lower in height so it tracks well and fits in a garage bay. I don’t even have to worry about backing it into the garage bc it’s light and nimble so I can just push it into the bay with the jockey wheel.


it also has 35 gallon water tank, independent off road and air bag suspension, fully articulating hitch, roof rack for kayaks, rear hitch for bike rack, diesel heat and hot water, full kitchen with stove, sink, 75 liter dual zone fridge/freezer, swing out grill, and pantry for food/plates/cups. Also has a great awning that can be fully enclosed with walls.

There is tons of storage in it for our fold up tables, chairs, clothes, toilet, outdoor shower tent, tools, firepit. And the stuff stays in the trailer so it’s ready to go.

It’s got big batteries and is charged by Anderson connection to keep while driving, solar, or plug into main power. The trailer is fully controlled by Redarc so you can manage the height/balance, inside and outside dinning lights, battery and water levels…even from your phone.

As a backup and for crazy weather or if we have my sons friends join, we use the deepsleepforjeeps blowup mattress in the jeep. I keep it stored under the center of the rear seat- it’s always there but out of the way which is nice.

I was kind of skeptical of the trailer given the price and the buying process from overseas and US distributor. But honestly it’s been great. We got tired of long, costly, traditional vacations. And I was against buying a “vacation home” for many, many reasons, so this gives us the chance to pick up and get away to a lot of different and cool places for 3-5 days and have a great time. Lots of flexibility.

 

[ATXMTB]

Camping + Jeep =

 

[Foster_WV]

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