TurtleBack Expedition purchasing experience/review

[entropy]

Yeah depends on one’s long term goals. Eventually I would like to have several trailer / vehicle combo choices to choose from.

I’m planning to start my collection with my 392 and TB Getaway and eventually get a power wagon, which will open me up to a whole new world of towing capacity options. Would be nice to have choices for road trips, State parks, tough trails, RV parks etc.

Also pricing out an off road trailer switch back S it’s more expensive than my Getaway and this trailer doesn’t have lithium or a similar suspension system like the icon. Additionally, it looks like it can go well above 3500lbs if you load it up like TB Expedition trailer. That’s why I went with a Getaway, which is about 2800lbs fully loaded.

I have yet to see a side my side comparison of the top trailers from anyone as detailed as NCJLs posts here. Until that happens, I really can’t make a blanket assumption.

What kind of wheeling have you done? I suggest you do some very challenging stuff before getting the trailer. Then youll get an idea of how nuts it would be with a trailer. 2800lbs is heavy. I would think the 392 will pull good though.

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[NCJL]

“Additionally, it looks like it can go well above 3500lbs if you load it up like TB Expedition trailer. That’s why I went with a Getaway, which is about 2800lbs fully loaded.”

I was told by TB that an Expedition was about 2700lbs fully loaded up. Maybe 3000lbs for the really heavy ones.
Curious to know how the smaller lighter Getaway model is basically the same weight I was given for the Expedition model 18 months ago.

 

[OffroadCalling77]

What kind of wheeling have you done? I suggest you do some very challenging stuff before getting the trailer. Then youll get an idea of how nuts it would be with a trailer. 2800lbs is heavy. I would think the 392 will pull good though.

Nothing too extreme yet. Barely got the wife’s Jeep in November 2020.

I looked at everything. I wanted an off road trailer without a sleeping cabin. I looked at close to 18 different brands. The ones I seriously considered, with shipping, final costs were between 15-20K. I made a final decision and said if I am going to spend over 15K for something I cannot even sleep in, then I am just going to go all out and get the exact one I want.

Might not be a “sound“ financial decision, but it was my decision nonetheless. I can work my way through the Rubicon 392 and trailer capabilities over time.

Go look at some trailers that will set you back 15K with shipping. No water, kitchen, hard plumbed propane, water heater, electrical, solar or lithium. Then look at a promising brand like OGT Switchback S and you will see how expensive these things can get. These are definitely not for everyone and a trailer on my list in this thread might be a better option.

At the end of the day this is a niche market and I don’t foresee big name off road trailers coming drastically down in price. There is no way they can scale production to allow for better pricing.

 

[OffroadCalling77]

“Additionally, it looks like it can go well above 3500lbs if you load it up like TB Expedition trailer. That’s why I went with a Getaway, which is about 2800lbs fully loaded.”

I was told by TB that an Expedition was about 2700lbs fully loaded up. Maybe 3000lbs for the really heavy ones.
Curious to know how the smaller lighter Getaway model is basically the same weight I was given for the Expedition model 18 months ago.

I hear you brother. Sounds like you got dealt a bad deal and I’m sorry for your situation.

I have talked with other owners who don’t appear to be bothered by some of these things you have outlined or they’re just not aware they even exist, thus having no overall impact on their experience.

I’m hoping since my unit is much lighter, I will have even more of a positive experience than other people I have talked with and are happy thus far.

 

[entropy]

Nothing too extreme yet. Barely got the wife’s Jeep in November 2020.

I looked at everything. I wanted an off road trailer without a sleeping cabin. I looked at close to 18 different brands. The ones I seriously considered, with shipping, final costs were between 15-20K. I made a final decision and said if I am going to spend over 15K for something I cannot even sleep in, then I am just going to go all out and get the exact one I want.

Might not be a “sound“ financial decision, but it was my decision nonetheless. I can work my way through the Rubicon 392 and trailer capabilities over time.

Go look at some trailers that will set you back 15K with shipping. No water, kitchen, hard plumbed propane, water heater, electrical, solar or lithium. Then look at a promising brand like ORT Switchback S and you will see how expensive these things can get. These are definitely not for everyone and a trailer on my list in this thread might be a better option.

At the end of the day this is a niche market and I don’t foresee big name off road trailers coming drastically down in price. There is no way they can scale production to allow for better pricing.

I agree with the price. It is what it is. Not sure why people want/need all that plumbing in a 5 foot trailer, but to each their own.

Ive been camping so many times. Electrical and 12V fans use little electricity. A jackery and solar panel will be more than sufficient for less than $1000, and you can go much cheaper if you select and build your own electrical system. Water is water. A roadshower will give you a nice shower outdoors, there are other options that use a small propane heater. A water tank? water is heavy, but necessary, a few rotopax should do. Sink? the roadshower can be used to clean dishes with pressurized water. Kitchen? campchef are super nice and cost about $100.

From my own experience. Camping is best when keeping things as simple as possible. A good mattress and good sleeping bag will get you a well needed rest. A simple gas stove will cook good warm food. A stovetop kettle will warm up water. Plumbing just adds complication, more things to break. Too much crap on youtube. Too much marketing. Weight is often undervalued.

For a hardcore wheeling trip, nothing beats a good light tent, backpacking gear. A trailer for basecamp, tent for midtrail.

I do understand though, we all have different needs. And that TB trailer you are buying looks fking awesome. I am just getting my opinion out there for others, not you. Others are unaware of their options and they lack the experience to know what they truly want/need. I have a friend whose never been an outdoors person, never been camping since he was a kid. Built an FJ with RTT and everything for overlanding, went out once, never again. Wasted all that time and money and he says camping is not for him. Almost anyone can enjoy camping, they just need to go through a few painful experiences first and adjust.

 

[OffroadCalling77]

I agree with the price. It is what it is. Not sure why people want/need all that plumbing in a 5 foot trailer, but to each their own.

Ive been camping so many times. Electrical and 12V fans use little electricity. A jackery and solar panel will be more than sufficient for less than $1000, and you can go much cheaper if you select and build your own electrical system. Water is water. A roadshower will give you a nice shower outdoors, there are other options that use a small propane heater. A water tank? water is heavy, but necessary, a few rotopax should do. Sink? the roadshower can be used to clean dishes with pressurized water. Kitchen? campchef are super nice and cost about $100.

From my own experience. Camping is best when keeping things as simple as possible. A good mattress and good sleeping bag will get you a well needed rest. A simple gas stove will cook good warm food. A stovetop kettle will warm up water. Plumbing just adds complication, more things to break. Too much crap on youtube. Too much marketing. Weight is often undervalued.

For a hardcore wheeling trip, nothing beats a good light tent, backpacking gear. A trailer for basecamp, tent for midtrail.

I do understand though, we all have different needs. And that TB trailer you are buying looks fking awesome. I am just getting my opinion out there for others, not you. Others are unaware of their options and they lack the experience to know what they truly want/need. I have a friend whose never been an outdoors person, never been camping since he was a kid. Built an FJ with RTT and everything for overlanding, went out once, never again. Wasted all that time and money and he says camping is not for him. Almost anyone can enjoy camping, they just need to go through a few painful experiences first and adjust.

100% agree. No harm brother. That's what forums are all about. Open discussion from all angles.

We actually just camped in the back of the Jeep at first. Loved it, but knew really quickly this setup would't work long term. Thus, we went RTT and rack. Super kick ass and we love it except for one thing. We don't like hauling it around town and to work all week.

Because of this I began my search for an off-road trailer and ultimately decided on the TB Getaway. 30K for a trailer you cannot sleep is absolutely insane! I agree. I have even questioned my own purchase. No doubt marketing and the way something looks plays a part in one making a purchasing decision. However, when I finally decided a trailer was the way to go, I made a decision to go all out. Buy once, cry once is what comes to mind. Also, not having kids and God blessing my business right now helps as well.

In the end, a simple tent and Coleman stove is all that's really needed! I will say when the wife and I were in Lassen national forest in March trying to wash dishes in 26F, it was miserable. It will be nice to have hot water

 

[Jeff1]

I agree with the price. It is what it is. Not sure why people want/need all that plumbing in a 5 foot trailer, but to each their own.

Ive been camping so many times. Electrical and 12V fans use little electricity. A jackery and solar panel will be more than sufficient for less than $1000, and you can go much cheaper if you select and build your own electrical system. Water is water. A roadshower will give you a nice shower outdoors, there are other options that use a small propane heater. A water tank? water is heavy, but necessary, a few rotopax should do. Sink? the roadshower can be used to clean dishes with pressurized water. Kitchen? campchef are super nice and cost about $100.

From my own experience. Camping is best when keeping things as simple as possible. A good mattress and good sleeping bag will get you a well needed rest. A simple gas stove will cook good warm food. A stovetop kettle will warm up water. Plumbing just adds complication, more things to break. Too much crap on youtube. Too much marketing. Weight is often undervalued.

For a hardcore wheeling trip, nothing beats a good light tent, backpacking gear. A trailer for basecamp, tent for midtrail.

I do understand though, we all have different needs. And that TB trailer you are buying looks fking awesome. I am just getting my opinion out there for others, not you. Others are unaware of their options and they lack the experience to know what they truly want/need. I have a friend whose never been an outdoors person, never been camping since he was a kid. Built an FJ with RTT and everything for overlanding, went out once, never again. Wasted all that time and money and he says camping is not for him. Almost anyone can enjoy camping, they just need to go through a few painful experiences first and adjust.

I 100% agree with you, the simpler the better. I thought a trailer was a great option and in the Spring 2020 I order one, picked it up in June. Went out a few time with it and realized it wasn't for me. The stock Rubi suspension isn't the greatest if you have some tongue weight, gas milage dropped 5 mpg thru the hills/mountains and venturing down unknown trails only to find out they were narrow dead ends and realizing you have a 1/4 mile to back a small trailer or unhook it in a small space, sneak the jeep by , spin the trailer around by hand and then rehook it made me not want to do much exploring. Yes it was nice to have everything in the trailer and out of the Jeep but learned most of the stuff I didn't use or need. I ended up selling it after 3 months.

Got a Vector shelf for the back to store gear onand only bring what I need/use, got a Gazelle tent that sets up and comes down pretty quick. I also got a deep sleep solo mat so sleeping in the back of the Jeep is also an option. I have a Waterport tank that hooks into my hitch receiver for pressurized water to clean dishes and shower if needed.

Everyones needs are different and a lot of people need to try something to see if it's for them or not. Took me buying the trailer to realize that it wasn't for me.

 

[OffroadCalling77]

I 100% agree with you, the simpler the better. I thought a trailer was a great option and in the Spring 2020 I order one, picked it up in June. Went out a few time with it and realized it wasn't for me. The stock Rubi suspension isn't the greatest if you have some tongue weight, gas milage dropped 5 mpg thru the hills/mountains and venturing down unknown trails only to find out they were narrow dead ends and realizing you have a 1/4 mile to back a small trailer or unhook it in a small space, sneak the jeep by , spin the trailer around by hand and then rehook it made me not want to do much exploring. Yes it was nice to have everything in the trailer and out of the Jeep but learned most of the stuff I didn't use or need. I ended up selling it after 3 months.

Got a Vector shelf for the back to store gear onand only bring what I need/use, got a Gazelle tent that sets up and comes down pretty quick. I also got a deep sleep solo mat so sleeping in the back of the Jeep is also an option. I have a Waterport tank that hooks into my hitch receiver for pressurized water to clean dishes and shower if needed.

Everyones needs are different and a lot of people need to try something to see if it's for them or not. Took me buying the trailer to realize that it wasn't for me.

Absolutely! The great news much like jeeps these off-road trailers seem to hold their resell value pretty well.

 

[LittleDog]

I will say when the wife and I were in Lassen national forest in March trying to wash dishes in 26F, it was miserable. It will be nice to have hot water

Wait, people wash their dishes when it's below freezing? You don't just rub snow on them, or hold things upside-down and smack the frozen bits out? Cold camping is great.

The best is when there's a bear box and you can just leave leftovers in situ.

 

[OffroadCalling77]

Wait, people wash their dishes when it's below freezing? You don't just rub snow on them, or hold things upside-down and smack the frozen bits out? Cold camping is great.

The best is when there's a bear box and you can just leave leftovers in situ.

Haha ? it wasn’t a venture to say the least.

 

[NCJL]

Follow up to the event mentioned in post 16. This was the event when the trailer rocked side to side. The event that lead to the wife saying “fix it or sell it”!
We have drove the same transition ramp a few times during the repairs. A couple of times since the suspension change to the 3500HD. It has improved enough that I just did some testing on this transition ramp. I upped my speed to 65mph and did several quick lane changes while intentionally over correcting.
The trailer pulled great with no surprises.

Very Happy!

 

[Gaylon]

The pick up was rushed do to COVID confusion.
The bullet points of the pick up:
Shocked by the use of wheel spacers. Told by TB assembly not to worry we do this all the time. We push 15 trailers a month out the door. We’ve only had 1 reported failure, a wheel flying off while in motion. The cause was the customer did not properly torque the wheel adapters. I was in Shock!!!
TB sales staff brought my attention to an improved tire carrier system. A locking mechanism had been recently added due to reported tire carriers opening while in motion. I was shocked again, however my first experience of Shock had not been gotten over yet.
The trailer was really tall and the stance quite narrow.
Hard to get a t-shirt.
We left to hotel to gather our thoughts and decide how to proceed.
We already paid full price to start the trailer build. My mistake.
We returned to TB before the return trip home to further express our concerns and document our disproval of the the trailer. We picked up the trailer around 6am Friday morning. We returned to a closed TB shop about 10am same morning. This was not a surprise. TB had explained that due to COVID they would be closing early. We started our return trip home camping once. My wife needed to return to work Monday am.
And so on….

I was the customer who lost a wheel while driving. I can absolutely tell you that the wheel and spacers were torqued properly when installed by me. The five lug nuts on the drum sheared off about 50 miles south of Mexicali at 60mph. This was after a month of off-roading in Baja. A shop in Mexicali got be back on the road over a few days and TB repaired the remaining damage, but I sold it shortly thereafter. I wanted hub centric spacers and was assured by TB lug centric were fine. I do not agree. I could have had new spacers made, but my camping needs were evolving, so I moved on. Also, the need to remove the wheels and check spacer lug tightness while on long road trips became a non-starter for me.

 

[NCJL]

Guess the good news is no one got hurt.
Out of curiosity what vehicle were you towing with? I ask because the TB employee also suggested that the tow vehicle was part of the problem.
Maybe your not the only one!

 

[Gaylon]

Guess the good news is no one got hurt.
Out of curiosity what vehicle were you towing with? I ask because the TB employee also suggested that the tow vehicle was part of the problem.
Maybe your not the only one!

F-350 with Hallmark Slide in. The truck didn't even know the trailer was back there. Not sure how the vehicle could contribute. Hell, I drug it 3 miles on the brake drum without even knowing the wheel was missing.

 

[NCJL]

F-350 with Hallmark Slide in. The truck didn't even know the trailer was back there. Not sure how the vehicle could contribute. Hell, I drug it 3 miles on the brake drum without even knowing the wheel was missing.

You are probably the one TB mentioned. The employee said the truck pulling the trailer was way to big for the trailer on top of the owner not checking torque.

I did and still do not understand how the tow vehicle had anything to do with a wheel coming off the trailer. Just an excuse.

No worries. I’m 100% on your side. I do not believe spacers should ever be on a off-road trailer. Plus, I don’t think TB understood what you meant by Hub Centric.

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