Expedition trailer vs Teardrop trailer?

STREGA

Explorer

This.

You could pick it up on your way out. As Bob (AspenX Trailers) said you are to late to order a trailer for this May from most manufacturer's. Disclousure: Ace is a good friend of mine, but I'am also aware of how nice of a trailer it is. It is a very capable trailer for it size and would suit your needs well IMO.

I have owned a tear drop and a AT Horizon trailer and would rather have a teardrop over a adventure type trailer especially if I had a baby to consider.
 

mtnbike28

Expedition Leader
As a quick my two cents:
If I was traveling and staying in a new spot each night, I think a TD is nicer, a lot less set up and can WalMart camp if needed. With such a young child the three will fit nicely inside for a couple of years, then add a RTT for the parents and leave the child inside the TD.

That said, I have taken my Conqueror on several long trips with a new site each night, and set up is fairly quick (15 minutes and we can be in bed) leaving in the morning is a bit longer. But the design of our tent perfect for us, my daughter sleeps on a cot on the bottom and we sleep on top, we can set up chairs in the bottom and play cards on rainy nights and really buggy places, can stand and get dressed, the only thing that has never happened in the tent part is food prep since we camp where there are bears.

Again, I would look seriously at a TD, in fact you can rent one and try it out. hth
 

hoser

Explorer
I like the idea of the teardrop for two adults. But (my) toddlers... they like to do these jumping jacks and cartwheels in their sleep about every 30 minutes and so the three of us could never get good sleep on a double/queen sized mattress.

With RTT's, I wouldn't feel comfortable with my toddler taking naps (alone) in there... the bed is too high. My toddler could unzip zippers at 18 months.

I'd suggest you take a look at http://www.adrenalincampers.com

Plenty of room to sleep, change diapers, no ladder to deal with... and enough space to hang out when the weather is not so good. The problem though, it is not stealthy at all. And might not be allowed to camp in parks with bears (soft-sided trailer).

Check out Jon's thread.
 
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cnynrat

Expedition Leader
I don't think there is any one right answer for everybody. You need to think about your camping style: what's important to you, the types of trips you enjoy, what you bring with you, the range of trip lengths you want to plan for, and so on. Tough to do as a novice camper, but I think there are positives and negatives of both types of trailer. In the end though, I think the key tradeoff is sleeping comfort vs. storage strategy.

The teardrop is probably better if you place a very high priority on coming as close as possible to replicating the comfort of your bed at home. They will accommodate a very thick mattress, and you don't have to deal with the noise of a tent flapping in the wind. You also don't have to deal with the inconvenience of clambering up and down a ladder to get in your RTT. You can work on the comfort level of an RTT - many people supplement the RTT mattress with various inflatable mattress options for example - but at the end of the day it probably is not going to be as comfortable as what you can do with a teardrop.

On the other hand, the primary storage area for large & bulky items in a teardrop is on top of your bed. True, many have roof racks, and that can work, but depending on what you plan to carry up there you may need to consider the need for weatherproofing, security, and ease of access. If you need to empty the trailer of items stored on top of your bed that can negate some of the ease of camp setup advantage of a teardrop. Such items also need to be packed so they can survive time outside in the weather. Camping tends to go along with items that become dirty & grungy (firewood, grills, etc). Where will you carry that stuff? One of the advantages of a trailer such as the Horizon from Adventure Trailers is that there is a ton of storage area inside the trailer that is weather proof, secure, and doesn't need to be touched before you go to bed.

BTW, we have an AT Horizon, and we love it.
 

Overlandmom

www.overland4moms.com/blo
Cool. I will check that out - horizon trailer....

We went to look at rpod trailers today. They are cute and have everything but they don't look like they can really drive on trails. They look great for setting up camp and leaving the trailer while you explore but we plan to drive and set up camp nightly or at least every other night.

Anyone familiar with Cascadia RTT and trailers ?


www.overland4moms.com/blog
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jim65wagon

Well-known member
We use this Ozark Trails Shower/Changing Room when we need to set up a toilet facility.

Inside the OT Room we put the Global Passport Toilet

Our shower room is the Zodi Hut.
This is ours set up next to our teardrop.




This is a photo of the Silver Shadow Teardrop we rented, but it shows you the First Up Gazebo we use for a "kitchen/dining/sitting" room. It provides shade and rain shelter when needed, and with the walls attached it can be used in a driving rain, pull changing room duties, and be a decent sleeping area if needed.


Our kids are teenagers now, so when we go out as a family we take a ground tent for them to sleep in. With a child as young as yours a queen sized bed in a teardrop would be fine. I have seen a few tears that have a toddler sized bunk bed where a teardrops cabinets usually hang. That would relegate you to keeping your clothes in the tow vehicle, but camping has all sorts of hardships.

Little Guy Trailers has a Side Mount Screenroom for their teardrops, I'm sure it could be adapted to another brand or a homebuilt trailer. This could provide a changing area as well as a future sleeping area for the young one as he/she grows up.

Without custom building a teardrop with extra storage you'll have to pack all your extra gear in the TV, or on the bed.
 
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bigwapitijohnny

Adventurer
Growing up, my father took us camping all the time. We hit all National parks out West several times before me moved East. We never had much money, so pop-ups and rvs were never an option. We used a Coleman canvas tent, coolers and white fuel stoves / lanterns. I have very fond memories of our rustic camping adventures, and I want to pass the camping memories onto my sons (12 & 3). There is something to be said about the smell of smoke and canvas. I want my boys to experience 'tent' camping vs. hard wall camping. That being said, I feel my current camping set-up is a good 'compromise' of glamping and roughing it. When it's just my wife and I, I'll buy a teardrop and never look back. My oldest is already placing dibs on my Sherpa II...

I would say that every platform will bring its own set of compromises. Decide which system is the best for you, and redeem the time with your family after you choose a set-up. You have found a great resource of information here. Many here will help you...

Regards,

BWJ
 

jeepfreak81

Adventurer
Thanks everybody! The security of hard walls and up and down the ladder with a baby seems dangerous. The bathroom situation isn't ideal for either which is always my biggest problem with camping. Thanks for the links I will check them out. Does anyone have recommendation for bathroom kitchen set up with teardrop?


www.overland4moms.com/blog
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Our 1 year old slept up top with us during the storms we had. The rest of the time his playpen was down below for him to sleep in.

For convenience the teardrop will almost always win, but nothing beats camping in a "tree house" :sombrero:

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Overlandmom

www.overland4moms.com/blo
Thanks for all the advice, we decided on an RTT with expedition trailer. I wanted a teardrop (Ii think I'm a glamper...) but given our travel plans my husband thought the trailer+RTT was best. Here are some pics of our D2 pulling it...ImageUploadedByTapatalk1363800810.085151.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1363800823.751122.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1363800836.217636.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1363800848.034926.jpg

We plan to test drive the set-up in a month. We may actually take it on the road to get equipment for our farm. I will let you know how it works for us. Thanks again for all the great info!


www.overland4moms.com/blog
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Woods

Explorer
I've chosen a third alternative and I don't know why more people don't do it. We tent camp from my expo trailer. Neither a RTT and a TD will not work for my family of 4. I use a Kodiak Canvas tent. It's a 100 sq. ft. tent with 6' 6" headroom, that one person can set up in five to ten minutes. If I didn't have kids, I'd do a tear drop. I've never been drawn to RTT's.

If the RTT doesn't work out. Don't give up on the Expo trailer. A good Tent may surprise you.
 

Gokracer1

Adventurer
Again as most people stated before its all about your needs and what will work for you.. I have seen teardrops with RTT that hold the whole family!

I had a Sierra 4x4 Trailer built last spring and used it on 2 trips. I already had experience with the RTT but I needed more gear space and wanted to utilize the RTT at the time with my 2door Jeep JK. Well the trailer didn't turn out to be the best deal for us. We found out on the first trip and confirmed the second that Spring Camping in a tent with high winds is NO FUN! Trailer was sold last year, and I just sold the tent a few weeks ago. I now have a 4door JK and we plan on doing the a Teardrop and being done! Its just the wife and I so we should be just fine with the space provided..

Good luck,

Adam

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Woods

Explorer
Adam,

Curious about the high wind story. What happened?


Again as most people stated before its all about your needs and what will work for you.. I have seen teardrops with RTT that hold the whole family!

I had a Sierra 4x4 Trailer built last spring and used it on 2 trips. I already had experience with the RTT but I needed more gear space and wanted to utilize the RTT at the time with my 2door Jeep JK. Well the trailer didn't turn out to be the best deal for us. We found out on the first trip and confirmed the second that Spring Camping in a tent with high winds is NO FUN! Trailer was sold last year, and I just sold the tent a few weeks ago. I now have a 4door JK and we plan on doing the a Teardrop and being done! Its just the wife and I so we should be just fine with the space provided..

Good luck,

Adam

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