Help needed finding a trailer

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Totally agree with you on some of these rigs. I hate zippers and fold out bed set ups. Even a RTT would drive me crazy

 

[VanDominator13]

I have found the kids factor can definitely change how you look at these trailers with lots of moving parts and setup items. Ie time involved setting up/tearing down?. Most definitely the biggest reason dads dump complex setup/tear down rigs after a few trips. So keep that high on your usability list when looking at trailers?
Some of the trailers I really liked a few yrs ago I realize today I would hate with a passion simply having so many doors, sliders, moving parts, awnings, flap prods, shower dohicky things to fold out. I would likely spend half my trip just unlocking, opening closing, sliding, flipping, securing etc??

Only reason I tolerate the pictured rig is its high flexibility for hauling our toys. Boats are a weekly Jrs sailing trip 30min to/from the house. Otherwise the camp rig is near max tolerance for my high tolerance level of setup/tear down efforts ?

Thank you! THIS is great advise.
It's also the main reason why I'm on the hunt for more of a cargo trailer with a couple of built in amenities to help speed up the set up/tear down process. I'm perfectly fine with a cooler, a trowel and a bottle of biodegradable soap. My wife and daughter however, require a few more creature comforts to make the trip enjoyable for all of us. Having to set up camp with a tent, cooking space and and bathroom to stay somewhere for more than 2 nights is tolerable. But when we're on the road to our destination, having to set up in the afternoon and tear down the next morning becomes an unpleasant chore.
That being said, I think there are a couple of options in the classifieds right now that meet my criteria. Making the time to pick them up is another ball of wax.

 

[calicamper]

Thank you! THIS is great advise.
It's also the main reason why I'm on the hunt for more of a cargo trailer with a couple of built in amenities to help speed up the set up/tear down process. I'm perfectly fine with a cooler, a trowel and a bottle of biodegradable soap. My wife and daughter however, require a few more creature comforts to make the trip enjoyable for all of us. Having to set up camp with a tent, cooking space and and bathroom to stay somewhere for more than 2 nights is tolerable. But when we're on the road to our destination, having to set up in the afternoon and tear down the next morning becomes an unpleasant chore.
That being said, I think there are a couple of options in the classifieds right now that meet my criteria. Making the time to pick them up is another ball of wax.

Yep!!
That tent rig did a 3200 mile 12 day trip to Yellowstone and a 2900 mile 11 day multi NP trip Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyon Lands, North GC.
Yellowstone we had one night to/from where we roomed it due to no reasonably decent place worth camping ie setting up for a few hours.
The trip with many parks we were always at a location with plenty of time or multiple days where setup was worth it.
Those trips by design I run with nothing on the trailer SUV packed for a few reasons. One gear doesn’t grow legs and walk away, trailer in tightest road mode is nearly zero mileage impact and is rock solid at Nevada/ Montana speeds ?. That and its much faster setup.

The negative being it doesn’t do wind!! And all our crap is in the car on those trips.

 

[VanDominator13]

Yep!!
That tent rig did a 3200 mile 12 day trip to Yellowstone and a 2900 mile 11 day multi NP trip Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyon Lands, North GC.
Yellowstone we had one night to/from where we roomed it due to no reasonably decent place worth camping ie setting up for a few hours.
The trip with many parks we were always at a location with plenty of time or multiple days where setup was worth it.
Those trips by design I run with nothing on the trailer SUV packed for a few reasons. One gear doesn’t grow legs and walk away, trailer in tightest road mode is nearly zero mileage impact and is rock solid at Nevada/ Montana speeds ?. That and its much faster setup.

The negative being it doesn’t do wind!! And all our crap is in the car on those trips.

I hear ya. I have to weigh those pro's and cons. I truly hate having my truck loaded to the brim with stuff. Having a bunch of gear in the bed is fine as long as it's organized, but we end up stacking totes on top of each other and it becomes a huge pain just to grab a beach towel or something. Whatever trailer I do end up buying will end up having locks installed if doesn't already have them se we can store a good amount of stuff inside without worring about it being parked at a hotel or store parking lot.

 

[Slappy McGee]

Thank you! THIS is great advise.
It's also the main reason why I'm on the hunt for more of a cargo trailer with a couple of built in amenities to help speed up the set up/tear down process. I'm perfectly fine with a cooler, a trowel and a bottle of biodegradable soap. My wife and daughter however, require a few more creature comforts to make the trip enjoyable for all of us. Having to set up camp with a tent, cooking space and and bathroom to stay somewhere for more than 2 nights is tolerable. But when we're on the road to our destination, having to set up in the afternoon and tear down the next morning becomes an unpleasant chore.
That being said, I think there are a couple of options in the classifieds right now that meet my criteria. Making the time to pick them up is another ball of wax.

Sounds like we're in a similar boat. I'm trying to find a trailer for a family of 5, and after exploring everything from military-style trailers to full-blown "classic" travel trailers and #vanlife I think I've narrowed it down to a square-drop with an RTT. The main nock against the "classic" is tongue weight (those things are monsters, with many "ultra light" models pushing 700-800lbs+ against my payload), their poor build quality, and that I would need to rent storage. It's another $1K/year, plus my biggest goal is to reduce all the little friction points that make us say "We'll just camp next time..." If we had a land yacht that needed minor repairs and 45 minutes of "get it out of storage" every time we wanted to camp I could see that becoming a problem.

I can likely get a square drop in the garage, and the interior could sleep one of the kids and I if we did a small trip, and with the RTT get the kids on the roof and Mrs. and I in the trailer or some other combo. I also really like the idea of a setup kitchen, since like you, I hate the digging through totes in the truck to find the spoons, or the coffee filters that are for some reason in a different box than the coffee pot, etc. It won't kill my payload so I could throw bikes on a bed rack of the truck and not be counting every oz. if I needed to put some gear in the truck.

Tent camping it takes us at least 90 minutes to set up/down since 2/5 of the family don't really contribute and 1/5 is questionable. If the kitchen was good to go, and sleeping took 10-20 mins to setup/tear down that would lower the barriers to a quick weekend quite a bit, at least that's my operating theory.

 

[bnkrpt]

Sounds like we're in a similar boat. I'm trying to find a trailer for a family of 5, and after exploring everything from military-style trailers to full-blown "classic" travel trailers and #vanlife I think I've narrowed it down to a square-drop with an RTT. The main nock against the "classic" is tongue weight (those things are monsters, with many "ultra light" models pushing 700-800lbs+ against my payload), their poor build quality, and that I would need to rent storage. It's another $1K/year, plus my biggest goal is to reduce all the little friction points that make us say "We'll just camp next time..." If we had a land yacht that needed minor repairs and 45 minutes of "get it out of storage" every time we wanted to camp I could see that becoming a problem.

I can likely get a square drop in the garage, and the interior could sleep one of the kids and I if we did a small trip, and with the RTT get the kids on the roof and Mrs. and I in the trailer or some other combo. I also really like the idea of a setup kitchen, since like you, I hate the digging through totes in the truck to find the spoons, or the coffee filters that are for some reason in a different box than the coffee pot, etc. It won't kill my payload so I could throw bikes on a bed rack of the truck and not be counting every oz. if I needed to put some gear in the truck.

Tent camping it takes us at least 90 minutes to set up/down since 2/5 of the family don't really contribute and 1/5 is questionable. If the kitchen was good to go, and sleeping took 10-20 mins to setup/tear down that would lower the barriers to a quick weekend quite a bit, at least that's my operating theory.

I've been daydreaming about a trailer for months and months. I may even ask Trailer Marker to draw something up for me just to get my ideas on paper. Nothing on the market checks my boxes.

I want something similar to their Up & Out House but I want a north/south king sized bed that can be converted into a table for 4 , XL Twin bunks running east/west in the front, and a wet bath in between the sleeping areas on the driver's side of the trailer. Instead of the hatch at the back I'd like doors on the bottom half just to access the areas under the main bed/benches. I figure a pull out kitchen setup could go there or even up front under the bunks and accessible from the front passenger side of the trailer.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

I've been daydreaming about a trailer for months and months. I may even ask Trailer Marker to draw something up for me just to get my ideas on paper. Nothing on the market checks my boxes.

I want something similar to their Up & Out House but I want a north/south king sized bed that can be converted into a table for 4 , XL Twin bunks running east/west in the front, and a wet bath in between the sleeping areas on the driver's side of the trailer. Instead of the hatch at the back I'd like doors on the bottom half just to access the areas under the main bed/benches. I figure a pull out kitchen setup could go there or even up front under the bunks and accessible from the front passenger side of the trailer.

I am quite certain Trail Marker would not alter from thier builds for something like what you want. They like others are slammed with orders. I will keep an eye out for you

 

[VanDominator13]

Sounds like we're in a similar boat. I'm trying to find a trailer for a family of 5, and after exploring everything from military-style trailers to full-blown "classic" travel trailers and #vanlife I think I've narrowed it down to a square-drop with an RTT. The main nock against the "classic" is tongue weight (those things are monsters, with many "ultra light" models pushing 700-800lbs+ against my payload), their poor build quality, and that I would need to rent storage. It's another $1K/year, plus my biggest goal is to reduce all the little friction points that make us say "We'll just camp next time..." If we had a land yacht that needed minor repairs and 45 minutes of "get it out of storage" every time we wanted to camp I could see that becoming a problem.

I can likely get a square drop in the garage, and the interior could sleep one of the kids and I if we did a small trip, and with the RTT get the kids on the roof and Mrs. and I in the trailer or some other combo. I also really like the idea of a setup kitchen, since like you, I hate the digging through totes in the truck to find the spoons, or the coffee filters that are for some reason in a different box than the coffee pot, etc. It won't kill my payload so I could throw bikes on a bed rack of the truck and not be counting every oz. if I needed to put some gear in the truck.

Tent camping it takes us at least 90 minutes to set up/down since 2/5 of the family don't really contribute and 1/5 is questionable. If the kitchen was good to go, and sleeping took 10-20 mins to setup/tear down that would lower the barriers to a quick weekend quite a bit, at least that's my operating theory.

I'm not particularly worried about payload. My main concerns are ease of use and durabitiliy. The steel or aluminum cargo type trailers with a few amenities seem to jump out to me as they can be stored fairly easily in my garage with all of our camping gear already loaded. I'm of the same mind that having a trailer essentially ready to hook up and go is a necessity to get the family out on a regular basis rather than put it off and do something else for the weekend. It's part of the reason why I'm opting for the trailer setup that can be ready to go rather than the four wheel camper, which I think will take a little more prep and load time to get on the road. 90 minute setup is a dream to me. Hoping that a trailer could fulfill that.

 

[VanDominator13]

I've been daydreaming about a trailer for months and months. I may even ask Trailer Marker to draw something up for me just to get my ideas on paper. Nothing on the market checks my boxes.

I want something similar to their Up & Out House but I want a north/south king sized bed that can be converted into a table for 4 , XL Twin bunks running east/west in the front, and a wet bath in between the sleeping areas on the driver's side of the trailer. Instead of the hatch at the back I'd like doors on the bottom half just to access the areas under the main bed/benches. I figure a pull out kitchen setup could go there or even up front under the bunks and accessible from the front passenger side of the trailer.

I wasn't familiar with Trail Marker. I wonder what their pricing is. Likely out of my budget but very cool.

 

[bnkrpt]

I am quite certain Trail Marker would not alter from thier builds for something like what you want. They like others are slammed with orders. I will keep an eye out for you

Even if they did, it'd probably be processed/built through their parent company, Rolling Star Manufacturing. The Up & Out House isn't a bad option at all for me though. I just would ideally like the kids to have their own space.

 

[bnkrpt]

I wasn't familiar with Trail Marker. I wonder what their pricing is. Likely out of my budget but very cool.

I think the regular In & Out (no bathroom) is around $26k.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Even if they did, it'd probably be processed/built through their parent company, Rolling Star Manufacturing. The Up & Out House isn't a bad option at all for me though. I just would ideally like the kids to have their own space.

Rollingstar is Trailer Marker and yes they do many custom builds for commercial rigs but they currently will not alter thier Trailer Marker line that much. They are not even taking new orders until next month.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

I think the regular In & Out (no bathroom) is around $26k.

Something like that depending on other options. I am sure pricing will go up a bit when they start taking orders for 2023 next month

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Even if they did, it'd probably be processed/built through their parent company, Rolling Star Manufacturing. The Up & Out House isn't a bad option at all for me though. I just would ideally like the kids to have their own space.

So mine will have two queen beds east west on happy jack. Also reinforced roof and rack if I want to go with a roof top tent

 

[calicamper]

Just as a bunk bed idea example using vertical slot C track. Look up the Ember 191 msl it’s basically their traditional bunk house travel trailer that they incorporated customer suggestions for better more flexible bunk / space use. They basically just put vertical C channel on the walls and put two big doors in. Rear door needs to be much taller / wider to fit bike loading from the rear but you get the idea about easy kid bunks using easy Vertical C channel?
Way too much money for what your getting but good bunk bed example where its easily a flex space ?