Keeping it light

[Lucky j]

I am a beleiver in winch and high lift and recovery gears in my travel, but again, It all depend on what type of trip he is willing to tackle.

Simple dirt road and turn back when he sees an obstacle make a winch not really not necessary.

I know for my self that I would not like to be stop by an obstacle, but If I travel with my girls friend, I will have to convince her that it will be easy. But by her self, no mater what type of equipment she would have, she would just tun around. So in her case, light is good. Not for me.

I did ground tent many years and would still do and know that I could do travel with a 2 dorr YJ with the GF and the dog, but prefer to go with the RTT on the trailer and the fridge.

So what you realy need is based on the type of trip you want to do. No good or bad answer, just preference.

 

[kojackJKU]

I am planning on a trip from the East Coast to Moab in the not so distant future. I would love to get a RTT, however I am not excited about the weight, bulk, and Aerodynamics. My main goal is to get off the ground for sleeping. I have decided to go with the Teton Tent Cot setup. Turns out it is much roomier then expected. I am saving over 100lbs and no bulk. Wont work for multiple travelers, however more than adequate for a solo trip. We will see..

View attachment 318454

Or 2 people depending on who is with you and you can stack! ha ha

 

[siebermd]

Well my weight just increased significantly. The Overlander tent from Smittybilt went on sale for $250 off.

 

[siebermd]

Well for $250.oo off you would think that it would be $250.oo heavier in your wallet. They still made your wallet lighter enen with your $250'oo off.

Congratulations of getting off the ground, just do not crash on the landing. :wavey:

You got that right, wallet much lighter, Lol. We are planning a trip out to your neck of the woods in the spring. Probably White Rim trail and a few others.

 

[kojackJKU]

I tow my roof top tent on a chasis behind me. Its awesome, it has 2 beds, a kitchen table, sofa and everything....ha ha!

 

[EMrider]

I'm doing all I can to keep the weight down on the vehicle.

Because I know from experience that the minimalist packing approach is a dead end for me.

I like to travel with my kids and often a dog or two. When we go into remote areas, I try and maximize comfort within the space constraints available. In other words, if an item fits and can make us more comfortable, it goes.


R

 

[kojackJKU]

Exactly, that's why towing a trailer is much better than maxing out your vehicle weight. You can pack everything in your trailer, tow it and have EVERYTHING for comfort!

 

[Lucky j]

In other words, if an item fits and can make us more comfortable, it goes. R

With that sentence, you puzzle me. Cause this is pretty much how every one of us here can overload their rig.

I could say that I mounted rtt on my trailer cause I prefer to sleep on a nice matress and to me a bog tent with cots can take a lot of room fast in a rig. But I did not wanted to mount the RTT on a roof rack cause I want to be able to use my soft top.

All that said, I have my trailer and a lot of things can fit in it. More than I could fit in my jeep even w/o the back seat.

So for me, if is fits and can improve my confort is not that great of a deal for keeping it light! ��

 

[EMrider]

With that sentence, you puzzle me. Cause this is pretty much how every one of us here can overload their rig.

I could say that I mounted rtt on my trailer cause I prefer to sleep on a nice matress and to me a bog tent with cots can take a lot of room fast in a rig. But I did not wanted to mount the RTT on a roof rack cause I want to be able to use my soft top.

All that said, I have my trailer and a lot of things can fit in it. More than I could fit in my jeep even w/o the back seat.

So for me, if is fits and can improve my confort is not that great of a deal for keeping it light! ��

What I mean is that I'm not a member of the keeping it light crowd.

I appreciate the concept, but in the end, comfort considerations prevail.

I have over-built my SMB with a Dana 70 rear axle to handle the loads, but do see an off road trailer in my future.

If I ever decide to go in the Jeep, no question a trailer will be necessary.

R

 

[siebermd]

I would love to get a small trailer suitable for ruff off road travel. But they are hard to find and expensive when you do find them.

 

[kojackJKU]

If you look you can get them cheap. I built a 10ft scamper pop up to takle rough road travel. all in I'm at about 4500 bucks. Have a huge living space, and all the creature comforts (sort of) of home!

 

[Happy Joe]

I regularly (it takes about 2-3 years for the cycle to repeat) overload the vehicle. It tells me its time to inventory, justify the load and reduce, the excess junk.
Off road trailers to haul additional unneeded items are cheap (if you can weld at certifiable levels, poor welds can kill so its not a no brainer); however I don't like dealing with storage and licensing.
Used popup tent/trailers are also cheap but most are, at best (with a lift, significantly bigger tires normally don't fit) suitable only for light to moderate trail use.

I establish load based on volume and weight. If it doesn't fit easily its time to reassess and shrink. If the springs start locking overloaded its time to reassess and lighten...

Each time I get tempted to go bigger/get(make) a trailer; I look at my friends and the trouble they have (I almost always set up/break camp, then help them set up/break camp)... simpler/smaller is almost always better for me.

Pretty simple really; its the same thing every backpacker runs into only the level changes.

Enjoy!

 

[Lucky j]

My bad, I really though you were in the light side of the overlanding comunity! ��

What I mean is that I'm not a member of the keeping it light crowd.

I appreciate the concept, but in the end, comfort considerations prevail.

I have over-built my SMB with a Dana 70 rear axle to handle the loads, but do see an off road trailer in my future.

If I ever decide to go in the Jeep, no question a trailer will be necessary.

R

 

[MOguy]

Exactly, that's why towing a trailer is much better than maxing out your vehicle weight. You can pack everything in your trailer, tow it and have EVERYTHING for comfort!

Trailers are great if the terrain allows. If I can take a trailer behind the Jeep I take everything I can, even a generator and a window AC unit. If I can't take a trailer I go as light as possible but My trips like that aren't longer than a night or two. I don't even take a cooler but I do take cots and a tent.

 

[kojackJKU]

I agree. Tent and what not is not heavy anyways. These drawer setups etc are however. I don't have one of those, or sliders for my fridge/cooler. Wasted weight there.