Light, cheap, easy overland trailer: (experienced) opinions wanted

[landypants]

So I am getting into overlanding, and I'd like to get a light duty camping trailer to pull with my Xterra (2002, so less than 3500#). I've cruised the forums and cannot find a discussion that covers what I need to know: which one is right for me? I want something that I can stand up in, can store in my garage (8' door and regular sedan sized space), that I can cook in, and can go down mild trails/forest roads easily. I do not need a hardcore crawling trailer. Oh, and my budget is limited- hopefully around 2 grand.

Given these needs, I have narrowed it down to either a) an old pop up tent style trailer and ad a lift and bigger tires to it or b) an old Alaskan NCO camper on a military trailer. I'd love to hear peoples experience with both. Perks of the Alaskan are that it's hardsided and built well for windy days, is 4 seasons, and looks ************. Pros for the tent trailer are it's got tons of space for friends and they are way more common. I'd like to do some shoulder season or even winter camping here in Colorado, so I'm leaning a bit towards the Alaskan.... It's just me and the gf, no kids.

PS I have been cruising the classifieds and I can make both these options happen with the stated $2g budget, just with a little handymanning on my end.

Please let me know your thoughts!

 

[JB87]

So I am getting into overlanding, and I'd like to get a light duty camping trailer to pull with my Xterra (2002, so less than 3500#). I've cruised the forums and cannot find a discussion that covers what I need to know: which one is right for me? I want something that I can stand up in, can store in my garage (8' door and regular sedan sized space), that I can cook in, and can go down mild trails/forest roads easily. I do not need a hardcore crawling trailer. Oh, and my budget is limited- hopefully around 2 grand.

Given these needs, I have narrowed it down to either a) an old pop up tent style trailer and ad a lift and bigger tires to it or b) an old Alaskan NCO camper on a military trailer. I'd love to hear peoples experience with both. Perks of the Alaskan are that it's hardsided and built well for windy days, is 4 seasons, and looks ************. Pros for the tent trailer are it's got tons of space for friends and they are way more common. I'd like to do some shoulder season or even winter camping here in Colorado, so I'm leaning a bit towards the Alaskan.... It's just me and the gf, no kids.

PS I have been cruising the classifieds and I can make both these options happen with the stated $2g budget, just with a little handymanning on my end.

Please let me know your thoughts!

Hi, don’t have experience with any of the options listed but if it is just you and partner I would go for the NCO Alaskan option as it sets up faster then a tent trailer and is better suited for camping in the cold.


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[mikeprince]

I'm in the same boat. I have an old Apache trailer which weighs 400 lbs before supplies and it tows like it's not event back there, but, it's not at all ready for going off road.

I feel most of the purpose build overland trailers are simply too heavy (and expensive). They pack everything, including the kitchen sink. Camping for me is about getting away from all that stuff in the house. Sure, a few conveniences are nice - being warm at night, and a comfortable bed for a full night sleep - but not too much more. My Apache accomplishes that.

A few people in our Jeep club put subframes under Apaches and that worked out nicely.

My current route is to greatly lighten up an M101A2 trailer frame, 3500 lb axles, and cut down the bed into 6.5' x ~45". Target weight (before tent and supplies) is ~700 lbs. Then add back in one fold out side for a bed and retrofit a standard 7' x 8' ground camping tent. Basically a military sourced Apache ready for any terrain.

 

[landypants]

Nice! I would love an apache mesa, but they are pretty much nonexistent where I am living- I have heard if you flip the axels, they do alright in the back country. I've also seen a few posts about them getting shredded in windy weather, and with plans for moab and colorado high rockies, I am not sure that is the best bet.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Our off road trailer at 600# wet. Will go anywhere the Land Cruiser can go
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/off-road-trailer-base-camp-the-light-way.600276/

 

[whitenoise]

I'm building a similar trailer to LandcruiserPhil's. It is an old motorcycle tent trailer that will get a new off-road chassis. The current fiberglass tub along with all the lights, wiring and the entire folding tent weighs 250lbs, so I'm pretty confident of the entire setup coming in at 500lbs dry. Fully loaded it should be at 7-800lbs. After considering all options ranging from building a harbor freight conversion, all the way to just buying a used Kimberly, I feel going as light as possible is the best way. Getting a heavy trailer unstuck in mud or sand doesn't sound like a vacation to me at all. Sorry for the poor pics but you get an idea of what it's all about.

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[basicfish]

The motorcycle tent trailer is a great light weight solution, I had planned on building a stronger subframe for this one, but on camp trip at a state park I had an offer I couldn’t refuse and let it go.

 

[Whitecloud]

@landypants Here is the one that I built that might be going up for sale soon. But has on board water and pump w/filter, slide out gas BBQ and has been fantastic so far.

 

[landypants]

Thanks for all the ideas! Its been a while, but I ended up going with a basic pop-up. Took it out to Moab for memorial day and it worked great as a basecamp- its not going to do anything more than flat dirt roads for a while, but it works! And the price was right. Definitely felt it going up some of those hills on I70 though. when i replaced my tires, I kept 3 with the og xterra rims and am thinking/dreaming of doing an axel replacement and spring-over lift, put on some 32s... mostly for looks, I'm not sure its built strong enough to much intense wheeling.

 

[CampStewart]

If that was mine and I wanted to make it more rugged I would build a new frame under the current one and use Jeep Wrangler springs. Ill bet you could fit shocks on it also.

 

[landypants]

that could be cool! I am getting into welding... might be a fun project!