Advice on trailer vs teardrop

[theboatlife]

Okay so I know everyone’s opinion will vary to huge degrees, but I was hoping for some input from some experienced people in the community..


My Current Experience:

My camping has almost always been primitive camping, only what I could carry on my back and hike several miles into the woods. Loved it.

Recently my parents have purchased and RV and I met them in VT and just used my tent alongside their RV. I have to admit, being able to bring a cooler and some more supplies was a pleasure, although camping in the middle of a bunch of RVs lost a but of the camping luster.

While I was there I met someone that had a small teardrop they towed behind a car and pulled it into a “tent” camping site that was still at the RV park but at least was in the back and up a hill out of the way of all the big RVs. Didn’t seem like a bad option...


What I have to work with:

I have a new 2017 Jeep JK 2 door, so obviously I need something relatively small to tow.


What I’d like to do:

Camp! And not be stuck in an RV park anytime I want to use it. Some light trail capability seems great. Tent or hard sides I could go either way. (but I like the knowledge that with a teardrop I can duck in for a nap without setting up a tent and being a bit “stealth” if I’m on a toad trip and need to stop off to the side for a quick night)


So, I’ve seen all these pics of people towing trailers down tough Jeep trails, which looks awesome, but living in Southeast Texas that seems like a rare thing I’ll be able to do since those trails will always be so far away.

Realistically do most “expedition” people use their trailer/teardrop down some easier dirt roads or fire roads and then unhook it and use it as a base camp for fun trails around? Or do those trails out West really need an elaborate off road setup to get out away from everything to really camp and enjoy them?

I’ve been looking at the Intech Pursue, which I think fits the bill space/weight/cost wise for me. I know you can have off road tires and I assume then it’s okay for dirt roads and maybe some trails but definitely not serious off roading?

Any input from those with experience or anyone who has made the same decision would be greatly appreciated

 

[john61ct]

A teardrop is basically a tent on wheels plus your fridge + chuckbox for nicer food options, but only for well-maintained roads.

The off-road trailer, in your case a light version + maybe a RTT lets you get out into remote BLM trails, but setup required and no rest area stealth.

A camping truck topper is between the two, eliminating the trailer completely gives the best of both worlds but requires a different vehicle platform.

Seems to me just using a good tent and fitting out your Jeep with the chuckbox + fridge will suit you, at minimum cost.

 

[ottsville]

A teardrop is basically a tent on wheels plus your fridge + chuckbox for nicer food options, but only for well-maintained roads.

Not quite correct.

Look through the favorite pics of your trailer and rig thread here. You'll see some teardrops off maintained roads.

 

[john61ct]

Yes, exceptions that prove the rules

 

[VicMackey]

I went with an M101 trailer with a roof top tent. I did it because of cost, storage footprint, and off road worthiness.

Since you said it is unlikely you will do any serious off roading, and you have the money for a unit that will work for you, it seems you already answered your own question. You bring up a good point about the stealth camping as well.

The way I see it, should you get bit by the off road bug and want to do some very remote camping, I bet you could modify the suspension/throw a new axle on the teardrop and be able to go many places off the grid.

 

[theboatlife]

I went with an M101 trailer with a roof top tent. I did it because of cost, storage footprint, and off road worthiness.

Since you said it is unlikely you will do any serious off roading, and you have the money for a unit that will work for you, it seems you already answered your own question. You bring up a good point about the stealth camping as well.

The way I see it, should you get bit by the off road bug and want to do some very remote camping, I bet you could modify the suspension/throw a new axle on the teardrop and be able to go many places off the grid.

Maybe I have answered my own questions as I’m asking them, so maybe I’m wondering more in general of how capable does a trailer need to be to go down some basic trails.

I’d love to go to some of these places we see these pics of off road teardrops going over serious terrain. But in general, are these pics and trails taken for fun or are most of those places spots that you go down long dirt roads to where you actually camp and the pics are side trips mostly for pics?

Maybe I’m not wording this line of questioning very clearly...

 

[theboatlife]

So maybe the better question is this:

If you have a teardrop or a trailer that is just capable of “light off-roading”, would you be missing out on much during a trip to primitive camp on BLM lands?

Or, do you need a Very capable/beefed up teardrop or trailer to get away from the RV parks on the outskirts of these type areas?

 

[ottsville]

A bit of a generalization, but if you can drive a stock vehicle on it, you should be able to pull a well made teardrop on it (provided you have some skill).

 

[Louisd75]

I went round and round when my wife and I were trying to make the decision of a trailer or camper for the back of the truck. Once we decided on a trailer, then we went round and round on what kind of trailer. Ultimately, we went with a teardrop. Dave & Louise's website helped sway us, https://td.roughwheelers.com/. Essentially, for us, the deciding factors for a teardrop were that we wanted something that we could keep ready to go and something that my wife would feel comfortable in. All we need to do is add food and water, hitch up and go. We also wanted something that we could park in the garage. We've got a two car garage and one side has to be able to fit a car. We also live in the Pacific Northwest, which means that rain is pretty much a given when we camp. Trying to dry out an RTT in the garage that was being used for parking, laundry, etc, just sounded like more of a hassle. Ultimately, my wife made the call of a teardrop. She's never really felt comfortable in a tent. She can (and has) tent camped, but she's a worrier by nature and the harder sides of the teardrop was enough to put her at ease. We looked around at the commercial options and found one that we really liked, however there were some key points that I really wanted but weren't really options, namely matching the wheel track width of the truck. Most teardrops are wider than the tow vehicle. It's only at the wheels, but it turns things like driving straight down a narrow forest road into much more work. Your truck wheels might be just fine going straight through, but you'll likely find that the rocks/stumps/whatever along the edge of the road seem to always be in the way of the trailer. It's not the end of the world, but it's something that I just didn't want to deal with.

As a result of all the above, we decided to build our trailer. We built in the features we wanted, removed the complexities that we don't and wound up with something that suits our needs very well. We've got just shy of a queen size bed and a set of bunkbeds for the kiddos.

How capable does it need to be offroad? That's going to depend on a lot of factors. I've got zero qualms taking my trailer anywhere I'll take my truck. The caveat there is that since I'm usually traveling as a single vehicle I don't typically go for the "extreme" stuff, especially with a family on board. That said, it seems like there are two main areas that I've noticed where trailers get in trouble. Going too fast is the main one, clipping things on the side of the trail is the other. How much of a hurry are you in to get to where you're going? Do you have get-there-itis often? If you like watching the scenery fly by then perhaps you might want to look elsewhere. Slowing down also helps with reducing the chances of clipping things on the side of the trail, giving you more time to choose a safe line.

Now, more than ever it seems, you have a serious amount of options for commercially built teardrops, some offering more or less levels of customization. The Intech Pursue Flyer that you mentioned previously looks like a neat little trailer, though IMO the tongue weight seems a bit on the heavier side at 250lbs for a 1000lb trailer. The rule of thumb when building a TD is 10% to 20% of the total trailer weight. This will really show if you have to disconnect and manually turn your trailer around on a narrow road. Not to fear, there are ways around it. I'd recommend going with a much beefier jockey wheel and manual parking brakes, but a lighter tongue would help a lot as well. FWIW, they could lower the tongue weight considerably if Intech were to omit the side door and move the axle forward a bit. The back door and the side door IMO seems a bit redundant. Having the galley/cooking area in the front doesn't help the tongue weight either. Moving the axle forward would also increase your breakover angle and reduce the chances of dragging the forward part of the trailer. I do think that trailer looks neat.

If you'd like some suggestions of other commercial trailers let me know, I've got an extensive bookmark list from planning out our build.

 

[dlh62c]

I’d go with a trailer I can stand up in to put my pants on.

 

[ottsville]

Yes, exceptions that prove the rules

I've looked through tons of threads on this forum alone. There's plenty of photos of people pulling their teardrops on other than

well-maintained roads.

(edit: John61ct removed quoted post)
Opinion is fine, but facts are better.

 

[theboatlife]

A bit of a generalization, but if you can drive a stock vehicle on it, you should be able to pull a well made teardrop on it (provided you have some skill).

A bit of generalization is a good thing with such a wide open question. All the info helps.

 

[theboatlife]

We looked around at the commercial options and found one that we really liked, however there were some key points that I really wanted but weren't really options, namely matching the wheel track width of the truck. Most teardrops are wider than the tow vehicle. It's only at the wheels, but it turns things like driving straight down a narrow forest road into much more work. Your truck wheels might be just fine going straight through, but you'll likely find that the rocks/stumps/whatever along the edge of the road seem to always be in the way of the trailer. It's not the end of the world, but it's something that I just didn't want to deal with.

I knew matching the width of the vehicle or at least the trailer being smaller was preferable, but I didn’t think about or I had forgotten to consider the width of the wheels and the track they will follow.

How capable does it need to be offroad? That's going to depend on a lot of factors. I've got zero qualms taking my trailer anywhere I'll take my truck. The caveat there is that since I'm usually traveling as a single vehicle I don't typically go for the "extreme" stuff, especially with a family on board. That said, it seems like there are two main areas that I've noticed where trailers get in trouble. Going too fast is the main one, clipping things on the side of the trail is the other. How much of a hurry are you in to get to where you're going? Do you have get-there-itis often? If you like watching the scenery fly by then perhaps you might want to look elsewhere. Slowing down also helps with reducing the chances of clipping things on the side of the trail, giving you more time to choose a safe line.

Going slow and enjoying the scenery off the beaten path seems to me like one of the main goals, not a rush to get to a place to camp for the night, so I think I could handle making it a leisurely pace. Avoiding the extreme stuff was part of my concern of having a teardrop that’s only capable of light off-roading as opposed to a utility trailer that could handle anything. And without the experience yet of being out west in some of these areas I wasn’t sure what I would find when I got there. I’d hate to actually get there one day and see that all the roads require a considerably beefed up rig.

Now, more than ever it seems, you have a serious amount of options for commercially built teardrops, some offering more or less levels of customization. The Intech Pursue Flyer that you mentioned previously looks like a neat little trailer, though IMO the tongue weight seems a bit on the heavier side at 250lbs for a 1000lb trailer. The rule of thumb when building a TD is 10% to 20% of the total trailer weight. This will really show if you have to disconnect and manually turn your trailer around on a narrow road. Not to fear, there are ways around it. I'd recommend going with a much beefier jockey wheel and manual parking brakes, but a lighter tongue would help a lot as well. FWIW, they could lower the tongue weight considerably if Intech were to omit the side door and move the axle forward a bit. The back door and the side door IMO seems a bit redundant. Having the galley/cooking area in the front doesn't help the tongue weight either. Moving the axle forward would also increase your breakover angle and reduce the chances of dragging the forward part of the trailer. I do think that trailer looks neat.

If you'd like some suggestions of other commercial trailers let me know, I've got an extensive bookmark list from planning out our build.

I have seen a few other options that I liked, part of why I have continued to look at the Intechs was because they have a ton of interior space with their layouts, seemed to be built well, and I was hoping to keep the price fairly close to $10k or less. If my price range was higher I see there are plenty of beefed up teardrops that can handle anything. But at this price consideration, from what I’ve come across so far, my choice is a lightly off road capable teardrop or if I need more off road capabilities then I’d have to go with the utility trailer with the RTT.

Intech also has an even smaller one, without the slide out kitchen so the tongue weight would be considerably less. I’m trying to also keep in mind that since I’m not currently living out West that most of my usage of the trailer will be places that I don’t need much off road capability at all. But I don’t want to sacrifice the biggest motivation to having one, which would be getting out to do some primitive camping in areas that you can’t take a regular RV.

 

[Jmanscotch]

As a former 2 door JK owner, I'd be very careful with your trailer choice. An ultra short wheel base JK isn't an ideal tow vehicle, tough trails or not, so definitely consider something lighter and with brakes equipped.

That out of the way, I think you've answered your own question and want something more teardrop than expo trailer with a RTT. Last year I built a 4x6 trailer with a RTT on it and love it, but I will say after using it a few times, we saw the big benefits to a hard sided trailer, same as some of what you've mentioned already.

The Intech looks nice for the cost. Some others to consider are Hiker trailers. They come in more standard models for half that (or Off-Road specked for about that or slightly less, but also lighter tongue weights) and those should handle light off roading easily. If you want even more basic but still hard sided, consider Runaway trailers.

 

[ottsville]

Your thought process sounds similar to mine. What I like about the teardrops is that they are ready to go if you keep it packed, easy set up, and when you are in a campground or Walmart, the hard sides keep the noise down. Don't overthink it though - get something for what you will do and not what you *might* do someday down the road.

Or do those trails out West really need an elaborate off road setup to get out away from everything to really camp and enjoy them?

The west has large open areas and you don't necessarily need to go through extreme off road to get away from crowds.

The Intech trailers are nice. Got to check one out that was camping near me last weekend. I was impressed with the quality and design. I am thinking about a similar design because I like the barn doors in the back and being able to put bikes inside for travel. As @Jmanscotch says, the Hikers are pretty nice too, and a good bit cheaper. There's a 2017 in MS for sale that seems like a decent price. If you decided you needed more trailer, you could always sell and upgrade.