Advice on trailer vs teardrop

[Louisd75]

Good to know. I've never camped in a teardrop. Surprised you could fit 4 in there in comfort all day with a teardrop that doesn't appear any taller than your truck.

Keep in mind it's two adults and two kids. My wife is short, I'm around 6', the oldest kid is 4, youngest is 1. It'd be a different story if the kids were in their teens. The body of the trailer is 4' tall, which is ample room for sitting around. The main bed is roughly a queen size (couple of inches narrower, but it's not noticeable because you can lean against the walls, so it feels bigger). The bunk beds in the front are roughly 2.5' x just shy of 5'. The top bunk folds down and turns into a couch back for lounging. I've mentioned my time living out of the bed of my Tacoma with a canopy. My teardrop probably has more than double the volume of space than the truck though I haven't measured. I can understand how it could look claustrophobic but it really doesn't feel that way. The inside colors are light and the windows do a lot make it feel bigger than it is (we have five windows, six if you include the roof vent's clear cover). We did spend time outside for potty breaks, I did all of the cooking at the galley in the back and we ate outside under a friend's awning. I'm currently trying to figure out an awning setup that will work for the trailer. It's starting to look like I'll make an EvilDave awning vs buying a commercial one. Dave's will give me more options for varying the size.

If it were just me and a buddy camping there would be ample room for drinking and cards

 

[TexomaPowerboater]

I see, thanks for clarifying. I think the livinlite quicksilver 6.0 would work well for up to 3 adults and plenty of room to stand up to get dressed. And with a short jeep could probably stand it up at the end of a single garage and fit both the tent trailer and the jeep. I don't see bad weather being a big issue for these tents......perhaps the cold could be an issue. The taller height when poped up makes for much easier awning and screen room platform.

I like your truck and trailer combo. I've got a softtopper as well just starting to use it.

 

[daveh]

We tow this behind a JK. I’ve talked about a teardrop multiple times but my wife likes being able to stand up and have room to change clothes. We also didn’t really like the closed in feeling of many teardrops.

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[Mass_Mopar]

I know the 2 door JK isn’t the best tow vehicle but it’s the vehicle I really wanted and camping is secondary. I did order the 3.73 gears so the tow rating for my Jeep is 3500lbs, which I plan to stay well below.

Double check your numbers.. I have 4.10s in my 4-door JK Rubicon and my tow rating is 3500lb, 300lb max tongue. I thought all 2-doors were 2000lb max. I have a 5x8 aluminum cargo trailer with a RTT on top and it tracks perfectly behind my jeep, no tow mirrors required.

 

[theboatlife]

Double check your numbers.. I have 4.10s in my 4-door JK Rubicon and my tow rating is 3500lb, 300lb max tongue. I thought all 2-doors were 2000lb max. I have a 5x8 aluminum cargo trailer with a RTT on top and it tracks perfectly behind my jeep, no tow mirrors required.

I know it used to be 2000lb max for all the 2 doors, not sure what year they changed it but it varies now.

 

[Fireman78]

Trying to decide on what kind of adventure trailer to get is not an easy task! It’s kind of the pinnacle of first world problems! But what a great problem to have. Good luck figuring out what will be best for you. I had a very stout utility style adventure trailer with RTT. It worked for me with my JKU. Wife wasn’t a fan of climbing down to pee. Kids loved it. However, I had to sell it for financial reasons after a major medical crisis, but am finally getting healthy again and at some point will be in the market again. The nice thing about the teardrop is the resilience to weather. Being able to stop literally anywhere you want and just climb in to sleep is appealing. Not really needing to set up anything except maybe an awning. Having hard walls during 60 MPH winds and driving rain is nice too. I imagine the teardrops can accommodate a very nice mattress. I have owned several RTTs and have never been impressed with the 3” (I can still feel the bolts underneath) mattresses they all seem to come with. Tent flapping is annoying as hell and I would imagine the teardrops don’t have that issue. However, they cost more to buy and to fix. If money was no object, I would buy a Moby XTR in a heartbeat. But unless I win the lottery that won’t ever happen. One nice thing about a teardrop you can do is slap an additional RTT on top and sleep a few more folks. I say get a teardrop style if you can afford it. Walk around Overland Expo in a few weeks and that will you r sure allow you to make us your mind. Or it will make it worse! ?


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[Midnightsun]

Pulling with a 2 door keep it light I'm 1900lbs here and the combo off roads with no prob at all

 

[Justincredible]

I built my own on a Harbor Freight trailer. It's only 4x8, so it isn't the most spacious place, but it goes anywhere, is light (I move it around by hand to position it in the garage or tight camp spots), and was cheap to build (under $2k to date).
I skipped the rear galley and instead went with a place for my dog to sleep at my feet and a shelf for bags. It really is just a hard shell tent but I can carry a lot more stuff than with just the Jeep.
If you spend some time searching google you can find some bare bones teardrops for as low as $2500 if you don't want to take the time or effort to make your own.

 

[Justincredible]

Harbor Freight also make a little 40"x48" trailer that (with some welding, axle, and tires) could be used to carry a RTT and some gear; if you wanted an even smaller footprint.

 

[basicfish]

This one started life as the northern tool version of the 40x48 trailer. I built it when my only tow vehicle was a Subaru Crosstrek. Lots of good times and miles.

 

[Mass_Mopar]

I know it used to be 2000lb max for all the 2 doors, not sure what year they changed it but it varies now.

I know it used to be 2000lb max for all the 2 doors, not sure what year they changed it but it varies now.

Learn something new every day, thanks!

 

[Lead Dog]

Plain n Simple there is no simpler way to camp than with a teardrop! No Tent to set up or put down never store anything on your bed and just pull up late , crawl in and go to sleep!

 

[chrisdors]

I tow a 4x8 Runaway Venturist behind my 2 door JK. It is very lightweight, around 850lbs (before adding accessories) and it comes with electric brakes... with 4.10 gears its an absolute joy to pull around. Hardly notice its there.

 

[Cascade Wanderer]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that there are quite a few areas in the general Yellowstone area that have "special regulations" for grizzly areas, meaning hard-side campers only! No tents.

The grizzly population in and around Yellowstone has been expanding for decades, and they're showing up well outside the park anymore. Although I've tent-camped in grizzly areas many times, there are places where a hard-side camper is required. So, one more factor in favor of a hard-side trailer. Even if it doesn't offer much in the way of real-world protection, it meets the legal requirement.

Also, there's the weather protection. I've had some nights in tents that were pretty rough, in high winds... Ugh.

My trailer doesn't even have a tent! I just set up a ground tent and sleep in it. The trailer carries supplies that can keep me going with fuel, water, food, etc, longer. Also allows a more comfortable camp. I could easily put a RTT on it, and perhaps someday I will.

Re towing with the two-door Jeep, I found mine quite capable with roughly a 1500 pound trailer, for a three-week, 3600 mile trip last month. My Jeep is a 2012, with the 3.6 liter V6, a manual transmission and 4.10 gears with 285/75/16's (roughly 33") it had good power even on the long & steep uphill grades, I just downshifted to keep the engine revving enough to be happy. Also, my trailer does have trailer brakes, and yes, I highly recommend that! They're valuable on and off pavement.

Regards, Guy

 

[jonb8]

I built an offroad teardrop so I could take it anywhere, after a year I would say i will never take it off gravel roads from here out... It will go anywhere the jeep can take it, but its slowwwwwwwww going. I had the illusion of blowing down dirt roads and trails when I built it, it's wider then the jeep and even with shocks it's light and bounces on the rough roads... We are now converting a bus and were going to flat tow the jeep.