Buying first trailer (Tiger Moth Overland) - what dont i know?

[CO-Plateau-Guy]

Hi All,

Ive done a lot of reading on these forums and ive already learned a lot from those more experienced by me, so thanks!

Anyway, im an experienced hiker/backpacker/car camper but im looking for more camp comfort when not backpacking and ready to move up to an enclosed sleeping area and better protection from wind/bugs/rain.

One thing i am hoping to accomplish here is securing my Dometic 12v CFX35 to the cargo deck of the Tiger Moth. The fridge slide for the Dometic is easy enough to find but i still dont think i want my fridge jsut sitting there on the cargo deck so i have been looking at fridge boxes and other than a crazy expensive box from Hiker Trailers i havent really found anything.

Im not particularly handy and have no tools other than small drill and the sort of stuff used to hang pictures so i am willing to purchase something for a reasonable sum if there is something lockable out there that can be attached to my deck.

Otherwise, i think im fairly well set due to my years of camping experience but im just struggling with figuring out a good solution to keep my fridge out of the camper and secure as ive never been in this sort of situation before. I just kept the fridge in the back of my vehicle and called it good.

Any information is appreciated, thanks!

 

[SBSYNCRO]

Keep the fridge in your tow vehicle. Mount it to a slide and wire it in place. Hard mount a small “solar generator” (a misnomer) such as a Jackery 500 and put a 100w panel on the roof. Slide + battery + panel will cost you about $900 but you’ll have a setup that will be extremely versatile.

I prefer the fridge in my tow vehicle for a variety of reasons:

One consideration is that if you put the fridge in a box it must be vented. Dirt roads & vent = dust. Dust = premature death for fridge compressors.

Having the fridge in the tow vehicle means you bring your food & drinks with you on day trips away from camp instead of having to pack another separate cooler.

What’s your tow vehicle?

 

[mep1811]

A fridge on the tongue of the trailer will get covered in dirt and water. The Tiger Moth is not an off-road trailer . Get a cordless drill and a heavy duty rivet gun with rivets for on the road repairs.

 

[CO-Plateau-Guy]

You make good points about keeping the fridge in the vehicle and venting/dust problems, thank you. In the end i might be overthinking this and keeping the fridge in the vehicle might make the most sense and be simplest to set up.

My tow vehicle is a 2015 Xterra Pro-4x. I already have a goal zero 500x yeti and a set of solar panels that i use in my normal car camping set up that i plan on using to keep my 12v fridge and other stuff going while i am out and about. My panels arent mounted to my roof because i use my roof rails for a roof top box and to take my SUPs although i can probably offload some of that stuff to my camper.

 

[CO-Plateau-Guy]

The rivet gun is definitely on my list of items to get before heading out w/my trailer but i appreciate the suggestion. Also, fair point about getting the fridge covered which is why i was considering a box to store the fridge in.

Everyones definition of off-road differs. I am not going rock crawling but mainly down 4x4 roads to trailheads and i can speak from experience when i say i have seen all sorts of little trailers, including the Tiger Moth, way the hell down some 4wd roads. It should have the capability im looking for when i refer to off-road.

But for sure there is a difference in capability in what i will do w/my 4x4 without the trailer vs what i would be willing to do w/the trailer in tow and that will help me shape where i go and what i do depending on the situation.

 

[kwill]

I'm another fan of putting the fridge in the tow vehicle for both weight distribution and accessibility issues. We like to set up a base camp with the trailer and then explore harder trails (or go fishing or hiking) during the day. Another thing that may not be obvious--even forest service roads turn your trailer into a blender. Anything not really secured will get thrown around. Cookware and food will seemingly change places. Gravity becomes your organizational method.

 

[mep1811]

You will want to replace the little woodscrews holding the frame to the floor with nuts and bolts.

 

[Corkster]

If you havent’t pulled the trigger yet, what about a used trailer like the Moby in the classifieds section? Everything I have read on Taxa seems to indicate they have durability issues and are more show than go

 

[CO-Plateau-Guy]

Thanks, this seems like wise advice. Our plan is to also set up base camp and then go farther into the backcountry and keeping the fridge in the vehicle would obviously be helpful in those situations. Your line about gravity being an organizational method made me laugh and im sure ill learn that first hand.

 

[CO-Plateau-Guy]

You will want to replace the little woodscrews holding the frame to the floor with nuts and bolts.

Noted, thank you.

 

[mep1811]

Be sure to the check the cigarette lighter plug outlets for power. There have been several instances of where the fuses are bad even though they look good.