compactcamping
Explorer
Glad we cleared that up!
Completed Dinoot trailer assembly - shake down cruise
- Thread starter billum v2.0
- Start date
Glad we cleared that up!
billum v2.0
Active member
First trip to San Juans.
Ouray/Silverton/Telluride were well worth the 16 hour commute {one way).
First trip with my wife. Always thought she was more of a Marriott/Room Service vacationer, but a few hours from home on the way back, she said it was the best vacation of her life.
The more I get to know the trailer/tent, the happier I am. Being able to drop the trailer, set up basecamp and go explore from there has been great.
San Juans in September are beautiful.
Temps at night though...........they get chilly.
20 yards from our campsite
Our campsite was about 10 miles outside Silverton (Molas Lake). I'd get up at night, go outside and just stargaze. For hours. Getting a little big for your britches? Thinking you're "special"? This will give you some perspective of your importance in the scheme of things!
Ouray/Silverton/Telluride were well worth the 16 hour commute {one way).
First trip with my wife. Always thought she was more of a Marriott/Room Service vacationer, but a few hours from home on the way back, she said it was the best vacation of her life.
The more I get to know the trailer/tent, the happier I am. Being able to drop the trailer, set up basecamp and go explore from there has been great.
San Juans in September are beautiful.
Temps at night though...........they get chilly.
20 yards from our campsite
Our campsite was about 10 miles outside Silverton (Molas Lake). I'd get up at night, go outside and just stargaze. For hours. Getting a little big for your britches? Thinking you're "special"? This will give you some perspective of your importance in the scheme of things!
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compactcamping
Explorer
Sounds like it was a great trip, love Ouray. Grandparents lived in Delta, have got to spend a lot of time there and in the San Juans over the years
billum v2.0
Active member
Every set up has its compromises, but the more trips I/we take with the trailer/RTT, the more I appreciate it. While I was in Moab I met some folks from Pittsburg that had an FJ setup with a CVT RTT mounted on their roof rack. Her biggest complaint was having to pack up camp every time they wanted to go anywhere. His was removing/installing the RTT for each "trip" as the FJ was their daily driver, wouldn't fit in the garage with the tent mounted. Complaints I've heard from other trailer owners are the cost and where to store when not in use. From a cost perspective, the DIY nature of the Dinoot reduces it significantly compared to turnkey "adventure/offroad" trailers (I could have reduced my cost by over $2k by simply going with a standard trailer tire/wheel set up and not having it professionally painted with a primer/base coat/clear coat system). From a storage standpoint, it's not an issue for us. If I had to do it over again knowing what I know now, I can't think of anything significant I'd change.That trip and the update you shared from your wife......it really doesn't get better than that. Thanks again for continuing to share.
Wrapping up my GX470 build soon, still pondering a trailer and your latest update definitely swings the vote heavily in favor of getting one.
Can't imagine having family in the area or the memories of those visits. Was "told" it won't be our last stay on the way home. She's already asked for time off work in September 2017. I guess I can think of a few hundred thousand worse things to do than go back to Ouray/Silverton in the Fall. In a Jeep. And a wife who won't take no for an answer. On a more pertinent note, I can't tell you the number of folks who approached us with questions about the trailer/RTT this trip. It became a "thing". Men would approach and make a comment or ask a question or two. But the women would corner my wife and inevitably, would turn into a 45 minute Q & A at the filling station or grocery store. After a particularly long encounter at a gas station in Glenwood Springs with a young woman who asked her endless questions, my wife asked if you had some phone app she could just refer people to.
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compactcamping
Explorer
Yes, earliest exposure to 4WD adventures was in my grandfathers early Willys Wagon in the mountains around Ouray and on Grand Mesa watching the trail go by through the rusted out floor. Sounds like you have a great wife! The Falls colors in the San Juans are very nice. Yes the unique nature of trailers like these and the great matching job you did, attracts a lot of attention. Don't have a phone app, but will think about that. For now will send you some stickers, have some dinoot.com one make it easy for people to type it into their phone and pop up the website.
billum v2.0
Active member
Reading your post made me think of the iconic picture:
Received your envelope yesterday. They'll be helpful, thanks.
Received your envelope yesterday. They'll be helpful, thanks.
toylandcruiser
Expedition Leader
Reading your post made me think of the iconic picture:
Received your envelope yesterday. They'll be helpful, thanks.
Cool but fake
billum v2.0
Active member
Yeah, but the most iconic Jeep photo I could think of. Imagine riding some of local Ouray trails in a Willys Wagon with missing floors made a few mental imprints as well. Add a Grandpa at the wheel and, well..............
compactcamping
Explorer
Glad to hear the envelope arrived. Yes, those are very happy memories. My grandson turns three in a few months, soon I'll be starting to gave another generation these types of memories.