You just need a bigger hood for a HTT (Hood Top Tent).
I like it! The hood already opens like a wedge tent. If you build an engine cover / sleeping platform…. Cold weather heat provided!
Distribution of gear between vehicle and trailer
- Thread starter dieselBlazer
- Start date
I like it! The hood already opens like a wedge tent. If you build an engine cover / sleeping platform…. Cold weather heat provided!
tx-jeremy
Member
billiebob
Well-known member
you need a long tongue so the tailgate and cook stove can fully open and slide out.
you could consider knifing the trailer for even better access.
you won't need much offset to stand at the stove.
you can probably do it on the shoulder.
the industry standard for commercial trailers is a 4' tongue which might be enough.
I added a plate to move the trailer jack back and clear my Wranglers door/gate.
and
with yours, if you also swing left you'll gain room to stand close to the stove.
swinging left will also give more room to swing the spare tire clear.
just make the tongue long enough.
both my trailers, Mirage 5x10s have a 4' tongue.
the longer tongue also makes reversing easier, keep the trailer same width as the Blazer so you can see both sides in the mirrors.
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Teardropper
Well-known member
All our cook stuff stays in the galley. Along with seven gallons of water and a 54-quart cooler.
We load the back of our Taco with chairs, a folding table, dog food, and fishing rods or whatever suits our mood.
Tony
We load the back of our Taco with chairs, a folding table, dog food, and fishing rods or whatever suits our mood.
Tony
Paddler Ed
Adventurer
We swap between:
-Camper trailer
-Swags
-Hammocks
-OzTent
Ultimately, gear changes as we choose what we're taking; the camper trailer leaves the car much emptier (to the extent we can leave the seats up) but with the other options, it also depends on if the dog is coming along as well. We run a smaller kitchen if we're not taking the trailer (about 1/2 the camper kitchen - all designed to be modular; it's big enough to take our Coleman stove and 2 boxes for pans and plates) and generally less clothes (normally just an overnight or a couple of nights) so it also makes it easier.
The big things we've found that make a difference to loading are:
-Water requirements: If we're wild camping, we'll take at least 10 litres with us; couple of days, we'll take 20+ That changes how things are loaded quite a bit.
-Tools and "things": Over time I've stripped down what I'll take away with us; I've got a bit more to revise really, but it's getting closer
-Small bags/boxes instead of big boxes and bags: Easier to fill in voids around the load bay - amazing what space you can find by just moving one or 2 smaller things around.
If we're going to be tight on space, I'll remove the back seats and that opens up quite a bit of space both in terms of length (the 80 series boot is really short when compared to our old 4Runner) and just volume.
Hope that helps - I'm not sure it will....
-Camper trailer
-Swags
-Hammocks
-OzTent
Ultimately, gear changes as we choose what we're taking; the camper trailer leaves the car much emptier (to the extent we can leave the seats up) but with the other options, it also depends on if the dog is coming along as well. We run a smaller kitchen if we're not taking the trailer (about 1/2 the camper kitchen - all designed to be modular; it's big enough to take our Coleman stove and 2 boxes for pans and plates) and generally less clothes (normally just an overnight or a couple of nights) so it also makes it easier.
The big things we've found that make a difference to loading are:
-Water requirements: If we're wild camping, we'll take at least 10 litres with us; couple of days, we'll take 20+ That changes how things are loaded quite a bit.
-Tools and "things": Over time I've stripped down what I'll take away with us; I've got a bit more to revise really, but it's getting closer
-Small bags/boxes instead of big boxes and bags: Easier to fill in voids around the load bay - amazing what space you can find by just moving one or 2 smaller things around.
If we're going to be tight on space, I'll remove the back seats and that opens up quite a bit of space both in terms of length (the 80 series boot is really short when compared to our old 4Runner) and just volume.
Hope that helps - I'm not sure it will....
The engine heat would be a reason for me to avoid a Hood Top Tent, but, I think you are right that it would appeal to many people, especially with a remote start engine!
An HTT plus RTT(s) might work quite well on a Suburban for large families!
billiebob
Well-known member
AMAZING how many people fail to see the question.
Makes perfect sense to keep the vehicle rigged for solo trips and just pack the trailer for trips with the wife which will keep the trailer smaller and lighter and make last minute excursions quicker. A longer tongue, maybe a dropped hitch, park with a bit of offset and the tailgate, spare carrier should easily clear the trailer.
You definitely want to build it so it can stay coupled.
billiebob
Well-known member
yes to this ^^^^
with kids and tents the tents were 50' plus from the vehicle and cooking station was on the other side of the vehicle
food/cooler was in the vehicle always
we live in bear country
I look at camp sites posted on this forum and think please do not come to BC
4000lbsOfGoat
Well-known member
While access to gear in the back of the rig may be an issue while traveling I don't see it being an issue when camped. Maybe I'm in the minority here but I don't see any real-world scenario where you would want to camp with the trailer still hooked up to the rig - in my experience, it just doesn't work that way because a) the world is not flat and b) it is a real PITA to walk all the way around the whole rig when you want to grab something that is on the other side. Unless you are only camping in paved, level spots, you're not going to be able to level the trailer while it's connected to the rig at least 90% of the time. (I know that now people will chime in with "I've camped in plenty of sketchy spots in Mexico\Guatemala\El Salvador\Turkistan\Detroit\The Moon\etc. where I needed to stay hooked up so I could leave at a moment's notice!" - I don't think that is OPs use case at all.)
I understand the desire to still be able to do solo trips with just the truck but with a simple and efficient trailer setup you might find that it's just as easy to take it out anyway, even if you'll be on your own...If it's already got all the gear in it, it's pretty painless to hitch it up and head to the woods. Plus, it's really nice to be able to drop the trailer somewhere and then take your now lightweight truck out for some exploring! Oh, and you don't have to carry all that gear around every single time you ever want to take the truck anywhere.
My Taco carries recovery gear, tools, food\water for a couple days (for emergencies and for road snacks), basic survival gear, a Power Tank and a few other odds and ends that we want to be able to access while on the road - basically the things you would carry in any rig that is used to explore the backcountry. Everything we need for "camping" lives in the trailer. At least in my case, I have no trouble accessing anything in the truck, including fully extending the bed drawers, with the trailer attached - but as I mentioned, that only matters to me during travel. Once I get to where I'm going to sleep, the trailer gets unhitched and leveled straight away (after a beer, of course!).
I understand the desire to still be able to do solo trips with just the truck but with a simple and efficient trailer setup you might find that it's just as easy to take it out anyway, even if you'll be on your own...If it's already got all the gear in it, it's pretty painless to hitch it up and head to the woods. Plus, it's really nice to be able to drop the trailer somewhere and then take your now lightweight truck out for some exploring! Oh, and you don't have to carry all that gear around every single time you ever want to take the truck anywhere.
My Taco carries recovery gear, tools, food\water for a couple days (for emergencies and for road snacks), basic survival gear, a Power Tank and a few other odds and ends that we want to be able to access while on the road - basically the things you would carry in any rig that is used to explore the backcountry. Everything we need for "camping" lives in the trailer. At least in my case, I have no trouble accessing anything in the truck, including fully extending the bed drawers, with the trailer attached - but as I mentioned, that only matters to me during travel. Once I get to where I'm going to sleep, the trailer gets unhitched and leveled straight away (after a beer, of course!).
krick3tt
Adventurer
tx-jeremy,
The jerry can holders are military surplus jeep can holders. I mounted them to the fenders and they have a loop on the side to secure the lockable straps so the cans don't walk away and also used a strap to keep them tighter against the side of the trailer to limit the sway and secure them more. The straps are secured to the side of the trailer box with footman loops. I have had the holders for a long time, they are quite expensive now.
Like this
The jerry can holders are military surplus jeep can holders. I mounted them to the fenders and they have a loop on the side to secure the lockable straps so the cans don't walk away and also used a strap to keep them tighter against the side of the trailer to limit the sway and secure them more. The straps are secured to the side of the trailer box with footman loops. I have had the holders for a long time, they are quite expensive now.
Like this
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