Looking for opinions on trailer selection

[robert j. yates]

Can you guys give some comparisons, comments, pros/cons and advise on selecting between:

AT Chaser
AT Horizon
TenTrax
Other options??

I would be pulling it with a lifted '97 Jeep TJ w/ 4.0L and 3 spd auto. I would hope to sleep 2 or 3, (me, wife and 10 y.o. son). We camp in the southwestern deserts mostly, sometimes the mountains. We have a Ford F350 w/ a 10ft Lance camper, but, I don't always want to take the pickup & set up a base camp, sometimes we want to just go point to point with the jeep.

I don't think a roof top tent would work for us. Our Jeep is lifted 5 1/2" and rolling on 35" tires. The tent would be up in the clouds. Besides, I want to be able to carry some additional gear, with 2-3 people in the Jeep that doesn't leave much room in the jeep for standard jeep gear and camping stuff.

A few comments on your Jeep and since I have a 98 TJ with the 3 speed and am towing a Horizon.

1. make sure you are properly geared. If you are running 4:10's with your 35's...life is going to be miserable towing any trailer uphill. 4:56's will be alot friendlier but even at that you will be doing 40 or so up passes such as the Cajon and even les on 2 lanes up into the Sierras. I was lucky to hold 20-25 headed up the 120 into Yosemite and the same for 9 Mile canyon into Kennedy Meadows last year.

2. you will need a good sized transmission cooler for your 3 speed if you don't already have one. Also...always make sure your radiator, t-stat and coolant are in good working order because you will need it.

3. if you ditched your rear swaybar, put it back on.

4. look to reinforce your rear crossmember or else get a rear bumper that ties into the frame on each side. The stock rear crossmember is not at all sufficient for towing.

All of that being said...the Horizon absolutely rocks for getting into remote campsites behind my Jeep. It does not have any bad habits when being towed and as long as you remember its back there in very difficult terrain, you won't have a problem. I'm convinced it will follow my Jeep anywhere and once I get there, its very very comfortable for me and my wife.

 

[TeamReader]

A few comments on your Jeep and since I have a 98 TJ with the 3 speed and am towing a Horizon.

1. make sure you are properly geared. If you are running 4:10's with your 35's...life is going to be miserable towing any trailer uphill. 4:56's will be alot friendlier but even at that you will be doing 40 or so up passes such as the Cajon and even les on 2 lanes up into the Sierras. I was lucky to hold 20-25 headed up the 120 into Yosemite and the same for 9 Mile canyon into Kennedy Meadows last year.

2. you will need a good sized transmission cooler for your 3 speed if you don't already have one. Also...always make sure your radiator, t-stat and coolant are in good working order because you will need it.

3. if you ditched your rear swaybar, put it back on.

4. look to reinforce your rear crossmember or else get a rear bumper that ties into the frame on each side. The stock rear crossmember is not at all sufficient for towing.

All of that being said...the Horizon absolutely rocks for getting into remote campsites behind my Jeep. It does not have any bad habits when being towed and as long as you remember its back there in very difficult terrain, you won't have a problem. I'm convinced it will follow my Jeep anywhere and once I get there, its very very comfortable for me and my wife.

You make some good points about pulling the trailers with a Jeep.

I have 4:88 gears in our Jeep, I have also installed an aftermarket bumper/tire carrier with a 2" receiver and installed a high-flow water pump, new thermostat and run a K&N air system and complete custom hi-flow exhaust system.

Even with these upgrades pulling a trailer would still stress the rig. That is one of the reasons I did not really consider the Conqueror Compact, I understate it is pretty heavy. I am looking at a custom trailer right now or I may continue to look at the AT line.

I would like to hear from someone that pulls a Tentrax, they are light weight but are they sturdy enough and do they carry enough gear?

 

[JIMBO]

:wings: What can I say, I'm the only one on here with the TENTRAX and it's not comparable to the EXPEDITION TRAILERS , like AT has (the best)

I've had mine almost two years now and I won't change, just my wife and I no kids (now), no animals (now) and at 900 lbs fully loaded the Tentrax has all we need

We can sleep on it, in a ground tent, or in the jeep, there is sufficient room for my truckbedz Queensize mattress and I can close the tailgate for security on my jeep JK "unlimited"

If I ever got another trailer, it would be ATs new composite, but I'm happy with my TENTRAX and I've said this many times, if I run into an obstacle, or position trouble--I can (and have done it) disconnect the TENTRAX and reposition it BY MYSELF, the tongue weight loaded is 85 lbs

They are expensive, but somehow we always get what we want --RIGHT

You can get the TENTRAX with tent included, but it's for two only, I've modified mine with an air tent (30 seconds up), but thats just one of my MANY mods and we all do that

Big choice-good luck

:coffeedrink::smiley_drive::safari-rig::safari-rig: JIMBO

 

[robert j. yates]

I don't pay attention to signatures so I missed the fact that you are running 4:88's....that will really help you in the towing department going up hill.

As for that aftermarket bumper....as long as its tied into the fram you will be fine.

You make some good points about pulling the trailers with a Jeep.

I have 4:88 gears in our Jeep, I have also installed an aftermarket bumper/tire carrier with a 2" receiver and installed a high-flow water pump, new thermostat and run a K&N air system and complete custom hi-flow exhaust system.

Even with these upgrades pulling a trailer would still stress the rig. That is one of the reasons I did not really consider the Conqueror Compact, I understate it is pretty heavy. I am looking at a custom trailer right now or I may continue to look at the AT line.

I would like to hear from someone that pulls a Tentrax, they are light weight but are they sturdy enough and do they carry enough gear?

 

[Honu]

I think you have to decide how much you want to carry ? and if you want a tent on the trailer ?

the tentrax seem cool but are small ?

the AT and the compacts are ones you can sleep on

nothing against the AT trailers they are the best trailers in america and I bet some of the top in the world along with conqueror and I mean that honestly

as in South Africa the conquerors are some of the best

like the King Kampers are in OZ !

the conquerors are well proven in Africa where some of the toughest terrain in the world is !!!

so the compact at $5000 is a steal of a deal as they are something like 10K down there !!!

the compacts can save you a ton and still get one of the worlds best trailers and have money left over

the AT will run more and get you a killer trailer also but in a dif style and format

my original reasons for loving the conquerors was I can get into all the trailer storage with the tent up and someone sleeping in it !! that to me was a huge bonus I loved no tipping the tent when I want to get inside to get something out
I also loved the extra drop down room that is on the tent design gives us a place to change and have the pett in for late night emergencies with the kids
you can get these drop down rooms on some RTT designs so thats not as huge but still nice the way its setup

both are so good and both are so different in some senses of how you pack them out and work out of them when at camp ?
so both have pros and cons and I really cant say one is better than the other get the one your heart really wants cause to me it might sound like you like the AT

I can only say for me I prefer the layout of the conquerors and mine is the conquest model which is larger ?

but if I did not have a conqueror I would have a AT setup or a King cause those are super cool also

 

[slimtwo]

AT Trailers are the way to go

If your looking for a trailer that is ready to go, then I would say that the AT trailers are your best option. I have been to their shop, and have seen their trailers up close, and they are well designed. And since you are local, you don't have to have it shiped.

 

[RgnNxn08]

OK, just subscribed and first post, so take it for what its worth.

I was in the same situation last year. I checked out EVERY trailer that was made to determine what I would ultimately buy. I limited my choice down to AT Horizon and Champa Expedition. After several talks with Martyn at AT and Chris at Campa I ended up going with the Horizon.

In fear of sounding like a commercial, Martyn and his group have be wonderful to work with. They walked me through every step of the way. Made several recommendations for add-ons and ended up getting me EXACTLY what I was looking for. Don't get me wrong, the Champa is a well made quality trailer, I am just more of a family camper (my 5 yr old son and I) and the Champa was just more trailer then we would use.

I should mention that I did install a Hesco supercharger on my JK to handle pulling it. I am running 37" and 5.13 gears and it pulls like a dream. Of course there is a bit of a lag uphill but nothing out of hand.

Feel free to PM me with any questions you might have.

 

[Tucson T4R]

Tad, Welcome to the Portal. Nice rig and trailer combo. I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures from your outings with your son. :sombrero:

 

[spressomon]

One important thing to consider...at least this is very high on my decision o'making meter scale: After sale support. Its not "if" but "when" you will need something whether warranty related or not for your trailer. Is a defunct trailer company going to be any good to you when you need their help/parts, etc.? Doubt it.

Martyn & Mario, who are Adventure Trailers for those of you that do not already know this, go to great lengths to make sure you get taken care of after the sale. Just the fact they aggressively keep refining/tweaking their designs is testimony to their organic interest in trailers: They not only design, manufacture and sell trailers: They use them!

I didn't want this to sound like a 1/2 baked infomercial for AT but when I've needed this or that they get back to me same day (and most often can be reached immediately by telephone) and get parts, etc. shipped to me ASAP.

After your money is spent and you are completely satisfied with your purchase and relationship with the vendor/manufacturer, the few extra dollars spent on your original purchase will be all but forgotten.

 

[Bergger]

The quality and customer service can not be beat by anyone!

 

[Tom and Elaine]

We are going into our third year of pulling a Tentrax with our FJ.
We tend to go where ever we end up and for the two of us the trailer is great. Quick simple setup and sleeping off the ground was what sold us. Whether we end up at th KOA for the night or somewhere in the Missouri River Breaks we are happy with the Tentrax. Tom and Elaine:smiley_drive:

 

[Hilldweller]

Welcome to ExPo; amazing set-up you've got going there...

But, to the rest of us, that's more of a Lotto ensemble... ...I counted the goodies and did some quick calcs and it looks like you've got close to $30K more invested than I...
I'm not knocking it at all. Just saying that some of us folk have much more modest budgets. Sometimes greater attention to the bottom line must be paid...

 

[Martyn]

Welcome to ExPo; amazing set-up you've got going there...

But, to the rest of us, that's more of a Lotto ensemble... ...I counted the goodies and did some quick calcs and it looks like you've got close to $30K more invested than I...
I'm not knocking it at all. Just saying that some of us folk have much more modest budgets. Sometimes greater attention to the bottom line must be paid...

I know AT trailers are not inexpensive, but your calculations are off, way off. It's so far off it sounds more like a story around a campfire after a few beverages.

I'm genuinely happy for everyone who has managed to purchase a Conqueror trailer, I think you all got amazing deals. But place it in perspective when you are comparing the price you paid versus a trailer manufactured today.

The original price tag on your Conqueror was set in 2003, and has been heavily discounted to move the trailers. If those trailers were being made today and exported to the USA the price you paid for them wouldn't even cover the materials.

It also seems a little crass to compare what individuals are prepared to pay to get the equipment they want. It's even more out of order when the quick calcs are so far off.

We all have priorities and may have to cut our budget in other places to make things work for us. Lets all be happy we own trailers we love, that can take us to the places we want to go, in luxury.

 

[mtnbike28]

Nice set up

RgnNxn08 that looks like a great set up and I love the camping with your son part... welcome to Portal!

 

[RgnNxn08]

The AT trailers was certainly not on the cheap side, but the quality received both during, and more importantly after the sale is certainly worth every penny that I paid. (Again, I feel obligated to point out this is not a paid advertisement)

Without getting into any exact numbers, I did go with pretty much every upgrade that they offered, had several custom items done, and had to purchased all new camping gear after loosing everything else I had in a messy divorce.

After figuring EVERYTHING the total trailer figure was far less then your estimate, and well worth it.