Hello overlanding guys and gals- I am not new to the world of off road travel, but I am a little bit newer to the overlanding world. Having said that, I am trying to graduate from car camping off road and upgrading to a few ideas and options, this includes-
1) roof top tent on primary vehicle and no trailer
2) offroad teardrop- i.e. So-cal crawler or Teardrops NW Recon, etc.
3) a tow behind rig like a Turtleback or Patriot trailer with roof top tent on it.
The way I see it, all of them have pros and cons, and before I start a huge brawl on this forum, I would like positive opinions if possible- seems like there is enough brawling and arguing in the world as it is. Here's how I see it-(so I am open to corrections and viewpoints for sure on this- hell, that is why I am posting this question to you all in the first place)
1-PROS- RTT on primary vehicle has the advantage of cost, one vehicle, one tent, no trailer, etc. More agility and overland speed since it is all on one chassis. CONS- you have to stow tent every time you want to leave camp, having to set up camp each time park vehicle, and the usual issues with RTT tents. I personally don't think I can do a RTT because my office has a parking garage with a limited height and I would not fit. But I am open to hearing about the guys with rigs with RTT and how their rigs handle with the top-heavy weight. Does the tent limit your ability to handle tough terrain like the Fordyce or the Rubicon? Was your tent comfortable?
2- Offroad teardrop- PROS- separate from tow vehicle so set it and forget it is nice, hard sides for better noise and weather protection, easier to set up camp or hide in rest stops overnight trying to get to far away multi-day adventures, storage, leaving tow vehicle as light and nimble as possible unhitched from base camp, CONS- loss of maneuverability, too chubby or bouncy on trails? , cost of trailer and and tires to maintain, weight if you go nuts with some of the teardrops and gear out there.
3- adventure trailer- PROS- smaller than a teardrop- more maneuverability?, metal construction over wood, more lockable storage than back of Jeep, set up camp and forget it CONS- loss of maneuverability? Too chubby or bouncy on trails?, cost, still using a RTT as well.
So those are my perspectives on it, have any of you taken your teardrop on terrain rougher than a dirt forest road, i.e. Fordyce or Rubicon or roads that you had to use a locker on because of off-camber terrain? How did it handle? Do you regret or change anything about your purchase? How about you Turtleback/Patriot kids- do you regret or would change anything about your purchase? If you are running a trailer of any kind, how well did your suspension handle it? Did airbags make a difference if you have them?
Did you ever get your trailer stuck? If so- how and how did you get it out? I think recovery tales like that are more stories for safety and experience than an opportunity to be made fun of- I really want to hear as well in case I get a trailer and get it stuck, I have some idea of how to think through the problem for a solution.
As you can see, I am in the market in the foreseeable future and just wanted to pick your memories and experiences both good and bad for a rookie like me. To confess, right now I have a slight bias towards a teardrop- here in the Pacific NW I feel like a nice dry warm shelter that is immediate and extends my camping and hiking season would be fab, but I also want to be able to explore and not be deterred from technical terrain as well. I wanted to try and make it to an Overland Expo event and see some of these trailers in person, but Covid-19 kind of jacked up my travel plans earlier this year.
Lastly for the trailer crowd, do you ever worry someone will hitch up and steal your trailer while you are gone from camp?
Thoughts fellas? I really appreciate any input and thanks in advance for taking the time to read my post as well.
-SK
1) roof top tent on primary vehicle and no trailer
2) offroad teardrop- i.e. So-cal crawler or Teardrops NW Recon, etc.
3) a tow behind rig like a Turtleback or Patriot trailer with roof top tent on it.
The way I see it, all of them have pros and cons, and before I start a huge brawl on this forum, I would like positive opinions if possible- seems like there is enough brawling and arguing in the world as it is. Here's how I see it-(so I am open to corrections and viewpoints for sure on this- hell, that is why I am posting this question to you all in the first place)
1-PROS- RTT on primary vehicle has the advantage of cost, one vehicle, one tent, no trailer, etc. More agility and overland speed since it is all on one chassis. CONS- you have to stow tent every time you want to leave camp, having to set up camp each time park vehicle, and the usual issues with RTT tents. I personally don't think I can do a RTT because my office has a parking garage with a limited height and I would not fit. But I am open to hearing about the guys with rigs with RTT and how their rigs handle with the top-heavy weight. Does the tent limit your ability to handle tough terrain like the Fordyce or the Rubicon? Was your tent comfortable?
2- Offroad teardrop- PROS- separate from tow vehicle so set it and forget it is nice, hard sides for better noise and weather protection, easier to set up camp or hide in rest stops overnight trying to get to far away multi-day adventures, storage, leaving tow vehicle as light and nimble as possible unhitched from base camp, CONS- loss of maneuverability, too chubby or bouncy on trails? , cost of trailer and and tires to maintain, weight if you go nuts with some of the teardrops and gear out there.
3- adventure trailer- PROS- smaller than a teardrop- more maneuverability?, metal construction over wood, more lockable storage than back of Jeep, set up camp and forget it CONS- loss of maneuverability? Too chubby or bouncy on trails?, cost, still using a RTT as well.
So those are my perspectives on it, have any of you taken your teardrop on terrain rougher than a dirt forest road, i.e. Fordyce or Rubicon or roads that you had to use a locker on because of off-camber terrain? How did it handle? Do you regret or change anything about your purchase? How about you Turtleback/Patriot kids- do you regret or would change anything about your purchase? If you are running a trailer of any kind, how well did your suspension handle it? Did airbags make a difference if you have them?
Did you ever get your trailer stuck? If so- how and how did you get it out? I think recovery tales like that are more stories for safety and experience than an opportunity to be made fun of- I really want to hear as well in case I get a trailer and get it stuck, I have some idea of how to think through the problem for a solution.
As you can see, I am in the market in the foreseeable future and just wanted to pick your memories and experiences both good and bad for a rookie like me. To confess, right now I have a slight bias towards a teardrop- here in the Pacific NW I feel like a nice dry warm shelter that is immediate and extends my camping and hiking season would be fab, but I also want to be able to explore and not be deterred from technical terrain as well. I wanted to try and make it to an Overland Expo event and see some of these trailers in person, but Covid-19 kind of jacked up my travel plans earlier this year.
Lastly for the trailer crowd, do you ever worry someone will hitch up and steal your trailer while you are gone from camp?
Thoughts fellas? I really appreciate any input and thanks in advance for taking the time to read my post as well.
-SK
