One of the Coolest Small, Off-road Capable Camping Trailers I've Seen

[MagicMtnDan]

Note: I searched and didn't see this posted here

Compact camper trailer uses a drop-down bed to haul gear
Amenities include a queen size bed, dual awnings, and wood accents
By Megan Barber@megcbarber Mar 1, 2019

Curbed has covered a lot of fun and innovative campers and RVs, and yet each week another pops up that still manages to impress. The latest to catch our eye is the Sequoia from Trail Marker Outdoors.

Photo


Based in upstate New York, Trail Marker Outdoors makes souped-up cargo trailers that can haul gear and sleep two people inside. The Sequoia is the company’s flag ship model, weighing it at a relatively lightweight 1,600 pounds and with a construction that’s off-road capable.

The boxy trailer uses honeycomb composite core walls, a six foot by 12 foot interior, and two side access doors with built-in screens. A rear door can function as a ramp or platform thanks to lockable legs, and the rear door also comes with its own screen to keep out bugs.


It’s a simple design that surprises with extras, including lots of windows and a skylight above the sleeping area. The interior boasts LED lighting, Acacia wood detailing, a stainless steel counter, and storage cabinets.

But where the Sequoia really differs from other companies is its drop-down bed feature. You can choose to have a power or manual operation, and in either case a full queen size bed with foam mattress drops down from its top position once you arrive at camp. This means that you can still haul multiple bikes (or even motorcycles) to camp thanks to an interior bike mount system that holds everything secure during travel.

Dual exterior awnings turn into rooms with privacy screens, allowing you to camp more people. It’s a smart take on a trailer, one that offers a few upgrades—hello, queen bed—while still checking all the boxes of a more rugged camper. The model shown here costs $26,194, although Trail Marker Outdoors offers other, less luxurious campers at more reasonable prices. Head over here, for more.

A rear view of the drop-down bed system and dual awnings.

The interiors are surprisingly inviting with a memory foam mattress, skylight, and large windows.

The trailer boasts stainless steel counters and wood accents. Sequoia, Trail Marker Outdoors

A closer look at the drop-down bed system.

A look at how bikes fit in the rollaway interior mounts.

 

[J-No]

That’s slick.

 

[ITTOG]

I love the drop down bed system. So I called for a price and they love it more than I do right now. But I keep thinking about it so who knows if I will end up getting it.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[MagicMtnDan]

I like how it's built - aluminum frame and composite walls. Makes me wonder if there are companies making such trailers out here in the West as they'd be a good starting point though it'd probably be best to replace the solid axle setup.

Add electrical/generator, propane plumbing, windows, skylight, some cabinets and the drop-down bed (that's been used in many of the toy hauler trailers for years - must be able to source the components).

 

[Brianj5600]

Those fold down steps will limit the off-road ability. Even without them it, I'm not quite sure how off-road capable it is.

 

[Grassland]

I found out about Trail Marker I think k just before Christmas.
They seem to have a well built product on hand. I think it will work well as a base camp. They are pretty new and the owner is interested in hearing what people plan to use the trailers for and how, and what else might be good.

Has assorted electrical packages and lots of options. Can build stripped out, or loaded up.

We are looking for a trailer that isn't built like garbage like Thor or Forest River products, and the trailer won't see more than gravel roads in most cases, and this is one of the few trailers that isn't a tiny hard core tear drop or expo that is built with quality materials.

 

[MagicMtnDan]

Got an email response from them you might be interested in...

Thanks so much for reaching out to us. The recent press we got on Curbed.com has been overwhelming. Here are some quick answers to many of the questions we have received recently.

• Im sorry we dont have dealers. That is because so far every TM we have made has had some kind of custom aspect to it. Our Trail Marker Product made by Rolling Star Manufacturing has evolved into a semi custom product, which we are very happy about. Nearly every TM that has been built since 2017 has been a reflection of the owner. One has been resold since it was made, and it retained 80% of its retail value.
• Many of the pictures on the web site are the earlier trail markers, today they are built even more rugged than when we started. Below are some pictures of the newer frames we are building. Many people ask why we use C-Channel and not tube... and the answer is wall thickness. For less, we can buy an extruded piece of aluminum C channel with a thicker wall and stronger material properties, than extruded tube.
• Do we do AC, and heat, etc? The answer is yes. Many trailers are now leaving with a Coleman low profile MACH AC units. These also allow for electric heat. AC is best used with a generator or shore power.
• Solar and Battery updates... We have now teamed up with ZAMP solar, and their panels are more expensive but well worth it. The cheaper Asian products had broken solder joints and would fade in efficiency over time. The ZAMP is made in USA and they are 2x more efficient. We also work with Goal Zero Batteries and converters and inverters as well as our preferred Lithium Iron Battery supplier; Dragonfly. Links to their info is on the pricing page. ZAMP also offers a CPAP qualified inverter that we love for converting DC power to AC. it is much better than any built in inverter you will find in an ALL IN ONE. However, if you are just a weekend warrior, the Goal Zero types are just fine.
• Yes we do provide delivery coast to coast and a typical delivery to California, Washington or New Mexico is about $1500, but we can couple that with a double load to reduce cost. Midwest can be as little as $900.00.
• The best way to get started with us is to look at the price list and send me a list of items you are interested in. From there I will build a package for you and quote it.
• Lead times right now are about 3 months. But that is filling up fast.
• Suspension is Dexter Torsion for mild dirt roads and Timbren independent suspension for more rough roads. questions, please ask sarah@rollingstartrailers.com for warranty info.
• Our value in our trailer is our lightweight wall structure and our added height and living space. Even our Bushwhacker model is bigger that a teardrop at 5 feet tall interior and 6 feet wide and 10 feet long cab.
• we integrate trailers with 12V power or DC power, as well as liquid propane lines.
• We never do bathrooms, but we do a great job with exterior showers, and heater water (on demand or water tank) and also interior sinks and water systems.
• The Trail Marker is a product of Rolling Star Manufacturing and we can go bigger or smaller, but those will be considered custom builds.
• Thanks so much for your inquiry. Feel free to stop in at Herb Phillipsons in New Hartford NY to see a trailer on display, or call Rolling Star to see the factory.

www.trailmarkeroutdoors.com
Jordan Ross: President
Trail Marker Outdoors
@trailmarkeroutdoors
www.trailmarkeroutdoors.com
315-896-4767

 

[Waygoner]

$26k and you don't get a sink or stove?

 

[MuleShoer]

Price range is $16,000- $26,000 gives you a lot to work with. All aluminum constuction too

 

[TGK]

I've interacted with the Trailmarker owner and he was very customer oriented and helpful in response to a lot of questions I threw at him. From my perspective, the fact that a prospective buyer can spec out what they do or do not want is a huge plus vs having to take a standard build based on what someone other than myself thinks is needed. While I have not moved forward with an order from Trailmarker as of yet, they are still on my radar. From my perspective, if they were in the western US, I would have already made a visit to take a closer look.

 

[jwiereng]

“

• We never do bathrooms, but we do a great job with exterior showers, and heater water (on demand or water tank) and also interior sinks and water systems”

Great idea to exclude bathrooms. They take up lots of space inside. Most outdoorsy people have the ability to do business outside the camper.

 

[TGK]

I have no use for a bathroom taking up valuable space in a smaller size trailer targeted toward boon docking down backroads. If in a campground, there are usually toilets. If in the boonies, a well placed hole in the ground will suffice. There are also portable cassette toilets that will fit nicely in a cabinet if one is absolutely required. If a bathroom is present, why waste space on a sink when there is likely a sink already in the kitchen prep area. More wasted equipment, cost, space and added weight that is not needed. Drives me nuts to see the way they outfit the vast majority of trailers in North America. Too big, too complicated and designed to look like a suburban tract house with all the amenities. Even Outdoors RV, who appear to make a heavy duty frame with a suspension that is a bit better equipped for washboard or moderate dirt are huge. The smallest has a dry weight in the mid 4,000 lbs and is close to 24ft long. I believe they now only offer the smallest one with a slide. Also 10.5 feet tall with AC and ladders and all sorts of other crap projecting on the roof. All deal killers for me.

 

[Grassland]

There are tear drops for $25-40k USD, so I don't find the price point for a loaded up XL or Up&Out Trail Marker unreasonable. And Im factoring how corn cobbed I'll be when the Canadian Peso adds another 30% to my bill for anything made in the US.
Just the material choices alone excite me about the Trail Marker, no structural wood is great.
The XL is 7x14 which is the ideal size for my wife and I. Big enough to live in for road trips, small enough to get into small spots in camp grounds, which are typically the best spots. I spoke with the owner briefly, and the possibility of a tip out bunk is there, which may be a selling point to some people. It is for us.

 

[PeterPaul]

I'm considering a Trail Marker. Either the Sequoia or the Bushwacker each with Timbren axels. Anyone have any experience with either yet?
I would really like the lift-up bed with room for bikes but I don't want to limit how far off-road we can go. I think one of the advantages of a trailer is being able to leave it at camp and taking the Jeep out for a ride but we've been on roads that end up being a little more than we anticipated on the way to finding a good spot to set up camp. We've looked at smaller trailers with RTT and teardrop campers with enough room for a bed, but we want to move away from our RTT and it would sure be nice to have a bit more room and comfort. The queen size bed with the open back door on the Sequoia looks great and there's plenty of room, but the Bushwacker seems to be a great step up in size without overdoing it. Does anyone have any insight on how either one would do on rough terrain?

 

[38snubby]

For that price you could almost have a Patriot camper. Count me out.