Research/ Experience &Concern about Trailer Manufacturer Response

[Kowboy]

Interestin' thread. Curious why the OP is searchin' so hard for an "off-road" trailer. Actu'ly lookin' to tow the thang to some remote huntin' camps? What are the off-road capabilities of your tow rig? Often overlooked is the fact that a trailer behind it will severely decrease those capabilities. Might not even be possible to tow a trailer to the same camp sites you currently drive to ... regardless if the trailer is off-road capable or not. Lockers front and rear and low gears quickly become mandatory when pullin' dead weight on a true 4wd road. Is it possible for you to set up a base camp and then drive/hike on into your huntin' area? If so, seems like a small Airstream trailer would meet all your needs nicely if the base camp is, in fact, an option.

Also curious that you list a viable option to an off-road trailer as an EarthRoamer. This tells me your actual 4wd needs are a minimum. Exceptional rigs to be sure, but very limited on 4wd roads. One of the many solutions to this game that I've tried through the years was a Hallmark camper on a highly modified Ford truck. There's even a thread on here somewheres comparin' my rig to an EarthRoamer. But even my rig was too limiting for me off-road so I sold the camper. Seems like maybe it too might meet your needs tho. But I ain't no hunter ... maybe you need to use the truck bed to haul out the dead animals?? That's why you need a trailer?

One thang for sure ... lots of ways to play but this here game's all 'bout compromises. Person'ly, I made a list of wants/needs and prioritized the list in order of how important they were to me. And also have to figure in how often you're actu'ly gonna use the thang. For example, easier to deal with minor inconveniences for 1 week outta the year than it is for 15 weeks outta the year. First thang for me was to impact the 4wd performance of my tow rig as lil' as possible. Second was to sleep inside a hard-shelled camper on a real bed with no set-up involved whatsoever. My experiences with RTT's has been less than favorable. I've been very happy with my Boreas that I have started the thread on. Admittedly, A/C was not a consideration. I don't camp where it's hot. When it gets hot, I don't control my temperature by increasin' the A/C ... I increase either my latitude or my altitude.

I too was opposed to payin' any money up front and then waitin' a lengthy period for the hopeful delivery. 'Nother big sellin' point for me on the Boreas was goin' to Denver and buyin' it right off the lot. To each their own tho.

Good luck with your search sir and I look forward to lurkin' on here and seein' your particular solution for your version of the game.

 

[jaydeesee]

Just found this thread while hunting down more info on the TetonX Hybrid. I've been researching off-road trailers for a bit now so it's interesting to see the different opinions on some of the trailers that I've looked at. One thing to note about Trail marker is that they do have a 5 year warranty and are backed by a company with a 23 year history. It's crazy seeing how many of these companies have gone out of business.

 

[Grassland]

Just found this thread while hunting down more info on the TetonX Hybrid. I've been researching off-road trailers for a bit now so it's interesting to see the different opinions on some of the trailers that I've looked at. One thing to note about Trail marker is that they do have a 5 year warranty and are backed by a company with a 23 year history. It's crazy seeing how many of these companies have gone out of business.

Yeah, the fact the actual trailer manufacturer is in business building something other than niche market trailers helps ease the mind a bit. All the eggs not in one basket.

 

[billiebob]

Especially when I see a specific manufacturer touted here that requires a 33% deposit on contract and another 33% before construction with potential for up to six week wait for material delivery. Really?

Hey, they have a production backlog for 6 weeks. No one says you have to buy one but if you want it..... pay 1/3, wait 6-12 weeks.

Supply and demand, and demand is huge, everyone wants to buy one, hence the escalating price too.
There is always the faster cheaper option of buying an old travel trailer and building yer own.

In a few years, once the fad has passed the used market will be swamped with good as new bargains.
But right now the overlanding fad is in full swing.

 

[Jeep2.0]

Just found this thread. Looks like my wish list is similar to the OP's:

Queen Mattress
Can sit up inside.
Heater
3 Season insulation
Outdoor full galley (or indoor, like Cricket) - with water storage that won't freeze
Porta Potti inside
Off-road-ability: Imogene pass or so.
3500 lbs, wet or less.

Ideally, a pop-top with standup room. That TetonX looks very sweet. Overkill is interesting. What's odd is that no one on this site reports as having either one of them?

 

[msujay2012]

I'd recommend checking out Off Grid Trailers in Alberta, Canada. They will build you a trailer with minimal deposit. Very high quality.

 

[VORSHEER]

Recently a prospective buyer emailed us this:
“Thank you for the update.....your thoroughness will serve you well, not many brands that I have looked into have the level of communication you are providing. “

Hopefully, VORSHEER is one of the trailer manufacturers that provides a high level of communication and service. If not, let us know please.

We love what we do and even if you're in the very beginning stages of researching trailers, we couldn't be happier to chat with you about our builds.

Feel free to give us a try : 385-685-5037 text/call or sales@vorsheer.com

-David

 

[GkraneTX]

Just found this thread. Looks like my wish list is similar to the OP's:

Queen Mattress
Can sit up inside.
Heater
3 Season insulation
Outdoor full galley (or indoor, like Cricket) - with water storage that won't freeze
Porta Potti inside
Off-road-ability: Imogene pass or so.
3500 lbs, wet or less.

Ideally, a pop-top with standup room. That TetonX looks very sweet. Overkill is interesting. What's odd is that no one on this site reports as having either one of them?

Yes, the Teton X does look like a great trailer. There is a forum member who has one but he doesn't post much. As far as Overkill, I am not sure if anyone has one of them. I did send them multiple emails about 6 months ago and it took them 4 months to respond back, and didnt even answer my initial questions.

 

[QQQ]

Shoot sorry to hear the Black Series are "Chinese Junk". I was actually coming back to this forum to recommend them and see if anyone had any feed back or experience using one. Which forum threads talked about having issues with them? What were the issues?

There was a long thread on black series campers on this very forum but it was removed. Apparently black series threatens lawsuits to anyone who doesn't speak positively about the campers, seems to me that is reason enough to avoid them.

 

[Wendell-R]

I just received this from Lindsey at Teton X after I told her thanks but I was looking for an aluminum substructure in the cabin of the trailer that I plan on purchasing.

We do have an aluminum sub structure. There is an interior frame in 2x2 aluminum that supports the roof, the awning etc. Is that at all helpful? Happy to provide more detailed information if you're interested.

I have asked her for pictures when they are available. She also said they have a new integrated A/C unit coming to the hybrid in 2 weeks and will send me photos of both the substructure and A/C when available. I am very hopeful now, as I can surely deal with walls that are wood supported by an aluminum frame. To say the least I am somewhat excited.

I was just at their shop this past week looking at a Hybrid in person and finalizing the build sheet.

The interior aluminum frame (seemed like it was more than 2 inches, but I'd probably trust their numbers more than my memory) is basically a square ring around the perimeter at the top of the walls. I got the impression that it was a channel or at least angle - definitely not just a flat 3/16" bar. It probably serves several purposes: tying the walls together at the top; keeping the upper part of the body from "racking" since there's basically a large hole in the top covered by the popup; transferring the sheer strength of the perpendicular walls to the "other walls" (side walls are kept from tilting because the they are tied to the top of the front and rear walls and vice-versa) - the sheer strength es greater since it's connected across the whole length of the walls, not just at the corners. And the angled up rear portion of the frame also provides sheer strength greater than the rear wall alone - it's not just for clearance.

There's also some vertical axis anti-twisting strength in the top since the popup is inset from the walls a bit. I'm guessing there's more of that strength in the top than in the aluminum upper frame. The upper frame does ad a bit of "tubular" anti-twist strength just like a tubular frame is far less likely to twist than an angle or channel frame - try twisting some lightweight tubing sometime and comparing it to equivalent angle - night and day difference.

I don't think there's any vertical structural aluminum in the walls - the walls are made out of 1" ply of some sort that's very light (far lighter than baltic birch, for example - they had a sample that I could heft to get an idea of the weight difference) and I can't imagine needing any more vertical compression strength. Having vertically running aluminum in the walls wouldn't add any sheer strength to the walls - in fact, it would probably be weaker than leaving the plywood intact for long stretches.

With the 1" wood walls, I imagine it will be pretty warm/cool without additional insulation (lowering the pop top at night still leaves an entirely livable space and eliminates heat loss through the canvas although they do offer insulated pieces that cover the three sections of fabric in the pop-top).

Water damage (leaking or condensation) is probably the biggest potential drawback to wood in the cabin structure. I considered an Overland Explorer TDK, which is composite and aluminum, a while back and was concerned about how it would (or if it could) be repaired if it were damaged - expecially since it was cored with something - provided both insulation and i-beam type strength (separating the surfaces under tension/compression and keeping them from buckling. Seems like wood at least gives you a fighting chance if you run a rock into or tree into it. With the way they overlap the aluminum skin over the corners, I'm not worried about leaks to be honest. as far as condensation goes, I'm getting the furnace as much for the drying effect as for the heating.

BTW, one thing that wasn't clear to me until I talked with them and saw it in persion is that the water tank is esentially inside the cabin (under the bed) and the furnace return ducting goes through that area to keep the water from freezing. Excellent design!

 

[GkraneTX]

Teton X had mentioned a while ago they may offer a composite version of the hybrid in the future. My main concern is that my sole use would be in a very humid beach environment. I would imagine an aluminum vertically stabilized frame would do better long term than a wood one in a high humidity saltwater environment. No worries here for rocks or trees, as I don't plan on that type of use.

 

[Wendell-R]

... in a high humidity saltwater environment.

You probably have a bunch of corrosion concerns also then? Not so much aluminum itself, or a steel frame, but just the electrical connections everywhere and hardware fittings, etc. Anything not aluminum or stainless. And any places where aluminum is connected to steel without isolation.

 

[GkraneTX]

You probably have a bunch of corrosion concerns also then? Not so much aluminum itself, or a steel frame, but just the electrical connections everywhere and hardware fittings, etc. Anything not aluminum or stainless. And any places where aluminum is connected to steel without isolation.

The electrical connections should be fine since they are fairly well protected. Definitely any bolts or fittings that aren't aluminum or stainless. My main concern with wood is moisture penetration and dry rot.