WTB Travel Trailer

[Fieldingdots]

Looking for a travel trailer to pull behind my 2002 Toyota tundra.

Ideally something slightly larger than a tear drop with the ability to stand up inside. Space for a bed and small seating area. Kitchen not necessary.

Ability to handle light off-road use and ability to modify for winter camping.

Ideas welcome as well! Thanks everyone!

 

[hankgs]

This is my off road tent trailer. It is the shortest version of the Rockwood ESP off road trailer. It has a two beds one full size and one between a full and a queen, small dining area inside. I took out the inside sink. Has a thermostat /heater, refrig, water pump for outside hose/shower. I cook with the stove that mounts on the outside wall. It is basically like tent camping, but upgraded to sleeping off the ground, having a dining/sitting area, a vehicle that is "ready to go" by just filling up the 23 gal water tank and rolling it on your hitch...

 

[marret]

Would something like this work, Bob affiliation:
Aliner Scout

 

[jwiereng]

We’re also owners of an “off” road tent trailer. Rockwood 1640 esp. 1700 lbs dry. Have not yet camped in it. I made a longer tongue to make more space for rear hatch of 4Runner.

 

[nolamule]

We are selling our Somerset E3 made by Aliner. I pulled it with a 2005 Sequoia and you couldn’t tell it was there. It has a few more creature comforts than you listed but plenty of storage, comfortable beds, and AC and heat!

2018 ALINER Somerset Evolution E3 (Box) Pop-Up Camper

FOR SALE: 2018 ALINER Somerset Evolution E3 (Box) Pop-Up Camper Location: New Orleans, LA, USA Description: I purchased this trailer two years ago as the second owner. It is in great condition, always stored with a cover, and only been used a handful of times. Upgrades include: A/C unit...

www.expeditionportal.com

 

[jtrak83]

View attachment 574575
This is my off road tent trailer. It is the shortest version of the Rockwood ESP off road trailer. It has a two beds one full size and one between a full and a queen, small dining area inside. I took out the inside sink. Has a thermostat /heater, refrig, water pump for outside hose/shower. I cook with the stove that mounts on the outside wall. It is basically like tent camping, but upgraded to sleeping off the ground, having a dining/sitting area, a vehicle that is "ready to go" by just filling up the 23 gal water tank and rolling it on your hitch...

How does it do off road? I am seriously looking at buying one, but haven't been able to find any discussions on its true off road capabilities. I am not planning to rock crawl with it by any means, but live out in NV and would like to do a little more than just forest service roads. Did you do any mods to yours? Tires look upgraded. Thanks

 

[hankgs]

It's all stock and has held up well- I don't do campgrounds- only backroad camping and it has been fine, of course I'm not "prerunning". The trailer is super lightweight and short (in the smallest ESP version) so it tracks great... I don't like teardrops or anything I can't stand up in or sit inside. This is my 3rd tent trailer and the only one that came as you see it (sans stickers). The others I had were modified with bigger wheels and tires. This is a 2016 and it has about 10K miles or so on it- maybe 300 miles of forest service roads.

 

[Fieldingdots]

It's all stock and has held up well- I don't do campgrounds- only backroad camping and it has been fine, of course I'm not "prerunning". The trailer is super lightweight and short (in the smallest ESP version) so it tracks great... I don't like teardrops or anything I can't stand up in or sit inside. This is my 3rd tent trailer and the only one that came as you see it (sans stickers). The others I had were modified with bigger wheels and tires. This is a 2016 and it has about 10K miles or so on it- maybe 300 miles of forest service roads.

Have you ever winter camped in it? I like that you can stand up in it, exactly the reason I don't want a teardrop as well. I was leaning away from tent style due to my desire to camp in snowy and cold conditions for backcountry skiing. thanks!

 

[jtrak83]

It's all stock and has held up well- I don't do campgrounds- only backroad camping and it has been fine, of course I'm not "prerunning". The trailer is super lightweight and short (in the smallest ESP version) so it tracks great... I don't like teardrops or anything I can't stand up in or sit inside. This is my 3rd tent trailer and the only one that came as you see it (sans stickers). The others I had were modified with bigger wheels and tires. This is a 2016 and it has about 10K miles or so on it- maybe 300 miles of forest service roads.

Thank you, that is helpful. I had started looking at Hiker Trailers, but not being able to stand up and a 8-9 month build period isn't something I was really excited about. I live out in Northern Nevada, so lots of BLM land to go get lost in.

Are there any things you wish you would of known before purchasing or additions that you think are worth making? Thanks again.

 

[erstwild]

I am actually thinking about building my own insulated squaredrop camper (space to sit up at least compared to small teardrops) similar to this guy's: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=72564
He is selling for $3k and based in Idaho. Simple 4' x 4' x 8' insulated box on a harbor freight trailer.

 

[dreadlocks]

If your looking for something hardsided for all seasons, check out intech's offerings.. Their tallest flyer they currently make is like 5'6" inside, not full standing but its not as bad as a teardrop with 3.5ft of headroom.. I'm 6'4" and was able to walk around hunched over fine, same height as some of our tallest tents, wife was fine.. I ended up opting for a much bigger Intech with 7ft celings, but its a big rig to pull and may exceed your towing capabilities.

You can get it with a popout side bed to expand room for most seasons, then in winter keep that folded up and use cots inside.. there is no plumbing or onboard water, just add a propex furnace and it'd be ready for winter camping.. If you plan on doing alot of winter camping you might need to sacrifice headroom and go for the smallest rig you can tolerate, that way your heating fuel can keep you out longer with less air to heat.

 

[B^2]

I've got an old 1960's Nomad travel trailer if you're interested.

 

[hankgs]

Have you ever winter camped in it? I like that you can stand up in it, exactly the reason I don't want a teardrop as well. I was leaning away from tent style due to my desire to camp in snowy and cold conditions for backcountry skiing. thanks!

I "Fall" camped in it on the Eastern Sierras in late October- it got down to 20- It has a built in propane heater on a thermostat. I turn it on before bed and when I get up and it warms up quickly, but the fan is pretty noisy. If it kicked on in the middle of the night, it would probably wake you up. I bought this thing for just under $9k, which I thought was a pretty good value compared to what GL and Teardrops are asking...View attachment 577996

 

[shortround13]

I'll chime in re: the 1640 ESP, I have one as well. Been on some pretty rugged trails, pretty happy with it so far. As for cold, I had it out last October for elk season in CO, and it was pretty much single digit temps. The propane heater works well, but within minutes of turning it off you lose all the heat because there is so much square footage of thin tent material. Which is fine, bundle up in the sleeping bags and kick it on in the morning before you crawl out of bed and you have a nice toasty trailer to get dressed in at least. Not sure how much propane I used over the week, I found a small leak from one of the hoses I had to fix mid trip so I'm sure that contributed to using a tank. Other considerations though, with the temps so low the rubber weather strip under the beds lost all pliability and there were some pretty large gaps between the hard trailer and under bed joint. We actually had snow come in one night. So, did it work, yeah. Not sure I'd do it again. That cold at least....

We also had a sealant failure after owning it for less than a season and got some water in around the vent. Forest River told me that it was not under warranty as it is a "yearly maintenance item". OK, I told them, I have not had this trailer for a year yet! So you're telling me a "yearly" maintenance item on a less than one year trailer is NOT under warranty? Yes sir. OK. So, I stripped all that off and used some high quality 3m marine grade sealant. Hopefully that prevents any future issues.
Other than that, it's been fine. Finding the build materials/quality is leaving something to be desired, but I've got the mindset to fix/upgrade stuff as needed. Next project is to upgrade the under seat and cabinet storage to keep things organized and from shaking all over the place.

 

[hankgs]

You are correct about build quality, but hey, it's a realatively low cost off road camper compared to the crazy prices they get for others, specifically teardrops, which are too tiny and you can't relax inside without feeling like you're in a coffin! Just curious if you got rid of the "power winch" that sounds like a garbage disposal... First month I had it, I replaced it with a manual winch. Only other issue was after 30 miles on a washboard road, the heater came loose. Easy fix. I also removed the interior sink as I never used it... Enjoy! Maybe I'll see ya out there sometime!