3 replies to this topic

[kimosawboy]

I have not been able to find anything dedicated to the actual benefits of using a trailer or that brings up items that detract from using a trailer... 

My situation is I have a 10NCO , usually I put it on my work vehicle that has a 8' deck, the problem is that I have to remove a large toolbox and sometimes a large crane from the truck before I can use. I have another vehicle that is a crew cab with a 7' box, now I'm not going to try to stuff the 10' nco in the 7' box, but what I can do is tow it very easily with the crewcab. 

All my camping is done off FSR and sometimes a little more than that. Not worried about fuel economy. 

The main upside I see is that I can leave the Alaskan in camp and then go exploring with the vehicle.

One big downside I see is turning around in tight quarters (but this can be solved with a ball hitch on the front bumper).

Anyone/everyone please chime in with thoughts on this subject.

(transparency ....both vehicles are Mogs with the crewcab being gasser convertible and the work one being a diesel with a tight cab)

G Vavra

[TGK]

I think you already touched on the 2 key pros/cons of trailers.

- A trailer allows one to drop the camping unit to serve as a base camp while you go out to explore.

- A trailer poses maneuverability issues, particularly on back roads, restricting how far back in the boonies you can go.

 

Those are the big ones, likely a few other of a secondary nature.  My wife and I have had 2 FWC over a 20 year period and a 23ft trailer for 15.  As time goes on, we are more inclined to find good places down tolerable backroads to set up a basecamp with our trailer and then explore the area.  Of course, it does restrict one compared to a truck with camper as far as exploring unknown roads.  A trailer can be problematic.  Of course, the smaller the unit the better.

 

Since you already have the Alaskan, it seems like dropping it on a utility trailer could be a good option.  Trailers are relatively inexpensive and can be resold fairly easily if you don't like the concept.  You may also want to check out Expeditionportal.com forums.  They have 2 subthreads under the camping rigs section.   One focuses on home built trailers and the other on manufactured/retail trailers.  I think I've seen threads discussing an Alaskan mounted on a trailer.  I know I've seen one with a FWC mounted on a trailer.  I've been researching manufactured trailers on the web that are stoutly built for backroads but haven't found much that meets my needs and my budget.  There are some out there, but the costs skyrocket quickly.  Plus, with the pandemic, RV's of all sorts are flying off the lots and wait times for new builds are exploding.  If you end up mounting your Alaskan on a trailer, post some photos here as I'd love to see how you set it up.

 

Good Luck.

[JoeKan]

I am in favor of using a trailer but I have no other choice. I have a 1/2 ton Chevy (I'll never buy another 1/2 ton) with a 6.5 ft bed (I'll never buy a short bed again) but my camper is 10 ft long. So I've been scowering  craigslist and FB Marketplace to find one. I use my camper for when I go out of town and work and pulling it with a trailer gives me the option to either leave it hooked on or leave in behind at the campsite. I don't go where the roads are rough so turning it around won't be a problem. 

Edited by JoeKan, 30 July 2020 - 02:09 AM.

[ntsqd]

There's a story in my family about my granddad getting the family car and the tear-drop trailer stuck in sand on one camping trip. The whole weekend was spent turning them both around and getting the car back onto hard ground. My mother was a young girl at the time, and it is one of her best memories of her parents. The idea that you could turn a car around by jacking it up on a bumper jack and then pushing it over sideways still kind of boggles her.

 

I guess my point is that a trailer is a limitation only if you let it be one.

 

I seem to recall someone posting a thread here about putting a pop-up camper on a reconfigured ex-military trailer. If I haven't got my threads mixed up, he was towing the camper/trailer combo with a Ramcharger.