neliconcept

yeah I gotta figure out something to save money on hotels when I do some snowboard outtakes to colorado and what not.

Snorkeldepth

I didn't see these mentioned yet

http://www.autohomeus.com/products/index.php

I first saw them mentioned by sincity04 in the thread describing the recent Mammoth/June Lake trip. I haven't seen one in person. But, they look real nice from the pictures and write up. I like the Maggiolina Extreme model.

BajaTaco

Yes, those are very nice. Autohome makes the Overland tents pictured on the Adventure Trailers in the pics above.

Another very nice brand is Ezi-Awn out of South Africa. Scott of Expeditions West has one. Very cool tent.

heyben

Slee's Offroad in the Front Range (Colorado) has some pretty intense stuff as well. Their website is www.sleeoffroad.com

In the shop there is a great setup with a trailer, etc.
Pricy, but fun to window shop!

Ric

I have always loved this idea https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...t=cargo+drawer someday Ill do something like it.

expeditionswest

A roof top tent on an SUV is a great solution IMO, so is a small and capable trailer. And both are removable.

Roof Tent:


Adventure Trailer:


Here is my review on the trailer

Fun topic!

04 Rocko Taco

Coleman makes catalytic propane heaters. No flames or fume involved, they take the propane and instead of igniting it , use it as a catalyst to some sort of reaction that causes heat. Your good to go.

expeditionswest

You are better off, but not safe. They still burn O2, so cannot be used in a confined space. Need to crack the windows a bit.

slosurfer

Do you know where a good place is to find those tents? Eventually my M416 trailer is going to get a hard top and one of those tents. Dang it! Just one more thing to spend $$ on!

oly884

Well, my Four Wheel Camper should be here in a couple weeks!

I ended up getting the Shell. Along with the shell I'm also getting the 16k BTU furnace and arctic pack (Montana winters can get a bit chilly and I need to stay warm when camping) the camper jacks for ease of taking it off and putting it on, also a side fold out couch, and my favorite, a 50 watt solar panel so I don't have to run the truck to constanty charge the battery.

I also have an Engel 45 on the way, so I'm ready!

Snorkeldepth

I was seriously considering a 4 Wheel camper a while back. I encountered some nice folks in Death Valley a couple years ago who had one and loved it. Now I'm thinking I need to find someone in California with some of these they need to get rid of . . .



These are the Canadian version.

oly884

I had thought of a trailer. I let it sit in my head for a while till I came up with this:

Registration, eh, not bad, but I only have to title my camper and some states don't even require them to be titled.

Weather, where I live, I need something that can handle the weather better than a tent trailer.

Towing, sure it wouldn't be bad with something that small, and since I camp during the winter, I don't want a trailer pusing my rear around when the road gets slick.

longer, when going on trails, the longer the vehicle is, the more challenges you face. Departure angles are not going to be super with those.

Parts, no bearings to fail, no tires to pop.


Now, the bads of a FWC.

Payload, with the tacoma's 1500 lbs, the camper and gear will be just over half, not too shabby, but it's still weight. With a trailer, you have the tounge weight, but that's no more than a couple hundred pounds at most. That leaves a lot more payload for gear, etc.

Easier to remove, even though I got the camper jacks, it's still going to be hard to remove the camper.

higher center of gravity, though the FWC's are designed to have low COG's it still increases it.

thats all I have for now, i might update it as i think about it more.

BajaTaco

The M101's are cool and definitely have potential, but you will likely find that after you have puchased everything you need to build it into a purpose built off-road expedition style trailer, to be your home away from home, and all of the time and effort you will put into it, you will end up investing as much if not more than you would in an Adventure Trailer. The difference is... the sweat factor. If you really want it for the project of it, to spend all of the hours on it to convert it, then it's worth it and you may save some cash. But if you are really only interested in the end result - the final product, you will be hard pressed to beat the AT for the price, especially if you consider the labor factor. And definitely if you consider the suspension. The AT suspension will work way better than the M101 will.

Check out this thread. This guy has a link to a great report and pics of a step-by-step AT build that shows the level of quality and attention to detail that goes into these things. Henry Culliban (who I have a great deal of respect for) even comments on it. And he has a killer M101 trailer that he built himself.

Snorkeldepth

Those Adventure Trailers are, no doubt, sweet. But, I looked at the prices here . . .

http://www.adventuretrailers.com/Hor...esvertical.pdf

. . . . and it made me think about my next project.

slosurfer

I think you would be surprised at how well those trailers tow. I really don't think it would push you around in the winter unless you were really trying to get it to whip around. I just had mine out at pismo and on the way back I gave it a little workout. Only the biggest ruts would make it track weird and I could hardly feel it, I just noticed it because I was watching it in the rear view. The departure angle really isn't that bad, the low spot is the hitch not the trailer.


When I have a rear bumper made, the pintle will actually be bolted to the bumper instead of on a hitch. Like the old jeeps and landcruisers, and that will improve my departure angle. I actually have done quite a bit of wheeling with the hitch still in and there has only been one time that I had to remove it.

I agree that unless you want a project the adventure trailer is the way to go if you have the money. I don't so I paid 300 for the trailer and am slowly working on it. The other cool thing is that you can download the manual for free from the army. Shows how to do everything, bearings, wire schematics etc...

BajaTaco

I totally understand

expeditionswest

The roof tents are available from a few sources:

Pangaea Expeditions: Eezi-Awn

Adventure Trailers: Autohome

I have found the Eezi-awn to have the highest quality folding style tent.

The Autohome units that crank up are also excellent.

evilcow

Check out this guys site >>> http://www.brian894x4.com/

slosurfer

Here are some pics of the table I made to hang off the side of my trailer. I made it from an old highway sign I had laying around. I think the only thing I bought was the chain and some ubolts that I bent into hooks. It can hang off any side and is adjustable with the chains. The wire shelf I found in the shed and it was the perfect size.






A picture of it stored away for the ride


The reason for the table is that there is no tailgate. The trailer is made watertight and will float with up to 500 pounds in it.

Matt16

good thread