Small trailer vs. Truck camper

It's hard to understand the reason for not carrying a solar if you are going South, off-grid, and not carrying a generator. Solar panels are cheap these days.

You can live without any power sources, yes. Not too enjoyable, but doable. Did this for a month, while installing solar on off-grid camp in Mexico. In a truck moving every few days you already have "some" charging though not much, and this is more load on the engine, more gas eventually. You could run a beefy wire from truck alternator to house batteries in a camper, so it would help charging when sun isn't cooperating.

We(2 of us and a mid size dog) have spent up to 5 months in a 9.5 ft TC without a problem. At the time we had no solar and survived quite well traveling all over Mexico. Tie the surf board to the ladder on the back or on the roof and put the moto on a front rack. Further south it gets more difficult as there are fewer camper oriented facilities. We are avoiding central America this due to the severe drought in Guatemala into Nicaragua making all their other problems potentially worse. We're heading off to SAM next month and it definitely does take more preparation due to lack of campgrounds, dump stations, propane etc.

keelhauler1 wrote:
12v small units still take a lot of power.

In 24 hrs a 1.8 cu.ft unit like Dometic or Engel or Novakool with 4C/40F inside will draw 24 AH at 25C/77F ambient, 36 AH at 30C/86F, and 48 AH at 35C/95F. 48 AH is about the limit of what a flat 200W panel will collect, yes. Though, 35C would be the limit of my temperature tolerance either. Wouldn't stay in such a place for long. Added insulation is a must, in 12V units. Solar and fridges is a separate topic, there are people here who forgot about solar and fridges more than I will ever know, - see Technical Issues forum.

Have found that blog that I wrote about: US vs S. America vehicle requirements

And - yes, 12V fridge they have.
In Mexico I - probably - wouldn't worry about propane too much.

Check the first few photos to see how a camper can be better than trailer. Also, note that they chose a pop-up camper - makes sense, as you see on some photos, - better height clearance and lower center of mass.
(Disclaimer - I myself live in a mid-size trailer, but I don't travel much).

Also, click on the tab "Vehicle--> Camper" at the very top of the page, under those blue mountains, for general 101 on campers. Hey, they even heard about this RVnet forum :)

Many trailers get their suspension wiped out by Topes. You will always miss one as many are not marked.
Trucks are well built for rough roads. If you are staying in Mexico & Central America, I could not worry about a propane refrig., 12v small units still take a lot of power. Boondocking certainly means using solar panels and 2 good Deep cycle (preferably 6v) batteries.
If you already have the truck, stick with that. You can get a rack for the front or back to carry a small Honda Trail bike.
They do make bigger slide-in Units for truck beds which are easy to slide out when you want to use the truck.

DieselBurps - there is no answer to your question, really.

For living - trailer. Preferably, longer than 20ft, this is for one person. For 2 people I wouldn't want to be in anything shorter than 26ft. Consider that your planned 17ft trailer will be actually 13.5 ft inside. Length in specs is with the hitch.

For traveling the Americas - camper. There was a good blog, I only remember the article name: "Life is too short". Maybe the campers crowd will know, ask at the TC forum. Impressive photos - there is sometimes NO room to park anything but truck. Or narrow streets. Or low gates in stone wall, leading to secure patio somewhere in Chile.
A few must-to-have tips I recall:
Cassette toilet. There are NO dump stations in the third world.
180-200W solar panel on the roof.
Very small fridge, like 2 or 3 cu.ft. - because there CAN be a problem refilling 20-lb or 30-lb propane tanks in South America. Or they used a 12V compressor fridge in that blog article, don't remember. 200W solar can perfectly handle a 2cf 12V compressor fridge like those in big trucks. Not a 120V "dorm fridge", but exactly a 12V fridge.

You won't be able to live in a camper while working - not for long. It's a very small space. Kitchen is normally outdoors - a folding table with a small stove, 'cause you don't want all those fatty deposits on your walls and bedding. Washroom... You won't have a good washroom in a camper. Yes, I've seen people traveling South America in a very small "camper" - a Land Rover with rooftop tent. 2 people in there. I guess it depends on how much suffering you're willing to take. It's easier when you're young.

Price-wise, a trailer is cheaper than camper. You can get a new 18-20ft trailer under 10K.

I don't see how having a trailer will help you carrying your Honda bike - unless you keep it in a truck, and then you need to unhook the trailer every time to get the bike in and out. Besides, it's not a good idea to keep anything in an open truck in Mexico or South America. Keeping a bike in a trailer is not realistic. Maybe you should consider a toy hauler. Or you can unhook the trailer and go "exploring" in your truck.

We have had two small TTs. One was 18ft and our current is 24ft with two slideouts. Works well for us with boondocking. Also, in parking lots, we take up two spaces end to end without blocking and drive through areas. We can drop and go exploring.

Unfortunately I can only afford to go with one at this point. Truck camper =better for travel around remote Mexico and central american beaches. Small travel trailer= better accommodations (more living space) for work while on the road.

I think Rob means a small truck camper AND a small travel trailer. The truck camper woukd have to allow access to the receiver so you could still hook up the travel trailer. You could take the trailer and camper into Mexico and use it....... then leave the trailer at a secure RV Park and head off into the hinterlands and boondock with the truck camper.

Do you mean like small utility trailer?

If I could drop the truck camper at the RV park and drive my truck to the hospital that would be nice. I really can't decide on this issue. Or maybe a small utility trailer with a moto then commute to work on that and go with just the truck camper for mexico. A trailer would be nice though for the 13 weeks I am working in one area.

Why not do both?

You could always tow a smaller Trailer behind Your Truck Camper! That would give You the opportunity to enjoy the best of both worlds.