Anyone use a trailer?

mlts22 wrote:

Is a cargo trailer viable for longer runs, or is it too much hassle to bother with?

To answer your question, yes, a lot of TCers pull cargo trailers. Carry toys and all kinds of supplies/equipment for extended stays. BUT, you don't always have to take the trailer in going to tighter spots, trumping a TT. You can also use hitch racks like this one I used for the MaGruder Corridor. Held genny, chainsaw, gas for both, ice chest and extra water.



I currently have a 7x14 enclosed for my Razor and dirt bike and extra gear.

Then again you can leave the cargo trailer at home and tow a boat. You can off load the camper and use the truck to go to town or tow the boat to the ramp without breaking camp.

At home you have a truck to use and not a whole other drivetrain to maintain.

TC's ROCK!!!

Check out this thread from the TC forum for a great example of a fulltimer with TC and cargo trailer.
BKA's rig

Good point, Prof, I forgot to mention my Thetford Campa Potti--and I thought I WAS answering the OP's question! To summarize: Don't get either a B or a TC, put a low shell on your truck and use it to serve a giant tent camp. I too thought about a small cargo trailer but couldn't find anything left to put in it after I'd loaded my roof bag, and there is the reduction in maneuverability to consider.

Also: Prof, your suggestion of the portable showers leads me to believe you've never tried them. I have, in several different configurations, and I can tell you that they all involve so much squirming around and contorting amongst the dust and pine needles that you invariably end up dirtier than before you started. The best method I found was an MSR Dromedary bag hand-held while you stand/crouch in the floorless vestibule. Still not as good as a sponge bath!

Lastly, Prof hits bone on the setup time. As I expanded the luxury/decadence of my campsite, what initially took an hour to set up now has expanded to almost three hours. To be fair, much of that time is spent with stuff like solar or sat that I'd have to do anyway with my TT. I never got my TT set up in less than an hour, and that includes pulling in to a highway Rest Stop for six hours of shuteye. Setting up a tent camp is more methodical and less painful than setting up a TT camp, but it does take more time.

Green, that sounds very cool -- sort of an "RV in a bag!" How long does it take to set up and take down all that stuff?

I am sure, by the way, that you could rig up a shower, complete with hot water -- I am pretty sure that Cabela's has a portable unit.

Do you bring a cassette toilet?

And to get back to the OP's question, a full size cargo trailer might be somewhat cumbersome, but I have seen small expedition trailers that can go anywhere that the tow vehicle can go -- high clearance, low center of gravity, very rugged.

Just to throw total chaos into the mix, I currently use a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a gigantic cargo bag on top (Sherpak 20). With this setup I don't tow anything (my TT sits in my back yard) and still have a reasonably low center of gravity (try saying that about a TC). So any road I can navigate with the Jeep I can navigate with enough gear to camp in luxury for two weeks without repleneshing food gas or water.

I pack an REI Kingdom 6 tent which has enough room for me walk around in at 6'2", and has two rooms, one that fits my queen-sized inflatable mattress that sits 18' off the ground, and the other which functions as my office, complete with wide folding desk and comfy director's chair.

Since I often camp in cold weather, I have 4 sleeping bags, zipped together as double bags that nest inside each other, and then I have two more quallofil Wally comforters that I throw on top.

I carry enough solar (Renogy 100w bendable panels) to power my computer, my sat set top box and my Tailgater dish and to recharge my batts. I have inverter/powersupply/charger capability for up to 160ah currently, using a Goal zero yeti 400 box and exta AGM batts.

I have a tiny 500w inverter gennie that when combined with the panels uses less than a half gallon of gas a day. I carry a 6 gallon can of gas on the roof and I have room for more.

Since I have a background in cold-weather travel, I have all the puffy clothing I need to sit comfortably all day in a sub-freezing tent, only I don't need to, since I have modified the tent so that it is a surprisingly adequate insulator, considering it's a tent. If I ever remember to bring a thermometer I would expect to see readings in the forties during the day. Similar to my metal-sided TT with the heat off. In the summer I have a huge 20" box fan to keep it cool.

I use enough of the Nalgene 3L soft-side canteens for for a gallon per day of water, combined with a somewhat scarily-large supply of Diet Coke which I will not put a number on. I don't take showers, but twice a day do a thorough sponge bath using diluted hand sanitizer and wash cloths.

I haven't mentioned mountaineering skis, two pairs of ski boots, snow shows, climbing gear and a lot of wishful thinking; because with so much luxury in my tent I spend all day drinking Diet Coke and watching television, and laughing at people who can't break away from the television to go out and live life!

All of this stuff fits on top of my car or in back, with room to spare. If someone had a truck with a low shell on the back, carrying all this stuff would be even easier.

My point is that the only thing I give up by not towing my TT is the hot water heater. While I don't have a microwave that can run on 500w, I do have a 12v slow cooker that makes great soup or stew and can heat up a frozen pizza, although not well. What I gain is access to anything legal for auto travel, with enough gear packed that I can camp in luxury and hike or ski from there.

Or you could do it the other way around -- boondock in a small travel trailer and use the truck as a tow vehicle/cargo carrier. That's what we do -- and we boondock in some pretty remote and sketchy places. (If you have a little time, check out some of the boondocking entries in our blog -- the link is in my signature.)

Having said that, I can't deny that a TC can go places that my trailer can't go. We park the trailer on the edge of too sketchy, and take day trips with the truck into the really difficult places.