How inconvenient is a cargo trailer?

deltabravo wrote:

iwanttoretireearly wrote:
How many of you tow a cargo trailer with your truck camper?

I have two cargo trailers: 8.5x20 and a 7x12
I also had a flatbed trailer for my Jeep when I was doing the Jeep thing.
Here's my big trailer, the 8.5 x 20 Race Trailer

iwanttoretireearly wrote:
I'm thinking of a 10 foot enclosed cargo trailer that will accompany me on longer road trips.

Any 6' wide trailer is a PITA to back up because you can't see it behind the truck and camper until it's too crooked to straighten out.

Any 10' long trailer is a PITA to back up. Because it's so short, it jack-knifes in a heartbeat because you can't see it behind the truck and camper.

When I bought my truck and camper back in 2009, I sold a 6x10 and bought a 6x12. I kept the 6x12 from 2010-2014. I started using it for other things, not camping trips, where I wanted more space so I sold it and planned on getting a 7x14. Instead, my brother let me use his 7x16 for the things I was needing a bigger trailer for (not camping). I hated that trailer because it rode so rough and was bouncy due to the leaf spring axles. (My trailers all have torsion axles) I also didn't like the length because I couldn't pull in a parking lot and park in two parking spaces. The trailer was too long and hung out at the end. I used his trailer from 2014-2016 for my non camping needs, then the need for a bigger small trailer fizzled away, so I never bought a 7x14 as planned.

From 2014-2017, I kept used my 8.5x20 for camping. It's an awesome mobile garage.

Mid 2018 I started going on a few local trips without the 8.5x20, where I didn't need my motorcycles. I was just doing quick weekend get-aways. It killed me not having a trailer for a generator, firewood, lawn chair or other small things, so late that year I found 6x10 Wells Cargo similar to the one I sold in 2010. It was too good of a deal to pass up, plus it had torsion axles, which I explain in this video when I put a lift kit on it.

The 6x10 was cheap enough, I didn't care that it was small and hard to back up at first.

Fast forward to June 2019 and I started looking at bigger trailers again - 7x12 new ones with Torsion Axles, then a friend told me about a friend of his that was selling a 7x12. I bought it, and couldn't be happier with it. It was also too good of a deal to pass up. It has torsion axles.

Here's the 7x12 I bought last year which is my primary trailer now.

iwanttoretireearly wrote:
For example:
a) How do you deal with parking in busy lots? You just park farther away? You park the trailer and then the truck? Sometimes there isn't going to be enough room to maneuver right?

Trailer or no trailer, truck and camper, or daily driving my Subaru Crosstrek, I ALWAYS park out in the back 40 when I go shopping.

Not sure what you mean by "You park the trailer and then the truck?"
The trailer says attached to my truck when I'm going places.

As far as space to maneuver, parking lots have never been an issue.
I survey the situation and don't put myself in to situations "beyond the point of no return" (place where there isn't room to maneuver)
It's like a 6th sense because I've been towing for so long (since 1993 when I bought the first 6x10 I had). Not many people started towing trailers when they were only 25 years old like me.

iwanttoretireearly wrote:
b) Let's say you are on a road trip and want to go into a NPS where they do not allow vehicles past a certain length. Where do you leave your trailer?

Leave the trailer at the campground is one option. Sometimes National Parks might have a spot where you could leave a trailer while touring the park.
The only park I have encountered with a length / height / width limitation is Glacier National Park, on the Going to the Sun road.
I was on my motorcycle on that trip, not camping with the truck and camper.

One of the parks in Utah has limitations too, Zion I think.

If I were in one of those parks and needed to use my truck to get around the park, I'd probably drop the camper off the truck for the day, with the trailer behind the camper (blocked in).
But the reality is, I'd probably ride my motorcycle around the park, which is exactly what I did last year when I went to Crater Lake.

iwanttoretireearly wrote:
c) How do you secure your trailer?

I have never left my trailer anywhere and taken the truck and camper to drive around, so the trailer is blocked in by the truck. The truck, camper and trailer are my base camp for my motorcycle adventures.

I do have a coupler lock for the trailer though.

I honestly wouldn't waste the money on a 6x10 because they are so hard to back up. People always say "go one size bigger than you think you will need, then you won't need to upgrade in two years."
Once you have a trailer you will realize how versatile it is and wish you had more space.
A good example is shown in this video about my EU6500 in my 7x12 trailer.. It never leaves the trailer!

I love the 7x12. I can see it when backing up, the length isn't a hindrance in parking lots because it (and the truck) fits in two spaces. It's short enough where I can basically drive like there's no trailer behind me when making turns.


Sorry this was so long, I didn't expect it to be as long as this.

Reality Check wrote:
I've been towing for so long, so many different trailers, so many places, it's a thoughtless process. Of course you're not going to park at the front of the parking lot. But then, why would one anyhow? Simple trick; always, always, park so that you can pull out regardless of where others park/block. I'm amazed at seeing folks with trailers pull in across 6 spots and then not wing it to insure that they can get out if two idiots parked on either end of them (boxed). Simple stuff.

The above summarizes things quite well!!

Adapt and overcome!

If you are shopping for a new trailer, I'd recommend Torsion Axles if you can find them. They might be a special order at some dealers.

Torsion axles trailers ride so much smoother, and your cargo doesn't get beat up. I can drive 500 miles of highway, etc, and nothing moves inside my trailers.