Offroad Travel Trailers in the US?

[themoreweexplor]

My favorite type of camping is in the middle of nowhere, away from everyone else. This often means travel over hundreds of miles off road. I'm not talking a dirt road you could take a prius on, but a road that requires some clearance. Think rocks the size of footballs.

Our Australian friends have some fantastic offerings. They're extremely well built (supposedly), have aluminum frames, and have independent coil suspension with shocks. We don't have anything like that here in the US, but I'd like to chat about the closest things we have.

Ideally, I'd like to find something capable of handling thousands of miles off pavement on a bumpy road without falling apart. Something similar to a Kedron or even the Jayco Outback models. This thread is to list all the options of what we have in the US that even comes close to what they have.

[opnspaces]

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[SoCalDesertRid1]

LenSatic wrote:

That right there, is completely awesome! 😛

I'd love to find another International 4x4 and put a 13' Casita trailer on top of it.

[Slowmover]

themoreweexplore wrote:

gmw photos wrote:

Be careful with that idea. Really do some serious homework on the idea, because A/S are built with a rather light main frame, because the riveted skin becomes part of the structure itself. It's possible to damage the body structure if you flex the main frame too much.

Would rollers put more stress on the trailer than drag bars? I figured the less it's dragging the best, but I suppose wheels may encourage it to lift up rather than dig down.

I do wish the airstream frames were beefier like the old Avions.

Andy at his dealership Inland RV in CA has fifty years experience with AS trailers. He first worked for the corporation before setting out on his own. Bars wear off, meant to. Rollers, not on AS. Too much stress.

On my Silver Streak (and I think on Avion) rollers are factory installed. But the key is a TT with a relatively shorter rear overhang.

Going off-road, you may as well buy one of the disposable trailers (where the finance note last longer than the RV) versus the lifetime aircraft aluminum trailers.

But, there are those who drag them thru Mexico and Central America. Short ones.

[canoe_on_top]

I remember that narrow section. I have some off road driving experience, a bit over 50 years. I agree, being able to get through is one thing, potential damage to your rig is another. I could take my truck through Beef Basin if I wanted to go back there or, as you say, rent a Jeep.

[gmw_photos]

themoreweexplore wrote:

gmw photos wrote:

Be careful with that idea. Really do some serious homework on the idea, because A/S are built with a rather light main frame, because the riveted skin becomes part of the structure itself. It's possible to damage the body structure if you flex the main frame too much.

Would rollers put more stress on the trailer than drag bars? I figured the less it's dragging the best, but I suppose wheels may encourage it to lift up rather than dig down.

I do wish the airstream frames were beefier like the old Avions.

Well Steve, at least in my opinion ( I was trying to gently allude to it in my first post on it ) I would not want to drag the back end of an A/S at all. Rollers or drag bars. Too much potential to damage a structure that is already known as rather fragile, and very labor intensive to fix if it is damaged. Since this is your full time home, taking it out of service for major repairs would be a bit of a pain.

PS. I sure enjoy following your blog. You're a better mechanic that you admit to being 🙂

[themoreweexplor]

canoe on top wrote:
How long is your van? I have a Ram CTD quadcab that I fear is just too long for Elephant Hill or the Maze. Clearance, because of the wheelbase, would be a potential problem as well. It's stock height. I have been to the Dollhouse a couple of times, years ago in the Jimmy. Also, Beef Basin. Last time I went over Elephant Hill, (in jeep), there was a pretty stock looking Suburban at the Confluence Overlook. Still, I have real doubts about taking my truck in there. I've been there enough times I can live without it but, curiosity can be a dangerous thing.

It's not the length that worries me, but the width. There is that squeeze area on Elephant Hill. It's a 1-way only section, and it's mandatory. I imagine I could get the van through without damage, but the potential for damage is just too high. I'll have to drive around via beef basin.

In my experience, driver experience trumps everything. Ground clearance will never hurt, but a fantastic off-road driver can get some stock vehicles in some insane places. So perhaps it'd be better to compare drivers' experience rather than the rig. At this point in my life I'm like you: better safe than sorry. I can always rent a jeep if I decide I want to do hard trails again.

[themoreweexplor]

gmw photos wrote:

Be careful with that idea. Really do some serious homework on the idea, because A/S are built with a rather light main frame, because the riveted skin becomes part of the structure itself. It's possible to damage the body structure if you flex the main frame too much.

Would rollers put more stress on the trailer than drag bars? I figured the less it's dragging the best, but I suppose wheels may encourage it to lift up rather than dig down.

I do wish the airstream frames were beefier like the old Avions.

[gmw_photos]

themoreweexplore wrote:
....snip.....

It's got little drag bars in the back, but I may contemplate putting rollers on it.

....snip....

Be careful with that idea. Really do some serious homework on the idea, because A/S are built with a rather light main frame, because the riveted skin becomes part of the structure itself. It's possible to damage the body structure if you flex the main frame too much.

[canoe_on_top]

How long is your van? I have a Ram CTD quadcab that I fear is just too long for Elephant Hill or the Maze. Clearance, because of the wheelbase, would be a potential problem as well. It's stock height. I have been to the Dollhouse a couple of times, years ago in the Jimmy. Also, Beef Basin. Last time I went over Elephant Hill, (in jeep), there was a pretty stock looking Suburban at the Confluence Overlook. Still, I have real doubts about taking my truck in there. I've been there enough times I can live without it but, curiosity can be a dangerous thing.

[themoreweexplor]

canoe on top wrote:
I think you've come to realize that anything big enough to full time in comfortably is not going to be an off road trailer. I realize that, "big enough to live in comfortably" is subjective. The 22GQ was 24 ft. That's a lot of overhang for off road but works pretty well for, "off the pavement". Living in Utah, you know that even your van is too big for a lot of serious, "off roading". There again, that is a subjective term. I had a pop up camper built on a '76 GMC Jimmy years ago that was very good off road but, I wouldn't want to try to live in it. It went over Elephant Hill in Canyonlands a number of times.

Elephant Hill is one of my favorite trails, I've done it many times. What a beautiful area. Apart from the squeeze, my van would have no issues on that trail. That being said, my hardcore offroad days are behind me, and I don't plan on doing anything tougher than Elephant Hill. The van will get me into the Maze to Dollhouse, and Beef Basin and other rough roads, which is fine for me. I have a mountain bike and hiking boots any time I really need to get back in there.

[themoreweexplor]

CavemanCharlie wrote:
I'm jealous.

Keep a eye in the air pressure in that tire that got the deer hair stuck in the bead. It may develop a slow leak.

Great reminder, thank you! I hadn't thought of that. I'll check it tonight.

[themoreweexplor]

profdant139 wrote:
Great video, and a beautiful trailer -- well done! My only suggestion would be to flip the axles in the not too distant future, so that you can take the trailer on bumpy forest roads (slowly).

The airstreams use a dexter torsion axle (independent suspension), so there aren't any leaf springs, making it impossible to flip the axle unfortunately. Fortunately they make lift blocks to go between the axle and the frame, and I plan on installing those.

profdant139 wrote:
The only other problem with an Airstream is that the skin is so lovely that it is a shame to scratch it up by towing it on narrow roads through dense brush. But that is just going to happen, and you will have to get used to it. That is the price of back-country camping.

I won't be towing the airstream down any narrow trails with brush. I'll park it somewhere else and take the van through there.

It's got little drag bars in the back, but I may contemplate putting rollers on it. When we bought the airstream we gave up on the dream of living in it in the backcountry. However, we have the van and tents for that.

profdant139 wrote:
Also, with that curved roof, where are you going to put the solar array?

Still working on the details on that, but it's been done quite a bit. I'm a fan of flexible panels, but they're not as efficient as the rigid glass ones.

profdant139 wrote:
Brilliant decision to buy a used trailer -- I am sure you got it at a huge discount, Airstreams deteriorate much more slowly than most trailers, and all of the "new trailer" bugs have already been worked out.

Agreed. Buying new would be a bad decision for us. The one exception seems to be Airstreams, they don't seem to take much of a hit when you resell them. We saw plenty that were 2-3 years old, which retailed for 90k new, and they were being sold for $80k+. Not much depreciation there.

We're looking forward to the trailer. it should be a great home for us, but a terrible backcountry exploration trailer. 🙂

[canoe_on_top]

I towed a Nash 22GQ up the Dempster Highway in the Canadian Arctic. It's 456 miles one way and six miles of it are paved. It ends 200 miles north of the arctic circle When you get to the end at the village of Inuvik, you turn around and come back. I didn't have any problems with the trailer. I flipped the axles after I got back.

I think you've come to realize that anything big enough to full time in comfortably is not going to be an off road trailer. I realize that, "big enough to live in comfortably" is subjective. The 22GQ was 24 ft. That's a lot of overhang for off road but works pretty well for, "off the pavement". Living in Utah, you know that even your van is too big for a lot of serious, "off roading". There again, that is a subjective term. I had a pop up camper built on a '76 GMC Jimmy years ago that was very good off road but, I wouldn't want to try to live in it. It went over Elephant Hill in Canyonlands a number of times.

Towing the trailer as far as is comfortable and driving the TV beyond that works.

I am currently full timing in an Arctic Fox 29V which is about 30 ft.with two slide outs. I am contemplating another trip to the Canadian Arctic this summer. I have some concern about how the slide outs will handle 1000 miles off the pavement. I'll let you know if that trip transpires.

[JiminDenver]

Our 25 ft ultra lite was not built for off road use but it goes anywhere the Expedition in 4x4 low does. Then again if it's that rough we are not moving fast. I use low to bring the trailer over the issues in a controlled manner and not shake everything up.

Occasionally it makes more sense to move a rock or fill in a hole rather than trying to run it. From personal experience I can tell you that it cost a small fortune to get help if you get stuck up there.