I have been considering mounting a roof top tent to either a 4x6 or 5x8 utility trailer. Has anybody else done this and how did it work out.
A TJ sized camper
- Thread starter whitrzac
- Start date
There are several fiberglass "egg" campers that come in as low as 13' with either steel or aluminum frames. Some have a toilet and shower setup, or can have bunk beds or a breakfast nook in that space. Depending on options and builder they can come in at around 1,800 lbs if I remember. Over 6' interiors. YouTube has a lot of 'bloggers'(?) And info on them and seem to hold up well. They often have a Subaru pulling them for some reason, so a TJ should have little problem with the 4.0 and good hitch. Don't know why, but they just catch my eye. I've had regular stick trailers and they didn't hold up well to anything more than a two-track. And by the time you notice a simple leak they have developed mold and rot inside the walls.
When we were in our 20's we wouldn't have even paid attention to how many cranks it took.
If it wasn't usually very warm or hot where I'm at I wouldn't either lol.When we were in our 20's we wouldn't have even paid attention to how many cranks it took.
Finally picking up my teardrop today! Luna Rover with offroad tires, small lift, a bit on the heavy side, but I can pull it with minimal supplies. The main thing is getting out there! I may not be around here much anymore. I may be going to see @Wildman and @Squatch, both to help them get their rigs on the trail! 
Finally picking up my teardrop today! Luna Rover with offroad tires, small lift, a bit on the heavy side, but I can pull it with minimal supplies. The main thing is getting out there! I may not be around here much anymore. I may be going to see @Wildman and @Squatch, both to help them get their rigs on the trail!
Congrats on the new camper. Please post some pics.
Xposure
TJ Enthusiast
I'm not sure what your crank mechenism is like, but this idea may help. My father in law had a RV with levelers/stabilizers he had to manually crank. When he got down in his back he welded nuts to the ends and used a battery powered drill or impact to turn the shafts. Worked great....he could raise/lower them in seconds with no effort. Said he wished he'd have done it years sooner.
May not work in your case, but it came to mind to share the idea just in case.
I used a big Craftsman battery powered 1/2" 2-speed drill to do that for 10+ years. It would burn the motor up every couple years but extended warranties helped. Then Craftsman stopped making them that big and one brief encounter with their smaller replacement proved unsatisfactory. I looked at Milwaukee, Bosch, Dewalt, etc. and models big enough were way above my retirement level funding abilities. I even tried one of my big double-anvil air impact tools which didn't work well enough to adopt it. Then I decided I could live with cranking it up & down.
Yes, pics. And let us know how it pulls. What kind of weight is the trailer, and how it goes on the trail too. Thanks.Finally picking up my teardrop today! Luna Rover with offroad tires, small lift, a bit on the heavy side, but I can pull it with minimal supplies. The main thing is getting out there! I may not be around here much anymore. I may be going to see @Wildman and @Squatch, both to help them get their rigs on the trail!
Yes.....we need pictures, you know that.Finally picking up my teardrop today! Luna Rover with offroad tires, small lift, a bit on the heavy side, but I can pull it with minimal supplies. The main thing is getting out there! I may not be around here much anymore. I may be going to see @Wildman and @Squatch, both to help them get their rigs on the trail!
Yes, pics. And let us know how it pulls. What kind of weight is the trailer, and how it goes on the trail too. Thanks.
You’re right, I know that. Pics or it didn’t happen. Here’s a first look. Heading out today on our first two adventures!Yes.....we need pictures, you know that.
1800lb dry weight. I will be counting pounds if I pull with the TJ.Yes, pics. And let us know how it pulls. What kind of weight is the trailer, and how it goes on the trail too. Thanks.
Have your actually put it on a scale yet? In my searches, I keep hearing the advertised dry weight is usually considerably more than the actual dry weight. That looks like it might just sleep a couple of adults and two little boys?
no, those numbers are coming from the website. They advertise between 1775 and 1850lb. I'm sure some of that relates to options. Who knows if it is correct. It's a teardrop, so it sleeps two adults comfortably, or one adult and two kids. There are four chairs inside and four can sit comfortably. The goal was for my family of 7 to use it as a base camp, wife and I sleep in it, kids sleep in their tent. We bought them nice mattresses and gear to make as comfortable as possible.
The other options where we all sleep on board were just too much. I'd need a class A 36+ feet and I'd have to store it somewhere. It's just too much for us.
I hope this option works for us. Either way, I'm stuck with it now, at least for awhile, and my wife and I can do getaways, we can store it at the house, it can stay packed, and we can virtually walk out the door, hook it up and be gone, we can also boondock it, which is nice with all the Covid nonsense going on.
I like the idea of sleeping in my RTT and the kids in a ground tent but I haven’t been able to get the other half to agree to it. Seems to think they’ll get eaten by bears or something.
Mine says the same thing. I haven't brought up the fact that a bear could get in to a popup just as easy as a tent, or she might poopoo that idea too
Great looking teardrop! Most still look like they could have been built in my neighbor's garage. That front really sets it off nicely. I'm surprised the kids would even want to pack in at night. When I was young I would sneak out to spend the night under the stars many summer nights. Whenever I've gone camping either as a kid or with the kids, youngsters never wanted to be inside with the old folks snoring and such.
My wife had no issues with the external tent with porta potty. Works great, even at 4amLooking at all those campers, im officially in the camper buying market. My wife only has one request.. That it has a toilet. Im trying to sell her on the idea of a porta potti inside a tent set up near the camper. Not sure I can get that idea approved.
Thank you.