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MikekiM said:
I would like to find a trailer like yours, with the rooftop (trailer top) tent. What do I search for? What would that kind of rig be called?

If you have a few minutes could you share what the trailer entails? I see the grill and cooler, obviously the tent.

There are a few locations I would like to go that require ‘self contained’ trailers for the winter months.
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Mike;

Trailers like this are generally called expedition or adventure trailers. I think that’s a bit goofy, so I simply call mine an off-road trailer. I built it to be as versatile as possible and seem to be making changes to it all the time. It’s easy to pull and I can move it around by hand at home and in many places that I camp. It makes for a good base camp so I can take off and explore in the Jeep.

The frame is 2”x3”x1/8" steel tube and has a 3,500 lb axle (no brakes “yet”) and is on 2,000 lb. springs. The box area is 4’x6’x16”. It takes about 30 min. to remove the RTT (roof top tent) so I can use it as a small utility trailer or to haul an ATV, garden tractor, etc. ... or for hauling home used Jeep parts! With the RTT or another rack I have on it it’s almost impossible for someone to reach in remove (steal) anything I carry in the box.

It has a 2,000 lb. Warn winch buried under one of the metal boxes on the tongue for pulling things up and into it on ramps or for recovery of the trailer on its own should I ever have to. The tongue box houses a 12V - 105 amp hr. deep cycle battery. It has two 10 litre tanks for water and or fuel (I take the tanks I need). I have a 5 lb. propane tank mounted to it and can carry more inside the box.

I’m also able to carry my kayak on it. I use the temporary foam pads you might have seen on the roof of a car and they work fine on top of the RTT.

The good news is that my wife hates it! We camp together in our tear drop trailer and this is what I use when I’m on my own. The RTT is only 4’ x 6’6” on the inside. It’s good for one but tight for two. On this trip the temperature got down to 35* on one night and it was windy. I was perfectly warm inside

Here's a good thread on the Expedition Portal Forum that will give you an idea of what others have built or bought ... https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/collection-of-trailer-builds.52549/

As for mine, I headed in one direction and took a turn when we got the tear drop trailer. It kind of got built twice. Here is a build thread on it … https://www.overlandbound.com/forums/threads/pco6s-off-road-trailer-build.15306/ . Unfortunately, I didn’t document the final build as much as I could have. Overland Bound Forum is another good one for these kinds of trailers.

Stew

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My LJ is almost ready to go. I painted both the same colour so they should go together well ... I hope!

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Outstanding! Thank you.

I am a long time backpacker, and typically overnight in a hammock, regardless of the ambient temps. A tent would be the Taj for me, and if I can incorporate some kind of porta potty I could be ‘self-contained’ so to speak. I’ll likely continue to pack the backpacking kit I’ve used for years.. an ultra lite kit that serves me well.

My knees aren’t what they used to be and my confidence for remote back country backpacking is less than high these days.

I’ve thought of a pop up tent trailer, but to be candid I don’t need that much luxury. My wife won’t do any of these so it’s just me.

My TJ is a DD so outfitting with a roof rack and RTT isn’t ideal.

Are these kinds of trailers typically without brakes? I have zero experience with towing.
 
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MikekiM said:
Outstanding! Thank you.

I am a long time backpacker, and typically overnight in a hammock, regardless of the ambient temps. A tent would be the Taj for me, and if I can incorporate some kind of porta potty I could be ‘self-contained’ so to speak. I’ll likely continue to pack the backpacking kit I’ve used for years.. an ultra lite kit that serves me well.

My knees aren’t what they used to be and my confidence for remote back country backpacking is less than high these days.

I’ve thought of a pop up tent trailer, but to be candid I don’t need that much luxury. My wife won’t do any of these so it’s just me.

My TJ is a DD so outfitting with a roof rack and RTT isn’t ideal.

Are these kinds of trailers typically without brakes? I have zero experience with towing.
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Every time I go camping, I realize what a terrible backpacker I’d be. I take WAY too much stuff!

We usually take a Dometic porta-potty and privacy tent when we take our tear drop trailer. I could do the same with this trailer, but I think I a porta-loo (a bucket & lid) would be more appropriate. Up to now … it’s been “backpack” style.

I’m with you on the lack of luxury. My wife came late to camping (early 50s) and I think she finally accepts that we don’t have to bring half of the kitchen from home with us. For me, this trailer is a luxury. One of the complaints people have with RTTs is having to change inside. I don’t find it to be too bad, and I’m not as young and flexible as I used to be. Another is having to climb down at night to water the flowers. Trailer height vs. vehicle roof height is about right for me.

As for brakes, this thing only weighs about 600-650 lbs. unloaded so it’s well under what I understand to be the limit for brakes which probably varies by State or Province. I’ll be building a new axle for it and I have all of the parts I need so I plan to add them. I’ve never had a problem, but I think they will be good to have for wet and snow conditions. I have towed this during a bad snow/ice storm and with an XJ engine in the bed. It wasn’t that bad, but I really had to drive carefully. Some of the builds shown in the Expedition Portal Forum link I provided are much heavier and my guess is that many of them have brakes.
 
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Thank you for the links and info. I'm having a blast reading, and drooling just a wee bit.

I know this is a tough question, but what would a reasonable build budget be for an entry level rig?
 
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MikekiM said:
Thank you for the links and info. I'm having a blast reading, and drooling just a wee bit.

I know this is a tough question, but what would a reasonable build budget be for an entry level rig?
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Thanks. (y) A lot depends on whether you build from scratch or can find a chassis or complete trailer as a starting point. The more work you can do yourself will also have a bearing on the total cost. Often you can find a good chassis with an axle, springs, wheels, etc. and that is a BIG head start. I think I paid $225 CDN (about $175 US) for the chassis of this one and I was able to tow it home. That was way less than the metal and parts would have cost. I got lucky. I've built a few trailer frames from scratch and getting geared up to simply "start" is a major step (design, material acquisition, clearing space, time, cost, etc.). A lot of guys monitor Craigs List, Kijiji, FB Marketplace, etc. for suitable trailers and go from there. You can often get a usable trailer and upgrade it as time and money is available.

Also of course is what you want to build and how you accessorize it. I try to include used Jeep parts (wheels, lights, etc.) and modify other common parts to keep the cost down. I buy a lot of materials and parts from local suppliers like Home Depot, Canadian Tire, etc. My metal supplier is also a big help in getting custom cut material like the metal box panels (14g sheet steel). It cuts down on my labour and waste material.

I don't think I have $3,000 into this one excluding the RTT which I picked up used for $500. A lot of the expenditures were fairly painless in that they were spread out as I built it. I did all of my own work (metal cutting, welding, wiring, painting, powder coating, etc.) which helped to keep the cost down. As for its value, I'm sure I can get my money back plus some when the time comes.
 
That helps. I've already started looking at local FS portals. I can, and would like to, do as much myself as possible. Considering my meager requirements, a solid chassis, rack and RTT would get me started and a porta-loo and water storage would make me compliant with the local venue's for winter trips.

Ii typically pitch a tent to satisfy the rangers that I am 'tent camping' and then spend the night in the hammock (best night sleep I've ever had). So I don't need the trailer to do a whole lot initially.

Actually, a solid chassis with a rack that can accommodate a standard tent temporarily would work too.
 
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My daddy daughter camping group has expanded to siblings. 14 of us spent the weekend in N GA in Suches. No cell service or running water facilities. It was 30s at night and 60s during the day.

On Saturday we hiked up to Preachers Rock, a nice section of the AT and “caught” some trout from the Trout farm and grilled it up.

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My Son’s first Sam Adam’s.



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Not a bad view.
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Peace and quite

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I camped last weekend at MacGegor Point on Lake Huron in Ontario. It was with our tear drop trailer group .. but guys only (9). Because it was just the guys we had everything from vintage trailers to a hammock and my trailer with an RTT. Great fun and great weather.

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It was close to where my LJ was originally purchased so I dropped by for a pic. I had never been there. It's at a small town dealership that probably hasn't changed much in the past 19 yrs.

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We got this tarp material, it's cheap stuff on a roll, measuring 12x100 when folded out. We cut it in half and sewed together lengthwise for 24x50. Lots of coverage👍🙂. Especially good on cool rainy days, have a small fire going, keep the kids warm and happy.
 
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TimV said:
We're up camping for a few weeks. Pics of "on the way" and our setup for this week.

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Big tarp for sure but that's quite the rock too! I've just returned from a week at Charleston Lake PP and was at Killbear PP for a week in July. Both on the Canadian Shield so I've had my share of hiking on rocks for a while. Where is that one?
 
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