TJ Fest Moab 2021 Overlanding vs Hoteling

I have a trailer that I use to overland (I think that term is hilarious, when I was a young man (born in 1965) we just called it camping and wheeling....). It has a really big roof top tent on it, the mattress is king size, my little trailer has a pull out shelf in the rear that has a stove and storage bins, we carry 16 gallons of water, a 20lb. Propane tank to run the stove and the hot water heater. We also have a port-a-potty and a privy tent. Not saying any of this to brag, just to make my point that we have done this a time or two. As far as the comments about time to set up, yes it does take a few minutes to set things up, the tent is ready to occupy in about 5 minutes, everything else, cooking set up, shower, take about 20 minutes or so. The tent we have is heavy, somewhere in the neighborhood of 225 lbs. We took a trip two years ago out to Colorado with it and had no issues with it on the road or off (granted we did not take it on Black Bear Pass, Ophir Pass, or Pearl Pass) but we have dragged it around GW National Forest a few times without issue.

I bought my roof top tent used from a guy in Colorado, he shipped it to me via Fastenal for $200!!! You just have to be flexible in how long it will take to get to you. My trailer started out life as a M416, it now has Rancho 2 1/2” lift springs with Monroe shocks, I prefer the pintle/lunette set up that comes on the military trailers, they are more heavy duty than the over priced “off road” trailer hitches. On our way out to CO. I got a blistering 10 mpg.!!! My LJ has 285 75R16 with stock Rubicon 4.10 gears.
PICS PLEASE. Of the trailer. I'm about to start building mine. And I need.


INSPIRATION
🌈
 
And speaking of camping. I'm currently sitting in my Tacoma waiting for the wife to come out of the store. Roughly 20min away from our camp spot.
Sadly. No wheeling, 2wd. And no friends with us to yank us unstuck.
 
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I’ll be testing all this in July so I will know more about how it all works then.

I’ll be staying at the Slickrock campground, it’s under $50/night has a pool, laundromat, showers, bathrooms. Be even less for just a tent site.

I’ve got a rooftop tent for my tow vehicle and will trailer my Jeep.

Tow vehicle will be basecamp and I don’t have to wheel with anything I don’t want to take as I can lock it all in my tow vehicle.
 
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IMG_20200529_200240_MP.jpg

Mission success.
The dog is behaving better than the childrens.
But everyone's having a good time.

Forgot bugspray LOL
 
PICS PLEASE. Of the trailer. I'm about to start building mine. And I need.

INSPIRATION
🌈


Different trailer than you had in mind, but here's my 1946 Bantam T3-C. It was acquired by my family in 1965, the same year @FireJeep was born. I was 15 at the time and my summer job that year was to strip and re-paint it the trailer. I lost track of it during the mid-1970's but rediscovered it in 1997 or 1998 when my father told me that it had been stored in a chicken coop on my brother's rance for 20 years and I should go get it. I restored it for the second time in 2005.

The trailer doesn't get as much use as when I still had young kids. Still, it makes a great field kitchen for large groups with a custom made Can-Back "covered wagon" top, built-in 15 gal. water tank, 12v fridge, 11# horizontal propane tank, propane stove, chuck box, bear proof food and dry goods storage, porta-potty, privi tent, Zodi shower, tarps, tents, tables, chairs, etc. The trailer can interchange between Fulton, pintle and Lock-n-Roll hitches and has different length tongues for on- and off-road use and a receiver hitch in the rear. But no rooftop tent. I would prefer to use ground tents and carry relatively lightweight surfboards, kayaks, bikes, etc. up top rather than carry the weight of a RTT that high.

Bantam Trailer with sides rolled up.JPG
Bantam Trailer Side View.JPG
Bantam Trailer Rear View.JPG
Bantam Trailer chuck box.JPG

2005 Nissan Xterra Offroad with 1946 Bantam T3-C.jpg
 
Different trailer than you had in mind, but here's my 1946 Bantam T3-C. It was acquired by my family in 1965, the same year @FireJeep was born. I was 15 at the time and my summer job that year was to strip and re-paint it the trailer. I lost track of it during the mid-1970's but rediscovered it in 1997 or 1998 when my father told me that it had been stored in a chicken coop on my brother's rance for 20 years and I should go get it. I restored it for the second time in 2005.

The trailer doesn't get as much use as when I still had young kids. Still, it makes a great field kitchen for large groups with a custom made Can-Back "covered wagon" top, built-in 15 gal. water tank, 12v fridge, 11# horizontal propane tank, propane stove, chuck box, bear proof food and dry goods storage, porta-potty, privi tent, Zodi shower, tarps, tents, tables, chairs, etc. The trailer can interchange between Fulton, pintle and Lock-n-Roll hitches and has different length tongues for on- and off-road use and a receiver hitch in the rear. But no rooftop tent. I would prefer to use ground tents and carry relatively lightweight surfboards, kayaks, bikes, etc. up top rather than carry the weight of a RTT that high.

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That's exactly what I have in mind with what I want to do with my trailer.
I love the drawer system!!
 
That's exactly what I have in mind with what I want to do with my trailer.
I love the drawer system!!

The chuck box was originally constructed by my father in 1961 or 1962 with the gracious help of the local cabinet maker, and was part of a two-box set that fit behind the seats and between the wheel wells of the family Willys CJ-3B. There is no way I would ever part with it even if it wasn't so well made.
 
I think overlanding would be an awesome adventure. My wife would disagree. That and she knows I am sitting on about 600k Hilton points. She wont even let me buy boats that dont have a bathroom in them.

I know a lot of guys talk about Planet Fitness for showers. Seems to be one in most major towns. I would bet its better than the truck stop showers. Way less chance of "surprise" intimacy.
Funny you mention this!!! I went cross country in my TJ twice and cowboy camped every stinkin night under the stars. Took a shower under some farm irrigation thing once. But mostly when I was going to meet a friend in a town I showered at 24 hour fitness 😂
 
When I built it I did not have a pick up truck, so I made the “camping skid load” able to be lifted out in case I needed to haul lumber, furniture, etc. This made it much heavier than needed. Now I have a pick up truck so I should rebuild it and make it lighter..... mehhhh, maybe one day.....
 
Different trailer than you had in mind, but here's my 1946 Bantam T3-C. It was acquired by my family in 1965, the same year @FireJeep was born. I was 15 at the time and my summer job that year was to strip and re-paint it the trailer. I lost track of it during the mid-1970's but rediscovered it in 1997 or 1998 when my father told me that it had been stored in a chicken coop on my brother's rance for 20 years and I should go get it. I restored it for the second time in 2005.

The trailer doesn't get as much use as when I still had young kids. Still, it makes a great field kitchen for large groups with a custom made Can-Back "covered wagon" top, built-in 15 gal. water tank, 12v fridge, 11# horizontal propane tank, propane stove, chuck box, bear proof food and dry goods storage, porta-potty, privi tent, Zodi shower, tarps, tents, tables, chairs, etc. The trailer can interchange between Fulton, pintle and Lock-n-Roll hitches and has different length tongues for on- and off-road use and a receiver hitch in the rear. But no rooftop tent. I would prefer to use ground tents and carry relatively lightweight surfboards, kayaks, bikes, etc. up top rather than carry the weight of a RTT that high.

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Too bad it's not pulled by your TJ.
 
Are you allowed to pull an M416 type trailer on the MOAB trails? Also one of my options on making the trip is to pull my trailer but then where to leave it if you can't pull it in the dirt over there? I'd be staying on the wussy trails anyway and away from the rocks. Could leave it in a garage maybe.
 
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About to start breakfast.

This tent. By far. Is the easiest tent I've ever had in terms of set up & take down. Stake out the bottom, put up two poles, then stake out the top section. I can fit 3queen size beds and a full size in there.

Center pole is Ridgid enough for the kids to spin around & hang off of it.
It also has a stove vent hole for a wood burning stove, which I've been looking at getting a little one for the winter.

Best tent I've ever had.
 
Are you allowed to pull an M416 type trailer on the MOAB trails? Also one of my options on making the trip is to pull my trailer but then where to leave it if you can't pull it in the dirt over there? I'd be staying on the wussy trails anyway and away from the rocks. Could leave it in a garage maybe.


There are many longer, "overlanding" type trails where a 1/4 ton jeep trailer is suitable, but I would not want to tow one on any of the single day trails regardless of trail difficulty. Who needs the hassle of hauling gear you don't need during the day?

My suggestion would be to leave the trailer in your campsite if camping, or parked at your hotel/condo if not. Take it with you only if you are going to be camping out on the trail somewhere.
 
It's been way to long since I've been camping. I'm off my game.
It'll be nice once my Jeep is on the road again and I start hashing out my trailer. It will be my camping vehicle, everything I need minus cold food. Stored in the trailer.
 
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This video is a good example of why you shouldn’t drag a trailer if you don’t really need to. Hoping to do this trail this year, I’m throwing in a ground tent for this trail.


I'm working on getting gauges wired up at the moment on my TJ but I'll watch this later today at some point!

I just wanted to also say thank you to everyone participating in this thread, a ton of great information is being shared right now!

My current thought is that I'm going to stay at a rental once I get to Moab for some logistical reasons but I'm going to caravan/overland my way to Utah with everyone else coming from the East Coast.

I'll check in later when I hopefully have a complete set of gauges finally installed in my TJ!

-Grant
 
My current list that's still being out together.

1. Tables. At least one for kitchen, one for dining, And one for inside the tent. I don't want to have to lug a table in and out of the tent for eating.
2. Tote, or some kind of, storage organization. Kitchen-toiletires-bedding-r&r(chairs n things)-insect&sun defense.
3. Try and fix my 12v cooler fridge.
4. Better quality stakes & mallet for tent setup.
5. At least one dining fly, incase of rain / campsite without much shade
 
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