Off-Roading Archives - Off Road Dad

Rooftop tents are your best option for off-roading. They are compact, easy to take anywhere and don't get in the way. But what happens if you want just a little more room? There are a handful of off road trailers that will compliment your rooftop tent system perfectly. We are going to dive into the best off road trailers to pair with your rooftop tent system by talking: off road capabilities, footprint, kitchen and sleeping space and off grid options. Why get a off road trailer when you already have a rooftop tent? The biggest rooftop tent options out there are good for 4 people. What if you are a family of 5 or 6? We have been thinking about this the past few weeks while we decide if we want to have another kid or not. One of my biggest concerns was that we have all this money into the rooftop tent setup, that will no longer be big enough to sleep all of us now. We have mostly been talking about a small off-road trailer that would be easy to store in the garage, and possibly be able to mount the iKamper on the roof. The great thing about having both options is the flexibility you could have depending on the amount of people going on the trip. Just me and the kids? I would run just the tent on the 4Runner. Wife decides to come with us? Tent on the 4Runner and trailer in tow. Looking for a little more comfort on a solo trip? Just tow the trailer. Must Have Features If you are truly looking to go off-grid camping then there are a few options you should be looking for when it comes to camper trailers. Most of your run of the mill campers will get up a basic fire road ok, but much beyond that and you will be pushing it. Most off-road trailers have a small footprint, better and taller suspension, and a better coupling device just to name a few options. If you need some of the creature comforts, then you will likely be looking into solar and some sort of hot water/ heat. Axles Ideally you would want a trailer with axles-less axles. This means it doesn't have an axle bar going all the way across the underside of the trailer. This will increase ground clearance, and handle off-camber situations better. If you need to get one with an axle, look for something as heavy duty as you can find. A common axle-less design is the Timbren axles. Timbren makes things like bumpstops for trucks, but their big market is trailer axles. They have a few different options, but the ones linked are the most common in off-road trailers. Coupling device Yes you can pull a trailer with a standard 2" ball down a trail. You can even get that ball to articulate pretty well. What happens if you push that ball a little too far? You could break it, or worse, it could pull you over in a bad enough situation. There are products out there like the lock-n-roll, which articulate on 3 different axis'. There are other brands that do a similar thing as well. These hitches are great for off-roading because they give you all the flexibility you will need to pull a trailer through anything. If you happen to flop your trailer on its side, you won't break the ball off or pull the truck over either. Small Footprint When shopping for an off-road trailer, try to think about some of the places you want to take it. You most likely won't be towing that massive 40' trailer up a trail to get to that secluded campsite. Some of these trailers are like a teardrop, while others are more of a basecamp that you put a rooftop tent on top of. For us, we have been looking at more of the teardrop style to gain sleeping space for a couple more people. Approach and Departure angles When you are looking to get off the grid fully, you should expect the worst. You never know what the trail could bring, and if you don't have good approach and departure angles on your trailer you could do some damage. Having a good departure angle is far more important on a trailer than an approach angle, but neither are to be neglected. Having a good departure angle means you can get past that steep section or protruding rock without gouging a huge hole in your trailer. This will often look like a steep angle right behind the axles of the trailer. It may look funny to someone that knows nothing about off-roading, but won't look out of place being pulled by that lifted vehicle of your choice. Price Range for Off Road Trailers If you are looking at off-road trailers, you will be looking at a fairly significant price increase over a regular trailer. For instance Opus makes a regular road going trailer, and an off-road version of the same trailer. The off-road version is almost double the price. Yes you get more features and a beefier overall trailer, but is the increased price worth it to you? That you will have to decide for yourself. Our Top 5 Off Road Trailers to Pair with Your Rooftop Tent Taxa Tiger Moth OverlandHiker Extreme Overland TrailerOff Grid Pando 2.0 TrailerTurtleback TrailerMission Overland Trailer Taxa Tiger Moth Overland https://taxaoutdoors.com We liked the Taxa products right from the get go. We looked at a couple of their bigger options before we bought the iKamper. I liked the Cricket a lot, but with the kids beds being cots hanging from the ceiling, it could have been problematic. Now that we are just looking to sleep two in the trailer the Tiger Moth is a great option. It's small, lightweight, and has lot of features, especially at the $25,000 price point. You could shave almost $7,000 by opting for the regular, non overland, Tiger Moth, but what fun would that be? Off Road Capabilities The Overland Edition is stocked with everything you need to go pretty much anywhere your off-roading heart desires. It is equipped with a Timbren 2200lbs Axle-Less trailer suspension with a 4″ lift and 18" of ground clearance. This ensures you can go off-road without the limitations that a thru-axle will bring. There is also a lock n' roll hitch instead of a ball hitch giving you greater flexibility and movement. The Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT 225/75R16 tires round out this off-road rig. These babies can go anywhere but are still great on-road and in snow. Footprint and Organization Taxa products are very well thought out. The Tiger Moth is 12'10" in length so it is storable in standard garage. Dry weight is 1,458 lbs so it can be towed by basically anything. The sides and back open up for ease of getting in and out, and that open air feel you want when in the great outdoors. As for interior storage, the full bed opens up into a lounge area and reveals 12 cubic feet of storage underneath. Exterior storage includes a plethora of options with a roof cargo deck and an optional tongue mounted toolbox. Kitchen The Tiger Moth has a slide out kitchen with your water stored right above it. The propane for your grill is on the fender just around the corner of the kitchen. There is 5.5 square feet of countertop space which is plenty for any meal time prep. Sleeping The Tiger Moth also has the ability to mount a rooftop tent on top of it. In fact they sell a Tepui 3 person tent if you choose to buy it from them, but the Tiger Moth only has a full bed inside, kind of a bummer for larger families looking to pair with a rooftop tent and have space for everyone. Bonus points for the side hatch that that open up though. Even if you are sleeping in the trailer it gives off a greater, sleeping under the stars sort of vibe. Off Grid Options The Tiger Moth has a built in electrical system, external water system and solar. They claim you can be off-grid for seven or more days which is pretty dang good at this size and price point. The one thing you'll need to account for though is their water storage is just 5 gallons in a jerry can. You will definitely need to be bringing more than that if you are going out for several days. Hiker Extreme Off Road Trailers Hiker Trailer sells a handful of different models, but since we are an off-road focused blog we are going to narrow down to their Extreme Off Road series. For the 5x9 series with whatever custom add ons you want to include, it will cost you about $13,000 -- much less than some of the other options we mention. They are also a Colorado company so maybe we are partial to this one. Speaking of custom add ons, the Hiker Trailer has so many options you won't know where to begin. These guys can do anything and everything for you! The sky is the limit OR for those looking to stick to a tight budget you can get an off road trailer with less bells and whistles at a great price. It will be hard not to jump on some of the add-ons available though. Off Road Capabilities The Extreme comes with a 4,500 lb. Axle with Torsion Suspension and Shocks, 17" Black Aluminum Wheels and 285/70R17 Tires (approx. 33" and also the size tires I currently run on the 4Runner). Rear spare tire mount, rear stabilizers and two front jacks are standard on the Extreme series. Footprint and Organization Dry weight on the Hiker Extreme 5x9 series is 1350 lbs. At this weight we could pull this trailer with our Subaru if we wanted too. (we don't want too though). Kitchen The Hiker Extreme doesn't include a kitchen but it does have a rear galley with varnished wood surfaces that is 17” deep which makes for the perfect DIY setup. If you choose to add on some of the pull out drawers you can have a pretty organized set up. We weren't super concerned with the kitchen when we looked at this one as we like to cook on our Tembo Tusk. Sleeping The Hiker Extreme has a sleeping bay similar to the Tiger Moth. They don't say the exact mattress size but it looks identical to the Tiger Mouth's full bed with the option to fold it up into a couch setup. If you only need to sleep 2 then this should suffice. Much more than 2 and you will probably not get the best night's sleep. Off Grid Options These guys offer a plethora of flexible and permanently mounted solar options if you want to go that route and they will help guide you to the best options for your needs. You can also upgrade to multiple propane options, water tank and mount, hot water package, and rotopax fuel packs. You really get to add only what you need here which is the advantage of the bare bones base price and upgrades from there. Off Grid Pando 2.0 Trailer The Pando is probably the coolest trailer on our list and at $28,000 it isn't obnoxiously more expensive. It is also made of 100% metal so you are really getting the top of the line as far as lightweight durability and longevity. With no wood used in the construction you are also getting something that won't get mildewy in the more humid climates. Off Road Capabilities With a 29 degree departure angle and 21" of ground clearance, the Pando beats out all the other trailers on our list. It features a Timbren 3500HD suspension (4 inch lift) with 12 inch electric brakes and Hopkins break away with battery backup. 265/65/R17 wheels paired with 6×5.5 bolt pattern off-road tires round out the setup. Basically, this thing is a beast. Footprint and Organization Like the Tiger Moth, there is 12 cubic feet of interior storage, but the Pando also includes 10 cubic feet of kitchen storage due to their genius pull down kitchen setup that saves space over the traditional pull out kitchens on trailers like this. Kitchen The Pando's kitchen layout is our favorite on the list. The galley kitchen is the largest of all the kitchens we reviewed with tons of storage. It includes a domestic dual burner propane cooktop and a stainless steel sink with folding faucet (hot and cold water). There is also an aluminum propane tank mount with a 10lb cylinder and a Dometic 57L fridge/freezer. You also get a PANTRY and four large storage areas. An additional Dometic 55L Fridge and slide mount are add on options. Sleeping The interior of the Pando is my wife's favorite setup. It has great organization and shelving and can come equipped with a flat screen tv... a must have for entertaining the crazy tiny humans when it rains. It also has high-density memory foam mattress encased in a custom upholstered and vinyl backed cover aka it is comfortable and fancy. Another win for the females in our lives. Off Grid Options This trailer comes standard with an inverter and a Dometic fridge/freezer installed. You can have solar installed by the manufacturer, or if you like a project you can do it yourself. This will keep the included batteries topped off and keep you out longer. You can also opt for 19 gallons of extra fresh water storage on the trailer as well as a skid plate to protect the tank. Turtleback Trailer https://turtlebacktrailers.com/expeditionseries/ Turtleback trailers have been on my radar for several years. They are built very stout, and are highly capable off-road. One of the most well thought out trailers I have seen. You will need to keep in mind that the sleeping platform on a Turtleback is a rooftop tent on top of the trailer. This is not something you will look at to add sleeping capacity to your already existing rooftop tent, the one downfall as a family. These trailers will also easily run you about $35,000 or more, making them the most expensive on the list. Off Road Capabilities These trailers come standard with the Timbren 3500 LBS axles-less axles, and can be upgraded from there. This trailer really is what you would think of when you think of an off-road or off-grid trailer. Footprint and Organization Since the Turtleback doesn't have a sleeping area like the other trailers it has a huge amount of storage space. 52 cubic feet of storage space! Kitchen The Turtleback Trailer hands down wins in the kitchen category. This thing opens up into a giant prep and cooking area that rivals your kitchen at home. Heck, why not just get rid of your house all together, with this kitchen you can check everything off your list! Two pull down stainless steel prep areas, too many organized pantry drawers to count (all interchangeable), pressure locking system, dual burner stove... It's almost too painful to go on. We want this! Sleeping This unit is jam packed with way too many features.... except it does not include an additional sleeping area. You will definitely need an iKamper rooftop tent (we sleep our family of four in the iKamper now) or a similarly sized rooftop tent if you are planning on sleeping a family. Off Grid Options The Turtleback leads the industry in the off grid section. It includes the largest 42 gallon water tank, 6 gallon water heater, 11 pound propane tank, shower and over 52 cubic feet of storage. There are also solar panel connections. Mission Overland Summit Trailer https://missionoverland.ca This is an amazing little trailer but we want to start right off by saying the roof pops up. So this option will only work if you mount your rooftop tent on your vehicle, which isn't our favorite option since it will not fix the drag drawback of rooftop tents. BUT this option is also awesome in that it gives you 6'4 of standing room when the trailer is popped open. This unit feels most like a traditional camper and for some that is the perfect setup. Off Road Capabilities With a 22" ground clearance and a Timbren axle-less suspension, this trailer keeps up with the rest on the list easily. It also comes standard with 265/70/17 tires which is the stock size on the 4Runner and a 360 degree max coupler hitch. Footprint and Organization There are nine internal storage compartments totally 11.5 cubic feet of storage split up all over the unit and of varying sizes. This is the only unit that includes floor to ceiling storage -- probably because it is the only unit you can actually stand in. This is made possible because of the pop-up top. Kitchen The Summit has a slide out kitchen with dual burner stove and sink and dual zone 69 liter fridge & freezer -- that is pretty dang big. It also has on demand hot water. Pair this with the 270 degree awning add on and you have a huge amount of living/cooking/dining space. Sleeping The Mission Overland Summit Edition has a QUEEN bed. You read that right, a queen. This is rare for an off road trailer and my wife definitely approves. You also have the option of adding on two additional bunks above the queen bed... and get this, they look pretty tiny human friendly. It also includes an external shower...not applicable to the sleeping shower but also a wife approved feature so I'll throw it in here. Should I just do a "wife" section? Probably. Off Grid Options Mission Overland has enough off grid options for a family to get away for a week. 37 gallons of fresh water storage will keep you off grid more than some of the other trailers on the list. You can also add on a 190 watt solar panel kit. Final Thoughts If we were going to go out and buy one of these right now, which who are we kidding if it wasn't for my wife we would do, we would go with the Pando. It is middle of the road as far as price but the feature list is huge. With the all metal frame you can be sure it will last forever and there are a few more creature comforts than the Tiger moth and Hiker Extreme that we feel are worth the additional cost. If you are looking to enter the off road trailer world at a lower cost, go with the Hiker Extreme model. You can get it at a no-frills price and be ready to hit most any trail.