What type of Bedroom do you take?

[bufeo]

Okay, I apologize up front. Here I am a newbee to this BB and I'm alreadysearching for information, but we (my wife of 40+ years and I) are still looking for that perfect rig to tow behind our 4WD into the backcountry. We've tent-camped until pegs are coming out of...oh never mind. Maybe we're suffering from the Goldilocks syndrome. You know, this porridge is too hot; this....

In 1999 we thought that we had that rig, a "Conqueror" safari trailer manufactured in South Africa and imported into the states by Safari Trailers, LLC, in Reno, NV. Indeed it was--is--an incredible backcountry tent-trailer. I won't go into specifics. You can find their web site if you are interested.

Short of the story is that after my wife suffered a serious horse accident in 2002 it became too difficult for her to ascend and descend the ladder into the tent which is on top of the military-style trailer. We were forced to re-think our backcountry living amenities and with regret sold the Conq to a friend of ours.

Unfortunately, we were spoiled by the quality and superior, rugged workmanship of the Conq, and everything in 5th-wheels or tow-trailers we look at pales in comparison to that trailer. I'm just not sure that these mass-produced trailers will follow our truck into backcountry campsites we choose to frequent.

We just returned from getting an up-close and personal look at the EarthRoamer and find it to be the best-equipped, best-made backcountry 4WD truck camper that we've seen. Unfortunately, it is still a truck camper. By that I mean, we would not be able to use it as a "Base Camp" unless we towed a smaller 4WD behind it, sort of defeating our purpose of flexibility. We prefer setting up camp and then motoring out to pursue our habits (fly-fishing, rock-hounding, photography, etc.).

We just returned from a short trip into the Mojave Desert with a 2004 model 5th wheel that we bought last fall, and I'm not sure this thing will make the cut for varsity.

We would be interested in knowing if any of you have trailers or have seen trailers that you would recommend. We anticipate making another trip to the Yukon (5th) next summer, and judging from the items that fell off our trailer this week there won't be much left by the time we get to Nass River, B.C.

Any suggestions or references will be appreciated. Sorry to be so lengthy.

[JackSilb]

Welcome!
No need to be sorry for any question. Your questions may help other people in the future.

I hope I understood correctly your question.
We have discussed some tents and other options in this Forum. Please do a search on tent. You should be ablet o post more questions on that particular Thread.

This weekend Scott B. took his really cool trailer with him. It is very capable on the trails. It has a comfy bad that makes you want to take a nap.

Maybe Scott can post some more pictures here. The bad news is that you can not buy this kind of trailer new anymore. You may find one used.

My favorite setup is what some folks here have with the TOYOTA TACOMA. You sleep on the back. People build a platform that enables you to store gear under your bed. But you need to do some climbing.

See BajaTaco and StveS (A.K.A 007 and batman) rigs.

Looking forwardmeeting you in a trip soon.

-JACK

</div>


So much to see, so little time. Try using your 4WD tosee and do more.
Tread Lightly! empowers generations to enjoy the outdoors responsibly...
http://www.4wdtrips.net


Post Edited (JackSilb) : 2/18/2004 11:32:32 PM GMT

[BajaTaco]

Hello! I think you have some tough decisions on your hands. Your wife's requirements and the places you like to go will make your quest an interesting one, but you should stick to your search and think of every idea you can. Hopefully you will come up with something work-able. If you have patience and some $ to put into it, my guess is that you will probably end up building something custom, or modifying something that is already almost what you want. I think the off-road trailer idea sounds like a good place to start, and maybe the best option for you since you want to be able to "base camp" in remote/rugged areas. Obviously, you already had one and really liked it. Have you thought about maybe adding a hydraulic, pnuematic, or electric lift toan off-road trailer camper- to lift your wife up to the level necessary for entry to the tent? If electric, a battery bank could possibly be charged up by adding a device to generate electricity from the turning wheels maybe? As Jack mentioned, there are lots of off-road trailers out there, and I think I posted a bunch of links elsewhere on the forum. It seemed like Scott's trailer was set up so that the bed was adjacent to a fold-out floor that is not too high off the ground. Doron (another forum member here) has an off-road trailer/camper also. (I think he built his). Those guys are good to talk to on this subject.

Then again, maybe you are trying to say that you already did the off-road trailer thing and you want to do something different now?


http://www.bajataco.com

[bufeo]

Jack,</div>
Many thanks for the reply.</div>
I think it was Scott B. who pointed out that one will have to construct his own version of an off-road trailer, and that may be the case. I am in touch with a company who builds trailers and they will do such a thing if I give them the specs. What I don't want to do is re-invent the wheel. If there is a non-tent-trailer that someone on this BB thinks is a good-quality, suitable off-roadrig, I will be interested in learning about it.

That's my question. If one wants to skip the rest of this post he/she will miss only my reasons for the search.
I had seen Scott'strailer in his signature and also a similar trailerin another poster's sig--Doron maybe?--and both of their rigs look to be similar to the South African "Conqueror" that we owned. This type of camper is a marvelous "follow you anywhere" chuck-wagon-tent-type of setup. We've been without our safari trailer for less than a year and we miss some of its attributes already.</div>
My earlier searches on this BB (using various parameters) for tents, campers, trailers, kitchens, etc. are filling a cache file with useful information.These searches lead me off on tangents with other useful info--but then, I'm easily distracted from my task.</div>
Our trips since 1960 have taken us over many miles of backcountry roads to remote areas all the way from the Tropic of Cancer to the Arctic Circle--mostly west of the Mississippi. We know there is no "perfect" vehicle, which Scott B. pointed out in one of his posts.

When we gave EarthRoamer a scrutiny last week we determined that it comes the closest to affording all the attributes we consider desirable for our travels. The one drawback of any single-vehicle camper is that you lose your ability to strike out from a base camp without disrupting most of the camp. A day trip requires nearly as much organization as the main expedition.

A tent or trailer gives one the opportunity to leave camp somewhat intact while going off in all directions of the compass on side-trips.

Backcountry enthusiasts set limits to their adventures with the purchase of their vehicle. Our truck can carry, tow, or push much more that our old trusty CJ-5 but it won't go the places the CJ would take us.

Having made the decision to own a 2500HD short bed we have our "platform", and now we are searching for that next items--the kitchen sink and its "container".

I understand that many persons who take the time to read this thread at all (and thank you for that)are saying to themselves, "For God's sake, dude, go get a good tent!"

We've done that, many times over. We've set up tents and shelters in the pouring rain, in snow storms, and in sand storms. We've had our tent literally blown flat on top of us on the Pacific Coast of Baja; we've had wind-blown sand "dune-up" on one side of the tent to the point that my wife was being compressed; we've had bears nose around; and, naturally, we've fought those leaks that inevitably occur. At ages 67 and 64 respectively, I and my wife still want to get into the backcountry, but with a few, very few, creature comforts.

We're now in a search fora trailer that is well-built for off-highway use and has just a few of the amenities of towable cabin. I suspect that someone on this BB has seen such a creature. We don't need the slide-out versions of travel trailers and 5th-wheelers that one sees in the Wal-Mart parking lots and their owners call that camping. We don't need to be tethered to a TV cable or electricity or sewer pipe(our house in Baja is completely off the grid in this respect). Solar panels and golfcart batteries supply us with all the lighting we need and "cat holes" or cassete toilets are sufficient waste disposal choices.

We're cognizant of the fact that many persons don't consider a trailer of any type to be camping, but that's a separate issue. Some of our friends believe that if you can't carry it on your back you don't need it.

Maybe a few of you have read this far. My, what patience you have! I hope we do meet in some remote spot of the country. You all have heard the expression: "Good roads, bad people. Bad roads, good people."

Thanks again for reading and for any suggestion you might have--even humorous ones.

FLYWGN (BTW, that's our license plate.)

[bufeo]

BajaTaco,
Thanks for the response. You were replying as I was composing my last msg. My wife will shoot me when she reads one of your suggestions (That would solve my problem, now wouldn't it?). I regret that I made it look as though she is completely incapacitated, and that is not the case. Broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a fractured vertebra from the horse accident left her with some discomforts--but not so much that she will need a lift. It was just that climbing up and down the ladder of the Conqueror was difficult--plus, it's a tent with all the problems that accompany setting up and striking a tent.
I will go back and look for the links you posted re: off-road trailers.
Thanks again.

[BajaTaco]

FLYWGN said...


... Maybe a few of you have read this far. My, what patience you have! I hope we do meet in some remote spot of the country. You all have heard the expression: "Good roads, bad people. Bad roads, good people."Yea, I read the whole thing, and rather enjoyed it! I hope we can meet up some time too. I admire your dedication to doing something you enjoyso much (exploring the great outdoors), andcontinuing to do itfor so many years.

After reading your comments, please don't show my first post to your wife http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/emoticons/lol.gif

It seems as though you like the idea of a trailer, but one without a tent? I can definitely relate to your experience with tents. This is a good reason why I love the way I have my Tacoma camper set up.We can be camped in the rain, snow,or a nasty sand storm, and still sleep like babies. However, it seems that a sleep-in compact camper might be a little too spartan for your needs and wants. You said that you have your exploration rig already (your truck), so maybe you should think about removing the bed from the rear of the chassis, and building a tray/box for it that will stand on jacks. When you get to camp, you just lower the feet and drive out from under it. You could make something that is as lightweight as possible, without actually being a tent. It would take a lot of $ and planning, but seems do-able. A trailer is obviously a choice, but without some sort of a flip-out tent type setup, it would need to be pretty big to tow on tough trails.


http://www.bajataco.com

[expeditionswest]

Thanks for stopping by the forum!</div>
I have spent MANY hours researching these vehicles, and this subject. I hope some of these suggestions help.</div>
Depending on how difficult the roads are that you intend to travel, I have several suggestions that will address the access needs you have.</div>
Trailer Solutions:</div>
Light off-road:</div>
http://www.timeout-trailers.com/ie/pages/campers/time_out/index.html- Low clearance</div>
http://www.aliner.com/page16.html- Hardsided pop-up with shower/toilet, etc.</div>
Moderate Off-Road:</div>
http://www.jayco.com/html/catalog/product.php?prod_id=52- This unit is actually very nice, and has lots! of clearance. No wider than your HD2500 but not practical for my narrower vehicles.</div>
http://www.trailmasterinc.com/aspclassic/aspclassic.html- You would need to "lift" the body and install larger tires. Very similar to my trailer.</div>
http://www.kamparoo.com/transspecs.htm- A nice trailer, with a low bed/deck height, but sufficient clearance for most "roads"</div>
http://www.windwardcampers.com/camperframe.htm- Another fiberglass trailer that can be modified for additional clearance </div>
Heavy Off-Road:</div>
My trailer is the only one available (no longer) in the US that can be used for heavy off-road conditions that does not require a ladder for access to the bed. Several of the above trailers could be modified with skidplates, big tires, etc. that might put it into this category.
http://www.expeditionswest.com/vehicles/ewvehicles/VenturCraft/index.htmlMy trailers webpage
http://www.expeditionswest.com/2003Box-Ovens/roverboxledge.WMVVideo of the trailer in action
http://www.expeditionswest.com/adventures/2003/florence_Nov_2003/images/11-02-03%20015_jpg.jpg

Other options:

You should consider adding a fourwheeler camper to your HD2500. They have been used around the world by the Westcott's (turtle Expedition fame) You have a large vehicle anyway, so the camper would not be a limiting factor.
http://www.fourwheelcampers.com/products.htm
http://www.turtleexpedition.com/

The Earthroamer is a VERY interesting vehicle, and I have actually had several discussions with Mr. Swails about his unit and some of my adventures. That vehicle is at the extreme end of luxury, technology, costand size. It would be an excellent choice for most formed/maintained"roads", but would not be appropriate for the trails most of these members drive. He also sells some very cool equipment on his site that everyone should take a look at. This guy is really living the dream...
http://www.earthroamer.com/

Take a look at these vans. They are actually quite capable. If I did not run the more challenging terrain, this is what I would own. Seriously! Alan Feld is the owner, and very knowledgable. They even entered one of their vans into a rock crawling competition to show its capabilities. They have solid axles, big diesel motors, and are very nice inside!
http://www.sportsmobile.com/4_4x4sports.html

So those are my thoughts on the subject


Scott Brady
mailto:guide@expeditionswest.com (guide@expeditionswest.com)
http://www.expeditionswest.com

[bufeo]

bajataco-
My wife was amused...whew!
I like you suggestion re: removing current bed. Actually, the road from Puertecitos to Pta Bufeo is assisting in this process.
Scott B.-
Great links! Many thanks. You and bajataco have given me an idea re: our current vehicle. Now I have homework.

One can make the argument that D (my wife) and I are playing the Goldilocks game. You know. This porridge is too hot...this porridge is too cold...etc. We will most definitely end up making compromises.

[JackSilb]

Boy,

I was away for some time and you guys get all of this going!? http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/emoticons/ok-kewl.gif
Nice, very nice.u

I am sure lots of people will benefit from all this good stuff.

FLYWGN
Please keep us posted on your progress and share with us some of your experiences. We need to meet you and your wife.

-JACK
</div>


So much to see, so little time. Try using your 4WD tosee and do more.
Tread Lightly! empowers generations to enjoy the outdoors responsibly...
http://www.4wdtrips.net


Post Edited (JackSilb) : 2/25/2004 6:54:41 AM GMT