Teardrop/Off Road Camper Trailers Master Thread

[Ascole]

After a lot of research and patience I was lucky enough to pick up a lightly used SoCal teardrop. Big fan of the suspension; straight axle with leaf spring and shock. Plus the craftsmanship is amazing.

I was using an off-road trailer with a RTT before this and really enjoyed it but I wanted something that was more 4 season friendly.

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[Jetboy]

I've posted mine before. But it's a DIY teardrop. Been through a few iterations. I would not built a teardrop shape again. It's not aerodynamic. And the rear hatch is a PITA to form steel and also not very useful. A side opening rear door or barn doors would be better.

Overall - I've been everywhere from the California coast to the Canadian border with it and we've spent probably 100? nights in it over the past couple years. Not sure how many days we've spent. But it's been quite a few. I've re-done a lot of parts on it after owning it and finding out what needs to change.

I have no heater. It is fully insulated - walls are foam/wood sandwich construction and the roof is all insulated as well. So it stays warm enough with body heat. I did build in an A/C unit and an inverter large enough to run the A/C unit off battery/solar power for a few hours. This was pretty critical for us - not for the people, but for our dog. When we travel with our dog to places like southern Utah - it's really nice to be able to leave her in the camper for an hour or two and have it say cool. It also of course works on shore power if we're somewhere that has electricity, but I rarely need to do that. I do not use a generator and try as often as possible to stay in campgrounds that do not allow them. Also - it has no hot water. I'd love to have hot water! It has a 24ish gallon fresh water tank with a pump and sink in the kitchen and only about a 12 gallon gray water tank. Since it's only dish water or face washing - I often drain it at the camp site if it's allowed. It has a two burner propane stove and a 12v fridge/freezer on a pull out drawer in the rear kitchen.
No interior bathroom or shower. It does have a pull out porta potty setup on the driver's side.

It has a matching track as the 4Runner and uses FJ Cruiser wheels with some lower profile tires. Still has about the same ground clearance as the vehicle because no differential down there. And can share spare tires etc. I also built the chassis and it's made to handle moderate off-road use. The gray water tank is the only tank underneath and it has a steel skid plate. But it's usually the rear bumper or the hitch that drags the most. The way I adapted the axle for FJ Cruiser wheels was to use a wheel spacer with the correct pattern for a Toyota. The spacer bolts on and then has the correct Toyota 12mm lugs to use OEM lugnuts that fit correctly with Toyota wheels. It has your typical 3500lb axle with electric drum brakes. I think it weighs around 1500-2000lbs, but I've never put it on a scale, so I don't know.

In the next year or two I think we're going to probably buy a bigger camper. We have a 1year old and it was great with 2. It's tight with 3 when one of them kinda needs a crib of some sort to sleep in. The interior area is roughly 8' long and a bit under 6' wide.

I built chassis and everything from there up to a CAD design I made before I started. Overall I think the total cost is probably in the range of $3000 in materials. If I remember correctly - I think that it took about 5 or 6 weekends to build from start to my original finishing point. I did "cheat" in some sense in that I have a CNC router that I could cut all of the panels and parts on so that really helps speed up the build. I also have a plasma setup on the same CNC machine so the metal brackets and other parts are also very fast and easy to cut to size/shape.

 

[Cymon]

We went down the whole RTT to RTT on Trailer, to now having a small camper trailer rabbit hole.

In all of the research the biggest thing that was realized is that it really was all about compromises. Because of the way we travel we needed something that could setup quick (we normally get into camp late at night after long drives), could sleep a small family of 4 and could supply us on multi-week trips. We also wanted something that would work as well off-grid dispersed camping as it would in National Park/State Park campgrounds and give us an option for A/C so we could camp in the Florida summer heat.

We decided to give up some "off-roadability" for convenience and comfort. After tons of research it brought us to the Taxa line of products, specifically the Taxa Cricket. We luckily got in on a new late model 2018 last December before the pandemic camper rush and got a pretty good deal on it.

We had it customized with a Lock n' Roll hitch, 120ah lithium battery and it is already pre-wired for solar. We also have a portable A/C that we can bring along and hook-up when needed (although we do need shore power to run it for more than a couple hours).

I would definitely classify this as an "off-pavement" trailer as opposed to "off-road" trailer, but it has gotten us to camp where we want to off the beaten path. In addition it sets up in less that 5 minutes (this is not an exaggeration).

So far we have about 10,000 miles of road-trip in it, with over 500 "off-pavement" miles and it has been perfect for us. I have more pics and write-up on my thread.

Our camping progression...

 

[BigSur4R]

Teton X

Check out the Teton X hybrid

Hybrid | TetonX

Teardrop, but with a pop-up top (6'6" stand up height). queen or king bunk with optional bunks for kids

Overlanding capable?
Steel frame
Timberlin suspension
2500- 3000lbs?

available 12v a/c, heater, hot water, kitchen. Outdoor shower, port-a-potty...

Starts at low 20k, but minimal options at that price...

made in Utah

 

[Cymon]

Check out the Teton X hybrid

Hybrid | TetonX

Teardrop, but with a pop-up top (6'6" stand up height). queen or king bunk with optional bunks for kids

Overlanding capable?
Steel frame
Timberlin suspension
2500- 3000lbs?

available 12v a/c, heater, hot water, kitchen. Outdoor shower, port-a-potty...

Starts at low 20k, but minimal options at that price...

made in Utah

I agree, I researched these heavily along with VMI Off-Road’s extender line. I would have likely gone with one of them instead of our Taxa but we needed ours to be garageable (under 83” in total height). These are 86”.

 

[Ascole]

Check out the Teton X hybrid

Hybrid | TetonX

Teardrop, but with a pop-up top (6'6" stand up height). queen or king bunk with optional bunks for kids

Overlanding capable?
Steel frame
Timberlin suspension
2500- 3000lbs?

available 12v a/c, heater, hot water, kitchen. Outdoor shower, port-a-potty...

Starts at low 20k, but minimal options at that price...

made in Utah

I looked into these as well but the wait time was around 14 months last I checked.


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[D Boogie C]

Has anyone had a trailer built by Escapod? We have one ordered, but curious what others had.

 

[Ogre75]

Pretty sure this is the macdaddy of all off road campers... I shudder to think of the price...

BRUDER EXP-6 EXPEDITION TRAILER (Detailed) - 2019 - YouTube

 

[el_kab0ng]

What AC vendors are these camper builders using? Climateright is out of stock indefinitely (with the rumor that a new model is being released in 2021) and alternatives are drying up.

 

[AgentKooper]

Interesting thread, and possibly a very expensive one for me, so thanks a lot ...

Anyone had any experience with Bean teardrops? Colorado company whose designs look pretty cool.


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[Jetboy]

What AC vendors are these camper builders using? Climateright is out of stock indefinitely (with the rumor that a new model is being released in 2021) and alternatives are drying up.

I don't know what they're mostly using. I used a window mount $150 A/C mounted in a cabinet and then made some metal ducting along with a waterproof door so it would be sealed when not in use. Cheap. Efficient. Clean install and no extruding AC to cause more drag. I'd guess that's probably the most common setup for teardrops.

Here's how mine is. The picture was partially finished interior. But you can see where it lives. On window mounts it's pretty easy to modify the ducting behind it with normal HVAC ducting to vend to the outside cleanly so you draw in fresh air and exhaust the hot air.

I don't have a heater in mine. Never really had a need for it. It's small and insulated. But the AC in the southwest is pretty great.

The hatch panel door you see to the right of the entry door is where my ducts enter/exit for the AC. Most campers just use a louvered vent cover. But I go offroad in dusty conditions a lot and I like to keep it sealed when not in use. So I used an o-ring sealed door (hatch cover) and then have the vent grille inside of that. The only issue run into is if I forget to open the door. Then it just recirculates the hot air and doesn't work. But it doesn't seem to overheat or anything. One other bonus of the small window mount style is that it draws roughly 7amps at startup on 120v or 850 watts. So it runs well on a 1000 watt (2000 peak) inverter and I can run on my batteries for a few hours if necessary.

The other great idea I've seen if it's a small teardrop is to just carry a 10x10 instant up canopy. Put it over top of the camper when you park it - instant shade and keeps the camper much cooler.

 

[Cymon]

What AC vendors are these camper builders using? Climateright is out of stock indefinitely (with the rumor that a new model is being released in 2021) and alternatives are drying up.

5,000 btu Portable A/C (can be found at Lowe's). Pulls about 600 watts with the compressor running. 6" vent hole cut in the side of the trailer with an outdoor 6" plastic drainage grate. Used the cut out hole as a plug. It works well in dry climates, in our humid Florida weather it takes the edge off.

You can see the vent hole cover from the outside in the last pic.

 

[Blackwatch]

Has anyone towed a Nucamp tab 320 Boondock teardrop with a 4runner?

15'3" long
7'8" high
1946 dry weight

It seems like the 4runner would do well aside from catching wind from the height.

TAB S Teardrop Camper Sizes, Weights, and Other Specifications

 

[Unretired]

Rent One First

Has anyone towed a Nucamp tab 320 Boondock teardrop with a 4runner?

15'3" long
7'8" high
1946 dry weight

It seems like the 4runner would do well aside from catching wind from the height.

TAB S Teardrop Camper Sizes, Weights, and Other Specifications

4Runner had no issues with the size of the T@B, but I did.

Recommend you rent a trailer to get an idea before you commit.
I've used RVShare and Outdoorsy - both went great.

T@B layout looks perfect on paper and probably would be if you were 5.5ft tall and 120 pounds.
I'm 6'3" and 230lbs.
I literally cooked on my knees.
Trying to use the bathroom was a comedy routine.
I could #1 if I went through some contortions. #2 or a shower were simply not possible.

I rented a T@G next trip.
Bigger bed and clamshell kitchen in the back - much better layout.
Popup shelter with a bucket toliet worked fine, but certainly not as classy.

Intech Flyer Pursue was my next rental, but that trip ended up getting cancelled.
I like the idea of being able to use the trailer to haul some stuff on rare occasions (kids in college).
And it fits in a garage.
Maybe test drive one of these in the spring.

 

[Blackwatch]

4Runner had no issues with the size of the T@B, but I did.

Recommend you rent a trailer to get an idea before you commit.
I've used RVShare and Outdoorsy - both went great.

T@B layout looks perfect on paper and probably would be if you were 5.5ft tall and 120 pounds.
I'm 6'3" and 230lbs.
I literally cooked on my knees.
Trying to use the bathroom was a comedy routine.
I could #1 if I went through some contortions. #2 or a shower were simply not possible.

I rented a T@G next trip.
Bigger bed and clamshell kitchen in the back - much better layout.
Popup shelter with a bucket toliet worked fine, but certainly not as classy.

Intech Flyer Pursue was my next rental, but that trip ended up getting cancelled.
I like the idea of being able to use the trailer to haul some stuff on rare occasions (kids in college).
And it fits in a garage.
Maybe test drive one of these in the spring.

Good point, I am 5'10" and the tab is 5'9" but no one walks around at attention like we do when we are getting measured. Definitely need to walk around in one and get in the shower.
The Sol Rover and Airstream Basecamp look a lot nicer but the weight jumps up about 700 pounds more plus it will be higher on the highway.
I'm trying to find out if I can legally drive a trailer in Europe. It looks like the total weight limit is 4250 kgs in the UK and EU before you need the next license upgrade.
Aside from the Europe angle I was hoping to limit the size of the trailer but still keep the full bathroom.

Edit... just looking at the bed and it is small, ugh! 71"x70", the other trailers are 76 and 80".

 

[el_kab0ng]

As an update to this long standing thread, I opted to go with the Expedition 2.0 from Offgrid Trailers up in Alberta, Canada. This comes after almost a year of research and talking to multiple vendors, so it was a well thought out decision on my part. The only downside is, with all the shortages, my order (which was put in back in October) won't get delivered until April of 22.

I'm not sure about how you guys approach major purchases, but customer service is just as important to me as feature/function/reliability. OGT embodies all of that and has been a great company to work with!

Expedition 2.0 All Metal Off Road Camper - Off Grid Trailers

 

[Andrew90]

Just getting into some of these... Amazing thread and some great tips and choicess

 

[el_kab0ng]

If anyone was interested, I wrapped up my 23rd video of my experiences with the Expedition 2.0 in 2022. It's been a great 9 month experience and I'm really looking forward to more trips in 2023 now that a buddy of mine also got a similar trailer earlier this month (December of 2022 depending on when you read this.)

If you're still researching and considering investing in in a trailer 2023, take a look at my channel first:

The OGT:EX2 Overlanding Experience - YouTube