Off-road trailer

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An off-road trailer is designed to be towed behind a 4x4 or off-road vehicle to remote places not possible with a standard utility trailer. Most off-road trailers are associated with Overlanding, the self-reliant exploration of remote locales where the journey is as important as the destination.

Contents

Types of off-road trailers

Caravan

Hard-sided, all living space, and storage are contained inside the trailer. it can have slide-out space such as an outdoor kitchen or gallery. [1]

Pop-Up

A small compact trailer is designed as storage with slide-out features for kitchen or additional storage. Living space is packed down for travel and expanded for camping. Living space can be a pop-up or out that extends from the trailer. [2] When packed, exterior height and center of gravity is often lower than traditional caravan, significantly reducing risk of rollover when offroading.

Tear Drop

While some teardrop trailers are not off-road specific many teardrops are designed with rugged tires, sturdy materials, and suspension flexibility to be taken off the pavement. All storage and living space is contained inside the trailer. Most models have the kitchen outside with a separate door or opening. [3]

Military/Utility (M416/M101)

Retired military trailers are built to withstand rough terrain and conditions often associated with combat zones, which makes them overbuilt for most off-road travel. The trailer is often used as storage and a rooftop tent is typically placed on the top. Trailer models range from 3/4-2-ton payload and were made in a variety of bed configurations. [4]

Features

An off-road trailer has a very distinct difference from a normal pull-behind trailer. An off-road trailer can be taken on a rough trail or road that is only accessible with a 4x4 or AWD vehicle. The trailer will also have several recovery points. The ground clearance is higher than a standard trailer. [5] Frame and body are made of durable lightweight materials. [6] Tires will be all-terrain, mud or off-road made from a thick durable material that is not easily punctured. Large approach, breakover and departure angles. Strong, straight through steel frame, similar to those under high payload trucks used in the construction industry. Rigid solar panels connected to high capacity 12 V lithium batteries and 12 to 240 V inverter. High capacity fuel and drinking water tanks. Air suspension or dual shocks per wheel. External mount for rooftop tent and/or off-road equipment such as shovel, traction boards, hi-lift jack.

Additional articles

Why Off-Road Trailers Are All The Rage. [7]

Off-Road Trailer Buying Guide. [8]

A Tough Little Offroad Trailer That Looks Ready for Anything. [9]

Off-Road Camper Trailers. [10]

What Type of Off-Road Camper Should I Buy? [11]

What is Overlanding. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camping</span> Outdoor recreational activity

Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a bivy or tarp, or no shelter at all. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors, in pursuit of activities providing them enjoyment or an educational experience. Spending the night away from home distinguishes camping from day-tripping, picnicking, and other outdoor activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campsite</span> Place used for overnight stay in the outdoors

Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping. The usage differs between British English and American English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recreational vehicle</span> Types of vehicles

A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans, fifth-wheel trailers, popup campers, and truck campers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caravan (trailer)</span> Type of vehicle

A caravan, travel trailer, camper, tourer or camper trailer is a trailer towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent. It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places where none is available. However, in some countries campers are restricted to designated sites for which fees are payable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campervan</span> Type of vehicle

A campervan, also referred to as a camper, caravanette, motorhome or RV in North America, is a self-propelled vehicle that provides both transport and sleeping accommodation. The term describes vans that have been fitted out, whereas a motorhome is one with a coachbuilt body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorhome</span> Type of vehicle

A motorhome is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle (RV) which is as the name suggests, like a home on wheels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overland train</span> Type of oversized semi-trailer truck that could travel over most terrain

In the 1950s, LeTourneau Inc. developed several overland trains, essentially oversized semi-trailer trucks that could travel over almost any terrain. Their intention was to be able to handle logistics needs without being dependent on local road or rail systems, allowing them to operate in back-country areas. The US Army had three experimental units built, the largest reaching almost 600 feet (183 m) long, which holds the record for the longest off-road vehicle. Road trains are in use in certain roles today, but the US Army examples and a few derivatives appear to be the only off-road examples built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teardrop trailer</span> Type of caravan

A teardrop trailer, also known as a teardrop camper trailer, is a streamlined, compact, lightweight caravan, which gets its name from its teardrop profile. They usually only have sleeping space for two adults and often have a basic kitchen in the rear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suspension lift</span>

A suspension lift is a modification to a vehicle to raise the ride height. It is done for the purpose of improving the off road performance of SUVs or trucks and other off-road vehicles, or for cosmetic purposes. Suspension lifts can enable steeper approach, departure, and breakover angles, higher ground clearance, and helps accommodate larger wheels and tires. Due to the raised center of gravity, maximum safe operating angles can be reduced and roadholding is often significantly impaired. Sensors, transmitters and cameras may need to be recalibrated, physically relocated or modified to maintain normal functioning of features like AEB, ACC or FSD. Suspension lifts are also found on a number of high performance sports cars, in which a very low ground clearance is used to improve handling, using an aerodynamic effect known as downforce; examples include the Ferrari 488, Lamborghini Huracan, McLaren 720S, and the second generation Ford GT. Such vehicles activate the suspension lift while traversing road bumps and ramps to avoid damaging the front underbody of the vehicle when driving on public roads; the suspension lift is deactivated on race tracks and level roads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truck camper</span> Type of vehicle

In North America, the term truck camper and its abbreviation TC are generally used to refer to any recreational vehicle or RV that may be carried in the bed of a pickup truck. In North America, this RV type is sometimes known as a slide-in or cab-over.

Richard Cepek was an American off-road motorsports hall of fame member. He is known for starting a 4x4 offroad tire and parts supplier in 1963. Dick Cepek Tires was one of the first off-road enterprises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bead breaker</span> Automotive Tool

A bead breaker is a tool used for separating tires from rims. The innermost diameter of the tire that interfaces with the rim of a wheel is called the tire bead. The bead is a thicker section of rubber, and is reinforced with braided steel cables, called the bead bundle. The surface of the bead creates a seal between the tire and rim on radial and bias-ply tires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Hur trailer</span> U.S. Army cargo trailer

Ben Hur trailer was the nickname of the World War II U.S. Army Trailer, 1-ton payload, 2-wheel, cargo, and the Trailer, 1-ton payload, 2-wheel, water tank, 250 gallon. Specialized variants were also manufactured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popup camper</span> Type of vehicle

A pop-up camper is a type of towed recreational vehicle that can be collapsed for easy storage and transport. When set up, this type of trailer provides a large amount of interior space when compared to its size when collapsed. Its relatively affordable price makes it a popular choice for some RVers and its small size contributes to easier towing than many other types of RVs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willys M38</span> Type of 1/4-short-ton (230 kg) 4x4 truck

The Willys MC, formally the 1⁄4-Ton, 4 x 4, Utility Truck M38, or the G‑740 by its U.S. Army Standard Nomenclature supply catalog designation, is a quarter-ton four-wheel drive military light utility vehicle made by Willys between 1949 and 1952. It replaced, and succeeded the World War II Willys MB and Ford GPW models, with a total production of some 50,000 units — less than one tenth the number of WWII models built. Unlike during WWII, Ford was no longer involved in the production.

Jeepspeed is an off-road organization and class of racing vehicle. The Jeepspeed organization was founded by Mike Barnett and Clive Skilton in 2001 after Clive's visit to the Dakar Rally in Africa with his son and multi-time Dakar Rally competitor, Darren Skilton, with the intent to build a racing vehicle and series around the affordable and durable Jeep. Jeepspeed developed relationships with race promoters like MORE and Best in the Desert to create a five to seven race Jeepspeed racing series each season. The class has since expanded into four divisions and opened up to other Jeep and Dodge vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 IFMAR 1:10 Electric Off-Road World Championships</span>

The 2015 IFMAR 1:10 scale Electric Off-Road World Championships is the 16th edition of the IFMAR 1:10 Electric Off-Road World Championship for 1:10 scale radio-controlled electric off-road buggies sanctioned by the International Federation of Model Auto Racing (IFMAR). It was run over two separate classes over eight days from 3 to 10 October, with each class running for three days each in total.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeep Gladiator (JT)</span> American mid-size pickup truck

The Jeep Gladiator is a mid-size pickup truck manufactured by the Jeep division of Stellantis North America. It was introduced at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show on November 28, 2018, and went on sale in the spring of 2019 as a 2020 model. Based on the same platform as the Wrangler JL, the Gladiator is Jeep's first pickup truck since the Comanche was discontinued in 1992.

EarthCruiser is an Australian company that designs and manufactures off-road recreational vehicles and truck campers for expedition and overlanding. The company was founded in 2008 by Lance Gillies and Michelle Boltz after the couple could not find a suitable overland vehicle for undertaking the Great Sandy Desert. EarthCruiser's motto is, "Go Further, Stay Longer."

References

  1. ↑ "OverKill adventure trailer pops out to provide a comfy footprint on barren ground". newatlas.com. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  2. ↑ "TetonX off-road trailers slide out modern conveniences at camp". newatlas.com. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  3. ↑ Rogala, Bryan (2017-05-17). "Tested: The World's Most Affordable Teardrop Trailer". Outside Online. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  4. ↑ "Ultimate Off-Road Camp Trailer". Four Wheeler. 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  5. ↑ "Overland Trailer info". Flatwater Overland. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  6. ↑ Ruggiero, Adam (2018-04-27). "10 Off-Road Trailers & Teardrops Under $10,000". GearJunkie. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  7. ↑ "Why Off-Road Trailers Are All the Rage". DrivingLine. 8 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  8. ↑ "The Ultimate Off Road Trailer Buyer's Guide 2019 -". www.theadventureportal.com. 2019-02-04. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  9. ↑ Housman, Justin (2018-10-03). "A Tough Little Offroad Trailer That Looks Ready for Anything". Adventure Journal. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  10. ↑ "Mobile Basecamp: The 12 Most Badass Off-Road Camper Trailers". HiConsumption. 2019-02-19. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  11. ↑ "What type of offroad camper trailer should I buy?". Practical Motoring. 2017-07-14. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  12. ↑ "What is Overlanding :: Overland Journal". overlandjournal.com. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
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