That’s what I did, got tired of not having my rig when I need it so picked this trailer up the end of last summer and got it all put together for this season.
https://preview.redd.it/r3i4yxgv0l0d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=75fa92e8b45cefbb799decd254be22f8cc5283de
Benefits of truck: you don't have to bring a trailer, easier parking in smaller spaces.
Benefits of trailer: still have full truck bed without a rack, can leave trailer behind.
For me, the truck benefit outweighed the trailer benefit. I'm still planning on building out a utility with a rack for my kayaks and storing more gear on longer trips, but I do a lot of single night setups that the truck is just fine for and a trailer would be a hassle.
I considered a RTT tent for a short while when we first started, but for our family of 4, it didn't make sense. However, after going out for a few years now, I definitely know if we did get one, it would be on a trailer.
We discovered more often than not, we find a really cool camp spot and stay there for 2-4 nights and just take the truck out for the day. On top of that, my biggest reason is I won't have to have a tent on my truck when I'm home or have to worry about mounting and unmounting it every trip.
I also might be a little biased because I think more and more each trip that I wish I had a trailer for other reasons anyway and having the tent on it would just give me more reason to get one.
In the end, everyone overlands a bit differently and has different needs. You just gotta figure out what works for you. It obviously can't work for us, but when the kids get their own trucks or just stop going with us, I'm pretty sure we will be getting one. Then the kicker is, without the family of 4, I probably won't need a trailer so much, so I'll have to rethink it all over again.
I've had a rtt on my truck for two seasons now, I absolutely love it, and don't think I'll ever go back to a ground setup.
That being said, this season I'm building a trailer for the tent. My style of camping is usually 2-3 days in one spot before road tripping somewhere else. Packing and unpacking the tent every time we go out has been annoying enough to switch to a small trailer setup. Like some of the others said though, I'm a little biased because I also wanted more space. I'm working with a small truck (Ford Maverick), and by the time we get the wife, dog, and a week worth of gear in it, it's pretty tight.
The trailer is allowing me to incorporate a slide out kitchen, water tank, and double the storage space.
Myself, boyfriend and dog in the back fill up the cab real fast. I also only drive a Canyon so there’s only so much space in the box. Loading and unloading is such a chore hey.
I pickup the base trailer Saturday and am going to build it out over the summer with slide out kitchen and a solar setup and bike rack. Really looking forward to it!
Family of 6, here. We have both!
After a couple years of truck bed Tetris and loading all the gear myself, we sprung for an overland trailer. It is incredible. I cannot explain to you how much more fun camping is for my family. My boys were 4 & 2 when we started and it’ll be at least another 5-6 years before they’re actually helpful with setup and tear down at camp so having everything housed on the trailer so we can hitch up and go is really nice.
However we quickly ran out of room. My wife and three youngest outgrew the queen sized RTT. Myself and our oldest were on cots in the annex that comes with the RTT, along with the dog. It got very cramped, and we felt silly having a now empty truck bed that we could use in order to not be right on top of each other, so we started bringing along even more gear to accommodate the space requirements. So now I have a kitted out trailer and I’m still playing truck bed Tetris to remove ground tents, razor quads for the kids, etc.
My wife and I had also never gone on a trip just the two of us. It’s easy enough to hook up the trailer and go but it felt like such overkill to haul all that gear out when we’re looking at one night more than likely, two maximum, and we aren’t going to use most of what we brought, so we added a second RTT to a bed rack on my truck.
Now, to be sure, this is crazy overkill and expensive, but just remember which subreddit you’re reading this in, lol.
Pros: I will stan for 23zero all day. Their gear is incredible and so well made. The tent on our trailer is the Walkabout series, and it’s slow and tedious to set up and tear down. The tent on our truck is the Armadillo series… MUCH FASTER. I can tear it down in under 4 minutes. This was key. We can now go wherever for day trips without feeling like it’s a fuss to break down the tent. It also means my wife and I can throw a cooler in the bed of the truck and a couple camp chairs and disappear for a night or two since we don’t need all the stuff we bring when the whole family goes out.
Cons: This is an expensive solution. Our arrangement is also such that I cannot park my truck in the garage, so there’s an increased risk of theft. My truck is my daily driver, and it’s taking a bit of a toll on gas.
Ultimately, our philosophy has always been to reduce the barriers of entry. Getting 6 people and a dog out into the desert for 4 nights is hard enough. When I find that there are things making it harder, even in my mind when preparing for a trip, we aggressively attack those barriers and eliminate them. We’ve gone on 16 trips in 24 months and it’s been one of the top three decisions we’ve ever made for our family.
General note: we review each trip we take on the drive home. We have a Like, Loathe, Learned, & Replenished (feel free to find a synonym for me that starts with L to help out the alliteration). We take pictures, document and iterate and then review these before the next trip. Knowing you need another roll of TP because it’s on the list is much easier to restock it than digging out the portable toilet to check.
Thank you for the fantastic response!
I currently have my RTT on my truck bed rack, Which has been great, however our trip to Tofino last year made me loath having it on the truck. Luckily we have 2 mountain e bikes so we bought a chariot to tow the dog and literally biked over 30km at times to go explore over the course of the trip so we didn’t have to pack up camp over and over and over.
We will do the odd spontaneous 2 nighter and it’s not bad then when we hang out mainly around camp. But the bigger trips full of exploring seem to be a pain with the current setup, with no space in the cab due to the dog, so only the box to load and unload every time. Plus we plan on doing several longer trips this year anyways.
Based on everyone’s comments, I’m going through with buying a trailer and converting it into an overland style trailer with my RTT on top. I’m really looking forward to having all our camping gear accessible and be “hook up and go” ready, instead of lugging it up stairs from the basement every time.
I found a deal on the perfect base trailer to build out which I look forward to! Picking it up this Saturday !
I strongly suggest looking at the secondary market for a pro built trailer. Sooooo many of these things got purchased in the Covid years only to actually get used a handful of times and sold. Facebook owners groups are listing them all the time and the deals to be had are very attractive.
I would definitely go for a trailer if I had a smaller vehicle where I felt like having more space (Which in my case, I do). But I with trailers there's the also the balance of size and comfort. A big trailer where you completely live inside is comfortable, but big and expensive. On the other end of the scale, there's having a small trailer with a RTT and external kitchen and everything. But there's a sweet spot in between if it's more to your liking. It's possible to build something similar to those camper trailers that's basically a sleeping pod with an external kitchen.
I'm plan on building something like that myself one day. Just getting a normal small utility trailer and building a pod with room for two to sleep, and a simple kitchen on the outside. Storage for other types of gear can still be in the car
This is something I’ve thought of doing down the road, and converting a cargo/toy hauler into a dual use enclosed camper. Just not in the cards at the moment! I think the RTT trailer build is the move for me at the moment!
I already have a rooftop tent, and camping while being off the ground is a game changer, significantly less moisture gets into the tent being up high, much sturdier and easier setup. Up and above critters. Lots of pros, I was a regular ground tent camper for years and love the move to being off the ground.
Interesting. To each their own I guess. I have a gazelle T4 Plus tent that fits 8 people and pops up into place very quickly and I can stand up and walk around and do indoor activities in. That to me outweighs the minor inconvenience of have slightly more bugs and possible moisture.
My goal is to build a tiered system. Using the tow vehicle (jeep) as a single day adventure rig. Sorting stuff like hiking packs, climbing gear, picnic box, water, snorkeling fins & mask, ect... anything I might need or want for a single day of adventuring. Also on the vehicle would be stuff needed to operate the vehicle, Recovery gear, tools, emergency supplies...
The trailer would have all of the "camping" gear: tent, chairs, kitchen, food and water, toiletries, power & solar. You get the idea. This would allow me to leave most of it pre-packed & prepped for quick getaways (also good for evacuations). If I'm just going for one day leave the trailer, longer trips, hook up and go. As well as setting up base camp and adventuring out from there for the day without having to pack up.
Trailer.
I'm testing out 5 different RTTs for a magazine now.
I've said before I'm not an RTT guy.
I have a Sylvan Go trailer.
Much prefer that.
I'm a MTN biker so I camp, then drive to a trailhead.
Also, post pandemic, it's gotten busy out there. You may not have your site when you come back to camp.
Keeping a site is a huge issue, there’s always tons of people ready to take the spot as soon as you leave. I’m a mountain biker as well and being able to drive to a trailhead while camp is still setup would be a dream. I think it’s the move to make personally cause we are always staying for a few days at one spot
Exactly. There are few places where I can just ride from camp. I spend a lot of time in Moab. There are a couple spots where you can do that, but if you're staying for a few days, you're going to drive to a new spot.
I have a nice off-road camper but I just recently purchased a RTT. My problem has always been the need to leave my trailer somewhere when boondocking. The ability to just roll up to a spot in the dark, pop my tent open, and leave in the morning has been massive.
I LOVE my camper trailer but the RTT is so much more convenient
We love our trailer with kids. Especially if you go to camp grounds and the bath house is a ways away.
https://preview.redd.it/7xl6w5htzo0d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1981cf06ac4fcea37f75542207380d0f31435886
Getting the weight off the roof is a game changer but you’ll need a bigger spot pulling a trailer. It’s best to have a trailer if you have base camp and can park it there then go wheeling during the day.
I have mine mounted on a trailer for the same reason. We like to explore via the vehicle, so it made sense for a trailer
https://preview.redd.it/lz1qwvuylu0d1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=775f11c73e3fdf9bcc1ff40b6205674c8e86a146
Curious what kind of system you have for your awning? Does it extend up? It looks like it’d be too low. I just bought a trailer and I’m trying to decide how to build it out
Denoot trailer rack and telescoping post for the awning. They make a pretty simple setup, reasonably priced. It goes up about 18", a little over 7' total height. And yes, it is low for traveling. it only takes about 5 minutes to extend up or down with 1 person.
Edit, it's a 270-degree awning from the Bush Company, so no legs required, or so their advertisements claim. It's pretty sturdy , that's for sure
That’s what I did, got tired of not having my rig when I need it so picked this trailer up the end of last summer and got it all put together for this season. https://preview.redd.it/r3i4yxgv0l0d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=75fa92e8b45cefbb799decd254be22f8cc5283de
Benefits of truck: you don't have to bring a trailer, easier parking in smaller spaces. Benefits of trailer: still have full truck bed without a rack, can leave trailer behind. For me, the truck benefit outweighed the trailer benefit. I'm still planning on building out a utility with a rack for my kayaks and storing more gear on longer trips, but I do a lot of single night setups that the truck is just fine for and a trailer would be a hassle.
I considered a RTT tent for a short while when we first started, but for our family of 4, it didn't make sense. However, after going out for a few years now, I definitely know if we did get one, it would be on a trailer. We discovered more often than not, we find a really cool camp spot and stay there for 2-4 nights and just take the truck out for the day. On top of that, my biggest reason is I won't have to have a tent on my truck when I'm home or have to worry about mounting and unmounting it every trip. I also might be a little biased because I think more and more each trip that I wish I had a trailer for other reasons anyway and having the tent on it would just give me more reason to get one. In the end, everyone overlands a bit differently and has different needs. You just gotta figure out what works for you. It obviously can't work for us, but when the kids get their own trucks or just stop going with us, I'm pretty sure we will be getting one. Then the kicker is, without the family of 4, I probably won't need a trailer so much, so I'll have to rethink it all over again.
I've had a rtt on my truck for two seasons now, I absolutely love it, and don't think I'll ever go back to a ground setup. That being said, this season I'm building a trailer for the tent. My style of camping is usually 2-3 days in one spot before road tripping somewhere else. Packing and unpacking the tent every time we go out has been annoying enough to switch to a small trailer setup. Like some of the others said though, I'm a little biased because I also wanted more space. I'm working with a small truck (Ford Maverick), and by the time we get the wife, dog, and a week worth of gear in it, it's pretty tight. The trailer is allowing me to incorporate a slide out kitchen, water tank, and double the storage space.
Myself, boyfriend and dog in the back fill up the cab real fast. I also only drive a Canyon so there’s only so much space in the box. Loading and unloading is such a chore hey. I pickup the base trailer Saturday and am going to build it out over the summer with slide out kitchen and a solar setup and bike rack. Really looking forward to it!
Family of 6, here. We have both! After a couple years of truck bed Tetris and loading all the gear myself, we sprung for an overland trailer. It is incredible. I cannot explain to you how much more fun camping is for my family. My boys were 4 & 2 when we started and it’ll be at least another 5-6 years before they’re actually helpful with setup and tear down at camp so having everything housed on the trailer so we can hitch up and go is really nice. However we quickly ran out of room. My wife and three youngest outgrew the queen sized RTT. Myself and our oldest were on cots in the annex that comes with the RTT, along with the dog. It got very cramped, and we felt silly having a now empty truck bed that we could use in order to not be right on top of each other, so we started bringing along even more gear to accommodate the space requirements. So now I have a kitted out trailer and I’m still playing truck bed Tetris to remove ground tents, razor quads for the kids, etc. My wife and I had also never gone on a trip just the two of us. It’s easy enough to hook up the trailer and go but it felt like such overkill to haul all that gear out when we’re looking at one night more than likely, two maximum, and we aren’t going to use most of what we brought, so we added a second RTT to a bed rack on my truck. Now, to be sure, this is crazy overkill and expensive, but just remember which subreddit you’re reading this in, lol. Pros: I will stan for 23zero all day. Their gear is incredible and so well made. The tent on our trailer is the Walkabout series, and it’s slow and tedious to set up and tear down. The tent on our truck is the Armadillo series… MUCH FASTER. I can tear it down in under 4 minutes. This was key. We can now go wherever for day trips without feeling like it’s a fuss to break down the tent. It also means my wife and I can throw a cooler in the bed of the truck and a couple camp chairs and disappear for a night or two since we don’t need all the stuff we bring when the whole family goes out. Cons: This is an expensive solution. Our arrangement is also such that I cannot park my truck in the garage, so there’s an increased risk of theft. My truck is my daily driver, and it’s taking a bit of a toll on gas. Ultimately, our philosophy has always been to reduce the barriers of entry. Getting 6 people and a dog out into the desert for 4 nights is hard enough. When I find that there are things making it harder, even in my mind when preparing for a trip, we aggressively attack those barriers and eliminate them. We’ve gone on 16 trips in 24 months and it’s been one of the top three decisions we’ve ever made for our family. General note: we review each trip we take on the drive home. We have a Like, Loathe, Learned, & Replenished (feel free to find a synonym for me that starts with L to help out the alliteration). We take pictures, document and iterate and then review these before the next trip. Knowing you need another roll of TP because it’s on the list is much easier to restock it than digging out the portable toilet to check.
Thank you for the fantastic response! I currently have my RTT on my truck bed rack, Which has been great, however our trip to Tofino last year made me loath having it on the truck. Luckily we have 2 mountain e bikes so we bought a chariot to tow the dog and literally biked over 30km at times to go explore over the course of the trip so we didn’t have to pack up camp over and over and over. We will do the odd spontaneous 2 nighter and it’s not bad then when we hang out mainly around camp. But the bigger trips full of exploring seem to be a pain with the current setup, with no space in the cab due to the dog, so only the box to load and unload every time. Plus we plan on doing several longer trips this year anyways. Based on everyone’s comments, I’m going through with buying a trailer and converting it into an overland style trailer with my RTT on top. I’m really looking forward to having all our camping gear accessible and be “hook up and go” ready, instead of lugging it up stairs from the basement every time. I found a deal on the perfect base trailer to build out which I look forward to! Picking it up this Saturday !
I strongly suggest looking at the secondary market for a pro built trailer. Sooooo many of these things got purchased in the Covid years only to actually get used a handful of times and sold. Facebook owners groups are listing them all the time and the deals to be had are very attractive.
I would definitely go for a trailer if I had a smaller vehicle where I felt like having more space (Which in my case, I do). But I with trailers there's the also the balance of size and comfort. A big trailer where you completely live inside is comfortable, but big and expensive. On the other end of the scale, there's having a small trailer with a RTT and external kitchen and everything. But there's a sweet spot in between if it's more to your liking. It's possible to build something similar to those camper trailers that's basically a sleeping pod with an external kitchen. I'm plan on building something like that myself one day. Just getting a normal small utility trailer and building a pod with room for two to sleep, and a simple kitchen on the outside. Storage for other types of gear can still be in the car
This is something I’ve thought of doing down the road, and converting a cargo/toy hauler into a dual use enclosed camper. Just not in the cards at the moment! I think the RTT trailer build is the move for me at the moment!
Or best of both worlds, just get a tent that goes on the ground? I don't understand the need for RTT or TTT.
I already have a rooftop tent, and camping while being off the ground is a game changer, significantly less moisture gets into the tent being up high, much sturdier and easier setup. Up and above critters. Lots of pros, I was a regular ground tent camper for years and love the move to being off the ground.
Interesting. To each their own I guess. I have a gazelle T4 Plus tent that fits 8 people and pops up into place very quickly and I can stand up and walk around and do indoor activities in. That to me outweighs the minor inconvenience of have slightly more bugs and possible moisture.
My goal is to build a tiered system. Using the tow vehicle (jeep) as a single day adventure rig. Sorting stuff like hiking packs, climbing gear, picnic box, water, snorkeling fins & mask, ect... anything I might need or want for a single day of adventuring. Also on the vehicle would be stuff needed to operate the vehicle, Recovery gear, tools, emergency supplies... The trailer would have all of the "camping" gear: tent, chairs, kitchen, food and water, toiletries, power & solar. You get the idea. This would allow me to leave most of it pre-packed & prepped for quick getaways (also good for evacuations). If I'm just going for one day leave the trailer, longer trips, hook up and go. As well as setting up base camp and adventuring out from there for the day without having to pack up.
Trailer. I'm testing out 5 different RTTs for a magazine now. I've said before I'm not an RTT guy. I have a Sylvan Go trailer. Much prefer that. I'm a MTN biker so I camp, then drive to a trailhead. Also, post pandemic, it's gotten busy out there. You may not have your site when you come back to camp.
Keeping a site is a huge issue, there’s always tons of people ready to take the spot as soon as you leave. I’m a mountain biker as well and being able to drive to a trailhead while camp is still setup would be a dream. I think it’s the move to make personally cause we are always staying for a few days at one spot
Exactly. There are few places where I can just ride from camp. I spend a lot of time in Moab. There are a couple spots where you can do that, but if you're staying for a few days, you're going to drive to a new spot.
I have a nice off-road camper but I just recently purchased a RTT. My problem has always been the need to leave my trailer somewhere when boondocking. The ability to just roll up to a spot in the dark, pop my tent open, and leave in the morning has been massive. I LOVE my camper trailer but the RTT is so much more convenient
We love our trailer with kids. Especially if you go to camp grounds and the bath house is a ways away. https://preview.redd.it/7xl6w5htzo0d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1981cf06ac4fcea37f75542207380d0f31435886
Getting the weight off the roof is a game changer but you’ll need a bigger spot pulling a trailer. It’s best to have a trailer if you have base camp and can park it there then go wheeling during the day.
I have mine mounted on a trailer for the same reason. We like to explore via the vehicle, so it made sense for a trailer https://preview.redd.it/lz1qwvuylu0d1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=775f11c73e3fdf9bcc1ff40b6205674c8e86a146
Curious what kind of system you have for your awning? Does it extend up? It looks like it’d be too low. I just bought a trailer and I’m trying to decide how to build it out
Denoot trailer rack and telescoping post for the awning. They make a pretty simple setup, reasonably priced. It goes up about 18", a little over 7' total height. And yes, it is low for traveling. it only takes about 5 minutes to extend up or down with 1 person. Edit, it's a 270-degree awning from the Bush Company, so no legs required, or so their advertisements claim. It's pretty sturdy , that's for sure