416 style w/ RTT vs Fiberglass travel trailer

[zimm17]

I'm really on the fence between a Ruger 6' adventure trailer with an extra large RTT vs getting a fiberglass 16-17' travel trailer built (Scamp, Casita, Escape)

Tow vehicle: '15 Wrangler Rubicon with 35's, 4.10 gears, already have T3 brake controller and 7 pin connector installed.

Who: Me, 2 boys (aged 4 and 6), and momma
What: To go camping on and off the grid
Where: Right now, campgrounds in the Appalachians (no hookups mostly, but a camp spot with picnic table and fire ring). I'm military, so we could be stationed anywhere in the US and plan to explore the national parks in the future.

I don't really off-road with the camp gear yet- here on the east coast, it's mostly off-road parks and camp in the parking lot or stay in hotel. We're visiting parks and campgrounds a lot though.

RTT

Pros: Affordable, I can afford the pay for the trailer now, RTT down the road. Can go offroad. I can use my REI basecamp tent in the meantime, but trailer frees up space, lets me carry my pop up screen porch, firewood, chairs, etc that would overfill the jeep. Can store in garage.

Cons: No potty and no shower, no A/C if we're summer camping with hookups, no heat in the winter, not much room if it's a rainy day.

Fiberglass RV

Pros: It's a house on wheels, insulated for extreme weather, better in bad weather, potty, shower, real walls and windows, better for road trips (no setup at a rest stop)

Cons: EXPENSIVE (3x the trailer/RTT), 1 year wait to get it built, can't offroad, more maintenance (winterizing, etc)

 

[Ozarker]

Go to the bank, they make loans on RVs, get the travel trailer! Sounds like you already know what is best for you and the family going out in your area.

RTTs are cool, just not as practical as a travel trailer. This site is all about off road, rough road, wilderness travels that get the blood moving for adventure, truth is, most aren't on safari in reality, but we like to think we can if the need or opportunity comes.

My suggestion is use the travel trailer as your base camp, get in the Jeep and go off road, take a tent for the outback. Your wife will love you and those boys won't care what they sleep in with dad! You can do both and it sounds like most of your time will be on pavement!

Look on Youtube for the "Gull Boys" if you think a travel trailer can't go off road. None that I know of are really built for off road, but you can modify a solid unit to fit your needs.

If it were me, I'd look for a used Scamp, a full fiberglass body and work on the underside, suspension, wheels and tires. Go with one with good bones and modify it if you have some skills. Buy a used one and go, work on it as you want to. That can be much cheaper than a box trailer and an RTT.



The issue with a travel trailer is they aren't up for the flex off road, so if you get into a nasty area that means go very slow, when you get there you'll be glad you have all the amenities.

Winterize? Just flush it out, leave valves open, disconnect the battery and lock the door.

 

[Greg_Volkman]

For comfort at most campgrounds the fiberglass trailer is great. for comfort offroading and wheeling, the RTT/Jeep trailer will have all your friends envious. I wouldn't count on the wife or kids liking it long though. But when I am way up in the sierra, it sure is nice, when all the other jeepers are sleeping in tents and I have my trailer. I used to have a pop-up tent trailer and that was nicer 99% of the time, but it was heavy and could not go offroad. Most of the camping I do now is Jeep camping. I will buy a trailer and truck for the other camping, soon. The kids have pretty much burnt out on the RTT/jeep trailer after just one summer.

 

[dnorrell]

For whatever it's worth, we've been full timing in a Class A this past year and decided to downsize. We ordered a Casita 17 Spirit Standard and this option might work well for your needs. The Standard model forgoes the bathroom and adds a bunk along the front of the trailer. Depending on how big your kiddos are, they could both sleep there, or one could use one bunk and the other the side dinette. There's still storage for a PortaPotti, and I'm looking forward to the convenience of emptying the small tank on that over finding dump locations for the black tank (could be an issue depending on how much you boondock). We have a 2-yr old daughter and believe this setup will be perfect for us, but we are also excited about the adventures it will bring about. Yep, we just bought a separate privacy tent for those moments when you do need to use the potti and folks are in the trailer, or if you want to use the outside shower without putting on a show. Just an option to consider. We couldn't find much info on the Standard model, much less any photos online to speak of. We will be posting a video tour of ours once we pick it up and I'll squirt a link to the blog (still getting polished) at tinyasscamper.com. Cheers.

 

[Martyinco]

I wouldn't trade my 4 person RTT for anything, and the piece of mind that I can go anywhere with the trailer that I built also helps. We have a rest room and shower although it is separate from everything, but the option is there for you. Heat is also an option because there are heaters that will work, and with our annex and foxwing awning I have plenty of space on those rainy days.

 

[Nd4SpdSe]

We've done the shower a few times and it's such a godsend and a morale booster. I have a fill wrap-around awning and with the sides, we section off a small section for a shower. We're still working on the details and concept of the shower and making it easy to setup, but even though it's in "testing phase" it's not that bad to setup. And we have talked about a potty in that area. Heat we have nothing yet, but a Wasbasto fuel-fire heater is planned eventually, but many people like the Mr Buddy heaters. For A/C, I'm keeping my eye on this thing. Looking for a real AC unit that's portable, and not those evaporative ones.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1253665084/zero-breeze-the-worlds-coolest-portable-air-condit

Having a trailer has been great. I made a rack this year just a temp fix to get gear up front for space and balance issues, but we've used it many times to bring firewood with us, and I've been honestly surprised at how convenient that's been.

 

[tony_h]

The cool factor of an off-road trailer with RTT is very appealing.

We've had two travel trailers and a toy hauler. The wife and I have 3 sons that are getting big (17,15 and 11). While we were in between trailers, I convinced her to try a RTT. It just so happens that Tepui rents them out on a MOAB off road trailer. We took it to a paved campground to try it out.

The tent was stable, great and comfortable. A lot of people stopped by to see how it worked. The trailer with pull out galley was awesome. Overall, it was a fun experience. The biggest drawback was climbing down the ladder in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

But the bottom line is that we didn't want to do long road trips like that. While on that camping trip, we purchased a Lance travel trailer and it has been great.

If you are off the grid for multiple nights, I think the RTT/trailer is a great option. But if you are going to paved sites, we prefer to use the Lance as a base camp and go exploring.

Good luck and I hope that helps.

 

[borison]

My wife and I are currently in the same boat as the OP, but with an almost 3 yo and 2 20ish pound dogs. We're thinking about a bigger teardrop that can sleep all the people until the toddler wants her own tent, possibly in an annex. The dogs are kenneled and could stay in the annex or tow rig.