I'm amazed at how over-built some of these custom trailers are. Some could roll down the entire mountain and not be harmed. On the other side, I have seen 40 year old campers so poorly built I would not think they could roll out of the showroom door and not break. It is surprising how some flimsy wall paneling and 1x1 sticks glued to aluminum siding can be so durable. There must be a compromise where your off-road trailer will take the abuse without having to be build like a Sherman tank.
Anyone build a burly trailer using minimal structure and still be strong enough?
A few years back I built a light weight off road trailer using a pre existing blow molded TD that was manufactured back in the late 70's as a base for the build.
The camper shell or pod itself weighed less than 200lbs . It was ABS plastic .
I surrounded it with an exo cage then added a roof basket and various fold out enclosures , a sliding rear rack system and even made an attachment to carry an ATV.
It was quite the attention getter. The damn thing even floated when doing water crossings.
It ended up at 800lbs wet, when completed. ( minus the ATV.)
The problem was that duplicating it would have been rough. Teardrop American ( the manufacturer of the pod ) had only maid a scant few of the pods before folding.
It went to a young family in Canada. Haven't seen hide nor hare of it since.
