can you sell the z71 and buy a full size, maybe a used truck? i wenk through the same damn thing. had a tacoma and went from camping under the cap then a gfc to get the extra room that i thought i could get by with, but eventually decided to sell and just get a full size (f150 crew cab w/6.5' bed) and an ovrlnd. you can surely get by with what you have but i was mad at myself to spend so much time and money to just be unhappy with my setup. the difference in room and comfort is ridiculous. I would still recommend the ovrlnd for sure and can answer any questions about that part of your setup. you may even be able to get by with just that if you build it out right and the weight of the ovrlnd being so light makes that a possibility (my fullsize w/front and back windows, dual side hatches and extra bedding height was right around 350 lbs. if you got a more spartan model, i bet it would be under 300. good luck with the setup.
Newbie: Suggestions for well-built off-grid campers with a sitting/table area + temperature control? (under $25k)
- Thread starter TravisLC
- Start date
can you sell the z71 and buy a full size, maybe a used truck? i wenk through the same damn thing. had a tacoma and went from camping under the cap then a gfc to get the extra room that i thought i could get by with, but eventually decided to sell and just get a full size (f150 crew cab w/6.5' bed) and an ovrlnd. you can surely get by with what you have but i was mad at myself to spend so much time and money to just be unhappy with my setup. the difference in room and comfort is ridiculous. I would still recommend the ovrlnd for sure and can answer any questions about that part of your setup. you may even be able to get by with just that if you build it out right and the weight of the ovrlnd being so light makes that a possibility (my fullsize w/front and back windows, dual side hatches and extra bedding height was right around 350 lbs. if you got a more spartan model, i bet it would be under 300. good luck with the setup.
I mean, I suppose we could but seems like we'd lose quite a bit. We just bought a 2021 a few months ago and it's got about 1500 miles or so on it.
makes sense, i wasted a lot of money on the various sales and reconfigurations before landing on the right rig for our needs. i'm sure you will be happy with it either way, was just throwing out my 2c. definitely understand the loss of money on the trading around of rigs and feel your pain! good luck either way and let me know if you've got any questions about the ovrlnd. the guys down there are really great to work with
Thanks! Yeah, we're looking forward to the ovrlnd topper. Just wish our truck had more payload capacity (ours is only 1450lb) so we didn't have to bring a trailer for longer off-grid trips (water, food, gear). But it's fine, probably gonna just get an Intech Chase to drag behind us for those.
i saw one of those at the ski resort yesterday. they look pretty sweet!
Pnwfullsize
Active member
Id get the ovrlnd, load up the gear and go scale it. Id think you would be okay with 1400 payload. If not, buy the trailer too. You could cut your losses and buy a new pickup, but honestly i am an advocate for an overland trailer. I have a boreas xt and having my camp rig seperate from my truck is so convenient. For times when im solo or we want to travel simple, we can slum it under my softopper or in our gazelle tent.
Those are nice trailers. Good to hear someone say they prefer a trailer setup. This was our original plan when we had to get the truck before winter. Then I started looking at their quality (mainstream rvs) from owners and quickly realized they were trash, then learned about overlanding and value of a truck camper. I've been a mess ever since!
Have you had any issues at all with the Intech? It's almost for certain at this point we're gonna get a Chase to tow behind our OVRLND topper. We thought about the Explore long and hard, but with our topper it's overkill and out of our budget. Chase seems like it fits the bill given our truck, topper, budget, and off-grid needs.
So.... bit of a story.
We bought the trailer new and then after delivery we noticed a number of minor issues - the keys to the kitchen slide out didnt work, paint starting peeling off the battery door and a couple of other minor things that a new unit should not have. So, assuming this was warranty related stuff (and really quite minor) I contacted the dealer to resolve but no response to emails and phone calls. Nothing. I try repeatedly over the rest of the summer and fall and same thing. So I contact another dealer in our area to ask for help. Turns out if an RV dealer does not catch stuff like this on its pre-delivery the manufacturer expects them to cover the warranty costs and thus the likely reason they avoided me. That place no longer sells Intech which likely didnt help either. It an odd business practice as I spent ~25 days on the road with it last summer and people asked me about the trailer at literally every camp spot and a good number of gas station stops... The "new to me" dealer and Intech have been great since. Intech replied to my email within the day with a started work order and the dealer promptly scheduled a visit and now I'm just waiting for them to get the items.
So not happy with the dealer experience but the trailer has been functionally great. Lots of miles including some pretty rough back country roads and everything works really well. I'm not a tradesperson of any sort but everything inside is tight and seems well put together. Underneath is clean and tidy and the welds look well done. We've been super happy. Its easy to tow and maneuver (now that I'm used to towing it), set up and take down is really quick and simple.
Thanks, this is helpful. I've been searching around the internet and the differences between dealer vs Intech customer service you're experiencing seem to be common with Intech themselves having high rated service.
Good to hear you think everything is well put together. The Pursue seems to be pretty much the same as the Chase except the latter is without the kitchen and $4-$5k less expensive, so I think I'm gonna put a deposit down on one on Monday. We'll just set up our own kitchen.
TBH I really haven't heard anything substantially bad about Intech and I've been looking pretty hard.
Tacoma_NKY
New member
We put down a deposit on a Pursue (we want the kitchen). Our local dealer has rave reviews and the trailer Seems to fit what we need perfectly. I’m sure we will modify and change it as the years go on but it’s a great starting point If nothing else.
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
Congrats, Travis.
I still haven't heard back from Chalet Trailers, btw. No dealers on the easts coast. I think I might end up with an Aliner Expedition.
I still haven't heard back from Chalet Trailers, btw. No dealers on the easts coast. I think I might end up with an Aliner Expedition.
Grassland
Well-known member
It's unfortunate the average mainstream is so terrible that mediocrity seems stellar by comparison.
The mainstream Thor and Forest River stuff is so terrible it hurts. Twisting C channel frames. 2900# axles on 3500# GVWR trailers. 1x1 staple and wood framing inside even if they manage a few aluminum studs for outside walls. 1/2" or maybe 5/8" OSB floor in most cases guaranteed to get soft and rot.
And the MSRP on them has been insane for last 4-5 years locally!
R-POD was $25999 CAD couple years ago no deals full MSRP, and the Winnebago knock off was the same thing. This was pre Covid mind you.
So really an Intech is a bargain in comparison.
The mainstream Thor and Forest River stuff is so terrible it hurts. Twisting C channel frames. 2900# axles on 3500# GVWR trailers. 1x1 staple and wood framing inside even if they manage a few aluminum studs for outside walls. 1/2" or maybe 5/8" OSB floor in most cases guaranteed to get soft and rot.
And the MSRP on them has been insane for last 4-5 years locally!
R-POD was $25999 CAD couple years ago no deals full MSRP, and the Winnebago knock off was the same thing. This was pre Covid mind you.
So really an Intech is a bargain in comparison.