Small lightweight camp gear trailers in US?

dreadlocks

Well-known member
Think sideways....


A lot of the small european trailers are designed to be stored vertically; therefore, make a dolly to load it on and slide it down the alley way on its vertical. Then takes up less space in the yard as well...

That could be the key, I put my space trailer on its tail once and it did fine, came with bumpers on the end to support it and they showed pictures of it stored that way.. was just too much to lift for my self, though I did it I didnt want to do it again.. either need a couple people to stick em on their tail end or some pulley rigging.. a cheap HF winch and a custom made sled/dolly could make it a one man job thats pretty effortless depending on your engineering capabilities.. I thought about hooking a boat crank winch to the front of mine so I could crank it up a hill I got to push it up to get it to my docking station.. or getting one of those drill winches.

Of course you wont be able to leave it loaded and ready to roll stored on its ass, but it will be harder to steal all your stuff and your trailer so that's nice.
 

Rbertalotto

Explorer
Older HF trailers were not DOT rated and were quite terrible. There was a big recall a year or two ago. A few months ago I bought a new HF trailer that was fully DOT rated and was very impressed. No way you could build one like it for anywhere near the price.

Yes, 12" wheels are not a good choice for fire roads, but for a few $$ you can upgrade to 14 or 15" wheels and tires. I'm pretty sure this would meet your width constraints.

I recently bought a RTT and it came with a very small LOWES trailer that I decided to upgrade to 15' wheels and use it to carry the RTT and sold the HF trailer. www.rvbprecision.com for an article about my build.
 

ryanoddi

New member
Check out Sports Rigs Trailstomper


independent suspension so no axle width concerns, I couldn’t find how wide they are though...just the box dims. But I didn’t look hard either. They use motorcycle wheels and suspension parts. Ive looked into them a bit but the Offroad version is pretty new. They did a feature with two Cummins 2.8 swapped FJ40s both pulling the trailers through Central/S. America.

Here’s the link to the Instagram to see the trailer in action a bit.

I don’t know what they will cost, my guess would be out of your budget but hey thought you might find it interesting at least.
 

DaveM

Explorer
Check out Sports Rigs Trailstomper


independent suspension so no axle width concerns, I couldn’t find how wide they are though...just the box dims. But I didn’t look hard either. They use motorcycle wheels and suspension parts. Ive looked into them a bit but the Offroad version is pretty new. They did a feature with two Cummins 2.8 swapped FJ40s both pulling the trailers through Central/S. America.

Here’s the link to the Instagram to see the trailer in action a bit.

I don’t know what they will cost, my guess would be out of your budget but hey thought you might find it interesting at least.

Interesting, I've been following the Clean Cruiser project on Instagram but just assumed thier trailer was a custom job. It looks like something you'd pull behind a bike! Just sent them an email. If this is under $3k it could worth it. But not sure about those wheels for long distance hi speed highway miles.
 

ryanoddi

New member
Interesting, I've been following the Clean Cruiser project on Instagram but just assumed thier trailer was a custom job. It looks like something you'd pull behind a bike! Just sent them an email. If this is under $3k it could worth it. But not sure about those wheels for long distance hi speed highway miles.
It might be close as a base model.

I’m curious what they say about highway speeds and longevity... I don’t think motorcycles tend to weigh as much as this trailer plus a full load... which they are claiming 300 empty with 600 carrying capacity. So 900 lbs, but that doesn't seem outrageous to me for the wheels/tires if they’re DOT rated.
 

Mpease75

New member
I have one of Sportsrigs original “adventire” models from 2006. They’ve made a few changes (upgraded wheels) but for the most part are still the same construction. I’ve pulled mine loaded with kayaks and mountain bikes down the highway at 70 MPH and over fire roads without any problems. Add a rooftop box and for around $3k you have the trailer, storage, and bike racks. And when you’re not using it you can fold it and stand it up against a wall.
image.jpg
 

DaveM

Explorer
Older HF trailers were not DOT rated and were quite terrible. There was a big recall a year or two ago. A few months ago I bought a new HF trailer that was fully DOT rated and was very impressed. No way you could build one like it for anywhere near the price.

Yes, 12" wheels are not a good choice for fire roads, but for a few $$ you can upgrade to 14 or 15" wheels and tires. I'm pretty sure this would meet your width constraints.

I recently bought a RTT and it came with a very small LOWES trailer that I decided to upgrade to 15' wheels and use it to carry the RTT and sold the HF trailer. www.rvbprecision.com for an article about my build.

My HF boat trailer is 10 year old now, so I'd be curious how things may have changed since then. The metal is thin, prone to rusting, ************ bolts (replaced most with SS already), non standard sized wheel bearings and hubs and crappy seals that spew grease.
 

DaveM

Explorer
Hmmm, just checked Northern Tools to see what they had and found this little aluminum trailer kit. With upgraded wheels this might work as a platform for a set of pre-fab drawers or other storage boxes. They sell torsion axles too, but not sure they would work with this kit.


 

Seth_sd

New member
Spent a fair bit of time in SA and the Venter trailers are proven platform. On Friday afternoon, everyone is loaded up for camping with their Venter trailer headed out to the bush. It seems like a no brainer for the North American market but clearly it has not happened.

 

calicamper

Expedition Leader
I have been reading about the Go Easy https://www.sylvansport.com/go-easy/ but have yet to see one. Appears to be light, folds up for storage but pricey. Has anyone used one?

Sent from my KFKAWI using Tapatalk
Their stuff has been obscenely expensive and a weird steel tube construction thats not very tolerant of heavy loads. Basically way way too much $$$$ for what you get.

There is a small guy selling a steel 4x6 with tent on trailer for around $1500. I’ve seen them strong value for the $.

I have been running a Costco purchased 4x6 Lifetime trailer the original that actually was built by the Jumping Jack guys. Its been awesome and yes I got it for a steal $1200 delivered
 

DaveM

Explorer
FYI SportsRig TrailStomper trailer is $4900, without the side boxes, lights, drawers etc.. So being small and lightweight is obviously not about economy. I know that's on the low end for most of these purpose built trailers, but it still seems way overpriced for a steel box on motorcycle wheels.

I really didn't want a new project but I keep thinking about the aluminum trailer kit from Northern Tool. Could be the best way to get what I need at a reasonable price. Even if I just bolted down a set of bed boxes, I'd be $3 to $4k under the TrailStomper!
 

dreadlocks

Well-known member
yeah im even liking that aluminum one from northern tool.. that would be a good base to get you going.. you got me eyeing it because I need a simple dual motorcycle hauler that I can load up and tie down inside my toy hauler that just needs to take em from base camp to trail head since my sons dont have a driver's license yet and cant even ride out of campgrounds that allow OHV's..

was gonna pickup a cheap single jetski trailer and convert it, thats another option.. but I like that aluminum one more.. but that aluminum one would need upgraded for interstate speeds.. good radial 8ply tires at least, mebe better hubs/bearings.
 

DaveM

Explorer
yeah im even liking that aluminum one from northern tool.. that would be a good base to get you going.. you got me eyeing it because I need a simple dual motorcycle hauler that I can load up and tie down inside my toy hauler that just needs to take em from base camp to trail head since my sons dont have a driver's license yet and cant even ride out of campgrounds that allow OHV's..

was gonna pickup a cheap single jetski trailer and convert it, thats another option.. but I like that aluminum one more.. but that aluminum one would need upgraded for interstate speeds.. good radial 8ply tires at least, mebe better hubs/bearings.

I'd upgrade to larger wheels and highway rated tires, w a spare. They (Northern Tool) sell torsion axle kits, not sure if those would fit this little trailer, but that might be a better option for a light trailer that may see some bumpy roads. For less than $400 it's worth experimenting with. I may grab one and add some baskets to the frame just to get started (in lieu of getting a hitch basket for some upcoming trips) and work on a plan for a custom box over the summer. A simple HDF enclosed box with rear locking hatch, maybe a set of internal slide out drawers. For quick extra storage there are a ton of smaller steel utility boxes that could be bolted to the sides. Add a pair of rack tracks and bars to the top for bike or boat racks and I'd be all set.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,529
Messages
2,875,562
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top