I would NEVER take a trailer off-road. They add a major point of failure. I've seen countless videos on TH-cam of trailer fails: wheel and tire fails, axle fails, getting stuck and blocking the trail for sometimes hours, trailers that push their tow vehicles off of muddy or slick roads, trailers that have rolled over, or one wheel sliding off the edge of the trail and dragging the tow vehicle's rear wheel off the edge too, problem after problem. They can be expensive, and also significantly limit where you can even go in the first place. They reduce fuel economy which also reduces the distance you can go remotely. WAY too many costs, or potential costs, all solely in the name of comfort. Really? No thanks.
I think for super hard trails. You shouldn’t take a trailer but for 60 to 70% of the off-road trails out there, you could pull a trailer on most of it just fine and if you build the trailer correctly, you won’t have those failure points. Plus for super long distance trips that are pretty easy. If you have a extra fuel tank built into your trailer. You can get twice the distance so that negates, your fuel economy issue. It will never make offloading easier, but it will always make camping easier so it just depends on what you do.
Meh. One can basically account for everything you said. - You can carry an extra wheel/tire or 2. You can build it with the same lug pattern and wheel diameter as the tow rig, which gives redundancy to the rig itself in a pinch. - You can build it with its use case in mind, with stronger axles, etc. - A little mindfulness on choosing appropriate trails can go a long way in avoiding situations where the trailer would get stuck. Also building the tow rig with self-recoverability in mind is crucial. - Building a trailer with a similar track width to the tow rig can help avoid it sliding off the edge of a trail. - An off road trailer can def be expensive, but the DIY or semi-DIY route can save a ton of money. - The trailer can carry extra fuel, and extra supplies that can actually extend one’s ability to go further off the beaten path for longer. A trailer is not without its drawbacks, but done properly, it can definitely be a huge asset to any overlanding and camping adventures.
@@ZWill07 You still are limited by where you can go. Try taking any trailer up the Morrison Jeep Trail (when it reopens). Or the Rubicon Trail. Or Pritchett Canyon. Or...
@@VideosOffRoad Why stop there? Why have a vehicle at all? For every trail you mentioned, there are a thousand hiking trails that you can’t get your vehicle to, with or without a trailer. An off road rig has more failure points than backpacking gear, is way more expensive, and can go fewer places. Do you see what I did there? The point is, at every level, there are compromises, and that’s ok.
@@VideosOffRoad you know there is a video from Expedition Overland where they take a Tacoma pulling up a trailer on Morrison. With some careful wheel placement and cleaver winching, you can get a trailer almost anywhere if you really want to.
I would NEVER take a trailer off-road. They add a major point of failure. I've seen countless videos on TH-cam of trailer fails: wheel and tire fails, axle fails, getting stuck and blocking the trail for sometimes hours, trailers that push their tow vehicles off of muddy or slick roads, trailers that have rolled over, or one wheel sliding off the edge of the trail and dragging the tow vehicle's rear wheel off the edge too, problem after problem. They can be expensive, and also significantly limit where you can even go in the first place. They reduce fuel economy which also reduces the distance you can go remotely. WAY too many costs, or potential costs, all solely in the name of comfort. Really? No thanks.
I think for super hard trails. You shouldn’t take a trailer but for 60 to 70% of the off-road trails out there, you could pull a trailer on most of it just fine and if you build the trailer correctly, you won’t have those failure points. Plus for super long distance trips that are pretty easy. If you have a extra fuel tank built into your trailer. You can get twice the distance so that negates, your fuel economy issue. It will never make offloading easier, but it will always make camping easier so it just depends on what you do.
Meh. One can basically account for everything you said.
- You can carry an extra wheel/tire or 2. You can build it with the same lug pattern and wheel diameter as the tow rig, which gives redundancy to the rig itself in a pinch.
- You can build it with its use case in mind, with stronger axles, etc.
- A little mindfulness on choosing appropriate trails can go a long way in avoiding situations where the trailer would get stuck. Also building the tow rig with self-recoverability in mind is crucial.
- Building a trailer with a similar track width to the tow rig can help avoid it sliding off the edge of a trail.
- An off road trailer can def be expensive, but the DIY or semi-DIY route can save a ton of money.
- The trailer can carry extra fuel, and extra supplies that can actually extend one’s ability to go further off the beaten path for longer.
A trailer is not without its drawbacks, but done properly, it can definitely be a huge asset to any overlanding and camping adventures.
@@ZWill07 You still are limited by where you can go. Try taking any trailer up the Morrison Jeep Trail (when it reopens). Or the Rubicon Trail. Or Pritchett Canyon. Or...
@@VideosOffRoad Why stop there? Why have a vehicle at all? For every trail you mentioned, there are a thousand hiking trails that you can’t get your vehicle to, with or without a trailer. An off road rig has more failure points than backpacking gear, is way more expensive, and can go fewer places. Do you see what I did there?
The point is, at every level, there are compromises, and that’s ok.
@@VideosOffRoad you know there is a video from Expedition Overland where they take a Tacoma pulling up a trailer on Morrison. With some careful wheel placement and cleaver winching, you can get a trailer almost anywhere if you really want to.