Let's talk Teardrop Trailers

Are you sure your Escapod trailer is equipped with Timbren axle-less suspension? Unless it's an added option, standard suspension on Escapod is the torsion axle suspension, seen as the square tubing across the bottom.

 

I'm not sure about the Escapod, but the Timbren Axle-less has a provision for adding a 2" square tube to connect the two sides. It's been a while since I've looked at the install instructions, but I think they recommend using it for additional strength.

 

This is my 2019 nuCamp RV Boondock Edge edition I custom ordered. I don't have pictures with my Taco yet but that's because I'm awaiting delivery, it can be pulled with my 2.5L Outback but man the RPM's are so high, plus a truck bed will be handy for sure.

 

Does anyone have, or has anyone seen a Moby-1 Trailer in person? In addition to the Escapod, I'm looking at a Moby-1 XTR level 3: www.moby1trailers.com/xtr-pricing

It's definitely the higher end of the pricing scale at $41K, but it has EVERYTHING I would want as standard and a few things that I would delete for credit (skipping the RTT for example would save over a grand). The Escapod starts MUCH lower, but when you start adding a (much smaller) powered fridge, solar, a real battery box, a stove, and.....you start to creep up on the high $20's or low $30's and you would be dealing with a custom build. That said, the Escapod guys have been really great at answering my questions and offering custom solutions. I haven't decided yet and have a couple of years to figure it out, but as we currently live in Ohio I don't have the ability to run over and check either one out. I would love to hear from a Moby-1 owner.

 

Moby 1 may not be in business anymore, it sounds like they Pelfried a bunch of customers: https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...-has-anyone-received-a-deposit-return.198588/

Inka Outdoors is another that seems to have gone down that path.

I wonder how much of these recent failures is due to the amount of customization that they offer. It seems like the most successful teardrop companies tend to stick with a relative few options. I know that when I talked with Camp Inn they were very clear about what they would and would not do, to the point that I couldn't even have it built with LED lighting (which I believe is now an option). They had a list of available options that they didn't seem to want to stray from.

 

Well that sucks. Thanks for the information. I'll check out Inka Outdoors.

 

Yup, Inka is screwing folks too.

https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/issues-with-inka-outdoors.195198/

Now I'm wondering if any of these small companies are safe. They all seem to want big, non-refundable deposits for a one year delivery window. Kind of scaring me off of the whole idea unless I can find one in a showroom or used.

 

Throwing this out there..

I do not have one yet, but have been searching for the right one for a few years (I keep going back and forth).

I really like the Taxa Woollybear for a gear hauler. add an RTT to the top and you are good to go.

Also.. check into the Intech Flyer, and VRV... they are both Aluminum framed cargo style trailers. Dual purpose if you will. You get a hard side for storing your gear and being out of the weather, AND can be used for general use, if need be.

https://taxaoutdoors.com/ultra-light-trailers/woollybear-adventure-trailer/
http://www.intechrv.com/
https://teardropsbyvrv.com/

People have done some great things (mods) with the above mentioned.

Edit: Search rv trader for these as well to see if any are near you, if you are the touchy feely type.

 

nuCamp doesn't offer a ton in the line of options, at least on the T@G's as I have the pricing sheet for them, but it's still plenty. You can mix and match what you want on a custom order and they seem to be very willing to do the custom orders, you just have to get a dealer that wants to do it. I was going against two dealers and the one only was interested in selling what was on their lot, guess who lost out! nuCamp has been around awhile, they were Pleasant Valley Trailers before buying the T@G and T@B rights directly (they had made them but Little Guy sold them).

 

NuCamp is based in Sugarcreek, OH, which is about two hours from here. That's a plus if I wanted to go have a look, but I'm not sure their "offroad" trailer is going to survive real overlanding duties. They seem more set up for camp grounds that offer hook-ups. A TV, a microwave, lots of 110v outlets. I also couldn't find anything about the frame and suspension other than it having a pitched axle and "agressive" 235/75/15 tires - that's less than 29". In the video they raised the matress to show how you can lift the plywood floor to access extra storage, and there's just bare 2x4s under there. No articulating hitch is offered and the kitchen suffers to make the interior bigger than needed, in my opinion. It looks like a typical highway-only trailer that they lifted a little and then bolted on some rugged appearance items - extra diamond plate everything, big grab handles, and some door nets. Looks like it would rattle and twist apart if used for any serious offroad trips.

I think I need to keep looking. At this point I will monitor Escapod (my current 1st choice) for and signs of customer problems while investigating other brands. Please keep the recommendations comming!

As for a compact trailer with a RTT, if that were my only remaining option I would go with a bed mounted Go Fast Camper (also a long wait, but the deposite is less than 10% at $500) or just a traditional bed rack and tent combo. The only way I'm going to tow is if I have all the advantages of a hard shell. No worth it to my otherwise.

 

Check out TC Teardrops as well. Their pricing is not as outrageous either. They were actually my first choice before going with Escapod, but they were slow in responding to my inquiries.

 

I'm about two hours or so from Sugarcreek myself! It's one of the reasons I picked nuCamp for a teardrop, I liked the idea of buying from a maker inside of the state.

I will completely agree with you about the offroad capabilities, I have the Boondock Edge, mostly for the features other than "offroading" and they can go off road, just very minimal offroading, even nuCamp will say they aren't for more extreme off roading, which is fine, I didn't buy it for that purpose! More for the looks and some of the functionality. I could have went with a base T@G and added the features I wanted on the custom order and got lower sitting one with standard tires, no diamond plating. But I would have kept the roof rack, the awning, the LED lights on the top and the 52" bar in the kitchen that can turn to face outward. I had to use the front LED's on my first outing to help dehitch and then get ready the night before due to it raining the next morning so I figured i'd get the vehicle lined up. Plus sitting up higher, the spare tire is under the unit, so makes it easier to get to.

I'm still baffled on why the boards are not on hinges honestly under the mattresses, I know people have put piano hinges in that make it a lot better, I may end up doing that to mine as well, they are a slight pain to open. At least it's two separate mattresses which makes it easier to lift.

The kitchen I think I'm more fond of the defunct Gidget's kitchen, that's the camper that made me want a teardrop, but they went into administration and people paid upfront for the entire camper and never got it, glad I didn't go for one. They were Australian made but were working with a company state side to import them. I also liked that they had a model that the front would extend out.

 

I'm beginning to see a pattern here, and it's not a good one. That's four similar companies that have gone out of business after taking large deposits. I need to see how Escapod handles deposits. I have no reason to doubt them, but this is all very concerning.

 

I agree. That's why when I saw nuCamp I researched into them to find out they were formally Pleasant Valley Teardrop Trailers and just made the teardrops and Little Guy sold them. They have been open since 2005. It took about two months to get my custom made one done from them so they aren't going anywhere and they have expanded their facilities more than once.

 

I'm not exactly sure what you are looking for in a Teardrop, but happened to come across this.

https://gearjunkie.com/affordable-off-road-trailers-teardrops was written April, 2018

 

I need something that can handle overlanding duty with the likelihood of some technical trails on occasion, while still being cushy enough to camp in when I'm older. We just turned 50 and plan to retire in a few years and overland all over the US untill we can't anymore. I want a dry, insulated, and comfortable place to sleep regardless of weather. As the wife of a former chef, my bride is used to eating a nice hot meal for dinner, so the higher end kitchens are attractive to us. Basically I want something between a Moby-1 and a fully optioned Edcapod.

Thanks for the link to this article. It will be good for some additional leads. I also read The Overland Journal and a few 4x4 mags and will be paying more attention now that I have discovered that sourcing a trailer can be risky .

 

Gotcha.. hoping I can get there one day myself.

If budget is wide open, check into these for fun (440, 490 extreme).

https://conqueror4x4usa.com/

 

That's awesome, but likely too big and heavy for a Tacoma. Will check them out in detail anyway.

Thanks!

 

Glad I found his thread. I’m nearing retirement and the idea of building a teardrop just won’t go away.
I’ve been reading and researching the process. I’ve been building and flying R/C planes for the last 20 years and have some experience with composite (foam/fiberglass sandwich) construction. My Prerunner is a 2.7, so my idea is building an ultralight teardrop, with a target weight around 1000 lbs.

 

What are you looking for in a higher end kitchen? With most trailers you'll be looking at cooking off of a camp stove of some sort. Some come with sinks for food prep, but keep in mind that if you have a sink then you also have to deal with what goes down the sink. I'm not personally a big fan of permanently installed water systems, be it gray or black water. I ran across a poll on one of the teardrop sites (TNTTT maybe) asking what amateur builders would leave out if they were doing it again and sinks ran at the top of the list. The other thing to think about is whether the stove is removable or hard mounted. I cook mostly out of the trailer galley when it's just my family, but if we're camping with friends then we usually wind up cooking together either on a picnic table or on a folding table close to one another in order to be social. It's easier to do that if your stove (and fuel source) is easily moved.