Anyone haul a trailer? Having a logistics conundrum…

[Rifleman86]

Had 3 in the truck (short bed crew max tundra) last year for the trip to Wyoming. Even with just one elk tag, it was tight, and it really got cramped once the meat had to go in the coolers. ETA that was with a bed extender and standard truck cap btw.

We’ve got 3 this year again, also with one tag. I also bought one of those Ozark trail wall tents for near the truck. It’s not a bad glamping set up for the price, but it does take up a significant amount of room. If I haul it, it’s gonna make a trailer a must.

We are headed to a known trailhead. It’s our 3rd hunt to this location so we know the roads and what the general hunt plan is. The roads are relatively maintained and the trailhead is looped with ample room.

Suffice it to say, we have 3 options.

Plan A) Rent a small enclosed U-haul.

Pros
- Plenty of room for everyone’s gear, wall tent, coolers, etc.
- Relatively secure.
- It’s not mine, if it gets messed up, breaks, etc. I can probably swap it at a u-haul dealer along the way.

Cons
-Unkown maintenance status, some concern of hauling a rental trailer across county and on forest service roads.
-Difficulty with parking, turning around, higher chance of getting stuck, etc.
-cost (~$180)

Plan B - Take my hunting parters open utility trailer

Pros
- Free
- Known maintenance status
- Plenty of room

Cons
-Serious security concerns with any stops along the way. I’d probably cover everything with a tarp, park near our door if we stop at a motel, and keep the less valuable things on it, but it’s a major concern of mine.

Plan C - Ditch the trailer and pair down gear.

Pros
- No trailer to worry about

Cons
- Catching serious inclement weather (we have a habit of catching early winter storms) and be stuck in lightweight backpack tents and/or waste time/money at hotels.
- Ditch “what ifs” like recovery gear, nice to haves like cots, extra gear, and pair it down to coolers and backpacks.

Of all the options, plan A seems like the best. Having done this a few times, we’ve decided a plush “truck” camp to come back to after a few days backpack hunting is a must. That or hunker down when the weather turns. It’s cheaper than hotels and saves significant time over driving into town for the night.

That said hauling a rental trailer that far makes me a little nervous. Anyone rent a small trailer for their hunts?

Unfortunately buying an enclosed trailer is out of the budget. I looked, and quickly realized it wasn’t happening.

 

[wapitibob]

If that uhaul has tires to handle hours straight, loaded going down the interstate at 75+ I’d be surprised.

 

[Danny Hoey]

Buy a roof rack or trailer hitch basket

 

[TxxAgg]

Plan B

There are 3 of you to take turns keeping an eye on stuff at rest stops.

 

[Rifleman86]

Buy a roof rack or trailer hitch basket

Had a hitch basket last year. Didn’t need it until the elk went in the coolers, but once it did it was a pain.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Personally I would add a receiver hitch cargo basket then trim down on gear as needed to make it all fit without a trailer.

 

[jmez]

Plan A. We take a small enclosed UHaul from SD to Phoenix every year. Just buy the damage insurance and go. Enclosed is waaay better than open on a long trip. Security, weather, room, etc

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[Super tag]

if you can rent a decent cargo trailer I think that’s the ticket. I broke down and bought a nice used 16’ long aluminum cargo trailer and I use it for my sleeping quarters, two cots fit in one end nicely, have a 6’ folding table set up in the other end for my kitchen, still have room for two nice chairs and my gear, if the weather is decent I keep the ramp down, but I can close it up, stay off the ground and stay dry.

 

[LongWayAround]

Plan A

Take the U-Haul. We took a U-Haul on a goose hunting trip once. It was smooth sailing. I picked it up and dropped it off in different towns as well.

 

[Rob5589]

A for sure. Then D; trade in short bed for long bed

 

[Wrench]

Build taller racks for the truck. Use compression straps on gear. I'd go 6 feet over the cab before I brought a unknown quantity trailer into my life.... and I am a damn fine mechanic who can fix them.....but I don't want the risk.

 

[passinggas33]

Did I miss it, but do you have any sort of truck shell? I’ve been able to cram a lot of stuff in my truck with a truck shell and a hitch rack. Then when I wanna get real adventurous I put a rack on my shell and put some other stuff up there too.

I would say if you can’t get all your stuff in a truck with a shell and a truck hitch, and only 1 tag…you need to downsize some stuff.

 

[Rifleman86]

Did I miss it, but do you have any sort of truck shell? I’ve been able to cram a lot of stuff in my truck with a truck shell and a hitch rack. Then when I wanna get real adventurous I put a rack on my shell and put some other stuff up there too.

I would say if you can’t get all your stuff in a truck with a shell and a truck hitch, and only 1 tag…you need to downsize some stuff.

I’ve got a truck cap.

If it was just me, I’d have zero issues hauling everything in just the truck. I’d also probably be fine without the wall tent and live like a king in the 8 man tipi next to the truck.

But you add packs and gear for two other dudes, plus a wall tent and that short bed gets really small really quick.

 

[Rifleman86]

A for sure. Then D; trade in short bed for long bed

Yup! Already planning on a long bed for the next truck.

 

[Tick]

The cargo trailer works well for a group traveling in the same truck. Gear stays dry and secure.

 

[Marble]

If this is something you guys plan on doing for a while, buy a trailer. In our group we bought two horse trailers and used them for 15 years. We've since sold them and bought 1 big one. Everyone supplies maintenance costs.

I see your concerns with the utility trailer and security. I would be OK with doing that and use tarps to keep it sealed up.

If I were to buy a trailer for what you're doing it wouldn't be too big and it would be enclosed.

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[DanimalW]

Plan B

There are 3 of you to take turns keeping an eye on stuff at rest stops.

My thought exactly

 

[Weldor]

Plan A, Do you need it to get there? If not rent it at hunt destination to get Elk meat back. Just a thought, then it is a one way trip.

 

[DanimalW]

Also, the only difference between stealing from an open utility trailer and an enclosed trailer is that the thief will need a bolt cutters.

 

[Blue Rope]

Also, the only difference between stealing from an open utility trailer and an enclosed trailer is that the thief will need a bolt cutters.

True, but that draws a lot more attention than pulling back a tarp, plus, the thief has to go through that effort without knowing if it's worth it ahead of time, which is a deterrent in itself.

OP, I'd be looking at buying a little enclosed trailer if I were you. They're real handy, even when not doing a cross country trip.