Bumper Pull Trailer

[Tips n Tails]

I bought a 17’ toy hauler (pre-Covid time).
Best thing I ever did. I still have my wall tent, but I sure do like the little camper.
I can haul my atv, ebike or even a canoe in the camper.

I would suggest to definitely make sure to put some good trailer tires on because the new trailers come with complete crap tires.

View attachment 482876

@cnelk thats a sweet rig!! I see that’s also a Wolf Pup. Any regret on it being a 17 footer? Hunting solo? Also how much are you using it during the hunting season? Do you park it and come up every weekend or staying there days on end?

I take it you’re mainly using your trailer as a place to cook and sleep? My intent was to still “rough camp” meaning I’m not taking a hot shower every night nor using the toilet to take a leak when I have several tress around to avoid using up my fresh water.

 

[cnelk]

We’ve slept 3 guys in it.
It has a shitter/shower, sink and a 2 burner stove, microwave, stereo (inside/outside speakers) TV antenna.

We use an ‘outdoor’ facility to save water, and just ‘cat bath’ outside.

I would recommend that being a handy type person has its advantages because you can modify stuff to suite your needs

 

[roadrunner]

Getting a well cared for used camper is key. Hopefully most of the kinks are ironed out. If you're handy most repairs are straightforward.

My advice:

Avoid stick and tin. Aluminum framing with Azdel is worth the longevity.

Most important thing to inspect is the roof. Leaks can equal death, especially with stick and tin.

Heated and enclosed underbelly is key if you plan to camp below freezing.

Beyond that get as small as you can to fit into tighter spots.

Slides lose heat and can break - go without if possible.

Adding solar is easy and awesome for trickle charging the battery.

Upgrade to better tires if going off pavement.

^^^ all of this.

 

[BRTreedogs]

I think my trailer is only 3k lbs and it dropped me from 15 mpg to 8.5 and I had to run 92 to keep from pinging.
That made my 1400 mi round trip go from about $440 in fuel to $875 and I'm just not sure it added that much comfort.

Plus when it started snowing I started getting nervous really fast. Once the axles start dragging a trailer turns into dead weight unless is fresh powder.

 

[BRTreedogs]

I'm torn as well, especially during archery we move camp alot. Thats why I wanted a trailer.

I've considered roof tents, and a Belair canopy but then you have to mess with stuff every morning to move the truck unless you are already parked where you plan to hunt.

With the mpg I wonder if a pop up camp trailer or a jumping jack mite be a better compromise.

 

[beachbunny]

Look at four wheel camper ,m series,I have a fleet model on my ram and love it. Low center of gravity,collapsible roof,very capable rig.i would not get a pull behind

 

[Chase0109]

I'll toss in my 2 cents as I just went through this decision last year myself. I'm not going to say anything that hasn't already been said many times on forums before.

I looked at used bumper pull TT's. Narrowed it down to a Lance 16' with 1 slide (true 4 seasons). A decent used one was close to 20K. Just couldn't justify to money for the use I'd get from it. Ulimently I decided to renovate a tandem axle 7x16 enclosed trailer. Super happy with how it turned out. I already owned a 7x16 TA trailer with extra 6" height. But even buying a cargo trailer brand new and turning it into a camper will save you a lot of money over a decent TT. The one downside is no indoor shower. I do have a water heater, 30gal tank, and an extended shower hose I run to a popup shower next to the trailer.

The upside is the trailer will haul my ATV as well. Plus it can be used as a cargo trailer in the off-season. With an enclosed cargo trailer you generally don't need to worry about the roof or water leaks. Far less maintenance than a TT.

I spent a couple of weeks living out of my cargo trailer this fall in 4 states. So much more comfortable than tenting it! I am willing to spend extra on gas for the comfort of heat/AC, hot running water, electricity, a great bed, ect.

Real-world mpg for me. Same in both my 2017 and 2022 F-150 3.5 ecoboost engine. Pulling a trailer 6.5-7.5mpg. So it will cost you to pull any large trailer with a half-ton.

If you decide to modify a cargo trailer there are lots of great ideas on forums. I have plenty to add as well lol. Whether you go TT or CT put a Moryde suspension system in it (pretty cheap). If you go CT the propane heat exchanger systems work great. Also if your running a half-ton put airbags on it. For a couple of hundred bucks it makes a world of difference. I won't have a truck without them.

Chase

 

[swavescatter]

@Unckebob. Why bumper pull? My truck has a 10K towing capacity. The GVWR of that above posted trailer is 5K. With gear, decked system, camper shell, and that trailer attached I’m probably ~ 7000 lbs.

Granted that GVWR includes the trailer loaded down with 1200 lbs which I don’t foresee myself putting that much in it. I realize water weighs a lot and that would be something I’d fill up upon arrival in my destination area.

I’m also trying to stay away from installing air bags.

First of all, 5th wheels and goosenecks don't really play well with off-camber off-roading (I've seen numerous trucks smash the cab/bed rails...)

Second, Tundras are not really great on payload.

OP - read up on towing limits and how they're calculated. Each specific truck has its own rating for payload and Max tow rating, depending on how it's equipped. "Brochure numbers" like 10k lbs are usually irrelevant in the real world as they pertain to theoretical stripper trucks set up for bragging rights (think 2wd fleet trucks with zero options, regular cabs and long bed).

Ignore "tow rating" numbers you may have heard. In the real world, trucks have a few practical limitations:
-payload, but this is driven largely by suspension and the actual safety issues below
-axle weight ratings (see your door sticker)
-tire weight ratings (see your tire specs)
-hitch rating (see your owners manual/hitch sticker)

A 10k tow rating doesn't mean you can tow a 7k lb trailer and stick 3k lbs of crap in your truck. That's one ton territory. Your payload is probably around 1200lbs before you added the camper shell and any passengers/stuff inside. You need to subtract your expected tongue weight from that payload. At the recommended 12% of trailer GVWR, that tongue weight is already 840 lbs for a 7K lb trailer, potentially, depending on how it's loaded.

That said, a small single axle should be fine but you might find yourself upgrading tires at least and it wouldn't hurt to hit the cat scales when loaded up. No, your truck won't implode at 1lb past rating, but it does cause premature wear on axle seals/differentials/transmissions. Could result in catastrophic failure at a very bad time...

 

[Zsyacsure]

I have an Autumn Ridge 180 BHS(18’ inside 22’ total) sleeps 6 but if it’s a bunch of dudes probably 3 if you don’t need a bunch of space. It has 1 slide out 2 burner stove, microwave, fridge freezer, and a shower/toilet. I bought it before spring bear. Ended up staying at a state camp ground with water and power hook ups for a week with my wife 4 year old and 5 month old. If anything it made hunting easier as I can take my family and they have stuff to do during the day while we were hunting. (My wife stays at home and my homeschools my daughter and takes care of my son) really made the season better for everyone in my household. We also did a ton of camping this summer.
I didn’t get to hunt in September and Oct due to my son having to have surgery but I did take a buddy out from back east. I stuffed that trailer in a small pull off In about a foot of snow in mid November and it was awesome to come back to a trailer start my generator turn the heat on and by the time I get the truck unloaded and back in the trailer it’s already 65-70 degrees.
4.5 days 5 gallons of gas for the genny and almost used a full 20 pound tank on propane to cook every night and heat the camper.

In my case the camper was more than worth it especially if it get my family out with me instead of leaving them at the house.

 

[Fatcamp]

We used a popup this Fall. Mileage hit wasn't bad and set up time way improved.

On the hunt for a better unit now as the old one we modified had issues, but the idea is solid.

 

[wyosteve]

I'd suggest going with a tandem axle instead of a single. Gives more security in the event of a tire blow out and if you're going to be driving in the west particularly, the tandem is much more stable in big winds.

 

[Voyageur]

@cnelk what is the size of your Wolf Pup?
Edit:
Scratch that question. I just needed to read more carefully.

 

[Voyageur]

@mxgsfmdpx. Yeah you said it “8 foot bed”. I’m feeling that in my Tundra CM.

I had that original intent with my current setup but that only goes so far. Snow and temps in the teens makes cooking outside on the tailgate a PIA (I realize I can get a SJ tarp or build a lean to) and then when it’s dark that’s bedtime. So you’re crawling into the camper shell. I mainly cold camp so there’s no fire and camp whiskey

It’s worked for weeks and in mild temps but later season it’s not too conducive nor 34 consecutive days.

View attachment 482878

This is the same boat I'm currently in and why I'm searching for a better option. Lots of good ideas and thoughts presented so far.

 

[cnelk]

@cnelk what is the size of your Wolf Pup?
Edit:
Scratch that question. I just needed to read more carefully.

It’s a 17’

One thing I added to my camper is an Olympic Wave 3 propane heater.

I tapped into the propane line from the cooktop and ran it to the heater and mounted it on the floor.

This heater just sips propane and uses no electricity so it saves on battery. I’ll turn it on Low when I leave the camper and it will be nice and warm when I get back.

 

[Evol]

We had a 21 Wolf Pup 18tobl. Really cool looking travel trailer, always would get looks and questions at the campgrounds.

Slide broke twice under warranty, AC broke. Other than that it was fine. We sold it because it was a little small and was hard with a little one and one on the way plus I bought it for $17,500 and sold it 2 years later for $17,000. If I had to do it all again I would have bought a bigger, higher quality one with no slide and a 3/4+ truck instead of my 1/2 ton. I imagine if it was my wife and I before kids we would have enjoyed it more but it was hard with a toddler.

 

[Silveroddo]

Most slide out type campers will feel slightly cramped inside with the slide retracted as the floorplans are usually designed with utilization of the slide out. I.e., if you don’t think you’ll use it stick with a non slide out camper, that being said the extra room they provide can be quite nice.
I’d consider a 6x12 + V nose trailer, at that size your mpg shouldn’t suffer terribly. I used a pop up pickup camper and a 6x12 trailer this last season and it worked pretty slick, lost mpg was minimal for the truck ( gas 3/4 ton)
I was solo and an 8’ pickup camper was pretty comfortable, I’m brainstorming the next iteration of that setup for future trips.

 

[*zap*]

for one person a slide in the bed camper is hard to beat...

 

[Brendan]

Not what you asked, but I'm smitten with these.

The Alu-Cabin

The Alu-Cabin is designed for your full-size pickup truck. Suited to fit 5.5 and 6.5 Trucks. This camper is the perfect solution for the DIY enthusiast.

www.alu-cab.com

Heated, place to sleep, really fast to set up and tear down, no worries about hauling a trailer and getting stuck in tight spots or needing to back up. Could sit inside in the heat and cook if it's just you or you plus 1. Can rig it out with a ton of storage and solar. Generally you just get in your truck and go. I'd then add an enclosed utility trailer if I wanted to haul extra stuff like an ATV or SxS or just more gear.

Definitely not getting an indoor shower but they have an outdoor shower cube and you'd be using a bucket or a bottle if you want a bathroom, but there are some pretty slick setups built on these out there.

Some good posts of the setup I'd like here:

https://www.instagram.com/twotracknation/

And cool Videos here:

https://www.instagram.com/twotracknation/reels/

 

[BRTreedogs]

for one person a slide in the bed camper is hard to beat...

What about bad roads? You can't 4 wheel around with a slide in bed camper.

I was chained up all 4 just to get down main roads in November.
Then you'd have to unload the damn thing.

 

[*zap*]

What about bad roads? You can't 4 wheel around with a slide in bed camper.

I was chained up all 4 just to get down main roads in November.
Then you'd have to unload the damn thing.

You might get around better than with a bumper pull camper....unload with the 4 jacks but that would be only after use. They also make ones that fold down...I never had any issue with getting around with the one I had but I was not in the mountains...nice to have a place to get geared up and sit for a bit after.