elk hunting trailers

Until last year, had all my gear in a toyota corolla. Upgraded to a Wrangler unlimited this year. Still all fits. Obviously no ATV. Building/modifying a harbor freight trailer this year to hold all the camping gear. It is only 40 x 48. Just to save packing and unpacking time....and to play with the new welder. :) It'll have a built in water tank/sink/ stove and hopefully have room to carry some coolers and most of the base camp stuff.
 
If using a utility trailer just buy 2 60 foot tarps. Lay one out on the trailer and pack it. Just clam shell the tarp over every thing and secure with tiedowns. It will stay dry and clean. Take the other one along. When the first on gets covered in mud and torn throw it in a recycling bin and use the second one.
 
Backpack & bow go in the back seat. Cooler & tub with extra supplies (food bags, change of clothes, batteries, ect) go in the bed of my truck. Did 9 days in Montana & Idaho last September.

I am thinking about putting a canopy on my truck. That would be pretty nice to keep everything dry.
 
This has been a on going project for me.
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Just a suggestion but like buying optics if you can be paitient wait and buy an enclosed trailer. I was looking at trailers way back when and borrowed a utility trailer to take my kids dirt bike racing, someone tried to steal the bikes in the parking lot of cracker barrel. After thinking long and hard I decided on a 24 ft car hauler enclosed. Worked out great as I could leave everything ready to go including tools and camp stuff. Same deal with the horse trailer, when I went from the 2 horse tent deal I saved up and bought my second and last trailer in a gooseneck 3 horse and life is soooo much better now, my camp and tack and water and everything needed is ready to go at all times minus animals and food.
I use the horse trailer for the dirtbikes, camping, horses, elk camp, deer camp, quad, you name it its ready to go. Like you said everything in an open trailer will get hammered on the road in, during the hunt etc etc. Also when the weather is bad you dont need an awning or tarps or anything, just hop in the trailer and relax.
I met a guy that had a small enclosed trailer all decked out like an rv, he had water tank, solar power, fold down bunks for 2 guys, awning on the side, pull out grill, heater.
 
I haul an enclosed trailer. I put my chest freezer inside with frozen jugs of water and any prepared meals. I throw a couple of bins of extra gear in for far ends of the spectrum weather wise. With a camp chair and a tarp, it can become base camp if I come back to the truck.

That unopened chest freezer inside the trailer will keep everything frozen for a ridiculous period of time. When we pack an elk out, we'll layer the meat bags between ice jugs and fire up my buddy's generator overnight. A good ten to twelve hours of the chest freezer running and it's back to frozen solid.
 
i thought it might not be quite appropriate but here is mine. i got it in 89 and it will haul gear or legs or wheels. it is a gooseneck and has a bed that provides a place to sleep if needed.
it goes camping or p dog shooting or hunting from colorado to ohio, and back every year.


 
rayporter said:
i thought it might not be quite appropriate but here is mine. i got it in 89 and it will haul gear or legs or wheels. it is a gooseneck and has a bed that provides a place to sleep if needed.
it goes camping or p dog shooting or hunting from colorado to ohio, and back every year.


Click to expand...

I'm still considering going this route. Horse trailers are built like tanks and it's nice to have 16" wheels.
 
Once the family started going frequently, we stepped to a quasi toy hauler. 7x14 trailer with two pop-outs. Has a propane furnace and fridge and an 80 gal water tank and a sink. No toilet or shower.

We hunt and fish about 40-50 days a year- so we pack it in the spring and it stays packed until we put it away for the winter in Oct. We rarely haul the ATV in it but it makes a great base camp. Nice to get out of the weather and dry out when it pours. Also nice to have a place to secure gear when you're out of camp.
 

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Customized a 12x7 tandem enclosed hauler in 2002 when purchased a harley bagger. Wanted to haul bike to fl in winter for couple weeks making a stop in ga at hunt camp for a few days. Ordered it with windows, pass door , rock guard, and torsion suspension . Put in a pressurized water system, wall lights, carpet, insulation, panaling. Worked great. Buddy heater, two burner stove, rollaway bed,table, cooler. Was toasty warm and most important weather tight. Still have and keep it ready to roll as a bug out shelter if we get run out by a hurricane. Hauled a lot of stuff from chicago when moving south that the movers did not want to fool with,like all my firearms. Biggest problem with these is like a small tent, condensation. You have got to let them air out when possible or will get funky. Found a nice no seeum mesh that fit back door for nice weather camping that really helped. Now have a small free standing air conditioner that vents out the floor under cabinet that runs on my honda 2000 gen.a fun project ,would like to do another and of course would go with a larger unit
 
that particular trailer would be a good choice for an all round rig. but most horse trailers would not be a good choice. that one weighs 3700lb stripped, which is pretty good and extremely light for a horse trailer. i had it built so the horse partitions came out and left and empty box in the back. the living room is 7x7. at 20 ft on the floor it pulls very well. i got 15 mpg with a diesel round trip to the high country last year [ which is real good].

horse trailers are [ need to be ] heavy and dont pull nearly as well.

it needs insulation bad because it sweats terrible. but the rounded corners are hard to panel.

i have a rig with a full camper in the front that hauls 3 animals. it weighs 8400 lb before water, food, clothes, feed or stock is loaded.
so think way over 12000 loaded. you pay dearly to pull it in hills or mountains. a toy truck wont move it. and you think single digit mpg.


a rig like mtswamfoxes or a real toyhauler would be more practical the majority of the time. even a plain empty box would serve more hunters.
 
Ray,
I have trailer envy!!! Nice.

I need a second horse trailer. Need something I can take on the forest service roads with no worries. Our Featherlite three horse slant is an amazinglý well built and fantastic trailer, but better suited to the pavement. One day I'll have a gooseneck stock trailer with a tack room to use for my hunting trailer.

A friend has a simple enclosed car hauling trailer. He sets up cots and a cooking area inside with a Mr buddy heater and is set. Easily secured and weather is a non issue. No messing around and he has year round use of the trailer.
 
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We bought a camper last year and love it! It was really nice last hunting season when the temps were around 10 degrees. It is a little big though for us as we tow the camper plus a 14ft trailer behind with our rzr
 
Get the diamondback tonneau cover you can put all your gear you wanna keep safe under and the cover is made to load a quad on top
 
You can tow a travel trailer and than two another trailer behind the travel trailer? I never knew that!!!
 
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