buying 1st teardrop...

[kolbush]

Hello all,
I'm looking to get a rugged teardrop that can handle dirt roads. I figured I would need a 3500# axle with 15" wheels. I had my sights set on a 'Hiker Trailer' but just found out that it's a 11 month wait, ouch! I just found this overland xtr (vintage trailers) which has a 6-8 week lead time, much better. Has anyone had any experience with the Overland XTR?

I'm looking to spend 8k-11k, can anyone recommend other teardrops that may work for me?
Many Thanks,
David

[gudmund]

what part of the country are you located??

[tony.latham]

You might take a look at TC Teardrops. https://www.tcteardrops.com/

But there are not a lot of teardrops that can't handle dirt roads.





T

[Alice]

I have a highway trailer I have taken off-road and rough road, figuring any place the car (Chrysler minivan) will go, the trailer will go. This is not a good idea. First of all everything flies around including stuff I think I've secured. For instance my refrigerator broke loose of the screws holding it and walked out of its compartment on a road with too many potholes to avoid them all. I lose a drawer or door latch almost every trip (have different kind on order). I've bent my license plate hanging below the rear frame numerous times. Water leaks could well be related to treating the trailer too roughly. So I recommend do it right, no shortcuts.

SoCal Teardrops also has offroad trailers. They can be rented, too.

I thought I knew what I wanted in a teardrop, rented one for more than a week to be sure, and am finding the features I thought I wanted were not correct. I think you'll be happier buying something you can change easily or something you can sell easily. I also recommend going to some of the gatherings to meet teardrops and their owners, just camp where they are and wander over. Or ask an organizer if you can join the group pre-purchase/build. Wish I'd done that. If you say where you are, maybe some members with off-road trailers will chime in here with their camping plans.