Truck bed camping vs small trailer tent

Tell me what you all think? I am interested in spending a month or two on an adventure and am interested in opinions of both car bed camping, versus camping in a small mini tent trailer. Show me setups of you have them i want ideas of builds etc. by the end I am thinking maybe 1-1.5k for my budget maybe a bit more. I already have a way to setup a twin metress in my bed, and is an easy 60 sec break down, so maybe just a gear trailer...

 

Good topic I'm in the same position

 

Wouldn't a tent trailer leave the bed free for other things, or make it easier for off-roading and trail running? Just thinking out loud here...

 

Yes, but in my case, i am going to be less trails and more fire road. Also in my case I have a beefier suspension. Rancho 9000 with a an added leaf, so load in the back for me wont really be a lroblem, just the load on the motor.

 

I think staying in the bed is feasible. how light are you packing? are you trying to take all the supplies you need for the full 2 months or are you planning on restocking food and stuff weekly/whenever? me, the wife and the dog sleep in our bed a good bit. all our clothes, and tools and most food fit fine under the platform and we have the full bed available for us to sleep on. we just take the cooler out and put it wherever we need to for the night. we're out for up to a week at a time.

 

^^^^^

I have a very similar setup i just have a twin matress holding the sides, and put gear in the basket rack up top ag night. I tend to go more minimal, a few totes at most for food and bags for clothing. i will be around the towns areas so reupping supplies is no issue.

Do you think that if, I were to buy a truck bed trailer and put either a tent setup over a tonneau top and use the under as storage as well as my bed. Or build the tent into the bed itself and primarily use the bed as storage. Regardless of idea would either of these be too heavy?

 

ive never weighed out one of those truck bed trailers, but even with my bed loaded up to the brim with stuff (ive got the 4cyl) it doesn't do too bad.

 

Heres the platform I just built, these pics are without it being completed (even the one loaded up, had to leave on a trip before I finished the carpeting).

I haven't slept back there yet, but for storage and stuff its been great so far. The last 2-3 feet of the platform are hinged and fold back flat in case I need to load anything that won't fit under the platform. I opted to do without drawers so I can load snowboards and surfboards instead.

 

Each has Pros and Cons

The main Pros for a tent trailer are room for your gear and that you can leave your tent to go exploring. Cons are cost and having to tow it to your site.

Main Pros for camping out of the bed are cost and that everything is self-contained and always with you. Cons are that you have to break camp to go anywhere.

There are more for each solution, but these seem to be the main ones.

 

Okay, so going with small trailers. Can ATV trailers handle being towed by my small tacoma? Has anyone looked at small gear trailers and can input some reliable brands?

 

pop ups will be cheap now. Mine was 500 bucks

 

Everyone went out and bought one, but didn't realize they have to store it..

 

I love my trailer. Does everything and holds everything I need. Easy to pack and set up. Will go anywhere my Taco can tow it.

 

Have you looked at the jumpingjack style of trailer? It's a hybrid of cargo/ tent trailer.

 

I was tired of sleeping on the ground or in a tent, or dragging a behemoth trailer around. I've built a few car trailers, and I used one to build a large camping trailer that I pulled with my GMC, but I wanted something comfortable to sleep in when we took the Taco out in the back coutry. This trailer started with a 1960ish "ham can" Cardinal that was showing its age, and proved to be unrestorable. So with that title in hand and a good undercarriage I built this. The trailer is licensed for less because it is titled as being ancient, and it contains a real queen size mattress, a portable toilet, and plenty of storage. It is wired for interior lights and an outlet, and I run it on a small generator. The two burner stove pulls out from the side with a drawer underneath and I use a cheap gazebo shade when necessary. The entire unit weighs 1200 pounds, and I load it with about three hundred pounds of accesories.