Go Fast camper or small teardrop trailer

Not sure if this is best forum for this. eally debating between a go fast camper with side walls vs a teardrop trailer. The only big plus I see is some of the teardrops have bathrooms. I'm however concerned about wear and tear on the truck. Looking for any feedback. Thanks

 

Welcome to TW. As they say, "every choice is a compromise" when it comes to camping.

You can't go wrong with either, it's just up to your style and what you find important. Teardrops give you a smidge more space, less shuffling of crap when cooking, cleaning, or making the bed. GFC means you aren't dragging a trailer.

Ask yourself where you will be camping, do you like spending just one night and moving from site to site, do you like spending many nights in one spot?

Also, when you aren't camping, where do you plan on storing each camper? Can you live with a GFC living full time on your truck? Or a trailer parked in your drive?

Good luck, have fun.

 

lolgfc

 

Thanks for the reply, My main concern is wear and tear on my truck. I read another towing blog that said the taco's dont tow real well (shorter wheelbase maybe ?) If I did go with a trailer it would be a low profile or Aliner I suppose. I just dont want to learn the hardway after I buy something

 

Light trailers are no issue. I haul a 3200 pound popup with mine. So far I've taken it to California, South Carolina, South Dakota, and the 20-odd states in between. It does just fine, no signs of abnormal wear yet.

As long as you're realistic about trailer towing and know that you can't go 75 mph like you can with an empty truck there's no issue with it. For me personally, I wouldn't trade the small trailer for any other style of camping. Its been a great toy.

 

Consider the terrain you're planning on traversing. For graded roads and what-not there's not much difference probably, but the dynamic to having a trailer for dispersed camping on tighter trails could make trailers frustrating.

 

Thank you, I think I'm going to look into an Aliner

 

Solid choice. I've seen a few of those in my travels. Every owner I talked to loved them.

 

After my past trip I'm really back on the idea of a teardrop, I think getting in and out of a RTT/GFC in the middle of the night (bladder isnt what it used to be) would be a pain. I also figure on road trips I could do stealth sleep inside one where a GFC (or Aliner) would be very obvious. Now as to what teardrop to look at

 

I really like my Pop up but every time I see a teardrop camper like the RusticTrail or Hikers and smaller T@G campers I just want one. For mostly camping alone or with and occasional companion the size is perfect. I was able to pay cash for what I got so it hard to sell myself on trading.

 

GFC vs a teardrop really should be more about camping style. If you tend to base-camp in primitive areas or camp in developed campgrounds or need amenities like AC or heat, or really comfy mattresses, or built in solar setups, probably best to go with a teardrop. For more of a swift, strike and move camping style, go with GFC. Or have both to cover all the bases.

 

Good points, I'm leaning towards teardrop, just dont want to go too heavy and have any towing issues

 

There are a few people on this forum that tow a TAXA Tiger Moth. I think maybe @Casper66 has a whole thread on one of those?? If I were to go the teardrop route, that would be the one for me.

 

Teardrops run anywhere from 700 to 3200 lbs depending on how big you go. If you don't need standing room and a bathroom, then you'll be on the lighter end of the spectrum. I tow a simple "squaredrop" with a 4.0, auto, at about 1300 lbs fully loaded and have no issues other than a small 1-3 mpg hit. Truck barely notices it is there except on the steepest grades.

 

Also keep in mind that if you build out a GFC interior like many do, you basically now have a SUV. Good luck hauling a couch back from the Homegoods store, etc.

 

Yep we love that little thing. Link is in my sig. light and tows easy

 

My teardrop weighs in at around 1600lbs loaded for bear. I take a bigger mpg hit from putting my canoe on the truck than I do from the trailer at freeway speeds when I'm not in the mountains.

Trailers definitely do take a bit more care and planning. Overall I wouldn't say that I've run into any major issues yet though. I've always been able to find a spot big enough to turn around in. On really tight or technical trails I'd try to go with a friend up the road to warn me about. So far, the trailer hasn't been a deal breaker for us. The only time I've ever had a problem towing was getting the truck high-centered on a berm. I was on the truck's frame rails, so I can't really blame the trailer.

There is no stealth with a teardrop. It can actually be a hassle making fuel stops, grocery stops, etc. Last time I stopped for fuel with the trailer on I had three different people come up to talk with me about it in the time that it took to fill up the truck and two fuel cans. I don't like being rude, but sometimes I'm trying to get back to going where I'm going. I built my trailer and I'm proud of my work (most of it anyways ) so it can be tough to be politely curt. The bathroom situation will still be something to sort out. My wife and kids prefer a little more creature comfort, so we use a PETT camping toilet that we set up in an awning room next to the trailer when we're boondocking.

 

Rent a variety before buying. Checkout rvshare or outdoorsy.com. Set your truck up to tow; brake controller, overload springs or airbags, etc. Then try all campers. An rv purchase is one of the worst financial decisions, try to get it right the first time.

 

I may just do a large tent and call it a day lol

 

Read through this thread as i'm sort of in the same boat. My wife wants the creature comforts of an inside bathroom and shower but I honestly don't like the idea of having to tow something (and store it when not in use). I've never towed anything and just don't really want to. We have camped before and have a little porta-potty thing that we set up inside a ground tent and it acts like a storage/bathroom facility.

I'm eying the Super Pacific campers (like a GFC) and adding an outside shower system and call it a day. In reality we don't camp much but for the times we do it would be nice to have something a little more 'permanent'. With how much we camp i don't know if can justify taking up half our driveway with a trailer. Plus, the good thing about the SP is it acts like a shell when not in use which I've been wanting anyways.

If only our trucks payload capacity were higher i'd really like something like a FWC slide-in.