Off Road Trailer or Rooftop tent Rental near Phoenix? (1 Viewer)

[DPA200]

Im planning a 2 week or so road trip this July going North from Phoenix up to Yellowstone or Glacier National park area and possibly into Canada. It'll be a combo of mostly pavement and campgrounds but also some offroad remote camping. My wife is not yet sold on either the expedition trailer or rooftop tent but does want to camp the entire trip and is open to trying either option out if we can rent. Im driving a 200 series Land Cruiser. 2 adults, 3 kids (7 yr old and younger) plus a new addition of a dog. No way we can fit all the gear in the 200 now with the dog. Does anybody know any place that rents offroad trailers or rooftop tents within reach of Phoenix? The only one i found so far is the "SoCal Teardrops Krawler 459" from rentoffthegrid.com in Mesa for $112/night. You can add the Autohome Air Top Medium 2 Person Tent for another $45/night. Teardrop wasn't really what i had in mind and not sure even with the autohome if this setup would fit us all. I'd prefer something more like Turtleback Getaway Trail that has the large Oztrail Outer Ridge Venturer RTT w/sunroom sleeps 6. Turtleback used to do rentals but they say they don't anymore. The 2nd option is if there is somewhere i could rent a Howling Moon, EZ-Awn, CVT or similar large model RTT with vestibule that'd fit us all. Really not sure whats gonna be the best option so I want to try before we go out and make such a large investment. I currently just have a Baja rack megamule so if i go the RTT option id need to 1st upgrade my roof rack. Im ok with that because I already have wanted the Frontrunner Slimline II for a while anyways. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Rudster]

Try Will at Sierra Expeditions. I think he rents offroad trailers

 

[brices123]

You will most likely need to add a brake controller to your 200. I had CBT add one for towing my expedition trailer. We have a Moab Fort XL that is made here in Phoenix. http://moabaz.com/trailers/ They have several styles of trailers, so one may fit your needs. I am not sure if they rent trailers or not, but reach out to Ron (tell him Brice told you to call).

Good luck.

 

[DPA200]

You will most likely need to add a brake controller to your 200. I had CBT add one for towing my expedition trailer. We have a Moab Fort XL that is made here in Phoenix. http://moabaz.com/trailers/ They have several styles of trailers, so one may fit your needs. I am not sure if they rent trailers or not, but reach out to Ron (tell him Brice told you to call).

Good luck.

Thanks @brices123 ! I called MOAB this morning and turns out they do indeed rent the Fort XL with the Charlie package. Maybe a bit tight because they don't rent the Annex but considering nobody is tall in my family if we sleep the 6' direction we'd have 8' width in the tent. family bonding time! Apparently they rent with the Kukenam XL Ruggedized. This would be a perfect way to try them out and lucky they are made here in Phoenix. I left a message for Ron as well as they said he handles all the rentals and might have a demo model with the annex. As far as the brake controller goes you just had Murphy at Camelback Toyota do it? Do you have an email for him or best way to contact for quotes? Or best just to call him?

 

[brices123]

You can all @murf at CBT at ‭(602) 200-5583. I do not remember the cost. I had them hook up a brake controller and they put in the line to charge the battery I have on my trailer.

 

[Fuge]

I rented a SoCal tear drop from Sierra Expeditions. I added the roof top tent and the fridge. Our 3 kids (7, 4, 4) fit perfectly in the top with room to spare. The adults slept in the teardrop. I suppose the dog could too but we left ours at home for that trip. There would be enough room. We didn't do as long a trip as you but we loved. My 100 had no problem towing it. We have a brake controller but I can't remember if we needed it. If you go this route, I can give you more details.

 

[brices123]

A brake controller is not required in Arizona, but is required in other states. It all depends on the weight of the trailer.

I will tell you the Moab Fort XL that I have tows great and sometimes I forget I am towing it.

 

[DPA200]

A brake controller is not required in Arizona, but is required in other states. It all depends on the weight of the trailer.

I will tell you the Moab Fort XL that I have tows great and sometimes I forget I am towing it.

Thanks @brices123 So i have very little (ok pretty much zero) towing experience. For a 2 week Fort XL rental would you say a brake controller would be unsafe to not have? As of now the trip is looking like AZ, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. I have heard the MOAB trailers are very easy to tow. Since you are local Im assuming when you were trailer shopping you also checked out Turtleback. I went to a open house they had and was impressed. Any strong reasons you chose the MOAB over Turtleback? Also curious your thoughts on RTT w Annex on the 200 vs trailer. Such strong pro's and cons of both i really don't know what'd be the best fit for a family of 5. I like the RTT/Annex option because its so compact and I wouldn't have to tow or find storage for a trailer. Big downside of the RTT direction is being all setup at camp and wanting to take a quick trip to town or somewhere and having to pack up the whole tent setup just to go grab a pizza.

 

[msahr]

I rented the SoCal teardrop from Sierra Expeditions too. Went without the tent since it was just my wife and I. Week-long trip through Colorado. Towed with my Tacoma (4x4 v6 double cab) and it did great. I didn't use a dedicated trailer brake controller but never felt the need for it. I have towed much larger trailers (usually car haulers) when I owned a Tundra and the brake controller was a good thing, but then you're talking about a very much larger tandem-axle trailer with a 2-ton weight strapped to it.

 

[brices123]

I don't feel as though I need the brake controller for the braking portion, it has actually been an issue when offloading. The trailer tows really well, and as I mentioned before, it is easy to forget it is back there. I upgraded my Fort XL with a 35 gallon water tank, which add approximately 140 additional pounds of water weight over the standard Fort XL, so that was a factor in me having a break controller. We actually only own one brake controller, it lives in my 100 series most of the time, but had the 200 wired for the same controller. I can just swap it in. Maybe it was more of future proofing the 200.
The other advantage of having the brake controller wired in was I had CBT wire in the battery lead to charge the battery on the trailer as it was being towed. Our trailer has an AGM battery that can be charged with solar, or plugged into a household outlet, but I wired the 7 pin connector to also charge the battery when towing. If the battery on the trailer ever started to get low (and it hasn't) then I simply could start the truck to help charge the battery on the trailer. Does that make sense?
I like the RTT on the trailer and never even considered putting a RTT on the 100 or 200. In my family, we have three scenarios: 1) Solo camping - I will just take the 100 and no trailer and sleep in a tent on the ground, 2) My wife and I camping - will take the trailer and hook it onto the 100, 3) All six of us camping - Will hook the trailer to the 100 and we also take the 200. We pack a large 6 person tent (sleeps 4) for the kids and the wife and I stay in the RTT. I do not have a desire to have a RTT mounted on any vehicle, because I do not want to take it on and off. Everyone has a different opinion of them.
We decided to go with the Fort XL after seeing it at the Sportsmen's Expo one year. I worked with Ron to customize it for our needs (he was great to work with). I did not consider a Turtleback. I am not sure what trailers they offered at the time, but I liked the idea of a RTT rather than sleeping in a trailer.
Let me know if I answered all your questions. My wife and I are headed out tomorrow for a camping trip and will be taking the trailer with us. I will report back if I think of anything else.
Cheers.

 

[DPA200]

I don't feel as though I need the brake controller for the braking portion, it has actually been an issue when offloading. The trailer tows really well, and as I mentioned before, it is easy to forget it is back there. I upgraded my Fort XL with a 35 gallon water tank, which add approximately 140 additional pounds of water weight over the standard Fort XL, so that was a factor in me having a break controller. We actually only own one brake controller, it lives in my 100 series most of the time, but had the 200 wired for the same controller. I can just swap it in. Maybe it was more of future proofing the 200.
The other advantage of having the brake controller wired in was I had CBT wire in the battery lead to charge the battery on the trailer as it was being towed. Our trailer has an AGM battery that can be charged with solar, or plugged into a household outlet, but I wired the 7 pin connector to also charge the battery when towing. If the battery on the trailer ever started to get low (and it hasn't) then I simply could start the truck to help charge the battery on the trailer. Does that make sense?
I like the RTT on the trailer and never even considered putting a RTT on the 100 or 200. In my family, we have three scenarios: 1) Solo camping - I will just take the 100 and no trailer and sleep in a tent on the ground, 2) My wife and I camping - will take the trailer and hook it onto the 100, 3) All six of us camping - Will hook the trailer to the 100 and we also take the 200. We pack a large 6 person tent (sleeps 4) for the kids and the wife and I stay in the RTT. I do not have a desire to have a RTT mounted on any vehicle, because I do not want to take it on and off. Everyone has a different opinion of them.
We decided to go with the Fort XL after seeing it at the Sportsmen's Expo one year. I worked with Ron to customize it for our needs (he was great to work with). I did not consider a Turtleback. I am not sure what trailers they offered at the time, but I liked the idea of a RTT rather than sleeping in a trailer.
Let me know if I answered all your questions. My wife and I are headed out tomorrow for a camping trip and will be taking the trailer with us. I will report back if I think of anything else.
Cheers.

awesome thanks @brices123 so much for all the detailed info!!! All makes sense. Well i think the Fort XL rental would be a good easy way to try it out. I'm more or less sold on the trailer concept just still working on my wife. I think she'd see once we tried it out. Going the other route with a large RTT on the 200 taking up all but 10" of the slimline roof rack, 3 kids in 2nd row and fairly big dog kennel in the back would leave very little cargo space to fit our gear for camping. I just talked to Ron this morning and he was very nice. I asked him about the brake controller and he said for a rental as long as the 200 has a 7pin connector he could hook up his wifi controller. He said if i was buying i should def get a wired one installed, but for a rental the wifi should be fine. That's a great idea you had about charging the battery for the trailer. Have you been happy with the Tepui tent? I was comparing with Howling Moon, CVT and 23Zero they all appear similar not really sure what'd be best. I like the look of the Howling Moon's (might just be because the are from Africa) but they are priced higher already and get even more expensive because the annex isn't included and adds another $700. Around this area almost all i see are CVT or Tepui. Just curious your experience. have a great camping trip and thanks again for all the info.

 

[brices123]

I remember Ron telling me about the wifi brake controller. Good solution for now.
I had Ron install a Tepui Kukenam XL Ruggedized tent on our trailer. We love it. It is 6' x 8' when open and is very sturdy. Honestly, I never looked at any RTT besides the Tepui brand. They all have their pluses and minuses, but I have never had another RTT so I cannot compare it to anything else. Honestly, I liked the look of the bright orange tent. I am not a hunter, so I would rather stick out than blend in to my surroundings.
We have taken the trailer all over Arizona and Death Valley and it has been great. It can get warm if sitting in the direct sun, but most tents will. I think it holds temperatures well on colder nights.
You are more than welcome to come take a look at it if you want, just let me know. (We live near Scottsdale & Shea).
Here are some photos.

 

[TexAZ]

One of my goals for 2018 is to get out to more club runs and get the family out of the house for more weekends. Our youngest is almost 3, and should be manageable for overnighting by the time it warms up a little. (wishful thinking I'm sure)
we have started looking at the RTT option.
Does anyone that has a RTT have young children? how is the ladder access.
I'm leaning towards the Tepui Baja XL. seems lightweight and airy for the az spring/summer camping.

 

[DPA200]

One of my goals for 2018 is to get out to more club runs and get the family out of the house for more weekends. Our youngest is almost 3, and should be manageable for overnighting by the time it warms up a little. (wishful thinking I'm sure)
we have started looking at the RTT option.
Does anyone that has a RTT have young children? how is the ladder access.
I'm leaning towards the Tepui Baja XL. seems lightweight and airy for the az spring/summer camping.

Funny you stole my 2018 goal list. My youngest just turned 3 and am planning to camp heavy this year with the kids. RTT on the 200 vs trailer with RTT has been pretty much all I've been researching the past month. If all goes according to plan within a couple weeks i should be the owner of a MOAB Fort XL with Tepui Gran Sabana 4 Tent on top and Annex room. I as well was/am nervous about little kids and a 7'-8' tall ladder so here is where i ended on that. The largest size tents like the Gran Sabana / Autana XL have a 6'x8' sleeping area. Nobody in my family is 6' or taller so we can sleep the 6' direction. I figure a parent could sleep over on the ladder side keeping the kids away from the ladder at night at least. We need the annex room to fit everybody so unfortunately to have the annex room the tent has to be approx 7' or taller up in the air. The bigger the tent the easier it'd be to to tuck the kids away at night. Not sure if you are open at all to the trailer idea. I was always interested but then became very interested from @brices123 very helpful feedback above. 1 trailer option i found had significantly lower ladder height, Turtleback Adventure Trail. I stopped by the factory in Phoenix and was very impressed with how much room and how young family friendly it looked. Comes with a Oz tent RTT with a queens size mattress up top, then a huge annex area with floor to sleep more down below. This particular RTT is the only one i've seen specifically designed for a low height trailer so it has a short annex room. The ladder between the two areas was only about 3-4' tall if i recall correct so drastically reduced chance of fall injuries. I'll let you know how everything works out once i get my trailer and get it out with the kids. For me it ended up being that trailer won over jammed pack full 200 with RTT. I didn't really like the idea of all the weight of a RTT up top plus with a large enough tent I'd lose pretty much my entire roof rack storage area leaving the truck jammed packed.

 

[DPA200]

Hey @brices123 thanks for all the advice and inspirational setup. Ron up at Bivouac Camping Trailers was so awesome to deal with. a level of personal customer service you don’t find often. I highly recommend these guys if anyone is in the market for a trailer! Turns out they just stopped doing rentals so I bought instead. I just brought home a very slightly used Moab Fort XL with the big Tepui tent and annex. So excited to take our family camping to the next level.

 

[DPA200]

And if anyone was curious, yes those are Jeep wheels on the trailer ..... so embarrassing

 

[DPA200]

One of my goals for 2018 is to get out to more club runs and get the family out of the house for more weekends. Our youngest is almost 3, and should be manageable for overnighting by the time it warms up a little. (wishful thinking I'm sure)
we have started looking at the RTT option.
Does anyone that has a RTT have young children? how is the ladder access.
I'm leaning towards the Tepui Baja XL. seems lightweight and airy for the az spring/summer camping.

Any progress on the tent search @TexAZ? I like the ventilation on that Baja XL.