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Canopy vs canopy camper vs off road trailer...trying to decide

Mtpisgah

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I have an RSI canopy/topper on order for my Mojave that we are going to set up to allow us to sleep in the bed. We will probably get the DAC tent extender to give us a little more space and so we do not have to open the rear hatch to get in and out. We used to camp two to three times a month and hope to get back to that this year and are hoping this helps with the convenience of it vs. setting up a tent Most of it will be heading to a campground and hauling the mountain bikes with us, but hitting gravel or more serious dirt in the Jeep will be scheduled when possible.

But I have started thinking I would rather have a canopy camper or off road trailer to make camping even more convenient; it would be better access in and out and would give us more storage room. The concern I have about a canopy camper, like the Alu-Cab, is that it will always be on the truck and this is my daily driver. Worse gas mileage and potentially affecting the handling. But I can still wheel with it.

So that brought me to thinking about an off-road trailer, likely a teardrop style, not one with a RTT. My concerns is not being able to take it on all trails during a trip and having to leave it somewhere (other than a campsite) and go back for it later. We are going to CO this summer and I can drive Black Bear with a canopy or canopy camper, but not a trailer. Most of my local trails would probably not be an issue with a trailer, and that is going to happen a lot more often than going to CO, but still a concern.

So, do any of you have a trailer and do you wheel with it or leave at a gas station or somewhere near the trailhead? Assuming you are wheeling with it, how much does it limit what you are doing? Do you ever wish you had a canopy camper or RTT instead?

For those of you with a canopy camper or RTT, do you ever wish you had a trailer or a smaller setup like just a canopy/topper?

I am not particularly interested in a RTT. I have considered a trailer with a RTT mounted as low as possble to shorten the ladder height, but at 50 my wife and I do not want to be climbing up and down a wee ladder at 2am to wee.

Bonus points to anyone in the southeast since those are the trials I will be on the most.

...this is what my wife wants

Jeep Gladiator Canopy vs canopy camper vs off road trailer...trying to decide 12DBBFFD-110E-430E-9B1C-D177EE22DAE8
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gerky18

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I have an off-road (off-grid) camper trailer that I use. I am not a fan of the RTT because it has to stay on the truck and if I was going to put it on a trailer why not have hard sides and some more niceties that go with it. As for what I do with it, I leave it at the campsite. I always try to camp near where I am going so at most I am gone for the day and then back to the campsite.

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darkhorse13

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Up at the shop here in CO (Juniper Overland) they have all the options covered and can give you pros and cons of each... AluCab RTT / AluCab Canopy Camper / AT Summit and Boreas Camper trailer.

Last year we all went to Ouray CO to wheel Engineer Pass and like trails. While the Boreas Camper is an extremely capable off road trailer, it was not brought on this trip as it was considered more of a "wheeling" trip and we kept the itinerary open in terms of possibly hitting Black Bear trail. We couldn't have left the trailer at a gas station because we didn't come back to town once out on the trail.

The nice thing about both the AT Summit and AluCab Canopy campers is that they both have propex heaters and on-board water systems (like the trailer) My personal JTR with RTT does require a ladder for those late night pee climbs. The AT Summit is nice because you retain your tailgate and still mimics a truck with just a shell topper like the RSI. But, the door of the AluCab Canopy camper is great to simply walk in and out of your living space like a house. None of us had any concerns about off-camber situations and weight bias.

Out here in CO the canopy camper / RTT is the most common go-to for people who still want to wheel but have a more comfortable place to rest than a traditional ground tent (not knocking ground tents, we still own own with our RTT and love to switch it up)

I think it also depends on who you wheel with and what they are using. Our group is mostly mid-size trucks / SUVs with campers and RTTs. It does make trail selection and trip planning a little easier with a like-minded group. If a few of the trailer guys join then we are more mindful in our planning and trail selection in advance.... either way we are all getting out into nature :)

For my next iteration on the JTR, I'm leaning towards the AT Habitat or Atlas over the AluCab Canopy since I still want the option of using the truck bed. I currently have a Rebel Off-Road full height rack with my RTT and it's been able to accommodate the furniture hauling, nursery mulch runs and hockey bag carrying that we use it for.

Jeep Gladiator Canopy vs canopy camper vs off road trailer...trying to decide 1611538506338
 
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Mtpisgah

Mtpisgah

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I have an off-road (off-grid) camper trailer that I use. I am not a fan of the RTT because it has to stay on the truck and if I was going to put it on a trailer why not have hard sides and some more niceties that go with it. As for what I do with it, I leave it at the campsite. I always try to camp near where I am going so at most I am gone for the day and then back to the campsite.

Jeep Gladiator Canopy vs canopy camper vs off road trailer...trying to decide 1611538506338

@gerky18 what kind of trailer is that? I agree about the RTT being on pretty much all the time. With the canopy camper it would be even more permanent since they are wired in and not easily removed.
 
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Mtpisgah

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Up at the shop here in CO (Juniper Overland) they have all the options covered and can give you pros and cons of each... AluCab RTT / AluCab Canopy Camper / AT Summit and Boreas Camper trailer.

Last year we all went to Ouray CO to wheel Engineer Pass and like trails. While the Boreas Camper is an extremely capable off road trailer, it was not brought on this trip as it was considered more of a "wheeling" trip and we kept the itinerary open in terms of possibly hitting Black Bear trail. We couldn't have left the trailer at a gas station because we didn't come back to town once out on the trail.

The nice thing about both the AT Summit and AluCab Canopy campers is that they both have propex heaters and on-board water systems (like the trailer) My personal JTR with RTT does require a ladder for those late night pee climbs. The AT Summit is nice because you retain your tailgate and still mimics a truck with just a shell topper like the RSI. But, the door of the AluCab Canopy camper is great to simply walk in and out of your living space like a house. None of us had any concerns about off-camber situations and weight bias.

Out here in CO the canopy camper / RTT is the most common go-to for people who still want to wheel but have a more comfortable place to rest than a traditional ground tent (not knocking ground tents, we still own own with our RTT and love to switch it up)

I think it also depends on who you wheel with and what they are using. Our group is mostly mid-size trucks / SUVs with campers and RTTs. It does make trail selection and trip planning a little easier with a like-minded group. If a few of the trailer guys join then we are more mindful in our planning and trail selection in advance.... either way we are all getting out into nature :)

For my next iteration on the JTR, I'm leaning towards the AT Habitat or Atlas over the AluCab Canopy since I still want the option of using the truck bed. I currently have a Rebel Off-Road full height rack with my RTT and it's been able to accommodate the furniture hauling, nursery mulch runs and hockey bag carrying that we use it for.

Jeep Gladiator Canopy vs canopy camper vs off road trailer...trying to decide 1611538506338

@darkhorse13 We still use our ground tent a lot and will continue to when we backpack, but while car camping we want more comfort in our 50s. The trailer is tempting as it will not be that often that we are driving to different locations everyday. And it is nice to set it up and venture out from there and return later. But the canopy is so tempting because it will make it easier for quick one night trips and if we decided to wheel something, we can.

We have only joined a few group rides, but people either had RTTs or ground tents. I think most of our trails in the south east are trailer worthy, but I still like the idea of not hauling a trailer.

We are going to Asheville Vehicle Outfitters on Saturday and will hopefully be making a deposit to get an Alu-Cab on order.


And thanks to both of you for the comments and sorry for the delayed response, work has been busy.
 

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Resqman

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Another option for you to look into is Trailfort. They are new to the market. I will be the first Jeep Gladiator with their camper. Hopefully I will have the camper in the next Month and half and will do a video walk around. Stay tuned. Check out their instagram. TrailFort
 

gerky18

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@gerky18 what kind of trailer is that? I agree about the RTT being on pretty much all the time. With the canopy camper it would be even more permanent since they are wired in and not easily removed.
It is a homemade trailer that I built. I had an old military trailer I stripped to the frame and floor and then built it up from there.
 
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Mtpisgah

Mtpisgah

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Another option for you to look into is Trailfort. They are new to the market. I will be the first Jeep Gladiator with their camper. Hopefully I will have the camper in the next Month and half and will do a video walk around. Stay tuned. Check out their instagram. TrailFort

That looks nice, I like the two gullwing doors on each side. I wish their lead time was not so long.
 

Resqman

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That looks nice, I like the two gullwing doors on each side. I wish their lead time was not so long.
That lead time is super short compared to any other manufacture. Most have over a year lead time right now. I also had direct input on the Gladiator model. I wanted the portion that overhangs the cab to be as close as possible without hitting on flex. I’m super excited to get it.
 
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Mtpisgah

Mtpisgah

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That lead time is super short compared to any other manufacture. Most have over a year lead time right now. I also had direct input on the Gladiator model. I wanted the portion that overhangs the cab to be as close as possible without hitting on flex. I’m super excited to get it.
Accoring to my AluCab dealer he can get them within about two weeks of deposit. I am going to see him on Saturday. I think part of the timing difference is that they use a standard canopy with different fit kits for each truck.
 

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Jeep Gladiator Canopy vs canopy camper vs off road trailer...trying to decide Jeep-Gladiator-Overland-Build-Suspensio


We have the Alu-Cab Canopy Camper and are happy to answer questions about the unit if any come up. ~ Eric
 

HourlessLife

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Another option for you to look into is Trailfort. They are new to the market. I will be the first Jeep Gladiator with their camper. Hopefully I will have the camper in the next Month and half and will do a video walk around. Stay tuned. Check out their instagram. TrailFort
First time seeing the TrailFort was your post. I'm assuming you have it by now since you posted that you'd have it in February. Congrats on that!

So how do you like it? Any update? Did you make your video and can you provide a link?
 

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I would also like some more feedback on these combos. I'm leaning towards the Alu-Cab Canopy Camper at this point.
 
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Mtpisgah

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Checking back in on this thread. We went with an AluCab canopy camper in March. It is fabulous as it makes camping so much quicker. Get home on a Friday at 4pm, pack the fridge, food box, clothes, and bikes. Done!

There are things to consider like the weight of the camper and potential suspension impacts. We did a lift and bags because the Mojave suspension was too soft. It drives great and is fully Offroad capable now.

We are not sponsored by anyone other than our personal paychecks, so we have a realistic view on our build. Had I known I was going to buy an AluCab, I would have bought a Rubicon or MaxTow and gone from there.

This is my daily driver and I am considering buying something that is easier to drive for work. Either a Tesla or a Ridgeline (I loved my 2019).

The AluCab is a great product and I encourage you to buy it. We drove our JTM to Ouray, CO and back over two weeks. It was a great experience and I would do it again. But be prepared for the entirety of the build.
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