Berserker
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- Nov 29, 2017
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- Colorado Springs, CO
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- 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon
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- #46
Yep, there are certainly tradeoffs. It's almost as if you need one of each so you're most suited for different trips. I've learned I prefer "base camp" type trips instead of "overlanding". I like setting up in one spot and exploring instead of continually moving. The slower pace gives me more time to take it in. That's why I settled on an Oztent. It's quick to set up and roomy for inclement weather. If I'm driving solo for a few days to get to my destination I often just sleep in the driver's seat. If my family is with me it's 2.5-star hotels until we get there.It's all trade offs. There is no perfect single solution. IMO on trips that last over a week to a month, especially when there are some 1 night stops, then it's really nice to have a standup, hardside camper that doesn't take any (or no less than a couple min) prep to sleep, eat and then pack to continue on. These are really nice when arriving after dark and in bad weather, too. It's also much nicer to wait out a storm when up to 5 people can lounge or sit around a table for hours and use an indoor toilet. Plus you aren't worrying about packing up a wet tent. BUT, trails will definitely be limited some. I've used a hard side as a basecamp and then explored for a couple of days in a tent.
Towing a trailer with a RTT will allow more trails but still limit some others. Setup isn't as convenient as a hardside camper but some, like the air Opus 4 are pretty quick.
Gladiator mounted RTT gives the most trail accessibility but of course has setup and/or day exploring limitations. Rocking and noise from wind can be a factor with RTTs.
Pick one (or 2 or 3) that suits you best. But whatever you pick make sure, if necessary, that it is modified to do the places you plan to go. The guy above that has a modified T@G boondock teardrop sounds like he did it right for him. I towed a stock T@G XL Boondock off-road up a pretty rocky and steep 4x4 trail that was only about 2 miles long. I did that just to see how it would handle it and I went very slow due to a lot of rocks. It essentially did fine with the stock off-road tires and suspension but with all of the bouncing 2 screws came out on the fridge slide and jammed it, 2 screws popped out on the TV mount leaving it hanging and I bent the designed-too-big driver side fender on a drop going down over a drainpipe. I also had 2 beers explode inside the fridge from the shaking but that was user error since they weren't packed snug. The Yakima roof bars slid out of their mounts but that was the rental places fault since they didn't have them installed properly. All of that was only 4 miles round trip. On an tamer road stock would be fine but for what I want to do I would have to significantly modify that T@G. Be careful on some of these marketed "off-road" models. There's a reason the patriot, opus, Black series, Kimberley, etc. cost so much. Maybe the price doesn't justify the capabilities for you but for others it does.
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