Travel Trailer

Hey Everyone!

My Dad and I are working on a start up company in Boise, Idaho that handcrafts small travel trailers. We are asking around to find out what groups would be interested, and I thought the rock climbing community might be a good place to start, and I was just hoping to get some feedback from the community. If this isn't allowed I totally understand and no hard feeling if my post gets deleted. I'll just give you the basics; we make small sized travel trailers that are extremely light weight (average 450 pounds total) and extremely durable. They are easy to take on rough trails and can withstand the ride, no problem! Our basic model can comfortably sleep two, and has shelving inside that can be used for gear storage. Right now we are just feeling out the market so our trailers aren't available for purchase yet, but we are hoping to roll some out this coming spring. I would love to hear what your initial thoughts are, and I will happily answer any questions you may have! Thank you so much for your time and response!

Not sure if I'm in the market, but I and others are for sure going to want to see some photos.

I can do you one better! This is a video of the strength and endurance of our basic model trailer. Also yes, they are made of foam, but this video is a testament to their strength. Also all the mud and dirt can be hosed right off without affecting the integrity of the trailer at all. We are also currently working on a follow-up to this video, that will show the trailer on some new terrain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGVTPNeZcyM

I have a slide in truck camper to be able to travel on rough roads and trails. If I were to pull a trailer, it would have to be capable on very rocky and rutted out roads, and probably be very short. I think you might find some climbers who would be interested, but I think most climbers are more interested in a simple cargo van or pickup with camper shell situation. Having a trailer limits the places you can park (often we are parking in narrow, winding canyons with just enough space for one vehicle in each parking spot). Additionally, many climbing areas have limited camping, so people will attempt to "stealth camp" in their vehicles. A trailer is not an option for people like that.

It would be cool to see what your trailers look like, though. I love the idea of a lightweight, high clearance trailer, but up to this point, the costs have outweighed the benefits.

My initial thought is that you should aim to make them affordable.

This thing looks great, and at 450 lbs would be a serious game-changer as compared to other trailers of similar size.  Price is probably one of the biggest factors.  Others aspects that I personally would not buy without:

-Skylight/ fan in the top
-Integrated cooking setup in the back, preferably with overhead cover
-Potentially an awning to hang out under, maybe in the back to double as cooking cover

Good luck 

A travel trailer that weighs 450 lbs and won't fall apart on the classic washboards would be a good thing. I don't like small trailers, however, particularly teardrops. My premise is that the justification for a trailer instead of a tent is that I really want a place I can hang out is when the weather is bad. I'm sick of dealing with a tent in spring snowstorms, desert windstorms and blazing summer heat. A travel trailer I can hang in, cook in and sleep in lets me extend the weather window in which I can live. A teardrop or a small box is no better than a tent IMO, even if it has an built out kitchen and a fly.

Vans are great and I've had three but we have graduated to the PITA of a trailer but now don't have to pack up all our shit and abandon our camping spot when we want to go for a climb or hike.

Best,
Mal

A 450 lb foam trailer? What happens in a 50 mph cross-wind?
Why is it so non-aerodynamic?
Why are the wheels such a small diameter?
Why are you not using an axle-less design?
What is it's max weight rating?
Is there a galley?
Who is your target consumer, meaning, what are they looking for in a travel trailer? (Personally, as an example, I'd love a Bruder EXP-4, but it's way too pricey and it exceeds the toowing capacity of my Jeep JKU.)

-Improve the aerodynamics drastically, towing a brick can affect mpgs more than weight in my experience

I feature I kept thinking about when I van camped was some sort of wind block for underneath the vehicle. Vestibule/sunshade space is great but if you're hanging out in camp chairs or on a crashpad blowing sand can kinda spoil the vibe. I never figured out a good solution though.

Vaughn, What do you think would be a reasonable price for a travel trailer such as this? We already have a price in mind but would love to hear what the community thinks is affordable.

Mark801 C, The trailer is bottom heavy so wind hasn't caused been a problem. In our research aerodynamics don't matter much when the trailer is in the slipstream of the vehicle, so instead of making it more aerodynamic we used the space for storage. We are currently testing a prototype with 31in tires, but as the video shows this size of tires is very over-road capable. As a goal of keeping the price for this trailer down we didn't go with an axle-less trailer as it would add nearly $1000 to the cost of the trailer. The max weight rating is approximately 1000 pounds. There is not currently a galley on the basic build, but we will definitely keep that in mind. We are targeting people who often find themselves off-road and want a compact light weight trailer that they can take with them for an affordable price.

Ross Goldberg, like I said the aerodynamics don't really matter behind the slipstream of a vehicle, and since the trailer is so light weight it gets better miles per gallon as compared to other traditionally built trailers.

Nick Votto, We will definitely keep these things in mind for future improvements.

If your tow vehicle is streamlined, then this thing is going to be a serious drag without some streamlining.  It may be find when you have a 2 box brick towing it (big SUV, truck, jeep), but with it being so light, you should be able to tow it behind a hatchback or sedan or small SUV, and there the aerodynamics are going to matter quite a bit more.

Wish you'd said something sooner before my wife went off half cocked and bought an RV thinggy.  I'd rather have what you are putting out so we could have left some money in the bank. I like camping in tents, but she didn't. Thanks you for showing us your product, priced right you should sell a lot. (not necesaarily to these tightwads although I see more climber trustafarians buying Mercendies Sprinter vans for low 6 figure$ these days. :-)  

I don't get these small trailers - like all the teardrops that are all the rage right now. We tent camp and have more room in our 4 person Big Agnes than most of these types of setups (short trips we'll bring a smaller tent, but the BA is nice and comfy).
In the future as we get older, yes we see a van/trailer/etc as a possibility, mainly for longer trips and waiting out crappy weather - again, I think this type of setup is too small to hang out in on a crappy day. Many of these tiny setups have you cooking outside. Might as well be under a strung up tarp like when we tent camp. $10 and done.
I find towing a PITA, so if I'm going to bother, it better be quite a step up from tent camping.

Guess we're not in your target group - good luck, either way.

Matt N wrote: I don't get these small trailers - like all the teardrops that are all the rage right now. We tent camp and have more room in our 4 person Big Agnes than most of these types of setups (short trips we'll bring a smaller tent, but the BA is nice and comfy).
In the future as we get older, yes we see a van/trailer/etc as a possibility, mainly for longer trips and waiting out crappy weather - again, I think this type of setup is too small to hang out in on a crappy day. Many of these tiny setups have you cooking outside. Might as well be under a strung up tarp like when we tent camp. $10 and done.
I find towing a PITA, so if I'm going to bother, it better be quite a step up from tent camping.

Guess we're not in your target group - good luck, either way.

Yep, trailers suck.   I'll take mine over a tent any day of the week.  I did the tent thing while car camping for 40 plus years and I aint going back.

Which trailer is this Kevin?

Kevin Mokracek wrote:

Yep, trailers suck.   I'll take mine over a tent any day of the week.  I did the tent thing while car camping for 40 plus years and I aint going back.

Nick Votto wrote: Which trailer is this Kevin?

So Cal Teardrop