Tent trailer/overland trailer

[Marlin]

Those look sweet! I want one now too.

There are better ones than those out there for less. There is one that is a sealed unit, floats and they will build it with matching wheels and tires to go with tow rig. They focus on Jeeps, but they do FJs and what not. Can't remember the brand, came across it during my EXTENSIVE research.

[Marlin]

Got it all set up today in the rain. Took me about 30 minutes reading the directions step by step. Pretty sure I can do it again in <15 by myself.
I was trying to figure out how the tent weighs 80lbs, now I understand why. It is not like a cheap coleman tent. The material is more like a backpack cordura type, but no quite that thick. The tub is similar to a raft, a woven rubber, not like the cheap tarp material conventional tents are made of.
I am more than pleased with it. Although, the zippers are a bit lacking. They need to have bigger teeth, and the the door needs to have a hinge. We have a coleman that uses fiberglass poles as a hinge to keep the door stiff, it would add a lot to the tent and would not cost much more. If you are already spending 3K on a tent, whats another 20 bucks?
I did swap out the fiberglass wing poles with the nice Kelty aluminum poles I had. That was a good improvement in the long run, fiberglass and cold weather do not go well together. Only fiberglass left is the awning poles, and they are fairly short and thin, not worried about those since they are not structural and do not have much bend to them.
I should have wheel adapters in a week or two, then need to figure out how to get the VX wheels to fit on there Need to measure my gate as well and make sure it will fit with the wider tires, it may end up parked in my driveway, which I really do not want to do.

[Marlin]

It has hooks in the ceiling for lights, pockets in the vertical portions leading to the sleeping platforms, as well as vents and extension cord ports. Very designed, even the vents have little stiff inserts to prop them open from the outside. Just can't believe how poor the zippers are

[Marlin]

Got some major work on the trailer done today.
I stained the wood deck, got all the carpet laid out, once the stain cures, I will mount the carpet. I have had good experience with the lowes gray outdoor carpet. I did an 18x12 slab with masonry screws in charleston. It has been there 4 years, no fading, no problems.

I also bought my 45watt solar set and a 114a/hr deep cycle battery. The solar set is on sale at HF for 150, comes with a controller, 2 led work lights (not very bright, but ok for a tent I suppose), 3 15watt panels, all the wiring, and a PVC frame that is actually pretty nice. The lights only draw 350ma each, so I could run both of them off the battery for well over 100 hours with no charge. They have fluorescent bulbs in them, may check on some brighter LED bulbs and swap them out. I also added a 750watt inverter, should be enough to run a fan, lights, charge a laptop etc...

And the cherry on top, a badass steel tongue box at Harbor Freight. It is definitely a diamond. 90 bucks with a coupon, solid steel, inset lid with piano hinge that is inside the box. It is VERY well made, fit the trailer perfectly.

Also got all the new tie downs on the trailer and started punching new holes/grommets for the tarp I got for it. Not sure how that portion is gonna work out. The tarp is the right size, but it needs to be tight to keep it from shredding. I am thinking maybe putting a truck bed cargo net over the tarp? Dunno yet.

My dad's company just finished tooling for a brand new designed electric jack. I will be getting one of the first off the line for "testing" in the field I will cut off the existing jack and replace it with the electric.

Next up, wheels and tires. Not sure if the VX wheels will work or not, the offset is way wrong and I would have to have some major spacers, may just find a set of steel 6x5.5 bolt pattern wheels with deep offset, maybe steal Tom's, and slap the tires I have in the shed on there. I need to order the max coupler from Kilby and fab/weld that up. Then she will be mostly overland ready. Still need to build a skid plate for the front/bottom to cover the water tank and protect the frame on the trail. Gotta look at the rear clearance and evaluate that as well. Will post up some pics tomorrow while I am treating the tent for bugs.

[Marlin]

Even more progress with assistance from my 7 yr old. The 6 yr old went to the hospital with strep...

We got the battery mounted up, installed the carpet.




These pics are pre-carpet...

[Marlin]

Coming along now, I think I am done with the exception of the lock n roll hitch. Ordering that today.

I finished up the box/electrical. I have 40 feet o retractable cord for the solar panels. That means I can park the trailer in the shade and put the panels elsewhere in the sun.
I also installed the new controller and 750 watt inverter.
The controller drops out the inverter at 12ish volts. That means I cannot completely kill the battery. I went with a smaller inverter on purpose. Think of it as an amp/hr fuse. In theory, I could max out that inverter and not kill the battery for 18-20hrs. I was originally going to mount it, then decided to strap that way I can take it out and use it someone else's vehicle or whatever. I stored the alligator clamp cords in there as well.
I added a drop light for inside the box. I also added a 25 foot 3 outlet extension cord, which is what the port on the side is for. Voila, self sustaining electricity!
I also got the tent treated for bugs. Setup the beds and sleeping arrangements. I wish UK single mattresses were available here. A twin is 34" wide, UK single is 29ish. Two thermarest pads will fit on side, which is what the boys will use, but I would rather not "rough" it if I don't have to