Small camping trailers sure have re-emerged onto the scene as an option for those looking for a more practical RV solution. Many different variations are now available. Some trailers are geared for on-road, some a dual on-road/off-road purpose, some with minimal features and some that are equipped to handle tough, off-road terrain and let you live out in the middle of nowhere for an extended period of time. The latter is exactly where Off Grid Trailers fits in.
Attending Overland Expo West, I was fortunate to be introduced to Duane, CEO of Off Grid Trailers, and receive a red carpet walkaround by Ken of their two trailer models on display, the Expedition 2.0 which is featured in this article, and the Pando 2.0.
Built in Edmonton Alberta, Canada with locations currently in Colorado and Lake Havasu, Off Grid Trailers can ship directly to you, or to one of their locations.
Design
The Expedition 2.0 is more square in design vs. your standard teardrop trailer, with innovative design and integration of features. Off Grid Trailers takes advantage of sophisticated manufacturing and modern technologies including 3-D printing to design a trailer that is of the highest quality.
Superior Construction
Unlike many standard teardrops, Off Grid Trailers feature no wood in their construction for longevity and durability. The skin of the trailer is all-aluminum, with an aluminum-framed skeleton. The trailer chassis frame is made of beefy 4 inch, c-channel steel for serious off-road use. Rock sliders protect the trailer body from damage.
Even the fenders are extra beefy, designed to also act as a step with a rating of 400 lbs, so you can easily access the roof which can also can support the weight without flexing.
There’s a whopping 21 inches of ground clearance which is more than many vehicles without a significant lift. The trailer rides on Timbren 3,500 lb axle-less suspension, so you know it can handle rough terrain. “On the way here to Overland Expo West, we went through a lot of desert terrain – off roading, river crossings, etc.”, commented Ken. “Zero problems. The trailers handled amazing!”
The floor of the trailer is composite, with rigid insulation panels and a vinyl coating, all enclosed in aluminum under the chassis. It keeps the interior completely dry with no problems from condensation.
In the rear, the trailer was designed with what appears to be about a 45 degree departure angle. The frame intelligently includes a hitch receiver just in case you get into a hairy situation off-road and need to pull from the rear.
The trailer was engineered so that electronics and running gear like the water pump can all be easily accessed behind panels.
Abundance of Features and Amenities
The Expedition 2.0 trailer sure isn’t your average teardrop, even from a features standpoint. For starters, each trailer comes standard with a 60 liter Dometic fridge on a slide-out built into a lockable storage container that sits in front of the cabin towards the trailer tongue.
Power
The trailer contains 2 marine grade batteries, a 1,000 Watt inverter, and it comes wired solar-ready with a genius solar charge controller along with a port to plug in your preferred solar panel array.
Kitchen
Traditional teardrops will typically have the kitchen located in the rear of the trailer as a galley. A The Expedition 2.0 Squaredrop has located the kitchen on the side, as a beautiful drop-down stainless steel unit with a stove and sink.
Storage
With the kitchen located on the side of the trailer, the rear now becomes a large. lockable storage/pantry area, with all-aluminum, adjustable shelving. This gives you the ability to customize your storage to your own preference. In fact, there’s so much storage available on this trailer, it can easily accommodate a family of 4.
A custom, beefy roof rack with cross members comes standard, so you can haul gear up top, and attach accessories like awnings or a roof top tent to completely accomodate 4 people camping.
Water
In the rear of the trailer is a whopping 31 gallon fresh water tank, placed specifically to balance out trailer tongue weight.
On the driver side of the trailer is what I consider luxury: a propane-powered, on-demand hot water heater with a pump that supplies hot water to the sink in the drop-down kitchen, as well as a hot water shower!
Interior
The interior is an 81 inch long queen mattress that’s 4 inches thick made of high-density memory foam.
The walls and ceiling are all constructed of insulated aluminum. All electrical work runs through an easily accessible channels in case you want to make any upgrades. There’s a large storage compartment with lockable doors and shelves that runs the entire width of the trailer; it has a mount for an optional TV.
Interior Control Panel
Apart from the really cool CNC machined aluminum face plate with the Off Grid Trailers logo, functionality includes controls for an optional Propex Heater, the inverter, LED light switch, 2 USB ports, a voltage meter and 2 AC plugs.
Believe it or not, there’s even more features and functionallity beyond what’s listed above, so please check out Off Grid Trailers for information if you’re interested.