Taking your rig on vacation...

kaiser715

kaiser715

Doing hard time
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Location
7, Pocket, NC
My wife and I are planning to go out to CO in 2010. This will be in conjuction with a group wheeling trip. Afterwards, we want to spend a couple of weeks touring around, mostly Utah and CO. Problem is, what to do with the trail rig and maybe trailer while we vacation? We'll most likely stay in the camper on the front of the trailer...so the whole shebang would pretty well have to go along with us.

I figure it won't be any worse than folks that drag a big travel trailer all over creation out there. I've been in that area twice, and don't see a problem with dragging the trailer along.

One of my major concerns is security of my toys. Basic plan is, we'd stay at a campground for 1 to 3 nights, then move on. Sometimes the trail rig and trailer would stay at the campground, other times we'd have it with us. Don't plan any long hikes away from a road/parking area, but there are some places like Arches NP where it would be possibly unattended for a couple of hours, or left back at the campground. I could see either A) somebody ripping off parts B) some wacko treehugger exacting revenge for all the land we have destroyed.

Anybody here done similar?? Any tips? Comments on security of the rig??
 
I got a pit bull you can borrow.. Problem is, he will probably chew up your rig before anything else. Park Rangers usually patrol the sites dont they? Or just bring lots of chain and lock everything down to where they would need alot of hacksaw or bolt cutter time in order to get anywhere. Maybe boots for the vehicle... Thats always my biggest concern as well. Havent really thought of a good way. People get crafty when they steal.
 
Travel

Take it with you. I pull my rig behind a motorhome on a trailer. It goes every where I go.
 
Except that a lot of the National Parks have rules that either ban trailers outright, or have weight, length, or width limitations that rule them out, or prohibit them along certain routes.

He's going to have to leave the trailer in a parking lot from time to time.

On a completely unrelated note, if your trail rig isn't street legal, I'd recommend getting tags on it before you go. There's a shit ton of stuff to see in CO and UT that's only accessible by 4wd.
 
I have thought of dropping it off someplace and pick it up later...but I'm really looking a kinda following a route I did in '95....a big loop, and it would be out of my way to pick it back up. I know a couple of folks in UT and CO where I'd be comfortable leaving it and it would be secure. Have also thought about finding a self-storage place that had garage-sized units, big enough for the Jeep. I'd still need the trailer, though, if that's where my bed is...

I was at Dead Horse State Park back in '93. At the overlook. waaaaaayyyyyy down below by the river, is a dirt road...there was 5 or 6 Jeeps making their way along....I bet there's lots of places like that. I found a few back roads on that trip, but being in a rental (IIRC, it was a 4runner) and by myself, I didn't want to risk too much.
 
Get a list of local off-road shops on your route. Maybe they can help you with storage in a fenced in area for free or a small fee.
 
trip

We just moved from Seattle to Chesapeake and left my stuff at the campgrounds. (Built zook and a quad). We just locked the quad to the zook. I had to unload it to camp (toyhauler). They were all private campgrounds.
 
Travel

State and Federal camp grounds are expensive in Co. They charge for each vehicle, plus for the site. I have found plenty of places to stay at no cost and most private camp grounds will go out of their way to accomodate the extra trailer, ect.
As stated there are tons of routes for exploring/sight seeing in Co and Ut that require a 4x4. The biggest problem would be where to leave your camper/tow rig when you go on a two or three day trail.
 
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