TOAD teardrop travel trailer

[Mitchrb1]

Anyone here pull a teardrop or similar travel trailer? I'm currently looking at possibly getting a Road toad teardrop camper. Made with composite materials and very lightweight. I'd like to get it extremely light and should be able to stay under 1000lb with the below trailer. But, it would be Ideal to have trailer brakes like the Hiker models. but, those weigh quite a bit more.

Road Toad TOTES

• Empty weight of 400 lbs
• Load up to 600 lbs of gear
• Gross weight of 1000 lbs. allows you to tow with smaller vehicles.

 

[GATORB8]

I built one a few years ago that I've probably put 15k miles on with the JL, significantly heavier though.

Looks like the Road Toad is as bare bones as you can get. I'd be sure you are okay with no HVAC, water, power system.

One that was interesting to me at an overland expo a few years back was Zion, they designed it to be able to be "upgraded" in kit form down the road.

https://zionoffroad.com/

 

[bucky]

I pull a Little Guy teardrop. Approx 1200 lbs loaded and another 300+ lbs of gear in my TJRU. No brakes and I’ve had no issues going down steep grades here in the West. I do have a manual which helps with braking. I pull 6% grades at 50mph. It’s very aero dynamic and not bothers by cross winds. No heat just AC which is a must here in the Desert. Only real issue is that I can’t open the tailgate with the trailer attached.
Taking her out to the Colorado River for 5 days of fun next week.

 

[GATORB8]

Only real issue is that I can’t open the tailgate with the trailer attached.

Definitely a good tip to look out for.

That was a benefit of matching wheelbases beyond just handling (pivot to trailer axle matches our JLU wheelbase) and I can jackknife to near 90 degrees if necessary.

 

[YonderNorthwest]

I pull an offroad trailer. It's about 1,500 lb when fully loaded. There have been a few instances on and offroad when I've wanted trailer brakes. With a sub 1k# trailer, I would get my hands on the trailer and take it for a few runs before I committed to installing trailer brakes.

Also, $8,000 seems like a lot for an empty box on wheels. Harbor Freight utility trailer with a cheap RTT on top would achieve the same function for probably less than half the price. Wouldn't look as slick though...