Travel Light, Go Far

We are trying to go low impact and low cost on our travels. When we hit the road, we like to go for a long time and drive long distances so ease of travel and mileage costs are big considerations. 

I know a lot of people who go camping haul around a giant fifth wheel pulled behind a giant truck or drive a bus-sized motorhome but after years of tenting, a tiny trailer is all we wanted.  We did not want to buy a large new vehicle to haul it with, although we knew our 18 year old Odyssey was not likely to manage much longer. 

Jordan River, B.C.

My husband was on the hunt, checking reviews and products all over the place. We wanted something that weighed under 3500 pounds. We debated a few items. For instance, did we need a heater? A bathroom? A permanent bed? Air conditioning? Sleeping for more than 2 people? Made in Canada? Off-road capability? Could we find one tall enough to stand up in? And where would the dogs go?

Dog seat

We opted for a 15 foot trailer produced by the Quebec company Roulottes that has been making travel trailers since 2000. Roulottes make a variety of ultra-light trailers that range in size from a 12 foot 600 pound model that is basically a bed on wheels, to their largest trailer, the 24 foot, 3700 pound XTreme that sleeps 6. 

Atlin, BC

Our model is the ProlitePlus. Tall enough to stand up in (unless you are over 6 feet tall, it weights just 1500 pounds dry. It has an excellent small fridge, 2 burner stove, microwave, casset-toilet and shower, couches that fold down into a lengthy bed, heater and a little slide-out for a couch that adds a surprising amount of space. That's where the dogs go. A bonus is the outdoor shower which we have used for ourselves but especially for the dogs when they get muddy or go for an unexpected swim somewhere.

Atlin, B.C. 

The downside of the trailer is that it's not especially rugged. The water lines etc are not enclosed underneath and the first year we had it, the braces on the underside got knocked loose and it developed a leak in the greywater tank. I don't think we caused this damage but it was not covered by warranty and had to be fixed which was time consuming. The retailer recommended we have the trailer inverted on its axel to give us more clearance so we had that done. Probably something that should be done immediately if you are going that route. That being said, we have camped off grid, taken it through mountain parks, gone down logging roads to recreation sites, camped in Death Valley, and gone all the way down to Texas and as far north as Dawson City. 

We bought the trailer in Martensville SK and drove it home. As I mentioned earlier, we weren't sure the old Odyssey would last much longer, trooper that she may be. Sure enough, she did not enjoy towing the trailer so we again started our search for something new. We ended up with a used Toyota Highlander Hybrid. It has it's quirks but they are not related to towing a trailer. It is great on gas and plenty roomy. 

Now all we have to do is for Covid to be done and we will be back on the road!

Bon Camino!