The Ultimate Hunting Trailer / Blind Build advice & thoughts please

[Junmity]

Ok,

This may sound impractical but I've been thinking about doing this for some time now and with just under 180 sleeps till my big hunts I'm going for it!

I have this vision of a lightweight enclosed trailer that I can pull with my very efficient (waste veggie oil / diesel) Jetta.

The goal is to get to as deep as I can into the logging roads then unload my big bear 350 4X4 and tow the trailer into my tougher to get to spot...

I was planning on making the enclosure just big enough to load the ATV and give me a little bunk space to camp in when its empty (I'm a solo hunter so I definitely sleep better with the safety of an enclosure)

since the enclosure is only going to be about 36" high, I was going to put a 12" rail along the top of the roof so I can store gas cans, chainsaws, chair etc....

I like to start hunting up north in mid August so I was planning on taking apart an old freezer and laying out the freezer plates in a section along the top compartment. I plan on installing a thermostat so I can regulate the plates to a cool 36 degrees (i know my way around refrigeration so it may be that I just run a new coil of 3/8 as a cold plate or pull in an evaporator / condenser in from another unit. I haven't done the btu calculations yet but my goal is to help the cooling along in hot weather not build a full on fridge. I really have to weigh the energy consumption vs efficiency of the whole thing. I do butcher my own meat and I'm pretty comfortable taking the animals down to size where the meat can cool.

I'm an ok welder and decent with woodwork so construction will be less of an issue than design.

I'd like to do it for less than $1000 but I could spend more if I had too....

couple things that are important to me:

a few batteries (I do go solo so I like to bring my laptop / navigate & text the family with my inreach / watch some movies / boil water for my dehydrated meals etc...)

I want a solar panel system so I don't have to rely so much on my little honda generator (save that for the cooling system!)

plexi windows on all four sides so I can use it as a hunting blind (not sure about this part but I do tend to camp light and self contain my garbage and smells so maybe??)

small vent and mount for my heater buddy

gun rack and wall organizer for my bullets, keys flashlights and all things I generally can never find.

Last year I spent a total of 25 days hunting 7-44, 7-34, 7-17, 5-4b, 4-25, 3-14 & 3-15. Most of it was out of my westfalia & some out of my xc70 volvo station wagon.

This year I'm planning roughly the same but hopefully out of my swiss army trailer!

OK, am I nuts or does some of this make sense?

Thank you for you input!

[mikeman20]

im having a very hard time envisioning how the trailer would look. It sounds like you are trying to do 150 things with a tiny trailer at once

[longstonec]

one thing...I would keep gas cans out… only because the back of my truck stinks of old gas from every time I have power saws in the back. makes it yucky for sleeping.

[StuBrown]

I cannot wait to see the pictures.

[Gun Dog]

Sounds impractical.

- the enclosure is too low at 36". You ATV might be 36" (it's probably taller) but you're sitting on it while you load and unload. Even 4' is too low. 5' is a better height but at that point you might as well go to 6' so you can stand.

- a basic ATV is 4' x 7' so that's the smallest deck that works. For a few extra pounds of steel you might as well go to 5' x 8' or even 5' x 10'.

- you might consider a pop-up roof simply hinged at one end (like a fiberglass cover on a pickup bed). This is more for loading/unloading.

- do up a spreadsheet of weights. You can find weight per foot for steel plus tires, rims, etc. You'd be surprised how fast the weight adds up. A bare frame will be 300# and you easily get to 800# without any gear.

- Having to unload all your gear before you can get the ATV out will get old fast. You need a trailer big enough to load/unload without taking everything out.

- there's a lot of room under the ATV so side rails to lift the ATV when loaded leaves room for mid-height Rubbermaid containers to slide under the ATV. The advantage of cheap Rubermaid is they're waterproof with the lid on so they can stay outside.

- you still need to leave room to bring home the bacon or deer or moose or whatever.

- outside racks for your fuel (gas & propane) is a good idea.

[Junmity]

Feels like it to me too.....

but really, I did it out of my Volvo xc70 station wagon with decent comfort.... I just wanted to kick it up a bit.

I slept in the back of the wagon with the seats folded down and it was ok but the condensation and lack of head room was a pain in the ass....

I was just thinking that it would be cool to atv a small trailer closer than a vehicle could get to so I could camp closer to my hunting spots that have ATV time restrictions.... I was thinking of tenting but I like the security of a hard shell.

Almost everything I use, I keep in my storage compartments on the ATV so I don't have to pack and unpack....

I bring freeze dried food for my main meals so I don't need elaborate space for cooking supplies and most of my hunts are only 5-7 days...

All I was thinking about was having a small trailer that will double as a tent...

I'm 5-4

[Junmity]

well....

I'm going for it, so I'll post the pics so long as haters keep the hating to a minimum....

[Junmity]

In caps to show differece in comments, not to yell


sounds impractical.
The enclosure is too low at 36". You atv might be 36" (it's probably taller) but you're sitting on it while you load and unload. Even 4' is too low. 5' is a better height but at that point you might as well go to 6' so you can stand.



- a basic atv is 4' x 7' so that's the smallest deck that works. For a few extra pounds of steel you might as well go to 5' x 8' or even 5' x 10'.
My rig is 52" high with cargo seat and storage
78" long and 45" wide
i could go bigger but i want it small enough to easily tow and make it easy enough to get through those cutlines and narrow deactivated roads so i will go as small as i can.

- you might consider a pop-up roof simply hinged at one end (like a fiberglass cover on a pickup bed). This is more for loading/unloading.
Love that idea! Hinged roof to make loading easier

- do up a spreadsheet of weights. You can find weight per foot for steel plus tires, rims, etc. You'd be surprised how fast the weight adds up. A bare frame will be 300# and you easily get to 800# without any gear.
I hear ya!

- having to unload all your gear before you can get the atv out will get old fast. You need a trailer big enough to load/unload without taking everything out.
Most of my gear is kept on the atv so hopefully not too much to pack and unpack...

- there's a lot of room under the atv so side rails to lift the atv when loaded leaves room for mid-height rubbermaid containers to slide under the atv. The advantage of cheap rubermaid is they're waterproof with the lid on so they can stay outside.
Really like this idea, as i can keep a lot of this gear in the same storage containers off season
- you still need to leave room to bring home the bacon or deer or moose or whatever.
Last year i packed my game out partially deboned in my roof cargo rack.

- outside racks for your fuel (gas & propane) is a good idea.


thanks!

[Sofa King]

i didn't notice this in your write-up, but I may have missed it.
make it so that you can then hook it up to the quad and pull it with you further back into your hunting area.
that would make the most sense.

[blackbart]

How much weight is your car rated to tow?

[Gun Dog]

Since you're towing with a Jetta you may need brakes on the trailer:

CVSE Trailer Towing (www.cvse.ca/references_publications/trailer_towing_info_sheet.pdf):

Brakes are required if the trailer exceeds 1400 kg, or more than
50% of the licensed vehicle weight of the towing unit. When
brakes are required, they must be on all axles and there must be
an operational breakaway on the trailer in case the towing unit
and trailer separate while being towed. These brakes, when
applied, must be adequate to maintain control of the trailer, must
not affect the direction of travel of the trailer and, where the
weight of the trailer exceeds 2800 kg, must be capable of being
applied by the driver of the motor vehicle towing the trailer from
his or her normal seated position.