Not All Teardrops are Off Road Teardrops

We hear all the time from customers ready to buy one of our off road teardrop trailers because the one they currently own is letting them down. Today we thought we’d walk through some of the features that make our Pando 2.0 a true off road teardrop, while some other makes and styles may let you down in the backcountry.

Materials

There are lots of teardrop trailers on the market and when you dive in, you’ll find they are made of all kinds of materials like wood, plastic, metal. We have nothing against wood as a building material but in our experience it’s better for building houses than trailers. There are two main faults with a construction plan that heavily relies on wood or plastic. Wood can rot and hold moisture (which leads to mold), and plastic breaks easily and isn’t up to the strain of movement and weather.

We use an all-metal construction plan for the simple reason that metal won’t rot, won’t hold moisture and is up to the challenge of taking on the road, the backcountry and whatever mother nature can dish out. Is the first step we take in creating a true off road trailer.

Suspension

We’ve talked about suspension many times on the site, in fact you might say we’re a little obsessed with suspension performance and providing great options on every trailer we build. The reason is that there are many trailers on the market with impressive ground clearance--which can give the appearance that a trailer is off road ready--but if the suspension isn’t up to the terrain, that clearance isn’t going to do much for you.

As you research and compare off road trailer suspension options, pay close attention. The travel and craftsmanship behind the suspension can make all the difference when you’re heading off the beaten track.

Warranty

There is a reason you don’t talk about warranty options with your friends and family at dinner. They probably aren’t the most exciting topic in your average week. However, we’d argue that a warranty is extremely important when you’re investing in an off road teardrop trailer that you intend to use for the next decade or two.

A warranty is a strong vote of confidence from the manufacturer to you; in essence saying, ‘we stand behind every piece of this trailer and if it doesn’t perform, we’ll make it right’. We know you may not get as excited about warranty language as we do, but it’s our promise to you that our product will perform.

As you compare your off road teardrop trailer options, pay attention to the fine print. How long is the warranty good for? What parts of the trailer are covered? The fine print will tell you all about the strengths and weaknesses of the product you are considering.

We hope this quick walk-through helps you on your path to evaluate the teardrop trailers on your list, and if you have any questions about Off Grid Trailers, certainly watch our videos, sign up for a demo or get in touch. We’re happy to help you on your journey.