People Are Buying This Controversial New Trailer Just To Renovate It!

so this is one of the strangest videos i have made on the channel and then i'm gonna be really raw with you i'm gonna try to sell you on buying a trailer that i think has poor quality control has a bunch of issues and it's a trailer that i originally thought everyone should probably stay away from now i really appreciate what drew is doing today this is so important for our community we're going to share real owner's experience about trailers instead of just sales pitches so you can see whether this trailer is the best trailer for you or one that you should avoid at all costs there's a group of people out there that has convinced me even though there are some quality control issues there are some just major downsides of this trailer it may still be worth buying and so today i have someone on here who has put over 25 000 miles on this trailer in less than a year and a half and that's brian from diy outdoor life you may know him as the bushwacker teardrop expert i think he's going to be the next cosmo weems so i'm going to throw it over to him here he'll give you a basic overview of this trailer we'll go back and forth about the good the bad and then why people are just jumping on this thing even when they know the ugly hey everyone so before we get into some of the head scratching details about this bushwacker teardrop let's do a quick overview talk about build quality and standard features now everything you see with this trailer is standard there's a couple different models available but there is no customization from the factory with these trailers every bushwhacker weighs 1300 pounds it's made to the dimensions that fit inside a standard garage door opening there's a queen size bed inside this frame is made with a welded aluminum so inside the cabin itself there is no wood glues or screws that make up this structure it is an insulated trailer and they skin it with painted aluminum so these are high quality building products the trailer has a powder coated steel trailer frame it has a dexter torsion axle 15 inch rims with 28 inch off-road tires so that's going to give the bushwacker 12 inches of ground clearance they all have a roof rack on top this has a 300 pound capacity you can carry cargo or use it to attach an awning if you go with the free solo branding of this trailer it comes with the awning and they use some different vinyl graphics on the outside so back here at the galley you have a two burner propane cooktop you have a spray nozzle here a lot of people go with this aftermarket spout but this is connected to a 24 gallon fresh water tank for this trailer now they used to come with this coleman power cooler almost no one liked these so they're including a k2 roto molded cooler in its place now with all the new bushwackers you do have the ac and dc power here if you want to swap this out on your own with a small size compressor fridge i haven't said this in a while if you guys are new to the channel we are all about getting outdoors in small camper trailers helping you have a more simple and gratifying camping experience if that sounds like something you're interested in make sure you check our playlist subscribe and come along for the journey so coming inside the bushwacker like i said we have a queen-size bed now it folds up into a couch because i went with the single entry door version they give you this backrest here they cut the air conditioner out the side to give you a little bit more space in here now if you go with the two-door version they put base cabinets along your feet this gives you a little less room but a lot more storage so there's some basic options here when you're choosing your bushwhacker the last thing that i'll mention is that they all come with a thermostatically controlled propane furnace this is an indirect furnace that gives you dry heat while you're boondocking now if you do have access to shore power or a generator they all come with a 5000 btu air conditioner so these are certainly not features typically included on a trailer that's selling brand new between 10 and 11 000 so brian this sounds like a really great trailer so what's the catch come on come on what's the catch so if something seems too good to be true it probably is and with this trailer being 50 percent of the price of the competition you know there's got to be a catch but with this trailer it has to do with the quality of the fit and finish and the speed of production when i got my trailer there was sealant smeared all over the outside of it it was like they didn't clean up after the job when you look at the air conditioner there's foam hanging down and spray insulation all over the place this isn't the fit and finish we're used to in the teardrop industry my trailer came with the stereo miswire to the point where it didn't work so it makes you wonder whether there's any quality control or an inspection before these trailers leave the factory now when i pulled that stereo out to fix it the cavity was filled with sawdust and wire insulation it looked like they knocked a dust pan off in the wall so most of these issues cleaning up and fixing some of the fit and finish are minor things they're aesthetic things or they're simple but the rushing of this trailer did lead to some more serious issues with the first round of production on this trailer there was a recall where the dealerships had to install bolts between the cabin and the frame because the factory used self-tapping screws the same thing happened with the roof rack there were some issues with the two-door models and how their air conditioners were cooling inside the units now all of these issues have been addressed these were early production issues but they do indicate what happens in the camper industry when a new company starts pumping out these trailers as fast as they can here's what people are doing they're buying these trailers and they're modifying them and they're simple modifications that almost anybody can do with just some simple tools they are coming out these trailers from the factory built on a solid foundation brian will tell you this other owners will tell you this the bones are strong it's just really some oversight on the design some oversight on the finish work nothing a little tlc cannot fix therefore you're able to get this trailer and basically it's turnkey you just want to protect it a little more put it in a garage uh redo the caulking on it redo some of the finish work redo you know some of the electrical but it's coming with things you will never get at this price point on another trailer for one thing it's being built in the usa it's coming with a dometic heater that runs on gas therefore it actually is boondock ready it's not a trailer calling itself a boondock trailer that has an electric heater on it you don't have to plug into shore power to stay warm in this it has that huge 24 gallon water tank i mean that's pretty unheard of at this price point it has so many quality components that i think many of us for the price can overlook the little things and for someone like me with a family i want to build a teardrop right now but it's just a lot of time and effort and work and i want to get into something that is mine i want something that fits me and i think this is kind of it it's almost like an empty shell you buy this teardrop and then you tinker on it you take out things you don't like put things in you do like you rip out this you put in that and you can feel justified doing this when this teardrop is somewhere in the 10 000 13 12 000 range i think you could pump a ton of awesome off-road components into this overland components and you're still going to be nowhere near the price of a new trailer with these things added on from a frugal mindset from a diyer you know it makes sense in both ways it's affordable and it's fun it gives you something to personalize it gives you a little bit of work without taking up the entire garage and taking up your entire free time i mean what do you guys think is this something that may interest you or is this something you should walk away from let me know in the comments if you would tackle a project like this or if you think it's better to build your own or get something that truly truly is turnkey ready even the finish work yeah drew so with the good bad and the ugly i still love my bushwacker teardrop i feel like i made the best decision for me but when other folks ask about a recommendation it's a little bit more complicated i like to share the good and the bad about the trailer and be honest about my experience one of the best resources for people is this bushwacker owners facebook group with thousands of members you have people sharing how they customize and modify their trailers as well as troubleshooting the common issues that all campers have it's an amazing resource it's there that i learned that some dealerships are charging five thousand dollars more than other dealerships for this trailer so i made a little database to help people out there if you're interested in this trailer swing by my channel leave a comment i will share that with you it might be worth taking a road trip to save several thousand dollars on this trailer so i think you may find this interesting brian lives full time at a zen buddhist monastery this is a guy who basically did a vow of poverty and somehow ended up with a teardrop trailer in the midst of all that so check out his channel really interesting guy a lot on outdoor life and teardrops but he also is an expert on off-grid solar i think you'll get a lot from him so we have a ton of these type of videos if you're interested in trailers check out this playlist if you have been following us thank you so much we appreciate all the support um all the feedback in the comment section you guys have really made this channel what it is i thank you so much for that and i just hope that you guys all stay safe on the road and get out there and enjoy this big beautiful world

Channel: Playing with Sticks

Views: 2,327,608

Keywords: teardrop trailer, travel trailer, teardrop camper, small camper trailer, small camper trailer under $10000, new trailer vs used trailer, alaska, used travel trailer, camper, small campers, budget small camper trailer, budget teardrop trailer, best campers, micro camper, camping, playing with sticks, offroad camper, off road trailer, tiny camper, overland trailer, teardrop trailer with, bushwacker teardrop trailer review, camper trailer, camper build, small campers for couples

Id: nArWlWIJDgI

Length: 10min 51sec (651 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 30 2021