Trailer and Vehicle Upgrades

Any time you purchase a “new” home, typically you always want to put your own touch on it.  Well...we are no different with our Hiker Trailer as it is our new home. With the model being the Mid-Range Deluxe Hiker it already had lots of great amenities in addition to what the previous owner added as well.

When we drove off the lot from the dealer we were camping ready. It came with a mattress, AC unit, and a utility box mounted on the 

front tongue along with a 13" TV and directional antenna. We knew we would want other key features for when we stayed an extended time "off the grid." Some of these features included a water solution for drinking, cleaning, showering etc., reliable power supply, and a homey rug under the awning. Being off the grid requires no power hook-ups or stays at expensive campgrounds.  We just need a spot in nature where our 2005 Ford Escape and 2015 Hiker Trailer (HT) can go.

Trailer Upgrades

What we plan to do...Live in it! Before we made any dramatic changes to our HT we wanted to live in it. For initial upgrade we had two requirements.

• Have the ability to go off the grid​​
• Have a safe power supply

To meet our requirements we first researched the best batteries for the price that we could buy with the consideration of use and ease of returning them if there is an issue via warranty replacement. We got 2 Large Marine Deep Cycle Batteries, as these would provide enough power to live off the grid for 2 weeks if we are being frugal with our power.  This includes running internal LED lights and a 12 volt power roof fan, and recharging our electronics (cell phones and cameras).

In order to operate the batteries efficiently and safely we installed a switchboard with fuses. The switchboard helped consolidate all of the electrical for the trailer to include:

• Porch Lights: This controls the under frame amber lights when we are at camp plus they add great ground effects and easy way to identify our trailer at a busy campground at night.
• Dual USB Plug: For any devices that need to charge via USB and includes battery voltage readout.
• Cigarette Plug: as this will allow us to plug in an inverter if we need to charge any DC plugged items such as our laptops when traveling remotely.
• Trailer: This controls all of the internal components of the trailer that run off of the 12 volt electrical system such as the LED overhead lights, individual LED reading lights, roof fan, and an additional cigarette plug.
• Trailer/Marker Lights: This allows us to charge the batteries via our car when driving, if we have been off the grid for a while. In addition this can also provide more ambient light around the  campsite, if needed.
• Open: We left this switch open for further expansion to run solar panels to charge the batteries. If we opted for solar we wanted to have a "safety" switch so it doesn't drain the batteries on a cloudy day.

For the immediate water situation we opted for a basic 5 gallon water jug that mounts to the front tongue of the trailer opposite of the AC unit along with various sized collapsible water jugs in the back kitchen area. We have researched many different options but still feel we need to live it before moving forward with other options.

As with your "home" there are always projects around the corner. In the future we will be adding a 20 gallon propane tank for cooking purposes with the possibility of adding a tankless water heater. Additionally we would love to add solar panels to ensure charged batteries for extended stays off the grid.

As with your "home" there are always projects around the corner. In the future we will be adding a 20 gallon propane tank for cooking purposes with the possibility of adding a tankless water heater. Additionally we would love to add solar panels to ensure charged batteries for extended stays off the grid.

Vehicle Upgrades

For our vehicle we have removed 2 seats and built a platform with two area for storage underneath. The platform above the storage area is large enough for our 2 dogs (Yellow Lab and Red Heeler Mix) to lay comfortably while traveling. The area has ample room for our emergency road side equipment along with miscellaneous outdoor gear. In the back of the vehicle we have more storage and a built in spot for our cooler,  which is our fridge solution for now. Additional storage is available with our very large hard sided car topper as well as a soft sided pack we can strap to the luggage rack that is on the roof of the HT.

Currently we are working on getting some graphics added to the trailer with our logo as well as a solar shower solution. But if you see us on the road don't be startled if we honk twice because we do that every time we enter into a new state!

Blog post written by Jacob Karras
Unnamed Adventures