Last year a bunch of us decided on a thursday night to go on a three day ride in eastern Canada starting the next afternoon. The wife and I got all our kit together and decided that a trailer was needed. Being a handy kind of fellow I took the old lawn tractor trailer and welded an axle and tongue on it with 13" tires. Of course the trailer was too small cause every one else was in the same vote and wanted to put kit in the trailer.
Everyone had different ideas on what kit to bring along and between all of us we made do between us.

My questions are;
1. Can you do this without a trailer?
2. What kit do you think you should take with you? and
3. If you were customizing a trailer for this purpose, what features would you like to see in or on the trailer?

 

Are you and your wife riding seperate quads or on the same machine? I think if you are both on the same machine you would probably need a trailer for a 3 day trip if you can't stop for food and lodging. So, on that assumption I'd bring a trailer. I have one like this that I use when getting firewood from a very steep hill that my truck can't get up. It handles weight very well. Bush Buggy Trailer I got a canvas tarp to put over the top when I'm carrying tools for bridge projects or chainsaws for clearing work.

I'd bring a cooler and use block ice. It lasts alot longer than bags of ice. Can't get it everywhere but a trick I've done is to freeze a few gallons of spring water and you get cooling along with a nice fresh water supply. Tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, nested cooking set, small campstove (like this one: MSR PocketRocket Stove), matches and lighter, fuel for stove, ax, compact saw, bug repellent, a good tarp (tents can fail), couple loops of 50' nylon parachute cord, gas cans (highly recommend Rotopax as they don't leak) and food.

As far as the trailer goes make sure it is the same width as your quad. More narrow would make it more tippy, wider would cause it to take more abuse on the trails. If the trailer has quad sized tires they cushion the bumps pretty good, but a suspension isn't a bad thing either.

 

Thanks for the quick response. You definitely give a fellow some food for thought. The wife and I have assorted sizes of machines and don't much care for double riding except with the younger grand kids. We usually only get out for a couple of weeks in the summer, but all that will change with our upcoming move back home this summer. The Kids are planning two major trips for our home coming with the first one at the end of may.
I like your trailer and am fond of the idea of the low center of gravity. I have seen something similiar only in polycarbonate with no tailgate. These usually end up falling apart after some heavy use and are almost unrepairable unlike the metal ones. I was also thinking of putting two 6 gal gas can holders on the front of the trailer to free up room inside. We also found out the hard way last year that air pressure in the tires is everything, maybe some springs would help.
I agree with the block ice lasting longer then the hollowed out cubes that don't make it through the day. The stove is much smaller then the two burner coleman we had last year.

 

I just got that stove for mostly winter riding to heat up hot chocolate or soup. It will get a couple quarts of water boiling in just a few minutes. It sounds like a jet when it's lit. I've never tipped the Bush Buggy trailer and that's with wet firewood heaped up going up and down 35-40 slopes in Vermont and New Hampshire. I've toted my generator, nail gun, and construction gear a few times and my chainsaws and clearing gear a number of times also.

 

I was quite impressed with the stove! I went to a few places today looking for it or something close to it. I came home with two multi-fuel MSR bottle stoves (runs on almost anything but works best with white gas or camp fuel also runs on unleaded gas), like yours the darn thing sounds like a jet and fits in a small fabric bag. I like the idea of only one type gas to carry. Hope they work as well as the MSR you have.
The trailer looks great and is something I am interested in, particularly at maintaining the woodlot and making the rounds back and forth with the selective cutting we do.
Beth and I had most of your list above except for a few discrepancies such as a bow saw, one double blow up air mattress, but missed out on the bug juice and tarp which is going on the list.
My buddy wants to get ready for lots of trips and wants us to do like when we were kids running the river in a canoe. We would build an "A" frame shelter out of small trees that you used year after year. All you had to do was throw a tarp over it, tie it down and instant shelter. Worked well back then and on rainy days was better then any tent around.
We also decided on some additional kit we are thinking to take;
a tire repair kit consisting of plugs, slime and a small compressor.
a small first aide kit
small socket set
a 20ft tow strap vice rope as it rolls up in a smaller package
a machete for clearing trail/camp brush
We have already got Garmin Cx 60's for both of us with handle bar mounts, so getting back shouldn't be an issue.

 

I forgot all about the compressor. I bought one of these. It's about 5x6x1.5 inches so it doesn't take up much space and it does a good job on ATV tires. Slime Power Sport Tire Compressor
Along with the tow straps I carry a tree strap, a ****** block, and one of those u-shaped links where you can unscrew the end to get your strap or ****** block hooked up. Forget what they're called. I got a folding pruner's saw like this too. Amazon.com: Bond Manufacturing Company 6274 Folding Pruner Saw 10": Patio, Lawn & Garden It's come in handy and also doesn't take up much space. Machete is a Gerber I got with Cabela's bucks. GPS are great on the trails but I also recommend a map and a compass just in case. Those large heavy duty contractor grade trash bags are also handy. They're thick and strong enough to use as a raincoat in an emergency and of course for the trash.

 

Way ahead of you on this one, bought the same compressor in a kit with a 12 onze bottle of slime. only difference is a zip up case. too bad the case wasn't big enough to put the plug and tools in.
The tree strap is another excellent choice particularly when winching. I got the machete from the army surplus and it is still new. I have the electronic maps loaded on the computer and a buddy of mine from natural resources keeps it updated with all the new cut and fire roads and trails. All we have to do is print them out prior to a trip.
we have a set of long handle tree prunes that I am thinking of throwing on as well. The wife is making some bags for the sleepbags to go in that are made out of a durable waterproof material. We also put them in garbage bags inside these bags. Those heavy trash bags you mention are the greatest, nothing worse then getting somewhere only to find your ratty garbage every where because the bag has busted open.
we have the shackles or D rings on the front and rear of the bikes already and they are perfect for many things.

 

I am thinking of building a trailer for these expeditions/outtings. I have seen some pretty good ideas and was wondering if there are any others.
Some of the things I seen were a side wall that folds down and locks in to the tail gate to make a table or useable cooking platform complete with lighting. I have also seen things like built in coolers with outside access, outside storage boxes for quick convenient access to needed items like toilet paper, tools, straps etc.
Moose and I have been having a great conversation about the virtues of various items which has led me to acquire new stoves and to revise my kit list. Some of the items Moose has mentioned we have and others are on the "TO DO LIST".
Some items that Moose and I haven't talked about that were suggested off line are
light weight ATV booster cables
Rain gear
pocket/hand/feet warmers
heated grips
head/cap light
cooking grill for outside fire
winch accessory kit
good leather gloves suitable for riding

 

Another thing that's great, especially for Polaris owners, is a set of hex, and torx drivers. Sears has a set that fold up like jackknives that cover most of the common sizes. A spare belt for each quad is a good idea if you have a CVT automatic. I've only had one failure because my son was riding his quad in High gear for hundreds of mile when he should have been in low gear.

 

You are right on the money about the Polaris and the hex and torx drivers. Last fall at work we were about an hour out when we broke a belt. There were no tools in the tool kit on the polaris to remove the cover on the bike. I called a buddy to bring a belt and required tools out to us. A long wait just the same.
We were thinking a couple of chairs that fold up and go in a bag is a good idea to have along for sitting around the camp site.

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