A Magical Blend of Style & Function
The decision to take trailers on our two-month-long Alaska Trek was relatively easy. Although
we are huge fans of roof top tents, we needed pretty much more of everything. More storage
space, more power, more water, more fuel, and we wanted more comfort.
Off-Road Travel TV takes a relatively unique approach to content creation. Instead of getting
sponsors to pay for product placement and favorable stories, for the most part, we take an
editorial approach, and that is exactly what we did for our selection of trailers. We chose to
take four different trailers from four different manufacturers, and we felt it would allow us to
experience a wide variety of equipment. This also allowed us to pretty much choose between
over a hundred off-road model trailers on the market for over six dozen companies.
We spent nearly a year and a half researching off-road trailers before we made our decision.
We went to every single Overland Expo in 2023 along with Adventure Van Expos where
trailers are also displayed. For this trip, both of us would be sharing a project Toyota Tundra
for the first half of the trip, then Wyatt would jump in our Project 4Runner for the adventure
home. The Toyota was the largest vehicle on our trek, and it also had the most pulling power,
so that gave us substantially more options.
In the end, we chose the Opus OP15 trailer. This is an Australian-made trailer with independent suspension that tips the scales at around 5200 pounds. It sleeps four, has a combination bathroom shower, heater, air conditioning, TV and an outdoor kitchen, solar and large capacity batteries.
OUR GOALS
For this trip, we wanted to have a relatively small footprint so we can get into as many places as possible, yet we had to carry enough camera equipment to produce eight, 30-minute
television shows for MAVTV. We also needed the equipment to be out of the elements, so it
had to be kept inside to prevent damage and theft. We also wanted to minimize our overall
vehicle length, because our long-bed Tundra was already long enough, and we wanted to
watch the height so we minimized the amount of tree limbs and other obstacles that would stop us in our tracks.
The Opus OP15 fit that bill, especially since it has a pop-up top, and a bedroom that folds up
during travel. This condensed the size of the trailer, and made it plush when all setup, but
realistic for travel. Although we did have four people sleep inside, most of the time it was only one or two of us inside the unit.
If you decide to use a trailer, there are a lot of considerations. The first thing you should do is
figure out your mission. Do you want to take it everywhere you go? Do you want to use it as a
basecamp setup? Will you be travelling long or short distances? How many people will it need
to sleep? Do you want something that will hold motorcycles, ATVs or UTVs. What type of tow
vehicle will you be using?
These are all extremely important questions. For us, we use 4 completely different types of
trailers for different things. We have a toy hauler for dirt bikes, a small overland trailer for our
project 4Runner, the Opus OP15 for the Tundra, and a cargo trailer we sometimes pull behind
our sprinter van when we are choosing a basecamp type setup. It’s also important to note that you have to be realistic with your towing needs. It’s dangerous and illegal to pull something larger than your vehicle can handle. In some cases we have had to buy a larger tow vehicle to accommodate the trailer we decided to tow. And if you do go with a trailer, do it right the first time. Buy exactly what you want, and don’t compromise and think you are going to buy something better in a few years if you like it. Go all in, and get every feature you want to make it the best travel experience possible.
LIVING WITH THE OP15
In traveling trim, the trailer loses a lot of internal volume, and that is a good thing. This allows it to have an overall smaller footprint which makes off-roading substantially more fun. The bed still has room to store things on, and the restroom is still fully functional, although you must duck when walking around inside.
Once you arrive at your destination, it only takes about five minutes to setup once you have
the trailer level. There are a handful of latches, screws, safety pins and support legs and it’s an
easy one-person job, and quicker, like most things, with two or more. Most of the tasks are
relatively common sense, and after you’ve done it a few times, you realize how fast and simple
setup is for traveling. It’s not as quick as a roof top tent, but it’s a lot plusher once it’s all setup.
The electrical is also relatively self-explanatory, and everything is conveniently located. Most of
the power switches are in a small door near the entry way, and some of the breakers are located under the bed, but still easily accessible. The solar system is automatic, there is a location for shore power, and you can even run power from the vehicle through an Anderson connector if you have a DC-DC charger, which we did not.
Once we learned all the features of the trailer, the most-important thing we did was get
organized. There are a variety of storage compartments inside and outside of the trailer. Some are easy to see, others are hidden beneath benches and other small spaces. With proper planning and a realistic amount of clothes, supplies and food, there is plenty of room for normal overlanding. Our needs were extreme because we had tripods, light stands, and a dozen Pelican cases full of equipment, and our power needs were much larger than most people because we had to constantly charge laptops, video equipment, cameras, GoPros, DJI drones, DJI Osmo 3s, lights, etc. Still, with two people inside the trailer, we were comfortable and had a realistic amount of space to function.
By far, our favorite feature of the trailer was the outdoor kitchen. A 4 burner stove, sink, and rack live on a sliding drawer on the outside of the trailer, at first an outdoor kitchen doesn't seem the best but it means that the kitchen can be larger without impacting the living space inside the trailer. In about 5 minutes you can have the kitchen setup and get cooking while everyone else gets the rest of the trailer setup. With all the floor space of an outdoor kitchen, it's not tight at all and will let you cook anything you can imagine. I brought my dutch oven and was able to bake for a few of our dinners. The kitchen is by far my favorite part of the trailer.
GIVING IT THE GRADE
After having the trailer for nine months, we are very pleased with our choice. The Opus OP15
is an incredibly rugged, do-it-all trailer that is a near perfect blend of style and function. It has a
lot of well-thought-out features like the DO-35 hitch, and box steel frame that make it well-
suited for extreme travel. It was also well within the Tundra’s towing capacity and was about the largest trailer we would realistically take overlanding. We think anything larger would limit the places we could explore and camp. Like all of overlanding, your only limitations to how long you can stay off-grid is your access to food, water and propane.
For more info see: Opus OP15
OPUS OP-15 SPECIFICATIONS
Overall Length: | 15.0 ft. |
Exterior Height: | 8.1 ft. |
Exterior Width: | 84.0 in. |
Interior Height: | 77.0 in. |
Dry Weight: | 5,159 lbs. |
Tongue Weight: | 410 lbs. |
GVWR: | 6,393 lbs. |
Sleeping Capacity: | Sleeps 4 |
Awnings: | 1 |
Air Conditioners: | 1 |
Fresh Water Capacity | 63 gal. |
Gray Water Capacity | 17 gal. |
Black Water Capacity | 10 gal. |
Propane Capacity: | 40 lbs. |
