With fall happening in the Northwest, the perfect time to do a few trips, Paddling Life had the opportunity recently to test out the SylvanSport Go Easy Trailer and LOFT rooftop tent, put them together and they are a combo called the TraiLOFT. And we liked what we slept in and hauled.
It’s a trailer! It’s a tent!! It’s the TraiLOFT!!!
The beauty of the Go Easy Trailer is that it has a wide section of bars which you can use to keep the tent or just stack kayaks and bikes. It is versatile, with plenty of storage for bins under the rack bars. (It’s suggested that you don’t load more than four kayaks or bikes on the rack, with bins and storage underneath.)
First we rolled out to the Tieton River near Naches, WA, (just NW of Yakima), which runs only in the fall for irrigation purposes. With Class III playboating on the horizon, I was excited to load up my Thule stackers on the bar and place my new Pyranha Firecracker 252. There was plenty of room for that boat and my wife’s mountain bike. With 79-inch crossbars, the options for loading up with or without the rooftop LOFT tent are endless. With a 400-lbs trailer load capacity, we tested it with four bins and three kayaks on a previous trip this summer to the Wenatchee River as well.
Our trip went very well to the river, we were able to tow a full load of toys and gear behind our RV which does not have a huge towing capacity (being an older Toyota Micro Minnie Winnebago Warrior with a 3.0 liter V6 engine). While my wife explored the mountain biking trails , I got two laps on the Tieton with friends.
Later in the fall I loaned the trailer and tent combined to make the TraiLOFT, a friend took it to Hobuck Beach on the Washington coast for a surf trip. His friend wanted to stay in the tent topper, and enjoyed the setup, and comfort. The jack stands provided as part of the setup allow you to unhook the trailer from your vehicle and use the tent as a stand alone, and it won’t move on you when getting in or out. If you don’t put these jacks on, the tent can tip over (word to the wise).
Gallery photos and Rooftop Tent the TraiLOFT by Aaron Schmidt with Black Schmidt Photography
Our Take Away: This trailer will help you get out with toys in the wilderness. If you have a vehicle without a rack, the rail bars are awesome and take any modern Thule or Yakima kayak stackers or bike rack attachment. The trailer can be towed by an electric vehicle, hybrid or 4 cylinder even (for a trailer it is light). This light weight makes it easy, even when loaded, to wheel around and attach to a vehicle. The LOFT tent is perfect for one or two folks, as long as they’re not super tall. Keeping bugs out and having a flat surface while sleeping in the woods is always a plus. With heavier walls and zipoff ventilation/bug screen sides, the tent LOFT topper is versatile. The provided ladder makes it possible to put on top of a subaru or suv height vehicle and get up and down safely. We loved it!
Specs:
Load Capacity 400 lbs
Towing Weight 305 without TraiLOFT
Towing Weight 375 with TraiLOFT installed
Below is the link to the TraiLOFT combo for sale direct.