Team-BHP - Camping in the Wilderness in a Custom Camping Trailer
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I had been making a camping trailer for quite some time now and finally it was over around last December. But i never did get a chance to pursue it during my stay in the North East and ever since I got posted back up North I was itching to take it out for a short trial camping trip. Last weekend finally I bit the bullet and took the jeep and the trailer out to Habban. Habban is a small village at about 2100 meters above msl and lies in the Rajgarh subdivision of Sirmaur District and is the highest point in the sub division. Towards the east and north lie the mighty Churdhar Ranges.

The route was pretty straight forward from Chandigarh to Kumarhatii from where I chose the less trafficked road to Occhghat via Lado and Sultanpur. This is also the road on which lie the various private universities like Manav Bharti, Shoolini etc. Due to ongoing summer vacations and the road widening work beyond Parwanoo, the traffic was chaotic and messy especially due to the impatient drivers who drive recklessly and keep jumping the lines to get a few meters ahead. Driving with the trailer my vehicle length is close to 22 feet, almost the length of an Eicher Canter. It all added upto some anxious driving.

From Kumarhatti, I turned right onto the road towards Nahan and left it after 3 kms and went down and right towards the village of Lado. From here to Occhghat was a breeze of a drive and the road conditions were quite nice. From Ochghat we joined the main road coming from Solan and continued till YashwantNagar - our pit stop for Lunch. It had started raining by now and made for a very beautiful driving experience. After crossing YashwantNagar, there is a turn off to Rajgarh towards the right at Neri Jagela. We continued straight towards Chailla. Plan was to climb up to Habban from Shergaon but at the turn off after speaking to a few locals, the plan was abandoned. The road was doable by the jeep and the trailer but we also had an Etios with us and as per the locals due to the rains, the Etios would not be able to cross a couple of points. Next option was to continue on this road till Shelkainchi from where we started up a narrow and dangerous looking road branching off to the right towards Chandol.

The road was a mess and narrow. To add to the difficulty, I took a wrong road at a fork and then followed a nightmare of a time to turn back the jeep and trailer. After about 5 kms found a small path and was able to reverse the trailer and reach the fork again. But here, the turning was too acute and i had to again drive back down about 2 kms to find a place to turn back again to continue along the right road. on Hindsight, It would have been easier had I unhitched the trailer manually and reversed the jeep. But it was Raining!
Anyway as we continued along narrow roads and heavy forest, we reached Habban and set up camp at the edge of the forest.

The tent was set up between the jeep and the trailer. Barbecued Chicken and a tasty dinner followed by a very quiet and serene sleep. Woke up the next morning and after a very leisurely breakfast broke camp and started for Rajgarh via Shaya village which is the birthplace of the Shirgul Maharaj, the local reigning deity in the region. Stopped for lunch at a friends place in Rajgarh and then continued back down to Yashwant Nagar for the second day camp along the banks of the Giri River.
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Ill let the Pictures do the talking about day 1.

The camp site
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The morning
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The view out of the window
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The path to the campsite
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Day two saw us camping by the Giri River at Yashwantnagar. It was basically a large flat piece of land used by local villagers as a gathering place for local sports, market produce and community gatherings. But it was just adjacent to the river itself. The road was very basic and just cut through the mountainside. The pics from the second day.
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Wonderful Sir, camp trailer is something which I have always wanted to go for. Can you give few detailed pics of the trailer and some specifications as well please. Thank you.

Good to see all the effort you put in paying off.

Be careful about reversing. In fact, practise on open ground, so that you don't have unpleasant surprises on a narrow twisty mountain trail.

Regards
Sutripta

Could we get more pics, especially of the interiors of the trailer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sutripta (Post 4221001)
Good to see all the effort you put in paying off.

Be careful about reversing. In fact, practise on open ground, so that you don't have unpleasant surprises on a narrow twisty mountain trail.

Regards
Sutripta

Dada had to U turn twice on those twisties :) but the old practise of having driven tractor trailers during harvesting season is paying rich dividends.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderernomad (Post 4220751)
Driving with the trailer my vehicle length is close to 22 feet, almost the length of an Eicher Canter.

I must say that it is one cracking camping trailer. The color selection for both the jeep and trailer is eye catching.

One technical question, did you do any brake extension to the trailer from your jeep ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderernomad (Post 4220751)
I had been making a camping trailer for quite some time now

Dear Sir,

A great and pretty unique concept of a camper when it comes to Indian travel practices. Great execution. Worth an inspiration.
Fantastic Pic as well for your first drive, with the family.

I really don't want to be a spoil sport here. Therefore, I have PM you a message. Please can you look into that part as well.

Warm regards,
Saurabh

great execution. Just wondering if attaching a trailer is acceptable (claiming insurance etc). Lovely concept though :)

Great to see the camping trailer. A small technical advice from me-
1. Please try an axle with tie rod (Track rod) to the trailer. This will reduce your turning radius considerably. This is called self steer equipment & normally used in tag axle trucks (e.g 5 axle with 37T GVW) to reduce TCD
2. On more expensive & complicated front, you can steer the trailer wheels using hydraulic cylinders used in twin steer commercial vehicles also
:)

Finally the time and effort on the build has paid off. Great pics, Vikram ji, nice to see the girls enjoying the great outdoors.

Excellent job Sir, well done.
The overall look and feel, the colours and the way trailer becomes a seamless part of the jeep - very nice job and congratulations.
I am also curious to know more on the legal aspects of having a trailer.

May I make a couple of remarks?

1. The rear-view mirrors: Are they good enough especially at turns? I have a stomach feeling that extending them a bit would make a lot of difference as then the whole trailer gets coverage within the mirror view.

2. Break/Stop lights for trailer: I personally believe they are a must.

Congratulations again, overall I must say, It’s a super impressive work altogether.

Thanks Guys for the words of appreciation.
1. No so far I have not made any brake extensions for the trailer though am playing around with the idea of having electronic brake controller for the Trailer. Still in planning stage.
2. Yes attaching a trailer is perfectly acceptable as long as the trailer is registered and insured. Which is presently underway and I hope to finish the process very soon.
3. As it is the turning radius of the jeep is humongous and the idea of turning the axles though great will not be cost effective. The track rod maybe explored more but i was pretty comfortable with the turning radius at present as the trailer tows true to the jeep track.
4. Yes rear view mirrors need extension for better visibility. The kit for the trailer lights has been made and I already have the plug and socket made for the same. The wiring harness has also been made and checked and all it needs is the installation now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ike (Post 4221098)
Could we get more pics, especially of the interiors of the trailer

Here's a link to the making of Wanderernomad's trailer for those interested:

A Mahindra CJ500 DP and a custom made Expedition Trailer


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