One of the smallest off-road camping trailers we've seen of late is also the one with the biggest attitude. Oregon Trail'R coats its tiny Do-Drop Alpha off-road teardrop with bed liner and ruggedizes the chassis for added grit in the rough stuff. Besides making the trailer tougher all around, these changes bring a nasty-mean look.
Oregon Trail'R defines its mission as building trailers that blend the nostalgic looks of 1930's/40's teardrops with modern amenities like Bluetooth audio and solar power. It offers a number of distinctively shaped teardrops for both road tourers and off-road explorers.
The basic Do-Drop is Oregon's smallest offering, designed to be light, simple and affordable but plenty tough enough for off-road adventure when so equipped (it's offered as either a road or off-road model). By doing away with the rear galley, Oregon creates a trailer body that stretches just 84 in (2,134 mm) long, a foot (305 mm) shorter than its other trailers.
The Do-Drop has aluminum-skinned plywood atop its square tube steel chassis and a birch interior, interior shelves, a AA-powered LED light, and available window covers that drop down to double as outdoor tabletops. Beyond that, it's a super-basic teardrop that tows behind your vehicle and provides a mattress to sleep on and roof over your head.
Do-Drop options include 12V electrical, a ceramic disc heater and a roof rack. Oregon estimates weight between 550 and 700 lb (249 and 318 kg), the final pound count depending upon set-up and options.
For this year's Overland Expo West, Oregon Trail'R stepped up its tiny off-road teardrop game, showing the new Do-Drop Alpha, which it will offer as an optional Do-Drop package. The big headline on the package is the full-body bed liner finish, which is designed to add durability, impact resistance and scratch resistance.
"When you finish with aluminum, you need lots of sealants, fasteners, trim, powder coating, etc.," explains Oregon Trail'R's Jon Christianson. "Bed liner requires none of that - there is some surface prep required, but then the bed liner makes all the other details unnecessary. There are no places where two different materials need to join in an enduring, weatherproof way. The exterior coating becomes one impenetrable barrier against all the forces of destruction - water, rocks, sticks, kids with slingshots ... you name it."
It also helps the trailer punch well above its weight with a big, menacing presence. Oregon adds pop to the gritty, black-out look with bright red lettering. It looks so distinctive, we mistook it for a one-off show trailer when we walked by at Overland Expo. But we confirmed that Oregon is indeed finalizing it for sale ... good news for tiny teardrop lovers that want something with tough off-road performance and a bold look.
The Alpha package also includes upgrades such as a ruggedized chassis, Timbren Axle-Less off-road suspension, heavy-duty roof rack and Max coupler. Oregon is still finalizing the details and options lists, but hopefully the Road Shower, spare tire, and axe and shovel mounts find their way on there. Pricing has yet to be set. The base Do-Drop starts at $5,500 but is a long way from the Alpha pictured in terms of specs and equipment.
Oregon also plans on creating Alpha packages for its larger trailer models.
You can see more of the Do-Drop Alpha, along with the standard, non-Alpha off-road Do-Drop, in our gallery.
Source: Oregon Trail'R