SPACE Trailers: Tow-Behind Gear Hauler
April 29, 2011, 8:18 am / Categories: Water & Boats, Camping
They are touted to combine the “versatility of a utility trailer” with attributes found in a haul-behind unit made for gear. SPACE Trailers, a new company based in Burnsville, Minn., has a neat product in its hitch-ready equipment haulers, which come in three primary styles and can tote copious amounts of gear for the outdoors.
With the trailer, you can load up immense hauls with little fuss. They are light enough to pull behind a car as small as a Mini Cooper. Weight of the intro model trailer is just 400 pounds. Inside, you get dimensions of 84 × 49 × 28 inches — enough for a week’s worth of camping gear. On top, you can mount racks to attach bikes, kayaks, and other larger outdoors toys.
You can buy a SPACE Trailer sans lid. The company’s 4500 model comes as an open trailer, and it costs $1,499. But the lid — a “durable, paintable, ABS plastic canopy,” as the company calls it — is a distinguisher for SPACE trailers. Lid-equipped units start at $2,399, including the 6500 model and the 6500 Long Neck model, the latter of which has a longer trailer tongue length (and costs $100 more).
I have not tested a SPACE trailer, though at a recent gear demo event I got the full tour from two of the company founders. It is a solid unit, and the lid opens and closes easily. The trailer box is made of galvanized steel, and the floor is marine-grade plywood coated with polyurethane. LED lights, a 2-inch trailer coupler, and safety chains are standard.
SPACE trailers are made in the USA. The company has plans to add features to the trailers including an attachable tent enclosure; storage compartments on the trailer bed to stow skis, paddles and fishing poles; exterior attachments for water and gas containers; and a system that will turn the SPACE trailer into an ice-fishing house. Says Todd Olson, a founder of the company, “We like to think SPACE Trailers are the Swiss Army Knives of trailers.”
—Stephen Regenold is founder and editor of www.gearjunkie.com.
I got to see one at the Midwest Mountaineering expo. It is a very light, very durable unit. The canopy is a key element for security and protection from the elements. I have assembled toy haulers in the past, and I admired the workmanship and design. The frame looked to be powder coated not merely painted. This is a great tool for those that can afford it.
We borrowed one, took it on a ski trip from Minneapolis to Montana, and loved it, so we have ordered one. I hear you on the tarp alternative, but one nice thing about this is it locks (in that the lid locks and the trailer hitch locks). So if you stay in a hotel you can leave your gear, skis, whatever in the trailer overnight. Our stuff stayed dry in it, too, and we had quite a bit of rain on the way back.
We used the Space Trailer on a couple ski trips out west. It traveled very well and we didn’t even notice we were towing anything. We fit 19 sets of skis, tuning tables, gear and luggage in it and still had room to pack a couple cases of beer. And, we got better gas mileage towing the Space Trailer than with our Thule on top. Great product!
I had the opportunity to take a Space Trailer on a weekend ski trip with the family. We would normally take a roof-top box, but ultimately, the car would still be crammed with gear. The Space Trailer held our skis, boards, two strollers, Chariot trailer, and 5-6 bags. Everything was easy to access and stayed dry through snowy weather on the road.
The best part is that we finally made use of the 3rd row seating in the vehicle!
I checked one out at the Mpls. Sportsman show and thought it was a great idea. I like the fact that you can lock it up so you don’t have to haul your gear inside at night when staying somewhere. I also like the idea of pre-packing for trips. When we travel on weekends it just seems to take forever to load the suburban with everything we want for our trip. I love the idea of getting home from work, grabbing everyone, hooking up the trailer and rolling. I have looked for other trailers since the show and have not found one with the same quality any less expensive. I think the value is there.
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Boy oh boy does that look like the one that Thule used to make…….they were a big hit in Europe but not as much over here since the assembly required after shipping to the store was not conducive to people taking it home to assemble it…
would love to see one of these in person….