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Jan 05, 2024

Nimble & Robust: Taxa Outdoors TigerMoth Overland Camper Trailer Review

This lightweight, low-maintenance trailer traverses rugged terrain while boasting a pull-out kitchen, stowable table, double-size bed, and social lounge. Hauling a camper trailer with conventional

This lightweight, low-maintenance trailer traverses rugged terrain while boasting a pull-out kitchen, stowable table, double-size bed, and social lounge.

Hauling a camper trailer with conventional comforts is a balancing act when the places you adventure to are among the toughest to reach. Fortunately for exploratory travelers, the TigerMoth Overland made by Taxa Outdoors is cozy, functional, and a haul-anywhere trailer without being high-maintenance, heavy, or difficult to maneuver.

Put simply, this habitat is a luxurious upgrade from life on the road in a truck bed buildout, which is typically how I roam. The TigerMoth Overland provides more flexibility than a van conversion or pop-top truck camper: you can unhitch, bookmark your camp spot, and head out. The sleep area converts into a dining area, workspace, or group hangout.

In short: This tenacious, lightweight off-road trailer provides great handling across environments, good climate control, and smart storage for singles or couples — plus customization with a bed-to-social area conversion. Overall, the design is meticulous and portable for outdoors folks.

A month and 4,300 miles after I started towing the TigerMoth Overland, I was thoroughly impressed and had just a handful of critiques, which could be easily fixed by the brand. Ultimately, I don’t like equipment that’s fragile or limits my travel abilities, hence the TigerMoth muscled its way into my must-haves.

At $24,950, the base price of the TigerMoth Overland isn’t modest. But with higher capability, overland travel trailers generally cost more. The heavy-duty Vorsheer XOC Extreme Overland Camper ($53,696) is beefier with 23-inch clearance, 2,550-pound weight, a 31-gallon water tank, and a 2,650-pound load capacity.

Some overland travel trailers offer additional features like a deep sink, furnace, and showerhead attachment — which the TigerMoth Overland does not — like the Expedition 2.0 by Off Grid Trailers ($29,500).

The Timberleaf Classic Teardrop Trailer ($23,400) offers an off-road suspension package for an additional $2,500 plus window curtains ($340), a two-burner stove ($450), and tongue storage box ($600) — accessories included in the TigerMoth Overland’s standard package. If dependability and an adaptive space are top priority, this off-road travel trailer could be a good choice.

First, I solo traveled with the TigerMoth Overland through Colorado’s San Juan Mountains and onward to Navajo Nation to bikepack with Dzil Ta’ah Adventures, the region’s first-ever Diné-certified guide.

I continued to Lake Powell via a hairy off-road route, qualifying the overlander as smooth and capable across off-camber, steep sandstone, plus huge potholes, strewn rocks, and variable sand.

I camped for several nights, and four vehicles got stuck within 50 yards. On my way home to Crested Butte, Colorado, the 80mph zones along Interstate 70 were seamless for the trailer. Then my partner joined me for a Pacific Northwest road trip to ski mountaineer and ocean surf in Washington, followed by linking river surf spots in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

We navigated and camped from broiling southwest desert dunes to rough mountain passes in freezing temperatures, lush old-growth rainforest, and stormy coastline.

We plugged in at a few campgrounds, following high-mileage drive days and needing to recharge large electronics. But we mostly disperse camped up rough backcountry roads. To my relief, we never got stuck or needed the spare tire.

Size-wise, the trailer felt spacious during my 11-day lone trip. Taxa Outdoors installed a bike rack on top of the 7-foot tall trailer. But I felt more comfortable storing my mountain bike in the 6-foot bed of my Toyota Tacoma, shielded by a camper shell. I stowed other gear in my truck and apparel in the trailer — and had abundant unused space in both.

Later, two adults fit well in the tow-behind for a 2-week road trip with a stocked kitchen of nonperishables and a cooler of fresh food. With ski mountaineering and river surf gear, we utilized the entire 5.5-foot truck bed and spacious backseat of our Nissan Titan Pro-4X, in addition to the TigerMoth Overland.

We felt cozy in the trailer — but not crammed — with our belongings and bedding. If we wanted more interior space during daytime hours, we packed the bedding in bins in the truck.

The trailer can support a three-person rooftop tent, too. Ultimately, the ability and safety of hosting a larger crew — kids, dogs, or friends — depends on the quantity and weight of the included cargo.

Check your vehicle’s door jamb or owner’s manual for the payload, max towing, and tongue weight rating. Be sure not to exceed those caps with what’s hauled in the trailer and vehicle.

Countless people stopped me at roadside pull-offs and gas stations to check out this trailer. The TigerMoth Overland has a one-of-a-kind, edgy aesthetic, but folks were also attracted to the 18-inch clearance and axle-less suspension. Torsion axles have a thru-axle, a bar that crosses beneath the bottom of the trailer.

The Timbren axle-less suspension has separate units that operate independently, making the ground clearance equal. The result on- and off-pavement was stability, balance despite uneven terrain, and a muted response at high speeds or crawling over rugged ground. The electric brakes helped provide ease and safety on mountain pass descents and sudden stops for wildlife at night.

The trailer is also paired with a steel Lock N’ Roll Hitch, delivering 360-degree rotation plus lateral and up-and-down articulation. The setup — a hitch and coupler duo — felt smooth, responsive, and free of any jerking or lock-up behind the rig.

Plus, the latch system disables any possibility of popping off, which brought me peace of mind. One drawback is the manufacturer doesn’t yet sell a lock for the hitch, but claims they will soon.

The strong yet relatively light build helped with the handling, too. The chassis is powder-coated steel, which is durable and corrosion-resistant. The rest of the frame is made of powder-coated aluminum and aluminum composite panels with a Kynar coating for weather resistance.

One of my favorite attributes of this travel trailer is the door design. A hardy back door swings open, next to the slide-out camp kitchen. I kept the door open as I prepped food or did the dishes because the floor and step provided additional space for supplies. At night, the interior LED light helped brighten the kitchen space.

The side of the trailer features a second door that opens upward like the gullwing doors on the DMC DeLorean in “Back to the Future.” Nearly the entire wall serves as a sturdy canopy, which was awesome during rain showers in Washington and Idaho, or during intense sunshine at Lake Powell.

The aluminum interior frame, which extended onto the doors, had numerous holes to clip carabiners, hang dish towels, or slide in hangers to dry gear like our dense wetsuits. The open-air configuration enabled the trailer to feel spacious while we lounged on the couch, worked on laptops, and comfortably accommodated friends.

Four acrylic, insulated windows deliver ample light and make the space feel bigger than it is: two windows on the doors and two in the front. One of my other favorite features is the slide-down shades — which made sleeping in the trailer pitch black — and slide-up bug screens, enabling airflow despite buggy conditions.

The windows were capable of locking while cracked. Each door has deadbolts, too. Overall, sleeping in the trailer was pretty quiet, except when it rained.

For daytime use, the lower half of the bed slides into a couch, expanding the space. The pads are each attached via Velcro and never slid around. They’re firm, which I appreciate for durability, but it’d be nice if the brand added a cushier upgrade.

The upper half of the bed is stationary and offers 12 cubic feet of storage beneath. You can lift up two birch-plywood hinge doors to access the space. If I needed to shuffle gear around, I’d clip the door’s elastic handle to a carabiner on the ceiling. And you can still access the storage when the bed is configured.

Beneath the bed, I stored medium-size plastic bins, duffel bags of apparel, and miscellaneous goods. When I was solo, I also used it to stash bedding.

In the daytime configuration, we used the trailer to change into wetsuits for river surfing in downtown Missoula, Montana, and wait out the rain next to Idaho’s Lochsa Pipeline wave.

There’s a 21-inch x 18-inch table that screws into place, which was perfect for working from my laptop — especially when connected to shore power — and eating dinner. The tabletop and stand unscrew independently, so they’re easy to store beneath the bed.

When I slept alone in the trailer, the bed felt grand. With a second adult, it felt well-used but not claustrophobic. (My partner and I are 130 and 145 pounds, respectively. I’m 5’5″. He’s 5’8″.)

I had to get the hang of the Rubik’s cube with a second person. I’d pull my apparel out from the lower-level storage at night because he slept in and I woke up early. Changing when the bed was configured wasn’t the easiest. Good thing I’d been doing yoga.

A birch plywood storage shelf stretches the trailer’s width, which was partially enclosed so stuff wouldn’t fly out. It was a great spot for cosmetics and random stuff like headlamps and books. We also used the frame’s holes to clip in ceiling cargo nets for blankets and apparel.

The dual stabilizer jacks worked awesome on uneven ground for leveling the trailer. It’d be a nice addition to have a bubble level installed on the trailer’s side.

There’s nothing like living in bear country and not needing to worry about one ripping into your rig for food, like those nightmare stories you’ve heard from friends. Same goes for rodents.

In the back of the trailer, the kitchen slides out and locks into place. It’s an ideal counter height for standing and cooking. Again, we got used to the Rubik’s cube coordination: Once you start cooking on the stove, it’s challenging to snag any forgotten supplies stowed beneath.

The slide-out kitchen has two deep compartments: one is an open pantry, where we stacked our cookware, dishes, utensils plus dry goods. The lid doubled as a cutting board, a key touch.

The slide-out kitchen’s other side has customizable separators for various cubbies, where we kept tons of canned food, lighters, and the two-burner stove. The kitchen is simple and doesn’t have a sink, so we brought along plastic bins to wash.

The tongue toolbox was lockable and solid for storing tools or trailer supplies like the wheel chocks. Behind the toolbox, our 45L cooler lived on the cargo deck, where it was strapped while in motion. One side of the trailer has a mount for the 5-pound propane tank.

Up top, the trailer has roof tracks for various rack options plus Thule adjustable load bars, which we didn’t use. There’s a rooftop cargo deck — 59 inches x 17 inches — where a Tepui three-person rooftop tent can be added.

The trailer fender is strong enough to stand on for loading up the roof. Next to the back door, the 5-gallon water jug has a live-in shelf, which sits above the extended kitchen — a nice design touch.

The external water capacity is a 5-gallon jug, and the gas includes a 5-pound propane tank. We cooked breakfast and dinner nearly every day of our 2-week trip and needed only one refill.

The trailer has a battery compartment that fits two mid-size group 24 batteries, which aren’t included but both came with our test run. It was easy to check the battery health with the voltmeter inside.

There are two USB ports, one 12V outlet, and four 110V outlets, the latter of which function when connected to shore power. We charged our phones and watches off the USB ports day and night and never drained the batteries.

To connect to shore power, there’s a 30A exterior inlet. There’s also a prewired solar inlet (for a two-prong plug) to get a boost off solar panels, which I used at Lake Powell and it worked great.

We clicked on the four LED lights often, for long durations, and they barely draw power. Two strands of bright white lights run along the ceiling. There’s one infrared night light inside and an outdoor light above the kitchen. But the exterior light was orangish without much illumination. I needed an additional headlamp or camp lantern after dusk.

The roof exhaust fan also ran off of the battery, which we used to draw heat or odors out, but didn’t need to run for long — it worked fast.

Safety bonus: There’s a smoke detector, fire extinguisher, and carbon monoxide detector secured inside.

My biggest grievance: On the ceiling, the handle for the roof exhaust fan has sharp corners, which I painfully hit and bruised my head on several times. (Thankfully, I never drew blood.) Adding a soft rubber cover would add safety appeal. Also, the weatherstrip inside the fan — which pops up to open and let air in — started to deteriorate halfway through our trip.

One annoyance was the arrangement of the locks. Two locks were on each handle on the kitchen, back door, and side door (a total of eight), which was great for security. But the locks had different orientations. Without a visual cue, it was hard to know when each lock was unlocked versus locked versus deadbolted. Sometimes we spent way too long trying to get a door open.

The interior cushion of the sofa and bed could be plusher. We inflated our sleeping pads each night for comfort. I also noticed the durable floors were hard to wipe completely clean and mark-free, especially after experiencing Utah’s red earth.

Having an awning over the kitchen while it downpoured along the Pacific Coast and in Idaho’s high mountains was a necessity. The cover also provided much-needed shade in the Utah desert.

But the Thule awning was too weak. By the end of the month, intense windstorms at Lake Powell and huge rainstorms in Washington beat up the shelter, and it became near inoperable.

We loved the sleek interior shelf and holes for hanging stuff. It’d be useful to have even more smart, secure storage features inside the trailer.

The TigerMoth Overland is a capable, lightweight off-road trailer that’s very adaptable. The pad pleasantly sleeps two adults yet facilitates a comfortable space to eat, work, and socialize — especially with both doors open and the awning up.

The big falcon-wing door offers ample space for gear to hang dry or be shaded. Taxa Outdoors claims the trailer would function off-grid for more than 7 days: I vouch it easily offers 3 days of backcountry camping and could’ve gone longer.

Compared to similar workhorse designs, this one includes a handful of noteworthy features — like the burly tongue box and window shades — in the standard package. The kitchen is simple, and there’s no shower addition.

But the storage space is functional, well-designed, and sturdy. If you want to use your off-road trailer for more than catching shuteye, the TigerMoth Overland is a stellar choice.