A lot has changed in how people travel and move in recent years. Many trends have popped up, like Skoolies, full-timing, and even #vanlife if you’re so inclined. The off-roading community has shifted gears as well. – what was once a community of day-trippers or tent sleepers has morphed into a movement that will spend days and weeks (or even live full-time) on the trails, generally sticking to off-the-beaten-path campsites and exploratory routes not often traveled by regular tourists. This movement is called “Overlanding.”
As a concept, Overlanding covers a lot of areas in terms of scope and scale. It is as simple as converting a 4Runner or a bus into ad hoc sleeping and living quarters, and it can be as complicated as full-blown custom bug-out rigs. Buying up surplus military trailers is a cheap way to get into the sport and it’s a method that is catching on. But these trailers are OHVs, not tagged or titled for road use. How do you take a raw, surplus military trailer and make it street-legal in all 50 states? Let’s find out.
What Is Overlanding?
Overlanding is a full-blown movement that describes itself as “self-reliant adventure travel.” It is as simple as a Jeep and a tent or as extravagant as a converted army truck.
The Overlanding movement has gained much traction over the years; for instance, the r/overlanding subreddit has 172,000 members with tons of posts about readers' rigs. It’s roof-top tents (RTTs) and camper shells as far as the eye can see.
But some campers honestly need more space to work with. Maybe they are spending extended periods of time on the road and need more space for cookware and other staples. Perhaps they have a whole family onboard and don’t have room in the vehicle for gear. Whatever the reason, Overlanding trailers are a popular addition to the off-road community.
What Is An Overlanding Trailer?
So, what exactly is an Overlanding trailer?
If you have tried to take a typical RV trailer anywhere besides the pavement (even the grass), you know their deficiencies. You can high-center on a piece of gravel.
Overlanding trailers usually employ two characteristics: single axle for superior flexion and pivot action, and high ground clearance.
But the Overlanding movement is a little behind the times; the U.S. Army has been Overlanding for decades. Their trailers are purpose-built for the exact environments that thrill seekers chase after in Jeeps and Humvees.
All of the general light-duty utility trailers that the Army uses are single-axle trailers with short overall lengths and high ground clearance. They are designed for supply chains driving on totally unimproved roads (or goat trails) to carry supplies to the battlefront. In short, they must be robust and able to traverse the same terrain as the tow vehicle. In other words, if a Humvee is going there, the trailer has to be able to go there, too.
What Should I Use For An Overlanding Trailer?
Many companies have cashed in on the Overlanding craze and offer fabulous overland trailers straight from the factory. And you’ll pay for them, too.
A few companies sell kits (yes, DIY kits) to build an Overlanding trailer that will set you back anywhere between $8,000 and $15,000. And having looked over the construction and composition, you won’t get anywhere near the strength or durability of a surplus army trailer using any of those.
For instance, the M1102 has a payload of over 2,700lbs. The shock absorbers and tires are Humvee compatible. Oh, and it isn’t ten grand; a quick glance at sold units on GovPlanet shows them selling for about $1,500-$3,500. That price is for an infinitely more durable and sturdy trailer than any commercial trailer. That leaves a lot of wiggle room for finishing it as an Overlanding camper.
Oh, and if you hit the Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, you can find a vintage army trailer even cheaper. I found a slew of local options, mostly the vintage M101 trailers, for around $600-$700. If you want a cheap way to get into Overlanding, it’s hard to imagine less than this.
Can I Use A Military Surplus Trailer for Overlanding?
Uh, yeah. What could work better for Overlanding than a trailer that was made from the ground up to go offroad? In fact, so much so that the max speed is only 55 mph (the origins of this are in Army convoy operations where the sustained speed is actually only 50mph, and catch up speed is 55mph). Oh, and the fording depth? Sixty inches. These trailers are designed to go through five feet of dang water.
The main limiting factor with Overlanding a military surplus trailer is its weight; Overlanding trailers are made light, which army trailers are not. However, they are extremely durable. Tradeoffs. Barring a full rollover event, you can guarantee you will never damage one too much. And if you do drag it on a boulder, who cares? It’s an army trailer! It’s supposed to be a little banged up!
Another added benefit of using a surplus military trailer is the wide availability of surplus tires. Since they use the same tire as a Humvee, it is pretty easy to find spares. And if you own a surplus Humvee, it makes a lot of sense. Interoperable tires are a real boost.
There are a few other trailers that you can find in the surplus lot, but these are made for mating with much larger vehicles like the FMTV and LMTV or 2 ½-ton army trucks. Now, you can make one heck of an Overlanding rig with any of these plentiful trucks, but they will be heavy and lack maneuverability in tight spaces. In short, your best bet is to stick to the lighter trailers mentioned earlier unless you’re cruising around in a street-legal LMTV.
How Hard Is It To Tag A Military Surplus Trailer For Overlanding?
It’s not hard at all with the Dirt Legal advantage. Now, here’s the thing: every state has different titling and registration requirements for trailers. Also, every state is different in its views on making surplus military vehicles street-legal – and that includes trailers.
For example, Colorado, arguably one of the best places to own an army truck, has banned the titling and registration of privately owned military vehicles.
It is somewhat unclear whether or not this applies to trailers, but it is fair to assume the worst if you’re a Coloradoan. They will know it is a surplus trailer because of the SF-97 or your bill of sale from the auction house.
Our suggestion is to make your military surplus trailer street legal through our out-of-state title service. This will get you a clean title and out-of-state registration on your trailer. Frankly, if you are in Colorado, it makes sense to keep it tagged out of state, and especially if you own any other military surplus vehicles, keep those titled and tagged out-of-state, too.
Wrapping Up
A used military surplus utility trailer may be the best-kept secret in the Overlanding movement. They are cheap, thousands of them are out there, and they will easily go anywhere your truck will (and probably beyond). But there are some limitations; some states are outrightly unfriendly toward using and registering surplus military vehicles as street-legal machines.
We can help. Our out-of-state services have situations like this in mind to give you peace of mind. Once you select our service and initiate the request, we’ll get the paperwork out the door and headed to you within 24 hours.
Nobody buys surplus army trucks and trailers to be driveway queens. You need them to get on the road, and nobody does that better than Dirt Legal. Check out our full suite of OHV services here, and be sure to contact us if you don’t see one that fits what you’re looking for.
John McCoy is a lifelong car and truck enthusiast and has a strong mechanical background off the road. He spent over 13 years in the U.S. Air Force as a crew chief, assigned to the B-1B Lancer, affectionately known as the Bone to those in the community, and the KC-135R Stratotanker. He resides on a small farm in Eastern Kansas where he (sometimes) enjoys fixing ancient farm equipment.