Skeletal off-road cargo trailer converts into gear-stacking micro caravan

Zion Off-Road of Utah has entered the trailer market with one of the most modular off-road camping trailers. multistage square drop This allows customers to specify specifications from empty to fully loaded. Now shifting modularity to a simpler skeletal utility trailer/motorhome. The new Z2 starts as a basic bedbox, allowing buyers to transform it into a fully specced gear stacker for home and away. Hauling lumber and supplies one weekend, hauling dirt bikes and canoes the next. Add a rooftop tent on top and you’ve got an airy micro camping trailer for open-ended adventures with a return date TBD.

Zion’s original multi-stage Z1 trailer remains a versatile choice for camping and overlanding, but it’s not suitable for hauling large, heavy equipment like an ATV or dirt bike. With the Z2, Zion makes room for such large equipment hauling jobs by relying on removed crossbars and existing rooftop tents (RTTs) to maintain full-blown overnight camping capabilities.

The 12.9-foot-long (3.9 m) Z2 starts with the same solid frame as the Z1, and Zion designed the standard 3,500-lb solid axle and leaf springs to be easily swappable for customers who prefer a Timbren Axle. Less suspension. Axle ground clearance is flatfoot (30.5 cm) and 17.2 inches (43.7 cm) relative to the frame.

Zion Off-Road

This time, instead of stuffing that frame with a live body, Zion kept things loose and loose, starting with a 6061-T6 aluminum plate tray covered in bedliner that measures 7.75 feet (2.3 m) long by 4.25 feet (1.3 m). He holds it like a skeleton. wide. The deck features integrated slots throughout for adding accessories such as bike tire/fork mounts and providing integrated drainage for rain and washing. Also includes 10 frame-bolt D-ring lashings to secure gear and cargo.

Zion boxes the Z1 platform with 24.75-inch-high (62.9 cm) sidewalls and a 21.5-inch (54.6 cm) front wall; These are all pre-drilled to mount plates and accessories outside or inside. The walls are covered with an extruded aluminum lip for greater mounting versatility, and although the trailer doesn’t have a hard tailgate, Zion shows off a heavy-duty catch net to cover the rear.

Zion Off-Road

This gives you a very sturdy utility trailer with more than average mounting versatility. Zion complements the standard base trailer with a set of four bed lights for easily shuffling cargo after dark and a rocker switch panel for those lights and available auxiliary and rock lights. Bed lights disconnect from the tow vehicle, but optional lights require an external battery or power station. Light and battery connections feature Zion wires as standard and various battery options are offered.

To elevate trailer construction to the next level (or two+), buyers can look at optional crossbar assemblies that fasten to the interior sidewalls to act as a top shelf. Buyers can choose two to four of these height-adjustable assemblies and even add a lower set of crossbars to the same risers for three storage levels, as shown in the top photo.

Now the fun really begins for both Zion and the buyer. We’ve seen more and more of these ultra-modular caravan and equipment carrier designs popping up, and it’s not hard to see why; the builder may tempt you with a basic basic caravan for a low price and then keep you coming back. To add all those cool (probably expensive) accessories over the years.

Zion Off-Road

The situation is not so bad for the buyer either, because the buyer does not have to pay all the money upfront and can immediately go out into the wild with a basic model made of bone and improve it over time. . Beyond spreading the overall cost, this route can also help identify in advance the add-ons that are truly useful in the field and are essentially window dressing.

We wonder how much the average modular build will ultimately cost compared to a single, built full-featured build. As we sit in camp and look at all those empty boreholes, we find it more tempting to keep adding.

Whatever the case, Zion has inherited some of the MOLLE panel and carrier options from the Z1 squaredrop series, offering both standalone accessories and five full construction steps. We will lead you to Zion configuration page To see all the details on each of these stages, however, suffice it to say: you could spend more than $17,000 on a Stage 5 package and still not have a place to sleep at night.

Zion Off-Road

Stage 5 gives you a very capable hauler with power brakes, GoalZero Yeti 700 power station, 23Zero 270-degree awning, tongue box, BFG KO2 all-terrain tires, Timbren suspension upgrade, full-size spare tire carrier, assorted mounting plates, three height-adjustable risers/ crossbar assembly, frame-mounted steps, auxiliary and rock lights, an articulated joint, and more. It’ll certainly be a tricked-out utility hauler unlike any other, but is it worth more than Zion’s Phase 1 Z1 teardrop price? The buyer decides.

Take everything back to the base Z2 model with just a trim, leaf-spring wheels, three walls, bed lights, and automotive backlighting, and save nearly $10,000 in the process, up to $7,600 to start with. This gives you a slick 950 lb (431 kg) trailer capable of carrying more than 2,000 lb (907 kg). From here you can enjoy basic carry, return to Zion for upgrades in the future, or upgrade to crossbars, MOLLE panels, mounts, etc. You can create it yourself with .

The all-new Z2 is now available for pre-order. The video trailer below provides a detailed explanation of the base trailer and all five stages of add-ons.

Source: Zion Off-Road