MORV Explore Update

Details: By Shane Williams

Manley EXPLORE Trailer | October 2013 FJC Magazine Between Tacoma Magazine and our trips, we’ve put over 4,000 miles on the MORV Explore this summer. It’s been to Moab twice, Ouray via some amazing trails (See September Tacoma Magazine), Arizona twice, and all over Colorado. Last week I pulled the trailer into the garage for a little autumn cleaning, and to think about what’s next for this beauty.
After getting a substantial amount of gear out of the trailer, I noticed a few things:

First, the outside of the trailer looks like it rolled off the showroom floor, except for a little rubbing on the panel facing the tongue. This came from about 2,100 miles of strapping a storage box to the front. The box held fine and served its function, but left a nasty bit of rash on the trailer. A little touch up pain & it’ll be just fine. A permanent tongue box will eliminate the need for a strapped down box.

Under the trailer isn’t quite as clean (it’s hard to get to with the power washer), but it’s in great condition. The trailer is stored outside, subjected to the harsh Colorado elements all year when not in use. There are no signs of damage from the trail, the road, or anything. Sometimes a simple design is the best.

In case you didn’t read Bobs account of using the trailer enroute to the FJ Summit (Tacoma Magazine – September 2013), he learned the hard way that securing cargo in your trailer is priority #1. The short story is that Bob didn’t get his stove tied down properly, then went over some fun trails on the way to Ouray, destroying the stove in the process. Airing down the tires a bit would’ve helped some, but failing to secure the stove led to its demise. It also took its toll on the inside of the trailer so we have a few scratches to touch up inside as well. The MORV includes plenty of internal tie down points, so it’s important to use them.

You’ll also notice the tailgate is quite scratched up. We’ve used it extensively as a table, workbench, and field-bar. Sliding heavy items in & out of the trailer are also not great for the finish, requiring a bit more touch up paint. I think some type of cover/protector for the inside of the tailgate is on the list too.

On our to-do list for 2014:
-Add permanent a tongue box for hardware storage & a battery
-Install a battery w/solar hookups in the storage box
-Add a water storage solution
-A new multi-room tent to accommodate our larger family
-Fine-tune our kitchen & camping gear storage
Since our baby girl will be old enough for a little more adventure in ’14, we’re hoping to double the use of our MORV next year. Stay tuned to TCT Magazine in 2014 for the latest updates!