Towing Capacity Question

[Larry N.]

Lol Im just trying to see how I can do this properly, not why I cant..

The one problem with that is that folks are attempting to keep you from folly, not being naysayers just to impede you. The combined experiences just in the posts here so far (not counting the other folks that haven't responded) certainly cover what you are trying to do, several times over, so they want to make you aware that a different path from what you have, more or less, predetermined is likely to be much more to your liking, in the long run.

Since it's your stuff, you can obviously do as you please, but a word (or twenty) to the wise...

 

[Oldgator73]

Camping is supposed to be fun. If the ride there is crappy it could very well ruin your trip. And you will be thinking about the trip home during your stay. I don’t know if you have a family but their safety should be foremost on your mind.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I'll join with the majority opinion on this. A DIY aftermarket tranny cooler add-on isn't expensive, but may or may not get you much (or any) improved tow capacity. We don't know what the limitations of your Compass are, nor do we know what sort of conditions you will encounter. Maybe more cooling isn't going to help. So it's a gamble. And if you plan to go to a Jeep dealer and ask them to upgrade to a factory equivalent tow package, it's likely to be an expensive proposition if they can even do it.

 

[tlmgcamp]

So thats a good thing, yeah? Lol Im just trying to see how I can do this properly, not why I cant.. I can buy a popup that weighs like 1,500lbs.. That should be good, yes? If I get the tow package of course.

IMHO, you need to consider your 2nd sentence. The folks on this site have raised a bunch of flags about what you have set your mind on to do. Which is to take a 10 year old vehicle that is on the wrong side of "marginal" as a tow vehicle, even with a tow package, and make it perform adequately. In short, it seems like you came here expecting a solution on how to fit a square peg into a round hole and are a bit disappointed with the reality check. It might be time to trade in the square peg for a round one.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Consider moving up to at least a Jeep Liberty. I am not familiar with the tow numbers but Youtuber Slim Potatohead has spent seven years traveling the US and Canada with his 2010 Jeep Liberty and first an Aliner, and more recently a Trillium fiberglass trailer.

Charles

 

[Bearcatrp]

Your vehicle may pull a maxed weight camper, but for how long. Anytime you’re towing at max weight or a little above, you’re stressing your vehicle motor, tranny, and other parts. You will break down. Usually happens in the middle of a trip. Very good advice given in this thread. Trade your vehicle in for a vehicle that matches the trailer Capacity. One thing about ultra lite campers, very flimsy. Had a jeep wrangler and tried finding a lite RV. After looking at many ultra lite campers, I traded it in for a half ton truck to pull my 1st TT. That was 8 years ago. 2 trucks and 2 rvs later, am now on a 1 ton and 5th wheel. Do it right the 1st time or pay the price later.

 

[Contributor]

Two things that worried me when we had a tent trailer. High winds and camping in bear country. On one trip in New Mexico, the winds were so strong that I thought the trailer was going to be destroyed. We got no sleep for a couple of nights. Other trips, all of the food (toothpaste included) was moved from the trailer to the tow vehicle when we were not around due to bear warnings. That got old after a while. If you don't camp in bear country, that's not a problem.

 

[Isaac-1]

True, but over the last 20-30 years Bear country has expanded considerably across the US.

 

[Mountain high]

The regions highlighted below are where the bears are more likely to be encountered. Just take precautions no matter what type of travel trailer.

 

[Contributor]

One thing about bear populations is that their behaviour varies by the group. The mothers teach their cubs how to get food. We were tent camping in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison about 6 years ago and I asked the ranger about the bears breaking into cars like they do in Yosemite if they can see an ice chest. I was told that the bears at the Black Canyon "were not as smart as those in Yosemite".

Years ago, my wife went backpacking out of Mammoth, CA and borrowed my truck with a shell on it. She and her friends spent the night in town before setting off the next day. She left her backpack in the bed with the shell and locked it. I got a call that a bear tore the the shell door off and shredded the backpack looking for food. She bought a new pack before heading out.

 

[Mountain high]

Someone is enjoying the view today at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Far right of webcam photo. Bears are in hibernation.

 

[Isaac-1]

That map may show where bears are prevalent, but there are also lots of areas that are not marked where they are occasionally seen. I live in western Louisiana near the Texas state line, and for years we had at least one bear living in the woods / creek bottom area around our family cattle ranch, that would occasionally be seen (only twice by me). They are somewhat more common, though still rare along the Sabine river which divides Louisiana from Texas, which is another area that is not shown on the map above.

 

[Old_Crow]

One thing about bear populations is that their behaviour varies by the group. The mothers teach their cubs how to get food. We were tent camping in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison about 6 years ago and I asked the ranger about the bears breaking into cars like they do in Yosemite if they can see an ice chest. I was told that the bears at the Black Canyon "were not as smart as those in Yosemite".

Years ago, my wife went backpacking out of Mammoth, CA and borrowed my truck with a shell on it. She and her friends spent the night in town before setting off the next day. She left her backpack in the bed with the shell and locked it. I got a call that a bear tore the the shell door off and shredded the backpack looking for food. She bought a new pack before heading out.

During the '21 camping season, we had a mama bear and cub that were hanging around the campgrounds looking for food. That was the year that one of my hosts had his TT broken into, and also a camper and a cabin at the local resort were looted by said bears.
We usually have at least one car broken into every season, and last season a bear broke into someone's RV fridge through the outside hatch! The funny part about that story was that the next day, in the same campground, one of the hosts was out warning a new arrival about the bear problem. He had exited his RV and left just the screen door closed. The bear entered through the screen door, opened and looted his fridge (luckily without trashing the rest of the TT), and was leaving through the door as the host approached his trailer.
A couple of days later I was sitting on the couch in my m/h and a bear came up to the screen door, looked inside and saw me then turned and went on his way. Middle of the day, broad daylight.

If you pull into a campsite and there's a bear box, take that as a hint and use it!

 

[PerroSucio]

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[Oldgator73]

We were camping at Shanandoa NP and left to sight see one day leaving the cooler out. Came back and found a note on the door saying our cooler was confiscated. Can’t leave anything out there. Another time we were staying at a small RV park owned by a friends HOA in Ft Walton Beach. We’re grilling steaks when a bear came waddling through. A big bear. Our friends husband herded the kids into their truck and the bear went about his/her business. A few days later the same bear ambled up the community center and took a leisurely swim in the pool. Did I say big bear.

 

[Knobs]

Two things that worried me when we had a tent trailer. High winds and camping in bear country. On one trip in New Mexico, the winds were so strong that I thought the trailer was going to be destroyed. We got no sleep for a couple of nights. Other trips, all of the food (toothpaste included) was moved from the trailer to the tow vehicle when we were not around due to bear warnings. That got old after a while. If you don't camp in bear country, that's not a problem.

Compared with a tent trailer, travel trailers, 5th wheels, or motorhomes really have only one advantage WRT bears … they give you a false sense of security.

 

[Kirk]

This thread has certainly has evolved from the original question.

Bears and Food Storage​