Renting a Trailer for a Hunting or Camping Trip

Most hunting and camping trips start with a simple hauling plan, "just the ATV," and end with a trailer packed to the rails. Once you add the gear, the coolers, the fuel and whatever you're bringing home, the trailer you pick stops being an afterthought and starts deciding how the whole trip goes. Rent too small and you're leaving things behind; pick the wrong style and your gear shows up soaked or your camp is an easy target. None of that is hard to avoid. Here's how to size a trailer for the ATV plus everything around it, and how to make the one choice that matters most on a longer trip: open or enclosed.

What the trip has to haul

Start with the full list, not just the machine. There's the ATV or side-by-side, maybe two, plus tents, sleeping gear, coolers, camp kitchen, fuel cans, tools, and the game or catch you're bringing back. It adds up quickly, and it's the stuff you forget that ends up strapped on top at the last minute.

Sizing follows the biggest item first and the total load second, so measure your ATV or side-by-side and then leave real room for everything that packs in around it. It's easy to size a trailer to the machine and forget that the machine is only half of what's going on it, so pad your estimate. Route the exact dimensions to the listing and your machine's specs rather than guessing.

If you're going with a group, the math changes fast, since two side-by-sides and everyone's gear can outgrow a small trailer in a hurry. It's often cheaper and simpler to rent one trailer that fits the whole party than to caravan two, so plan the load for everyone who's coming, not just your own kit and machine.

Open vs enclosed: the real decision

This is the choice that shapes the trip, and it comes down to weather and security more than anything else.

An open trailer, a utility or ATV hauler, is cheaper, lighter, easier to load and perfectly fine for a short trip in fair weather. An enclosed trailer costs more and tows heavier, but it keeps your gear dry, locks it out of sight, and shrugs off weather and prying eyes. On a longer trip, in country where the weather can turn, or any time you're leaving the trailer loaded at a remote camp overnight, that protection is worth the extra cost. Read more about when the extra cost of enclosed is worth it.

The deciding questions are simple: how long are you out, what might the weather do, and does the trailer sit loaded and unattended? The more of those point to "rough," the more an enclosed trailer earns its keep.

One practical note: an enclosed trailer is heavier and catches more wind, so it pulls harder and drinks more fuel than an open one. On a long drive to the trailhead that's a real cost to weigh against the protection. Not a dealbreaker, just part of the decision.

Loading and securing the ATV

However you haul it, load the ATV up ramps rated for its weight, straight and slow, and secure it at four points to the frame or the machine's designated tie-down points, not to a rack or a soft part that can bend. Chock the wheels so it can't roll.

Then make sure nothing can shift once you're on rough backroads, which are harder on a load than the highway ever is. Think about unloading, too, because you want to get the machine off at camp on whatever ground you find, so a solid ramp or a tilt bed is worth having when there's no loading dock in the woods. Read more about how to pick the right ATV trailer for the sizing and loading detail.

Packing gear and hauling game

Load the heavy gear low and toward the front for proper tongue weight, and strap everything down so a washboard forest road doesn't rearrange your camp before you get there. Read more about how to load a trailer for the weight-distribution side of it.

On the way home, anything you harvested needs to stay cool and clean, kept out of the sun and dirt and separate from your gear. An enclosed trailer makes that easier, giving you a shaded, closed space to work with; on an open trailer, plan your coolers and a cover so nothing rides home exposed. Keep it simple and keep it clean, and route any processing and transport rules to your state's regulations.

Fuel deserves its own bit of care. Carry it in approved cans, secured upright and away from anything that sparks, and never seal gas fumes into a hot enclosed trailer without ventilation. Fuel and a closed box get along fine with a little airflow and a little attention.

Security and weather at camp

A loaded trailer sitting at a remote camp is a target, so lock the doors and add a coupler or hitch lock so nobody can simply hitch up and tow the whole thing off. An enclosed trailer does double duty here, since gear and firearms that can't be seen are far less likely to walk off, and out-of-sight is half of theft prevention. Snap a few photos of the loaded trailer before you leave, too, since a record of what you had helps if anything does go missing.

Weather is the other half. Mud, rain and cold are hard on gear left exposed, and a closed box keeps everything dry and ready to use. On an open trailer, plan covers and tie-downs that will hold in wind, because a tarp that lets go at 60 miles per hour is worse than no tarp at all.

Sizing and the drive out

Match the trailer to the ATV plus the gear, with margin, and think hard about the terrain you're headed into, since backroads, mud and grades are all harder on a loaded trailer than a paved highway.

Confirm your tow vehicle's rating covers the loaded trailer, check the lights and tires before a long haul, and carry a spare, because help is a long way off when you're deep on a forest road. Read more about how to check trailer tires and bearings before a long tow.

And picture the campsite itself. If you'll be backing into a tight, tree-lined spot after dark, a trailer you can actually maneuver matters as much as one that carries everything, so don't rent more trailer than the access can handle.

What about insurance and damage protection?

Before towing a rented trailer, contact your auto insurance provider to ask whether your policy covers liability and towing-related damage claims.

Eligible rentals booked through Big Rentals also include Basic Rental Protection at checkout. This added protection can help limit your financial responsibility for certain damage or theft events during the rental period.

For full details on how Basic Rental Protection works, including deductibles, exclusions, and renter responsibilities, review our FAQ and platform terms.

The Short Version

• Size the trailer for the ATV or side-by-side plus all the gear, coolers and fuel, not just the machine
• Open trailers are cheaper and fine for short, fair-weather trips; enclosed trailers protect gear from weather and theft on longer hauls and overnight camps
• Load the ATV up rated ramps and secure it at four points to the frame, then chock the wheels
• Pack heavy gear low and forward, strap everything for rough backroads, and keep harvested game cool, clean and separate
• Lock the trailer at camp and add a coupler or hitch lock, and keep gear out of sight
• Match your tow vehicle's rating, check tires and lights, and carry a spare for a long haul

Browse trailer rentals near you.