If last weekend’s Lutz Minicamper seemed a little too cushy, expensive or pavement-limited for you, perhaps you’ll like the Let’s Go Aero (LGA) Crashpad a little better. Originally designed as a ruggedized towable pickup bed for hauling heavy, jagged cargo across equally jagged off-road surfaces, LGA’s trailer now transforms into a pull-behind pop-top pickup camper of the simplest form. It’s an affordable, hassle-free and versatile way to travel and camp your way through the wild.
The Crashpad isn’t so much a trailer model as it is an upfit kit for LGA’s LittleGiant and SpecOps cargo trailers. The LittleGiant trailer was introduced in 2008 as a simple, versatile utility trailer inspired by a pickup bed. It’s evolved some over the years, and the contemporary version features a U-shaped tub body made from powder-coated galvanized steel. Its removable front and rear walls make it even more versatile than a pickup bed for carrying cargo that outsizes its 7.2-ft (2.2-m) bed length – things like lumber or paddleboards. The walls can then be reinstalled whenever a proper boxed bed is needed.
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A 3/4-ton trailer, the LittleGiant offers 1,500 lb (680 kg) of payload on what LGA calls an all-terrain platform. The 1-ton SpecOps steps up as a heavier duty overland version of the same trailer with an upgraded torsion axle, larger wheels and mud-terrain tires for a full 2,000 lb (907 kg) of drag-anywhere payload. The SpecOps also offers 5 more inches (13 cm) of ground clearance for 20 inches (51 cm). Both trailers have the same 86 x 54 x 24-in (218 x 137 x 61-cm) box measurements and removable tailgate and front gate.
Against a backdrop of pandemic-accelerated interest in camping and road trips, LGA added the Crashpad to the LittleGiant/SpecOps accessory family in 2021. Simpler than the company’s Treehaus or Summithaus trailer tent camper systems, the Crashpad offers the advantage of putting a hard roof over your head that then doubles as a lockable hard cover for protecting the gear inside the trailer.
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That hard roof is LGA’s Hexcap, a strut-assisted tonneau cover made from UV-resistant polypropylene composite. It’s covered wagon-like dome shape isn’t done merely for 19th century vibes but as a way of increasing overall cargo capacity above the trailer’s sidewall. In the same way, it increases interior headroom when camping. The cover also adds cargo security via lockable latches (locks sold separately) and is available as an accessory on its own as well as with the Crashpad package.
Creating a camper out of a HexCapped trailer was as simple as connecting the cap and trailer with sidewall fabric and a zippered back door. That waterproof-coated 185D Cordura fabric installs and removes via heavy-duty Velcro, without a single tool. The design includes two side windows and an entry door screen for plenty of ventilation. The window and door screens include zippered weatherproof fabric shades, and an above-entry awning provides further protection from rain, sun and weather.
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Viewing the Crashpad from the outside, we initially assumed campers would simply sleep atop the tub floor. However, LGA has a more elegant, versatile solution, adding a folding polypropylene platform to the build so that campers sleep above the floor. The fold-out platform is supported by five steel beams that attach into the standard C-channel rails that run the length of the trailer atop the sidewalls.
The platform measures 75 x 54 in (191 x 137 cm) and sleeps two, offering 48 inches (122 cm) of headroom at the front where the sloped roof is highest. LGA does not include a mattress, but it would be easy enough to bring your own inflatable or foam mattress. In fact, those dimensions are identical to a full-size bed, so campers can opt for a full-size mattress to cover the whole platform or single sleeping pads/bags for each person.
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Beyond giving campers a better bed option than a dusty, banged-up cargo trailer tub, the platform ensures they don’t have to unload all their gear when sleeping inside – the gear can remain on the floor 21 inches (53 cm) below the sleeping platform. The platform can also double as a cargo shelf for organizing gear when traveling, offering 24 inches (61 cm) of height to the peak of the tonneau arch. For those who don’t want a shelf during transit, the sleeping platform folds down to a 75 x 18 x 2-in (191 x 46 x 5-cm) form that packs easily on the trailer floor or against the sidewall.
One final platform advantage – campers can keep the trailer floor empty as a space for pets to sleep.
Let’s Go Aero upgrades the tailgate for the Crashpad package with a set of hinges and support cables that turns it into a sturdy truck-style tailgate. It can serve as a cooking table, outdoor shelf or bench seat and even includes a foam pad insert for use as a seat. The tailgate can also remove from the rear-end and attach to either side of the trailer to serve as a side table – this way, no one has to step over the kitchen when getting in and out of the interior.
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Simple design means simple setup. LGA has essentially created a pop-up wedge tent on wheels. Setup will take slightly longer than just popping a rooftop tent since some of the Velcro needs to be secured, the sleeping platform might need to be set up, and the awning might need guying out, but it need only take a few minutes to go from towing to lying down in bed.
The entire Crashpad package with Hexcap tonneau cover adds 110 lb (50 kg) to the weight of the base trailer, bringing total weight to 590 lb (268 kg) for the 10-foot-long (3-m) LittleGiant and 670 lb (304 kg) for the 10-ft SpecOps.
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All in all, the Crashpad seems like a slick little solution for doubling up the utility of an already versatile cargo trailer. Beyond serving as a primary shelter, it also seems like a natural fit for hauling gear that won’t fit in the main camper van, motorhome or truck camper, then working as an extra bedroom for children or guests.
The LittleGiant Crashpad is available for a price of US$6,998, while the SpecOps overland Crashpad goes for $8,198. LGA also offers the Crashpad as an upfit kit for existing LittleGiant and SpecOps owners, so if you already own the trailer or want a simple cargo hauler with the option of adding a camper setup later, you have that ability. That kit costs $2,999 with the Hexcap or $1,499 for those who already have the Hexcap.
All of the hardware, including the bolt-together trailers themselves, ships as a kit and requires user assembly.
Source: Let’s Go Aero