Transporting Equipment to a Competition

I'm also going to run into the same thing and would be curious what other folks have done.

Problem with UHaul vans are they don't have a ramp. You have to get into the larger sizes to get one - and they have no lifts - which could ban issue.

Depending on how much equipment you have, you could rent a regular econoline van from Uhaul, that way you don't have to worry so much about the height. The only other thing I could think of would be to get a small enclosed trailer and a get one of the add on hitches for your car. Again, a lot would depend on the weight of the equipment.

Otherwise, find a buddy with a truck :mrgreen:

The Laughlin contest a few weeks ago looked like a Uhaul dealership. We rent a Uhaul trailer for contests out west but have an SUV to pull it. A Uhaul truck would work fine too. Make sure it is tall enough to stand up in and you can use it for prep, sleep and boxing.

jaestar said:

The Laughlin contest a few weeks ago looked like a Uhaul dealership. We rent a Uhaul trailer for contests out west but have an SUV to pull it. A Uhaul truck would work fine too. Make sure it is tall enough to stand up in and you can use it for prep, sleep and boxing.

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Do you find that comps will let you park the uhaul in your space? If that's common, it may not be a bad idea to rent, say, the smallest one with a ramp - believe 14'. That way you can take everything out, and then put down some mats/sleeping bags.

They are something like $1.30/mi out here in California, but still cheaper thank an enclosed trailer and a truck.

As long as it fits in your spot, they don't care.

Just how much stuff will you be hauling? What kind of vehicle do you have? It might be worth the investment to put a trailer hitch on your car and pulling a small trailer.

There's talk in another thread about a guy loading up his car with WSMs to compete. It can be done.

We compete out of a Ford Explorer and a sedan. It can be done, depends on what cooker you are running and how well you pack, how much stuff you "need" vs how much you really need.

We run 4 WSMs, two tailgate tents, two sleeping tents, bedding for 4, two 6' tables, a 4' table, lamps, charcoal, wood, kitchen items, BBQ items, two 5 day coolers, and a food cooler.

It can be done.

uhaul rents regular pickups, so check that out.

I've done a few contests renting a pickup truck from U-haul

jaestar said:

The Laughlin contest a few weeks ago looked like a Uhaul dealership. We rent a Uhaul trailer for contests out west but have an SUV to pull it. A Uhaul truck would work fine too. Make sure it is tall enough to stand up in and you can use it for prep, sleep and boxing.

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You don't bring your normal trailer?

How common are tents? What about off-stall parking, say, if you uhauled in your stuff and then set up a tent and some popups?

Also sorry chefboy1313 for maybe hijacking your thread, hope this is useful.

jaestar said:

The Laughlin contest a few weeks ago looked like a Uhaul dealership. We rent a Uhaul trailer for contests out west but have an SUV to pull it. A Uhaul truck would work fine too. Make sure it is tall enough to stand up in and you can use it for prep, sleep and boxing.

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Do this! Until you have a couple of competitions under your belt. Then decide what you want/need/afford and if competitions are for you.

I have rented Uhauls and they work just fine but they can get expensive. In Northern California you can rent the pickup and cargo van for multiple days and the mileage is much less expensive ($0.30 vs $1.19) than the larger trucks. If you go with the cargo van be very careful loading your equipment because the floor is not flat under the plastic pad and it caught a caster on my smoker and broke it off.

Someone above mentioned the Laughlin contest, I think many of those truck were rented in Laughlin to be used if they got bad weather. I know a number of teams, especially when in the Southern Nevada desert where storms rains storms and wind storms move in quick with no warning, a truck a few miles from the contest and use the truck as a prep area rather than standing under a pop-up that is blowing all over the place. It is worth the $30 daily rental + $10 for mileage.

One idea I have been looking into is a website that people rent out their personal vehicles, www.relayrides.com. I have not used them yet because I did not discover it until after my last contest (I am in no way affiliated with the site) but I am going to use them when things get started next year. The rent per day is lower and you get better mileage rates than Uhaul. I will be getting a truck or a SUV that I can attach a hitch mounted cargo carrier ($150 @ Harbor Freight) to carry my Traeger (but would carry 2 WSMs) and put everything else in the back.

I hope this is helpful.

Hey there neighbor to the north. I pack everything I need in my FIL's GMC Sierra with a short bed. He doesn't mind loaning it to me as I fill it with gas and give him some leftover ribs or pork. My teammate has rented a Uhaul trailer before and that fit everything he needed to bring easily (2 UDS, EZ Up, charcoal, coolers, table, etc.) Renting a trailer or truck is pretty common. You might consider going to a contest as a spectator and walking around to check out the different ways people haul all their gear. The Winter Burn in Des Plaines usually happens in February. Might give you a good idea of what you can do.

A little off topic... which competition are you planning on doing in the spring? We may see you there. And further off topic... I used to teach in Bartlett. Small world!

I compete with a minivan, ez up and a pit. Either my Jambo or Meat Monster. Ez up is the kitchen, the minivan is the hotel!!

Only problem with the van is it'll be just 2 folks (wife and I) and I'm planning on buying a Humphrey's which isn't exactly light.

Wonder if I can't just buy/make a ramp for the van - I just noticed the longer term rental rates on the van and they are much better. I'm looking at competing in California to start and as you know it's a pretty big state. A trip to southern California could cost over a thousand bucks.

I'm tempted to just buy a truck/trailer, but that's a little much for just getting into it.

Also @egorham - hello neighbor! I was intrigued by your Harbor Freight idea, but after reading the manual it specifically says no highway speeds for that trailer - be careful!

alexf,

I am using the 500 lb aluminum cargo carrier that slips into the trailer hitch, not the trailer. The price is actual $99 but I put a 1/2 piece of plywood in the bottom. There is not restriction on this because it does not have any wheels and I never go over a 250 lbs.

http://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-aluminum-cargo-carrier-92655.html

I also looked into a making a ramp for the rental van and I think it can be done and it is not very expensive. I bought the Highland brand 2x12 ramp kit but did not use them because Uhaul called me the day before saying the van was not available and gave me a 14' box truck for the van price so I never put them together. You basically bolt the bottom and top on two 8' 2x12". I was going to screw two 1x4" boards on the outside to keep the 2x12" from flexing and to make sure I did not roll the smoker off the edge.

Hope this helps.

Ohhhh, not bad at all.

This thread got me thinking more and the smoker I am planning on is too tall for the van door (I need to confirm), but something like that would work with a uhaul pickup or the rental place you linked above!

Thanks!