This is the Tentrax Ascend it’s a compact, lightweight overlanding trailer designed to be towed behind your 4×4 into the kind of rugged wilderness that larger, more traditional camping trailers would be incapable of accessing.
The Ascend is built around a steel square tube chassis and a watertight, heavy-duty fiberglass body. This body allows the whole trailer to float, though the float line does depend on how heavily it’s loaded.
The Ascend is built around a steel square tube chassis and a watertight, heavy-duty fiberglass body. This body allows the whole trailer to float, though the float line does depend on how heavily it’s loaded.
History Speedrun: Tentrax
Tentrax was founded all the way back in 2001 with a focus on compact, lightweight off-road trailers designed for Jeep and other 4×4 owners looking for an ultra-lightweight camping trailer that could go anywhere their four-wheeler can.
The original Tentrax design used a molded fiberglass tub, a solid axle, and an integrated rooftop-style tent – a setup that proved hugely popular with overlanders looking for a no-nonsense solution that also offered ample storage space in the trailer under the tent.
The company operated independently for nearly two decades before undergoing a transition in 2020. New ownership relocated the business to the Asheville, North Carolina area, specifically Black Mountain, and began modernizing the brand while staying true to its roots.
The new team introduced modular upgrades, updated trailer models, and a line of rooftop tents designed to be fitted to vehicles rather than trailers – expanding the product range well beyond the tow-behind units that the company was built on.
Tentrax’s main camping trailer lines now include the Ascend and Overlook – the Ascend is their premium off-road model, and it uses their signature fiberglass body and coil-sprung solid axle while offering options like integrated power systems and heavy-duty suspension.
The Tentrax Ascend is a compact, lightweight overlanding trailer designed to be towed behind your 4×4 into the kind of rugged wilderness that larger, more traditional camping trailers would be incapable of accessing.
The Overlook offers a more basic, but still off-road-capable, package at a lower entry price. All trailers are assembled in the US, and Tentrax emphasizes customizability, with users often choosing specific wheel bolt patterns, tents, lighting, and recovery gear.
The Tentrax Ascend
The Tentrax Ascend is, in some respects, the quintessential Tentrax camping trailer. It’s built around a powder-coated 2″ square tube steel chassis with a heavy-duty fiberglass tub. This top has a lid the folds open to the front (towards the car) and a tent opens with it, offering sleeping accommodation for two.
Under the tent you’ll find ample room for cargo in its own sealed trunk area, and the trailer also has additional front storage compartments and it’s extendable with optional extras, like a pull-out kitchen/cooking section.
This top has a lid the folds open to the front (towards the car) and a tent opens with it, offering sleeping accommodation for two.
The Ascend has a 1,800lb Dexter Torflex axle, 30″ all-terrain tires and black steel wheels, a heavy-duty removable jack, a four-pin trailer wiring harness, round LED tail lights, and a steel rear bumper with 2” receiver (with a 100 lb weight limit).
You can visit the listing for the Tentrax Ascend here if you’d like to read more or order your own. They retail for $11,995 USD, and this price can climb a little if you add any of the optional extras. The trailer weighs just 600 lbs, so it can be towed by almost any vehicle.
Images courtesy of Tentrax
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