If you are looking to buy a trailer, you are probably feeling a little overwhelmed. There are so many shapes, sizes, and brands out there. But before you get into the fancy details, you have to answer one big, basic question: Do you need an open trailer or an enclosed trailer?
It sounds like a simple choice, but picking the wrong one can cost you a lot of time, money, and stress. If you buy an open trailer to haul expensive tools, you might wake up one morning to find them stolen. If you buy a massive enclosed trailer just to move yard waste, you will end up spending way too much money on gas because of the heavy weight.
In this guide, we are going to share expert tips to help you figure out exactly what you need. We will look at the pros and cons, share some eye-opening safety statistics, and help you find the perfect match for your lifestyle.
The Workhorse: What Is an Open Trailer?
An open trailer is exactly what it sounds like. It has a flat deck, wheels, and usually some small side rails, but no roof or walls. This category includes flatbed trailers and smaller utility trailers.
The Good Stuff:
- Easy to Load: Because there are no walls, you can load an open trailer from the sides or the back. If you need a forklift to drop a heavy pallet of bricks onto it, an open trailer is perfect.
- Lower Cost: Since they use less metal and materials, open trailers are generally much cheaper to buy.
- Great Gas Mileage: Open trailers are lightweight and have low wind resistance. You barely feel them behind your truck on the highway.
- Odd-Shaped Cargo: If you are hauling tree branches, a long ladder, or a tall refrigerator, you do not have to worry about hitting a trailer roof.
The Bad Stuff:
- Zero Weather Protection: If it rains, your stuff gets wet. If it hails, your stuff gets dented.
- No Security: If you stop at a gas station, anyone walking by can reach in and grab your gear.
The Moving Vault: What Is an Enclosed Trailer?
An enclosed cargo trailer has a floor, solid walls, and a solid roof. It is basically a sturdy box on wheels. People love them, and the numbers prove it. In fact, enclosed trailers were the most popular type sold recently, making up a massive 47% of all new units sold in 2023. Flatbed open trailers came in second at 29%.
The Good Stuff:
- Weatherproof: Your gear stays perfectly dry and out of the hot sun.
- Ultimate Security: You can lock the heavy doors. Out of sight means out of mind for thieves.
- Mobile Storage: You can leave your tools or camping gear packed inside the trailer all year long, effectively turning it into a mobile garage.
The Bad Stuff:
- Heavy and Bulky: They weigh more and catch the wind like a parachute. This means your truck will burn more gas to pull it.
- Size Limits: If a piece of furniture is taller than the trailer’s roof, it simply will not fit.
The Elephant in the Room: The Rise of Cargo Theft
Let’s talk about why enclosed trailers are becoming so popular. It comes down to one scary word: theft.
If you are hauling expensive things like power tools, dirt bikes, or high-end camping gear—you need to know the facts. Cargo theft is a growing crisis right now. In 2024, cargo theft incidents across the United States and Canada jumped by a shocking 27%.
Thieves are getting smarter and more aggressive. Last year alone, nearly $455 million worth of goods were stolen in the U.S. and Canada. To make matters worse, the average cost of a theft incident has climbed to over $202,000. Construction workers and contractors are the biggest buyers of enclosed trailers today (accounting for 32% of the demand) specifically because they cannot afford to have their tools stolen from open truck beds or flatbeds.
If you plan to leave your trailer parked outside overnight with valuable gear inside, an enclosed trailer with a heavy-duty padlock is an absolute must-have.
Quick Comparison – Open vs. Enclosed
| Feature | Open Trailer | Enclosed Trailer |
| Initial Price | Lower | Higher |
| Security / Theft Risk | Poor (High Risk) | Excellent (Low Risk) |
| Weather Protection | None (Requires tarps) | Complete protection |
| Gas Mileage | Great (Less wind drag) | Lower (Acts like a wind sail) |
| Best For | Yard waste, ATVs, construction debris | Expensive tools, camping gear, moving boxes |
Taking the Enclosed Trailer Off the Grid
So, we know enclosed trailers are great for keeping tools safe. But what if your “cargo” is actually your family and your camping gear?
A lot of adventurous people want the security and weather protection of an enclosed trailer, but they want to drag it deep into the woods for off-grid camping. Standard cargo trailers cannot handle dirt roads; their frames will bend, and their tiny tires will pop.
This is where finding a true industry expert changes everything. I highly recommend looking at Tribe Trailers. They took the concept of a secure, enclosed trailer and turned it into the ultimate off-road survival basecamp.
Based in the United States, Tribe Trailers builds rugged campers that can survive the absolute worst terrain while keeping you comfortable and safe from the elements. Because they are family-owned, they focus heavily on keeping their prices affordable without sacrificing quality.
Here is how their enclosed models cover all your adventure needs:
- For the Agile Explorer: If you want a small, enclosed gear hauler that acts as a mobile studio or bike carrier, check out the here. It has massive, secure storage boxes to keep your expensive camera gear and tools dust-free, plus a rooftop tent for sleeping.
- For the Ultimate Family Trip: If you want a true enclosed cabin, the Expedition 500 is the gold standard. It is a hard-sided pop-up trailer. You get the solid, secure walls of an enclosed trailer, an indoor bathroom, and an independent air-ride suspension that glides over rocks.
- For Classic Comfort: If you love the retro road trip style, their Camping Trailer gives you a beautiful, hard-shell enclosed cabin to sleep in so you never have to deal with wet tent canvas again.
Tribe Trailers Adventure Options
| Tribe Trailer Model | Best Suited For | Key Security & Protection Features |
| Explorer (Basecamp) | Photographers and mountain bikers | Heavy-duty lockable metal storage boxes |
| Expedition 500 | Families and full-time nomads | Fully enclosed hard-sided cabin with a locking door |
| Traveler (Camping Trailer) | Weekend road trippers | Solid enclosed teardrop shell to block wind and weather |
Towing Capacity: Don’t Buy More Than You Can Pull
Before you make your final choice between open and enclosed, you have to check your vehicle. Open the driver’s side door of your truck or SUV and look at the sticker for your “Max Towing Capacity.”
An enclosed trailer is made of a lot of heavy steel, wood, and aluminum walls. A 6×12 enclosed trailer might weigh 1,200 pounds completely empty. By the time you fill it with gear, you might be pulling 3,000 pounds. You also have to consider wind drag. Pulling a tall, boxy enclosed trailer down the highway is like pulling a giant parachute. It makes your engine work much harder than pulling a flat open trailer.
If you drive a small SUV, an open utility trailer (or a lightweight enclosed teardrop trailer) is probably your safest bet. If you drive a mid-size or full-size pickup truck, you will have no problem pulling a larger enclosed trailer.
Choosing the Right Trailer for Security, Convenience, and Long-Term Value
Choosing the right trailer really comes down to what you are hauling and where you are going.
If you are just making quick runs to the local hardware store to pick up lumber or hauling yard clippings to the dump, save your money and buy a simple open utility trailer.
But if you are transporting expensive dirt bikes, power tools, or camping gear, the choice is clear. With cargo theft reaching crisis levels in the U.S., an enclosed trailer acts as a rolling vault that protects your hard-earned investments from both criminals and the weather.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: How do I stop my open trailer from being stolen?
If you own an open trailer, you have to be proactive about security. Always buy a heavy-duty hitch lock that covers the ball mount so a thief cannot simply hook up your trailer to their truck and drive away. It is also a great idea to use a thick wheel lock (like a “boot” used by police) on one of the trailer tires when it is parked at your house.
Q2: Are enclosed trailers hard to see behind when driving?
Yes, they can create massive blind spots. Because enclosed trailers are tall and wide, you will not be able to use your standard rearview mirror to see what is directly behind you. You will need to rely heavily on your side mirrors. If you buy a wide enclosed trailer, you should invest in extended towing mirrors for your truck so you can safely see the lanes next to you on the highway.
Q3: Can I store an enclosed trailer in my garage?
Most standard enclosed cargo trailers are too tall to fit inside a normal 7-foot residential garage door. They usually have to be parked in the driveway or at a storage facility. However, some specialized enclosed trailers, like the Tribe Expedition 500, are designed as “pop-ups.” The roof lowers down for travel and storage, allowing it to easily slip right into a standard home garage.
Q4: Will a tarp protect my gear on an open trailer?
A tarp is better than nothing, but it is not a perfect solution. Tarps are great for keeping light rain off your gear for a short drive. However, at highway speeds, the wind will violently whip the tarp back and forth. This can easily tear the tarp to shreds or cause the metal grommets to aggressively scratch the paint off your expensive cargo.
Q5: Why do enclosed trailers get worse gas mileage than open trailers?
It all comes down to a physics concept called aerodynamics. An open trailer sits very low to the ground, so the air flows smoothly right over it. An enclosed trailer is a giant, flat wall of metal. When you drive 70 miles per hour, that flat front wall hits the air like a brick. Your truck engine has to burn a lot more fuel to push that heavy box through the wind.
Q6: What is a “V-Nose” enclosed trailer?
If you look at enclosed trailers, you will notice some have flat, square fronts, while others have a front that comes to a sharp point, shaped like a “V”. The V-Nose design is created to cut through the wind much better than a flat front. Buying a V-Nose enclosed trailer will give you slightly better gas mileage on the highway and makes the trailer a little bit easier to tow in heavy crosswinds.
