Hello I am new, not gnu that's a horse of a different kind.
I read every entry on the thread and I wanted to add my hopeful comment and add something else to the mix. My summer camping excursions run between 3-5000 miles and I do this in a Toyota Highlander without a Teardrop or Tiny Travel Trailer. I mean I load up my vehicle with a kayak, canoe, camping gear, telescope sometimes, cooler, tarps underwater filming equipment, fishing tackle, hiking gear, cooking, clothes and sundry other items. Since I travel alone I can fill every available space and my fuel economy does not change one iota loaded or empty that I can tell. Maybe I lose a mpg here or there but its not noticeable enough to note. I get 23-24 up and down mountains in the East from VA to Maine and back to VA.
If I add a teardrop that weighs 1200-1300 lbs and leave it essentially empty and keeping most of the gear in my vehicle would that be just adding another 1300 lbs of weight and thereby reducing fuel economy?
Or
Would it be no difference if I stowed the majority of my gear in the teardrop and called it a day.
Does this kind of micropacking count for anything?