So, with ever-rising fuel prices and the steep drop in our economy, I decided to bite the bullet, get rid of my gas guzzling pickup truck, and opt for a fuel efficient compact 4 cylinder. That coupled with my new job which nows triples my commute to 104 miles per day compared to 35 miles per day, it's almost a necessity to have a fuel efficient car. So now I have a 2008 Toyota Carolla 5 speed which gets approximately 40mpg (compared to my V-6 Tacoma that got 19mpg). My payment has been cut in half and my fuel bill has been cut in half as well (which leaves an extra couple hundred bucks every month for scuba gear :cool2
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All is good until I tried to load up 4 HP Steel 119's, 60 pounds of weights, two SS backplates, two drysuits, and all the other gear we need for a day's diving. Did I mention my dive buddy drives an even smaller car than I do? So I did a little research and discovered that the Carolla 5 spd's have a 1500lb towing capacity and mounting brackets for a hitch standard. I first thought a trailer behind a Carolla would look rediculous (and it does, let me tell you), but it's far more convenient and less wear and tear on the inside and outside of the car to pull a trailer full of scuba gear, instead of loading up the trunk and the back seat.
So I bought a 4x5 foot trailer and made some modifications to make it into a full dive trailer. I bought the trailer as a kit for $375 online. Add $100 for a plywood bottom and sides, $50 for a 12 gallon water tank, $75 for a water pump and hose, $100 for a roller storage container, and I have a sweet trailer for my gear. Not to mention while in tow I still get about 35mpg towing about 600lbs. The nice thing about it is when we're done with the dive, I just turn on the water pump and hose down all of the gear.
. All is good until I tried to load up 4 HP Steel 119's, 60 pounds of weights, two SS backplates, two drysuits, and all the other gear we need for a day's diving. Did I mention my dive buddy drives an even smaller car than I do? So I did a little research and discovered that the Carolla 5 spd's have a 1500lb towing capacity and mounting brackets for a hitch standard. I first thought a trailer behind a Carolla would look rediculous (and it does, let me tell you), but it's far more convenient and less wear and tear on the inside and outside of the car to pull a trailer full of scuba gear, instead of loading up the trunk and the back seat.
So I bought a 4x5 foot trailer and made some modifications to make it into a full dive trailer. I bought the trailer as a kit for $375 online. Add $100 for a plywood bottom and sides, $50 for a 12 gallon water tank, $75 for a water pump and hose, $100 for a roller storage container, and I have a sweet trailer for my gear. Not to mention while in tow I still get about 35mpg towing about 600lbs. The nice thing about it is when we're done with the dive, I just turn on the water pump and hose down all of the gear.
Don't worry.....I'll install seatbelts in the trailer 
