he became “the animal handler” …test shot for lighting on the set with prop dog
but the one he says he enjoyed the most was working with this large cat as the cat was the “most professional animal” he says he ever worked with
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I would be in the bumper pull camp, there’s not many BPs your tundra can’t pull, but I’ve felt them struggle with stopping a gn (it was a big gn, but still… It wasn’t that steep off a downhill grade). Also you won’t have to worry about the height of your bed walls, which is a serious consideration in this market. It would truly suck to pull the trigger on a trailer a couple states away only to find out it doesn’t have enough clearance! And given this crazy market, that kind of purchase is more the norm than the outlier.
If you are concerned about pulling a BP, get an equalizer/wd hitch, they are pricey, but less than a gn hitch and installation. I’ve pulled BPs for decades for long road trips with just a regular hitch and it doesn’t bother me, but a few years ago when I started long distance trips with a lot more weight (two carriages, Fjord, scooter and So. Much. Gear), I opted to add the equalizer. Honestly, it makes the trailer as stable as any gooseneck I’ve ever towed. My first drive had me on I-75 crossing Payne’s Prairie (a wind tunnel in Florida), sandwiched between two semis (we were all trapped behind other vehicles) while we all compressed to pass another semi parked on the median. That’s the definition of hell in a BP. I could have driven it with a pinkie, the trailer was so stable!
Also a BP leaves you the option of using the bed, which gives you a bit more of an opportunity to use your cart or carriage while you take your time to shop for the forever trailer when that time comes.
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My friend at the barn just got a newer Tundra with the shorter bed. And she just bought a new gooseneck 2H with dressing room. She needed to get an adapter to move the hitch back in her truck bed so there was enough clearance for the nose of the trailer in turns. So make sure you take your bed length into account when buying a hitch for GN. If the nose of the trailer is square and your truck bed is short there’s a chance you can pop out your back window in a sharp turn or while parking.
And IMO, based on everyone I’ve seen hitching up (lots of ladies) - it doesn’t take any longer to hitch up a bumper pull vs a gooseneck. If you have a manual crank gooseneck - maybe a extra minute or two.
I started hauling with an empty 2H bumper pull when I was in college. Dad took me around with the empty trailer and we went back and forth from our house to the barn. It was eye opening! Now I’m the one who drives the trailer everywhere. We have a three horse GN with living quarters and I can park that thing within inches of where I want it. (I will admit I probably couldn’t park a bumper pull at all). I do get gaping looks as I am a fairly petite young looking woman with a dually and a huge trailer with my Mastiff riding shot gun 
. Good luck in your search!
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Thanks so much @DMK, this is really helpful. Just watching the local used markets for the past couple weeks, I think a gooseneck is most likely just going to be off the table for lack of availability. I don’t know that a carriage will be in the picture before a truck/trailer upgrade, but if something does come along and would fit in the bed it’s probably better to have that as an option. Our harness is being made as I type so once that is here lord knows how those dominoes are going to fall
I’m still torn between steel and aluminum. By all means, aluminum seems to be great without as many rust issues. Steel is tempting because there are more options and the new ones are in my price range. I also like that they are suppose to hold up better in the case of an accident than aluminum god forbid.
Editing to add with the steel consideration - I will likely choose to be a fair weather traveler for a good while. In the winter time I wouldn’t have a problem choosing to haul when the roads are dry considering the salt/treatment; the exception being an emergency vet trip and at that point I don’t think I would even be thinking about the trailer anyways. I don’t know how much of a difference that makes or not over wet, treated roads.
This one is pretty much exactly what I would want and is fine price wise:
I bought a 2012 version of that Calico trailer last year and am very happy with my purchase. Is it my “dream” trailer? No, but it gets the job done just fine, and my truck (2020 Ram 1500) tows it comfortably. I did take the slant divider out of mine. My horses are small (13.2 and 13.3 Arabs), but the front stall was still pretty cramped, and I only ever haul one horse (well, maybe a mare and foal occasionally, but not often).
The only thing I really, really don’t like about this trailer is that the back door is HEAVY. I’m usually loading alone, and my yard is not anything resembling level. It’s extremely difficult for me to hold the door open and load my pony at the same time. Luckily, she’s the cooperative sort (despite being a green coming 4 year old), so we’re figuring out a method that mostly works. I’d really prefer two smaller doors like a lot of the bigger stock trailers have. But I only paid $3,900 for my trailer, and beggars can’t be choosers…
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I towed a BP with my 2010 Tundra and it never struggled at all. Two thumbs up for DMK’s recommendation of a BP!
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I’ve had two steel frame/al skin trailers before my latest which is all aluminum. The only reason I think this all aluminum trailer is stronger is because it is 8’ wide, so it has much closer crossbeams and it’s a beast. It’s also not that light for the same reason. But I loved my steel frame/al skin trail et, it was the best. The sundowner was less loved but still not a bad trailer (full disclosure, I got it for a bargain, I would not have felt there same way about it if I paid full price). My thoughts on all steel trailers are that generally speaking they are going for a certain price point so if they are still offering bells and whistles something has to give to still meet the price point. That’s just a buyer beware observation…
Still, if you find the right trailer for the right price, you are probably good regardless of type!
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Slight derail… I learned to drive on back roads as well, a manual transmission and an automatic.
Driving a stick seems not to be included in many kids education these days, as shown by would-be carjackers who jump behind the wheel and right back out again, because they can’t drive a stick. 
I learned on a stick shift too. My dad was paranoid I’d be at a party or something and the only vehicle option in an emergency would be a stick. Or something like that
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Is there anything to look out for with an aluminum skin steel trailer? I understand the two metals can cause corrosion if they interact with each other? Galvanic corrosion was what I read. Is there any way to see if this could be happening?
Going to look at a 2003 Cotner 2H bumper pull that seems to be in decent shape with a $5500 price tag tomorrow. I’m taking experienced friends with me so I feel comfortable that anything concerning would definitely be caught. Unsure of tires but for the price I can put new ones on it.
Any chance you could install something like this:
Trailer building companies ARE aware of this issue, and there should be a layer of ??? inbetween the two metals to block the chemical reaction between them. So, if this is a trailer built by a reputable company, this should not be a problem. The aluminum trailer on the steel frame is quite common.
Usually if you pull up the back mats you can see corrosion points along the wall and obviously you want to check the ramp hinges and underside very carefully. If there is steel* there’s always going to be some corrosion at some point, you just want to identify it and make sure it isn’t causing structural soundness issues.
'* any metal, really. Even aluminum corrodes if you don’t clean up the pee under the mats
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We now have a Charlie Mobile! It’s needs a couple hundred bucks worth of work; new light bulbs and wiring to one of the tail lights and new plywood on the ramp but the tires are good and all the important pieces got our expert friends approval 
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Congratulations!
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Thank you! The drive home was all two lane backroad/highway types roads as it got dark and I did it comfortably! I’m sure my nerves will be much worse when Charlie is in it, but it went better than I thought it would. And I need backing practice. LOTS of backing practice.
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Wohoo! Congrats!
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Congratulations, and here is to lots of safe travels!
Find yourself an empty parking lot- early Sunday mornings at schools usually work- and practice all you want!
Cheers to all of that!!
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