Since the early part of the modern Tiny House movement people have been most attracted to the mobility of the home. There is a flexibility in such that is not an option for other types of homes. It can all at once be a ticket to adventure or an open door to significant life changes. Whether you plan on taking your tiny house on a road trip or just a one-time move, you need to be prepared to tow it safely. Of this, we are far too aware.

Christian and I have now towed our home 40,000+ miles across North America. We are arguably the world’s most traveled tiny house on wheels and have learned so much about how to tow confidently and safely. We are sharing our “Towing A Tiny House” How-To series with you based on our experiences. Included are suggestions and advice to keep you, your tiny home, and fellow drivers, safe!

Our towing how-to guides apply to DIY tiny house towing with either a heavy-duty pick-up truck or a box truck. Our tow vehicle of choice is a 20′ U-Haul truck, which can handle tiny houses that are 10,000 lbs. or less (built on bumper pull trailers).

For more great towing tools and guidance, see Andrew Odom’s posts on Safe Towing of Your Tiny House, Part 1 and Part 2.

So grab your notebook and pen, maybe fix a little popcorn, and enjoy our first installment focusing on what you need to know before you tow—important considerations, travel prep, maintenance, hooking up to the truck and more.

Alexis Stephens and her partner, Christian, are traveling tiny house dwellers. Together they’ve been on the road two years for their documentary and community outreach project, Tiny House Expedition. They live, breathe, and dream the tiny home community every day.