Teardrop and small trailers reviews

[gliding swan]

I'm one of those who has considered each and every possible version of full time homelessness.  I've landed on a small trailer to be towed for a number of reasons, the main ones being I don't want to move that often so will be happy to stay at RV parks, national parks, boondocking, and versions thereof. 

Now that I've whittled it down to TT and a small one (under 14 feet) I'm seeking help choosing one. I don't mind financing a new one as I would be able to put something for a down payment and I plan to work on the road. I will trade in my car for a vehicle to tow the TT. 

I'm drawn to teardrops but am also very open to small TT of various brands -- I've seen some very interesting ones such as Little Guy, Happier Camper, Cricket, Geo, etc. I don't mind the layout too much but I do want an indoor kitchen, indoor shower and toilet and water tanks. Does anyone have recommendations about a brand, or best place to look. Would you recommend purchasing new or used? I am always scouring Craigslist. I can't go over $6000 if buying off of Craigslist but could go to a dealer if purchasing new or newer. I am trying to not spend too much though since I have no idea if this lifestyle will suit me long term.

Thanks.

 

[RVTravel]

Consider Casita and Scamp TT

 

[LoupGarou]

Go with something you can stand up in to put your pants on.

 

[ckelly78z]

I think the reason alot of folks finally go with a cargo trailer conversion is for better quality on the structure, and the build. Small dealer campers (even large TTs) are built with wood frame construction, and very little insulation, while most cargo trailers are all steel/all aluminum for a loner lasting, sturdy platform.

 

[bullfrog]

Finding something less than 14' with a bathroom and enough water storage to make it practical is the reason I ended up building mine as I didn't find any. It is possible to put the bathroom at the front and two 30" beds or a bed and counter behind it down the sides and end up with about a 12' trailer but you end up with the entrance door in the middle at the back which is where most of the road dirt ends up and that is not good. I ended up with the bathroom at the back with a side door and two beds at the front using a shower curtain to block the composting toilet from the door view area. Basically you enter the trailer through the bathroom. Don't imagine to many manufactures would think they could sell something like that so they just don't build any. You would think that if they can build a truck bed camper with all this that is less than 14' they would be able to build a trailer as well, but you sure don't see many. Maybe do like the red neck toy haulers and mount a truck camper on a flat bed trailer as a solution for a short trailer with room for a 3' porch on the back but you would have to watch your weight placement to get it to tow straight.

 

[gliding swan]

I saw a thread where someone wanted to buy a Weeroll and take it to Thousand Trails campgrounds/RV parks but was concerned about the fact that those are not registered as RV vehicles (forget certifying body)... I don't want to run into that problem so I'd prefer to stick with a TT that is a standard RV. I don't mind not having a lot of water on board - I think it's going to be some version of "roughing it" but I do want to be able to use a toilet and take a shower. 

Thanks for your replies everyone so far. 



Finding something less than 14' with a bathroom and enough water storage to make it practical is the reason I ended up building mine as I didn't find any.  It is possible to put the bathroom at the front and two 30" beds or a bed and counter behind it down the sides and end up with about a 12' trailer but you end up with the entrance door in the middle at the back which is where most of the road dirt ends up and that is not good.  I ended up with the bathroom at the back with a side door and two beds at the front using a shower curtain to block the composting toilet from the door view area.  Basically you enter the trailer through the bathroom.  Don't imagine to many manufactures would think they could sell something like that so they just don't build any.  You would think that if they can build a truck bed camper with all this that is less than 14' they would be able to build a trailer as well, but you sure don't see many.  Maybe do like the red neck toy haulers and mount a truck camper on a flat bed trailer  as a solution for a short trailer with room for a 3' porch on the back but you would have to watch your weight placement to get it to tow straight.

 

[gliding swan]

Woops I think I put my reply in wrong area. Anyway I do want a smaller trailer and am willing to make sacrifices - just looking for some recommendations in terms of brands. The Little Guy trailers seem popular. But there are many I've never seen before so thought I'd check on here. One woman had a NuCamp Little Guy and she took it to dealer to have some upgrades like bigger tires for off roading and changing electrical outlets for better spots to reach inside. I like that flexibility.
I don't want a cargo trailer right now (even though I do like the Weeroll) because I plan to stay in RV parks and they require that your vehicle be a certified RV.

 

[Day Dreamer]

I'm in the same position. I originally didn't want to two but it may be my best option.

The Casitas and Scamps are super expensive used. The cheapest Casita locally here is $12,500 and it's a '91!

The Little Guy Max and Mini Max campers are really nice but $$$

I've been looking at the Trail Manor hard popups. They really expand into a roomy TT and below the vehicle when towing would help with MPG and sway from wind. Used ones in good condition are going for about $4,000-5,000.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Another small trailer to consider is the R-Pod, especially the 171, its the smallest and lightest, with no slide. They are about 20ft tip to tail.

I like the Casitas and Scamps, nice units, no doubt, but the waiting time on a new one was not to my liking, and I did not like most of the floor plans. Nice used ones in my area of the country are practically non-existent or way over-priced. 

The body on most of the r-pods is 6.5 feet wide, so you can see around them without wide towing mirrors, and they are fairly easy to tow with most SUVs and pickups with V6 engines, although I prefer a V8.

Brand new r-pods start at around 13K or so....and that price can be negotiated since dealers around the country have plenty of inventory.

https://www.rvtrader.com/Forest-Riv...87&trim=171|16185&sort=price:asc&vrsn=results

 

[RoadtripsAndCampfires]

Look at the CCC number - this is the amount of cargo you can carry. When we were looking at small trailers to tow this is what stopped us from buying one. By the time we added water and food there wasn't much room for anything else and since we are planning on living in it for our 2-year adventure and not storing anything, we needed to carry more.

So we did go with a cargo trailer so I'll give some insight there. We got it a year ago and worked on it a lot. Closed up for the winter and came inside to work on downsizing, etc. It is a lot of work. There are two of us. We still have a lot to do before we can take off. That said, I never could have had a more perfect trailer for us. I am very, very glad we did it. We went with the 7' wide instead of 8' wide because I feel better driving it. Note that cargo trailers you can get a choice of widths as well as heights. Some have electric brakes, some have dual axles (4 tires down instead of 2 in case of blowout was why we chose dual axle).

Re the small trailers, we loved our A-frame folding trailer but it gets old putting the roof up and down.

 

[Larry-new]

Scamp...I've one on order. There is no perfect rv...watch all of Bob's videos.

 

[RVTravel]

Larry..what size scamp did you get?

 

[Freak On A Leash]

For $15k I bought a brand new Travel Lite Express 14. You could probably find one used for $9k. It's got a 10'x7' box and has a toilet,, shower, complete kitchen, heat, AC..really nice. I've been full timing in it at 10,000 feet in Colorado and it's treated me well. Perfect size for one person and you can stand up in it. It weighs 1800lbs dry.

 

[jonney38]

This is one of the most innovative tear drop factory designs I've seen. It is 48" wide, 750 pounds and is selling for $9,000. It has hydraulic brakes. I've always wondered if those were made for small trailers. I had electric brakes on a previous trailer and they were a bundle of trouble. I have an Oregon TrailR @ 560 pounds, no brakes.
 https://www.polydrops.com/polydroptrailer

 

[B and C]

Thos hydraulic brakes appear to be "surge brakes". They apply themselves when you hit the brakes. It uses the trailer pushing against you to apply the beaks. Works well on flat land, not so much coming down a mountain. All the way down the brakes are applied and is known as "riding the brakes" in a vehicle. I had a car dolly with those once. Couldn't get rid of it fast enough.