Small camp trailer?

[pdxvandal]

I'm in my mid-40s with a wife and fourth-grade kid. We typically enjoy traditional tent camping but we're not getting any younger -- sleeping on the ground, even in an air mattress, is becoming less appealing. I've been considering a small camp trailer -- in the hopes we'll get outdoors more often, despite the weather.

I'm willing to spend $4k-$9k on a quality used camper and figure I could get 50-75% of its value back in 5-10 years. Teardrops are appealing, but it seems they're trendy/overpriced and don't comfortably sleep 3. I've seen some used Aliners, which are campers that fold up into a small A-frame hard shell. These seem appealing because they can sleep 3 fairly comfortably and you can stand up in them (unlike a teardrop). I want something easy to tow that's easy to store/maneuver. I don't need anything with a bathroom, which just takes up space and adds maintenance. Or do I just get a cheap truck with traditional camper on the back?

I'm in no hurry, but open to any recommendations from this MMM crew.

[BDWW]

It's pretty open ended. What's your tow vehicle? Anything less than a 1/2 ton truck/full size SUV, and you'll be (safely) limited to the quirky small stuff - Aliners, tear drop, popup or scamp.
I assume for the 3 people you're wanting 3 beds. The really small ones generally only have one bed, but some of the aliners and popups have multiple bed options.

Traditional camp trailers generally start around the 16ft size, and there are plenty of options there, Lance, Clipper, Jayco, Pioneer, etc.

I'm not a fan of truck bed campers. Unless you find something ultra-light, you'll need a 3/4 truck to safely haul it. They're a pain to get in and out of, and really don't have that much space.

[mrmoonymartian]

Why are you fixated on sleeping 3 in it? The kid needs to be learning badassity at their age, not spendypants luxury. When they're not tenting up they should be sleeping in the barn with the horses.

[chemistk]

A pop-up sounds like your best option, to be honest. They're incredibly small (when towing and storing) and lightweight (most cars can tow them). Plus, you can stand up in them and nearly all come with two beds, most don't have bathrooms. Heck, you can even get a new one in your price range!

[Dogastrophe]

+1 on pop-up.  Given your budget you should be able to find a great used one or even a budget new one. 

There tends to be a lot of used ones for sale as people upgrade after a few years to something bigger.

[lizzzi]

+1 for a pop-up. We had a Coleman pop-up camper back in the 70s with a pre-schooler and a military lifestyle. We hauled that thing all over the western USA with a Toyota Celica (the little sports car--no longer made). Sometimes it was for recreation, sometimes because we had orders and had to make a military move. We preferred two-night stays or longer (more relaxing),  but it was quite do-able to put up and take down every day. The other comparable pop-up at that time was the Starcraft. No idea whether they still make them.

[ToTheMoon]

We did this when our kids were little - purchased a used pop-up and loved it for a couple of years.  Then we hit a point where, even though we got very good/efficient at it, we got sick of towing it, storing it, fussing with the put up take down process.  We missed the "connection" of sleeping on the ground. 

We sold the pop-up and used some of the proceeds to upgrade our tent camping sleeping pads and are now loving it again.  We bought three of these https://www.atmosphere.ca/product/exped-megamat-10-lxw-ruby-332536230.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwkK_qBRD8ARIsAOteukBSA_GCZXLuRJGjLVUksCvx4YiRzgw7v36SOnHBbESI0oy6yuNWW9MaAlc9EALw_wcB#332536230=332536249 (two used and one new, because mustachian!) The three of them fit perfectly across the base of our four-man tent, and I dare say that they are more comfortable than our beds at home.  (We are 39 & 44.) We recently returned from a five week drive down through the US and Baja peninsula, and slept on these 75% of the nights - and we still want to go camping!   

To actually answer your question, we had a 1996 12' Forest River Flagstaff pop-up.  No bathroom, but the fridge and heater worked and it did feel luxurious to switch the heat on  for a couple of minutes before climbing out of our sleeping bags to get changed.

If you go the small trailer route, make sure you are re-packing the bearings annually, and that you are replacing the small tires much more frequently than you would think. Oh, and the cost of insuring it.  I do not miss any of that fuss...

[insufFIcientfunds]

pop-ups suck. Lot of set up, they can smell, leak, etc. etc. For the price you can buy a used hard side that is small and can be towed with a small SUV (you would possibly need a weight distro set-up.)

Bathrooms aren't a mess. You poo and it goes into a black water tank. Empty the black water tank on site or in yard.

Heck, find a crappy used one and fix it up. If you found a bunkhouse layout that's even better. Your kid could bring a friend. With a cheap CL unit and some sweat equity, you would be at a higher equity return than a new one in 5 years...or flip it for a profit and find something else. Isn't that what MMM does with shitty houses in CO?

Campers are more fun to fix up than houses because they are small and do not require a lot of technical know-how.

Good luck.

[pdxvandal]

All good advice to consider, thanks.

I wouldn't need three beds -- just two, i.e., like a full size and a twin.

Thinking a gently used lightweight pop-up trailer may be the way to go. Tow capacity I think is 2,000 pounds, which is plenty of pull. Although it's also tempting to upgrade the tent and get a bad-ass camping bed.

[Uturn]

If you don't need/want the air conditioner, heater, or sink, but just want a way to carry your gear and have a large tent.

https://theusatrailerstore.com/double-duty-utility-camping-trailer/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIx_D-797z4wIVEZ6fCh3WSQkwEAYYASABEgL-GfD_BwE

I had a similar model for years and loved it.  It also gave me a utility trailer when I needed one. 

[HPstache]

pop-ups suck. Lot of set up, they can smell, leak, etc. etc. For the price you can buy a used hard side that is small and can be towed with a small SUV (you would possibly need a weight distro set-up.)

Bathrooms aren't a mess. You poo and it goes into a black water tank. Empty the black water tank on site or in yard.

Heck, find a crappy used one and fix it up. If you found a bunkhouse layout that's even better. Your kid could bring a friend. With a cheap CL unit and some sweat equity, you would be at a higher equity return than a new one in 5 years...or flip it for a profit and find something else. Isn't that what MMM does with shitty houses in CO?

Campers are more fun to fix up than houses because they are small and do not require a lot of technical know-how.

Good luck.

Funny, we love our popup.  Set up takes less than 15 minutes by myself.  Smell, maybe... but so can a hard side trailer.  Leak?  Maybe... but so can a hard side trailer.  Our popup has a boat style porta potty in it that works just fine, we can empty it at the campsite or at home in the toilet.  It also has AC.  They are cheap and can be towed by smaller vehicles like a Honda Pilot.  They actually sleep an impressive amount of people for their size.  I would not write one off...

[Nate R]

Another consideration may be a small fiberglass hard-sided trailer. A 13 ft Scamp or Casita. They hold value a LOT more htan a pop-up, and tend to be a bit more durable.

I paid $1200 for a pop-up, sold it for $900 at the end of the season. It leaked a tad.

Paid ~$4k for a 1981 Casita 13 ft trailer. That was too old in this case, but I'd really look at a 90s/00s scamp if I were you.

[Stachetastic]

We're on our second pop-up, and we love them. We bought our first one for $900 5 years ago, and it is now over 20 years old with no leaks. It's bare bones, but it got us up off the ground. We upgraded this year when I stumbled upon a facebook marketplace post for a bigger, more decked-out pup-up with a broken lift spring. Paid $1k, ordered the parts for less than $100, and DH spent a few hours fixing it. We now have one that sleeps 7, with AC and a small fridge. Pure luxury! Bonus: it can easily be stored in the garage.

[YK-Phil]

Another consideration may be a small fiberglass hard-sided trailer. A 13 ft Scamp or Casita. They hold value a LOT more htan a pop-up, and tend to be a bit more durable.

I paid $1200 for a pop-up, sold it for $900 at the end of the season. It leaked a tad.

Paid ~$4k for a 1981 Casita 13 ft trailer. That was too old in this case, but I'd really look at a 90s/00s scamp if I were you.

I also recommend a Casita or similar fiberglass trailer. I considered getting one but as we travel full-time mostly in Mexico and Central America, we preferred not to tow anything an opted for a truck with a camper in the bed. This being said, the casita is small, lightweight, exterior made of two fiberglass pieces (a top and a bottom) that fit together, so they are air and watertight. They are durable and hold their resale value. Get yourself a porta-potty for emergencies, and an outside shower setup, and you are good to go.

[mm1970]

We used to be you.  I was looking at teardrops at one point, but it's hard to find one towable by a Matrix (our big car).  Then we had a second kid.

So, we upgraded our tent camping a little bit to help, but I must admit, we aren't avid campers.  Maybe once or twice a year.  I feel like maybe we'd do it more often with a pop-up, or campervan, or scamp.  But I don't really know.  However, we'd need a bigger vehicle.

We bought (over the space of 2 years) 3 camping cots.  Camping cots aren't awesome but they are head and shoulders above an air mattress.  My husband and I are late 40s/ early 50s.  It's been super helpful.

I admit though, we were recently in Denmark where cars are SMALL and there were a ton of people towing little campers.  So maybe I could fine a 1000 lb camper towable by the Matrix?

[ysette9]

We had a tent trailer as a kid and I loved that sucker. We got a lot of use out of it as a family of four. We towed it with a spectacularly underpowered original Toyota minivan (the tall, skinny breadbox). I’d that sucker managed to pull a tent trailer then I feel any reasonable car on the road now should handle one also.

We got really good as a family at set up and tear down. I love how it is a puzzle. ;) We never really used the bathroom portion because it was small and we always stayed at campgrounds with hookups, so therefore toilets/showers.

[insufFIcientfunds]

All good advice to consider, thanks.

I wouldn't need three beds -- just two, i.e., like a full size and a twin.

Thinking a gently used lightweight pop-up trailer may be the way to go. Tow capacity I think is 2,000 pounds, which is plenty of pull. Although it's also tempting to upgrade the tent and get a bad-ass camping bed.

I'd go with an upgrade of the tent first myself, as well as look into other "bed" options for sleeping off the ground. The big cabin tents are extremely large, often having room partials,  and really easy to set up/take down and don't take up much room in a car trunk. And only $100 - $ 200.  If that doesn't suit you guys you can always upgrade to a pop up or something else depending on the type of vehicle you have now and whether you want to tow something or not. It sounds like you are basicly looking for a place to sleep and don't need all the stuff that comes a trailer - even a small pop up. If that's the case then it'll be cheaper and easier to just upgrade the tent and bed situation but keep the current vehicle.

I camp fairly long term (generally solo so easy) and first did it in a Ford Ranger with.a regular shell. It was very cramped compared to a larger tent which is what I ended up doing 99% of the time anyway. The truck bed was just used to haul a few luxuries like a off the ground bed, bigger tent, etc. But  I liked the safety factor of sleeping off the ground or in a vehicle if needed. So I started looking at roof top tents and small attachable truck tents. Both allowed you to sleep inside your vehicle of the ground but you still had plenty of room in the lower tent portion for a "living area" or maybe the kids bedroom. I opted for a cheap mini van and bigger regular tent but you might like the attachable tents (they have them for cars, SUBs, and vans too, or a rooftop tent if you have a truck.

Editted to add that the roof top tents also can be used on cars etc but are accessed from a ladder outside the vehicle. The truck kind I was looking at was basicly a hard shell/topper/camper where the hard top folded open into a tent for a sleeping area that you could access from the truck bed. You could also stand up in it. Here a Flip Pac shell but there are tons out there as well as attachable tents too

That's a badass setup!

[the_fixer]

Scamps hold their value very well if you buy it at a reasonable price chances are that you will get your money back or real close.

We had one we used for two seasons and sold it for $60 less than we paid for it in one day.

There is a basic scamp that has no bathroom and has 2 bunks in the front they are the easiest to find as most people want one with a bathroom. They are also the lightest so that is a bonus for you.


However if you are somewhat Handy how about building a small camper and adding a roof top tent for the kids?

Here is a pretty fancy one that is high-end but I have seen people build them much simpler bfor less money / effort.

https://tinyhousetalk.com/diy-micro-camping-trailer/


Teardrop
https://rvshare.com/blog/custom-teardrop/


https://www.outtherecolorado.com/building-the-ultimate-teardrop-camper-part-1/

Lots of options, I had a link for one in the past that a lady built that was pretty cheap and she used plywood coated with I believe canvas and oil paint.


Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[south of 61]

Our situations sound very similar. We are a family of 3 with a second-grader!

Last year - after 15 years of tenting - we were able to pick up a 'chalet' a-frame trailer that was written off after an accident. We paid $300 for it.  The trailer frame it was on was bent up from the accident, so we put it on a trailer we already had. The chalet itself was not damaged in the accident.
We stripped out the fridge / stove / cabinets and built a bed for our kid. We sold the fridge / stove / cabinets and that paid for the materials to build the extra bed frame etc. Basically it's just a shell to protect us from bears and it's so comfortable to sleep in compared to a tent.

Because we live in bear country a tent trailer was out for us. I have to say that I love the chalet. It takes (literally) a minute to put up / down (one person can do it) and it's so nice to be able to stand up (so much easier to get dressed than in a tent).

We never would have spent $$$ on something like this - but for $300 we thought why not (although I guess it could have turned out that the chalet itself had been damaged in the accident) - but for us it's turned out great! 

[BicycleB]

^Would love to see a couple of photos of this rig. Congrats on a cost-effective purchase!

[SweatingInAR]

Our situations sound very similar. We are a family of 3 with a second-grader!

Last year - after 15 years of tenting - we were able to pick up a 'chalet' a-frame trailer that was written off after an accident. We paid $300 for it.  The trailer frame it was on was bent up from the accident, so we put it on a trailer we already had. The chalet itself was not damaged in the accident.
We stripped out the fridge / stove / cabinets and built a bed for our kid. We sold the fridge / stove / cabinets and that paid for the materials to build the extra bed frame etc. Basically it's just a shell to protect us from bears and it's so comfortable to sleep in compared to a tent.

Because we live in bear country a tent trailer was out for us. I have to say that I love the chalet. It takes (literally) a minute to put up / down (one person can do it) and it's so nice to be able to stand up (so much easier to get dressed than in a tent).

We never would have spent $$$ on something like this - but for $300 we thought why not (although I guess it could have turned out that the chalet itself had been damaged in the accident) - but for us it's turned out great!

Yes! Pictures would be fantastic.

Also, where did you find a scrapped trailer? Was it through a private seller, or through an auction, or?

[south of 61]

I'll upload some pictures tonight. It's really sweet - and super mustachian :)

 We bought it from the person who has the contract with the government  to tow wrecks off the Highway - it had been in his yard for a year or two and he wanted it gone (and  I guess the $300 covered his expenses in towing it to his yard?).

[use2betrix]

We’ve had a few camping trailers throughout the year. We lived full time in a 42’ toy hauler for about 5 years. After that experience, I don’t know that I’d ever buy  another traditional “stick built” trailer again. Just really poor quality all around. They make cut so many corners with quality and materials to make these huge trailers “light.” Lighter materials often means weaker/cheaper materials.

We sold that last fall which was great. Living in it full time afforded me tons of career opportunities by being so mobile that I never would have had otherwise.

In fall 2017 we took a 4 month sabbatical and bout a small, 4x6 military off road M416 trailer with a roof top tent. We immediately hit the road and did a 2 month, 8000 mile North American road trip with my wife and our German Shepherd, who was 4 months old when we left. That was a fantastic setup. The rooftop tent was huge and comfortable. It was great in all weather conditions. We added a big ARB awning. The trailer was small enough it tracked perfectly with our SUV. Could go through drive thru’s no problem, etc.

While we loved that trailer, we are stuck working in the south for a good couple years, so wanted something to allow us to camp in hotter weather more often. In June this year we picked up a 17’ casita (2016). It has an AC, stove, microwave, fridge, toilet/shower, bed, and dinette. Bed can also be a larger dinette, so technically around 5-6 people could sit in there at once, or, the small dinette turns into a small bed, so 3 people could sleep. The AC runs fine off our 2000 watt generator. We have used it 4 weekends since we bought it. We live right near the beach and have towed it down to the beach a couple times to sleep in it and hang out for the weekend. We’ve towed it up to a major city where at $50/night for a 5 star Rv resort it’s WAY cheaper than a hotel, plus we can bring our dog and he can hang out in there. We normally travel so some of the major cities within a few hours every couple months for a weekend “getaway” and usually spend around $150-$200/night for a nice hotel that also allows dogs. Now - we’ll just bring the trailer and be every bit as comfortable with far more convenience. We keep a full set of cooking utensils, toiletries, etc in the trailer, so all we need to do is pack food and clothes. We can hook up the trailer and go in about 10 mins, and also set it up at an RV park in about 20 mins. It does help that we spent many years in the 5th wheel.

[south of 61]

I'll upload some pictures tonight. It's really sweet - and super mustachian :)

 We bought it from the person who has the contract with the government  to tow wrecks off the Highway - it had been in his yard for a year or two and he wanted it gone (and  I guess the $300 covered his expenses in towing it to his yard?).

here is a pic

[BicycleB]

Cool!

Love the dog in the picture. The cooler helps for scale. Looks easy to tow, just as you said. Thanks for posting.

[south of 61]

Cool!

Love the dog in the picture. The cooler helps for scale. Looks easy to tow, just as you said. Thanks for posting.

Thanks - that was last summer when our dog was just a puppy - she's 65lbs now!

[Dicey]

There's a website called Cranky Ape that auctions off stuff, mostly RV's It's a great way to see what things look looks after some use. It's also helpful to see what people don't want. They have tons of pictures, inside and out. Highly recommended rabbit hole. Last i checked, there were a couple of tent trailers.

https://www.crankyape.com/default.asp?pg=DisItems&Cat=6