Casita Trailer review - 9 months on the road

[tjhva]

Hey y'all!


I purchased a brand new 17' Casita Spirit Deluxe trailer direct from the factory this past January and figured I'd offer up my review after living in it full time for 9 months.

Overall I do think it's a fine trailer! I pulled mine over 50,000 miles with a 1999 Tacoma 3.4L averaging 14mpg. In the end I can't recommend someone paying a new price for the trailer. The craftsmanship and value just isn't there for me. If you're buying a used one, maybe 1-3 years old, I'd guess the price is closer to on point.

Issues/concerns:

- The wood on the cabinets and the quality of the hinges + latches is cheap and easy to break. Seems like they could use a higher quality wood? For an $18,000 trailer it feels like Casita is cutting corners here.

- The seat cushions are pretty bad. Before I bought the trailer I did read a lot about folks switching out for a better foam, makes sense. I guess I don't understand why Casita doesn't simply use a better quality foam right from the start.

- There's a fatal design flaw where the front door meets the metal trim around the outside edge. After 9 months of exiting your trailer in the morning it's pretty easy for the wind to catch the door one morning and smash the fiberglass. This issue is not fixed under warranty.

- The heat strip on the A/C unit is pretty useless. My trailer did have the furnace and I would without a doubt recommend everyone to get it. Even if you're staying clear of most cold weather, it was nice to cut the chill out of the air with the furnace.

- And a few rivets around the metal edge of the trailer popped out. This was fixed under warranty.

I guess those little bits in the grand scheme of owning a trailer for years are small but again this is from the perspective of buying new. Those sort of details matter when you're spending a lot of money on a home.



When I visited the factory in Texas what bummed me about Casita is that their workers said they couldn't afford the trailer themselves. A lot of them told me even after 20+ years of working there they still didn't have one. I loved the idea that each worker for Henry Ford could actually afford to buy what they created.

But! In the end I do think you should buy Casita if an Escape is out of your budget. I just feel the Casita is overpriced and they aren't paying attention to the right details. There is a lot I love about the trailer! Just figured I'd offer my insights.

[Ice-breaker]

Theron, your review has concentrated on the things that were problematic or that you did not like. What were the things you like about your Casita?

[tjhva]

Originally Posted by Ice-breaker

Theron, your review has concentrated on the things that were problematic or that you did not like. What were the things you like about your Casita?

17' size was perfect most days! Spending time in cities it's ideal for sure. I camped a few nights in Brooklyn and was so grateful I wasn't pulling a 32' rig. I rarely camped in proper RV camp sites so it was rad to have the smaller trailer, seems less likely to upset folks in residential areas with the Casita when parked overnight on a street.

It's also easy to unhook from your truck and travel without it. Came to love that. It wasn't a hassle to unhook and get an oil change. It's the little things ya know?

The A/C is great, ran perfect on a Honda 2000i. Only in the hottest part of the New Mexico in the summer did it struggle to keep the trailer reasonable cool.

There's a lot I dig about the trailer form factor, the weight, how it makes you travel lighter, it's easy to maneuver. My review is just pointing towards the value. I think it's a $15,000 trailer but not a $18,000 new is all. For whatever that is worth.

[honda03842]

Theron,

Thank you for your review. You covered a lot of miles in 9 months. The most I covered in 13 years was 23,000 when we were gone 11 months.

I found much of what you said to be true. Though we have a Scamp now we used a Casita for a year and do recognize some of the deficiencies you pointed out. Little failings not dissimilar from those found in our Scamp.

That said, though neither the Scamp nor Casita was purchased new they both represent a great value. First they seem to last forever, our Scamp is 22 years old and the Casita is now 18 years old. Few non-fiberglass owners can ever guess the age. Second, their resale values are great. Speaking of age our son's Scamp is 36 years old.

As to purchasing new, I always suggested buying them used because their basic structures are strong and can rather quickly be brought to new.

As to the rivets, we have yet to lose a rivet though we have lost a few caps. Maybe there is an early failure associated with them from improper installation.

[Terry G]

Theron, The problem with the door getting caught in the wind is easily fixed. Just attach this door stop to the side of your trailer where the handle hits. It resembles half of a rubber ball and comes in a pack of two. (Again, I'm not sure why Casita doesn't take care of this themselves.)

Everbilt White Soft Dome Doorstops (2-Pack)-15480 at The Home Depot

[tjhva]

Originally Posted by Terry G

Theron, The problem with the door getting caught in the wind is easily fixed. Just attach this door stop to the side of your trailer where the handle hits. It resembles half of a rubber ball and comes in a pack of two. (Again, I'm not sure why Casita doesn't take care of this themselves.)

Everbilt White Soft Dome Doorstops (2-Pack)-15480 at The Home Depot

Exactly my point right! I honestly think Casita got a bit lazy along the way with the details.

[Raz]

Good info. When folks read about issues here, and ask the sales people about them, they might get corrected.

Casita has had a "sale" on there 17' during January. I recall prices in the $16k-17k range. How does yours differ? Raz

[Steve L.]

"Fatal design flaw found in Casita!" More news at 11.

[Ken C]

Wow was that 50,000 miles in 9 months or since Jan? Thanks for sharing your write up with everyone.

[steve dunham]

We bought a new Casita 17 ft this past June and are very happy with our purchase . If someone has found a new 17 ft fiberglass trailer that is perfect with no design or manufacturing flaws or issues and sells for $15,000. Please let me know