Pro & Con of these Trailers

[Pat B Ohio]

Hello all,
I am in the market for a small trailer. I have considered a teardrop, pop-up and a Fiberglass. I don't want anything big or heavy. My hubby would like a stand up with a bathroom. I just want something easy to care for. I am leaning away from any tent material.

Input please.....Thank you Pat

[Bill MacDermod]

Hey PatB, give us some more info, what are you towing with, how big do you want to go??, 13,16,17 feet, new or used,

[Pete Dumbleton]

Choice of a camper is very dependent on your camping style -- If you are traveling long distances and just stopping for the night, then you want a fixed trailer, so you can just stop, eat and sleep without fuss. OTOH, if you go somewhere and set up for a week with family, then a pop-up makes more sense because you get lots of room, esp in wet weather, and it's more like being outdoors.

[Kathy & Doug Roach]

... I am leaning away from any tent material...

Excellent start. I suspect that's precisely what got most of us into our eggs at the outset. Once thus ensconced, we found no need to get greedy and keep going for more room, more features, more weight, more expense, more flash and more hassle. About the only thing many here actually end up with on an upgrade is more fiberglass.

As for :

...I just want something easy to care for...

a molded fiberglass trailer can't be beat for ease of care as long as you understand that there will ALWAYS be SOMETHING that you want to do to it to make it JUST A BIT more comfortable, cute, convenient, cozy or comely.

They kinda compel that....

[Pat B Ohio]

I am a "camp with a plastic tarp" girl married to the "where's the wi-fi guy".
I thought this would work. Currently, I have a 6 cy FORD windstar to tow with and am looking for a 13 footer range. It can be rough around the edges, the smaller the better. I'd like to stay about 1000# in weight.

Pat

[Edward Shook]

Hello Pat, you cannot do better than fiberglass, we have a 16' Casita and it works great for us . Inside height is 5'8', I mention this because if you want a shower and toilet then 16' is about as short and you can go. This also requires more towing capacity . Our dry weight is 2100. We tow with a Rav4 , v6 towing capacity 3500. Good luck fellow Buckeye

[Ken C]

Here is a typical trailer weight sticker that may help you with the different terms you will encounter. Also, some folks say only tow 80 percent of your cars rated capacity for a safety margin.

[Mr. W.]

Actually, you can go with a Scamp 13' Deluxe with front bathroom. There aren't very many of them out there, but they do exist. However, you will be looking at about 1600 - 1800 lbs. A 16-footer will be a few hundred more. I don't know if any other 13-footers have a bathroom.

Even a basic 13' model will have a spot for a porta-potty, or you can get one of those outhouse tents. But, then you're back into tent material.

[Adrian W]

It seems from Scamp's list of options the 13' can have a shower with or with out the wood. Not 100% sure but it seem that way (I could very well be wrong): http://www.scamptrailers.com/Showroom/13Tr.../13Options.aspx

I have read the after the fire 13' Scamps are taller inside and out, same as the 16'.

http://www.scamptrailers.com/Showroom/13Tr...FloorPlans.aspx

http://www.scamptrailers.com/Showroom/Delu...FloorPlans.aspx

http://www.scamptrailers.com/About.aspx

They do make hard sided "tent" trailers without the canvas, such as:
http://www.camping-trailers.com/aliner-sale.htm

http://www.wingsandwater.ca/apache-hard-si...ent-trailer.php

[Joe Z]

Casita also makes a 13' trailer called a patriot deluxe.....the deluxe means it has a shower.double check but i think it weighs in about 2000lbs....... and the scamp in the same size may weigh less.try also clicking on the main page links of a trailer called "Lil Joe" very interesting to me
Joe

[Anne H]

IMHO, and in very general terms, here are some considerations:

- If you camp in wet weather a lot, a full height fiberglass trailer is very nice. You don't have wet canvass to dry out when you get home (or next spring if you live in the Pacific NW ) and you can always be warm and dry - sleeping, cooking, or just hanging out playing cards and waiting for the rain to stop.

- If you want to stop and make lunch or take a nap, the full height camper is easier than a pop-up (more pre-planning with a pop-up to get everything you need for the day into your car before you close it up).

- I've heard that pop-ups and those A-frame pop-ups can be difficult to set-up if you don't have the unit very level.

- The pop-ups and tear drops are a lot lighter and easier to horse around - if the placement isn't just right or you need to store it behind your garage, you can generally move them around pretty easily. However, the TAB and other smaller fiberglass trailers can be managed with a trailer dolly.

- going with a few more amenities (inside full height bathroom for example) might make the whole experience a lot more enjoyable for the wi-fi guy (and thus translate into a lot more shared camping time for you).