Greetings from Oceanside, CA

[Chuck Little]

Hi, I am Chuck. I live in Oceanside at the moment but moving to Joshua Tree but still want to come back to the beach and do other traveling so I am in the market for an RV. I have a 2001 Tacoma, 4 cylinder, with 180,000 miles on it. I am curious to what my towing options might be or do I need to consider upgrading?There are so many choices and decisions, good to be connected here to get tips and information. Thank you all.

[Jon in AZ]

Welcome, Chuck!

Check your owner's manual for the tow ratings and payload for your truck, make some allowances for the age and mileage, and refer to our database Trailer Weights in the Real World to see what might be possible (post #297 links to a spreadsheet you can download). I'd guess a 13' might work, but not much larger without going to a V6.

Have family in Oceanside, and Carlsbad State Beach is one of our favorite places to take our 13' Scamp. Tough place to live, though, as is almost any place in coastal southern California. Better to visit. We originally bought our Scamp because the price of hotels had became prohibitive. Camping put us closer to the ocean than any of the hotels we could afford, and the Scamp has more than paid for itself in savings. More important, it got my wife and kids hooked on camping!

Happy "egg hunting"!

[Tom 72]

Jon knows about what he writes. Numerous manufacturers have produced 13' fiberglass trailers, and there is an active resale market.

Scamp is the only or most active producer of 13' fiberglass trailers currently making them.

You will enjoy a small trailer more if you are in the frame of mind that the camper is a secure shelter from the elements that is far more comfortable than a tent. But like a tent, you don't want to spend your vacation in it.

Check out CLAM screened rooms, which are popular outdoor living areas to supplement your trailer.

Finally, here's a 15 min. video that will teach you more than you might think there was to know about towing capacities:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwFLOBrADBs

[Mikmay]

Originally Posted by Tom 72

Jon knows about what he writes. Numerous manufacturers have produced 13' fiberglass trailers, and there is an active resale market.

Scamp is the only or most active producer of 13' fiberglass trailers currently making them.

You will enjoy a small trailer more if you are in the frame of mind that the camper is a secure shelter from the elements that is far more comfortable than a tent. But like a tent, you don't want to spend your vacation in it.

Check out CLAM screened rooms, which are popular outdoor living areas to supplement your trailer.

Finally, here's a 15 min. video that will teach you more than you might think there was to know about towing capacities:

Happier Camper is also building a 13 foot trailer and I can assure you is quite active building over 200 trailers in a little over a year of full production and is also located in California

[Tom 72]

Good point about Happier Campers. Pardon me. They make a good product, and I'll try not to overlook them. Thank you.

If you scroll down, at bottom left there is a way to rent (test drive) one.
https://happiercamper.com/

In about a week, April 12th, Airstream joins the battle with their fiberglass Nest offering. I think they are larger and likely heavier. Did I mention costlier?