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Old 03-28-2019, 12:27 AM   #1
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Name: Alvin
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Smile Small RV that can sleep 4 persons

Hi, I am Alvin, a newbie to RV. I owned an Honda CRV. I am looking for a small RV with gross tow weight less than 1,500 lbs but can sleep up to four persons. Is it possible? Thanks for any suggestions,
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Old 03-28-2019, 05:34 AM   #2
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I towed an 8' Coleman popup with a CRV before I got my Casita. It slept my wife and two grandkids comfortably.
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Old 03-28-2019, 06:00 AM   #3
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+1 small popup.

Four adults? 2 adults and 2 small children? 2 adults and two teenagers?

Many of the basic 13 foot campers have a dinette that makes a bed in the rear and a gaucho that converts to a bunk suitable for small children only in the front (upper bunk limited on weight).

At the same time, camped for years as a kid, as we got older, mom and dad got the trailer, kids got tents. It worked!

Basic = no bathroom. Bathroom in a 13 footer adds weight and takes the place of the gaucho (becomes two person).

Scamp sells a basic version of their Scamp 13, no refrigerator, no toilet, no gray or black water tanks, etc. Check out weights in the real world to see what it weighs. You will see very few trailers under the 1500 pound mark. Scamp 13s are listed anywhere from 1600 to 2000 pounds.

I have a 2010 Honda Element, which shares a drivetrain with that era CRV. It is a gutless wonder, love the car, but I would not consider it for towing in hills and mountains. When we lived in WA State, the best camping for us always was either in the mountains, or the other side of the mountains (seeking sun!)

Newer CRVs have an optional turbo with more horsepower and torque than my Element, still only rated for 1500 pound towing, but more horsepower and higher torque are a plus.

Some sellers will list their small egg trailers with ridiculously low weights. Those weights tend to be urban legends. Weighing on a truck scale is the only way to know for sure. Manufacturers often list weights that are way lower than reality (so called "dry weights"). Its common in the industry. If you buy an RV from a dealer, require them to weigh the trailer for you first. They will flop on the floor and foam at the mouth, but eventually they will do it. After all, they want your money!




http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...rld-43010.html


Dry weight discussion:

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/ind...?topic=81706.0
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Old 03-28-2019, 06:28 AM   #4
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Popups aren't necessarily as light as one would first think. There must be some hefty structure to deal with the overhangs. Spend some time looking at the specs. I think popups offer great deals for cost per square foot once set up.

There seem to be a number of goofy looking (to me) specialty trailers with mostly tent structures folding out from a trailer base. Most of them in some dayglo tint of nylon.

Some older fiberglass trailers with bunk beds can shoehorn 4 people into a 13' trailer (remember that the length number is the overall length of the frame not the "body" length). Spend some time looking through the Trailer weights in the Real World thread on this site. Extra beds are usually at the expense of amenitities.

I've heard of one person who allegedly stripped out the interior of a trailer and his family slept on air mattresses on the floor. Cooking, etc. was all done outside so the trailer was just a dry place to sleep.
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Old 03-28-2019, 07:10 AM   #5
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We are four (kids 13 and 16) and fit in a Scamp 13 with front bunks. It works because our older is petite and hasn’t hit the 120# limit of the upper bunk.

But I agree with Bill. Tow ratings only assume a driver and sometimes a front passenger. Additional people and cargo reduce the towing capacity. Our very basic Scamp weighs about 1600-1700# once we load it for camping. We also live and tow regularly in mountains, canyons, high elevations, hot and windy conditions. We own a CR-V (great vehicle!), but we only tow with our larger Pilot.

I agree with Steve, too. Tent trailers can be heavier than you’d think. The smallest hardtop units start at about 1100# empty. (A Scamp starts at 1250#.) Options, food and cookware, clothes, water and propane can quickly add 400# or more to the empty trailer. A small trailer means you’ll tend to carry more in the tow vehicle.

The only tent trailer I can think of that would fit four people and be towable by a CR-V with extra people and gear is a Quicksilver by Livin Lite. They have an all-aluminum box and frame and an all-fabric top. They’re no longer made, but you can find used ones.

Gutting a molded trailer, BTW, removes support that is necessary for the flexible fiberglass shell to retain its shape.
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Old 03-28-2019, 08:56 AM   #6
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With a 1500 lb tow limit and needing room to sleep 4 your choices are really limited . Our daughter and her family (4 kids —1 husband) camp with a canvas pop up towed by a Nissan ???? with a 3500 lb tow rating . They have replaced their transmission once and are about ready to replace it again There Hitch is constantly scraping the pavement.
“ TOO MUCH WEIGHT “
I would work on getting a proper tow vehicle before I invested in a trailer .
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Old 03-28-2019, 10:43 AM   #7
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You have 2 BIG TIME LIMITING ISSUES with your camper search as described by you above:

1. The number of people you want to sleep (4).

2. The Honda CRV you intend to use as a tow vehicle.

Let's look at #2 first.

4 people in a Honda CRV, your camping gear AND pulling a small camper trailer?

That is NOT going to happen in ANY form of safety for you and others on the road with you!

With 4 people and some gear you will already be at or over GVWR rating for a Honda CRV WITHOUT the trailer!

Now let's look at issue #1. Wanting a camper that will sleep 4 people. To accomplish that goal in a light weight camper will limit youself to a small pop-up camper or a really small 13 foot or smaller shell type camper. These 2 camper styles STILL severely limit the amount of people and gear you could carry and the weight of a trailer you could pull with a Honda CRV. That limit might just be YOU the driver being the only passenger in the CRV!

You can't have it both ways!!!!

At this point in my "Redneck" opinion you need to re-evaluate the number of people you wish to sleep in your new to you camper OR GET A MUCH MORE CAPABLE tow vehicle that will allow you to be SAFE on the road for you, your family and more selfishly ME! That way when I blow by you doin the 70 MPH speed limit in a 1 ton truck pulling my small trailer and the side draft from my rig passing you blows you sideways off the road I won't have to stop to see if there were any survivor's in the accident.

Please re-evaluate your tow vehicle and camper wants/needs for safety of all of us including yourself and your family!
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Old 03-28-2019, 11:09 AM   #8
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Welcome Alvin! I must agree with the other posts that you need to reconsider your tow vehicle. Our first TV was an older 4Runner that was rated at 5000 lbs towing. But when we towed up in the mountains we would lag terribly. Of course newer vehicles today have more horsepower than our old 4Runner, but we did upgrade our tow vehicle to be safe the roads. Just my 2 cents!
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Old 03-28-2019, 12:00 PM   #9
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Something like this maybe? https://www.hondapartsnow.com/access...cr-v~tent.html

The 2019 CR-V has a payload capacity between 1,183 to 1,388 lbs. You can find your specific capacity on a sticker on the driver's door jamb. That means the weight of the four of you, your gear, and the tongue weight of the trailer (10%-15%, so 150 - 225 lbs for a 1500 lbs trailer) must not exeed your capacity. So do the math using your actual body weights and assume a 15% tongue load, and see if you still have room left over for cargo to even make the adventure worthwhile. My guess is you will be fine with those weights--but you won't find a suitable trailer that is 1500 lbs when loaded for camping.

For a 1500 lbs trailer, I can almost guarantee your owner's manual says the trailer must have brakes. For that, you will need a brake controller in the vehicle, which needs a 7-pin wiring harness, which will all be aftermarket. You might find something with surge brakes, which would keep you from having to do the 7-pin harness installation, but my impression is that they are inferior to electric brakes.
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Old 03-28-2019, 12:28 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Alplanner View Post
Hi, I am Alvin, a newbie to RV. I owned an Honda CRV. I am looking for a small RV with gross tow weight less than 1,500 lbs but can sleep up to four persons. Is it possible? Thanks for any suggestions,
I have a 19' gooseneck SCAMP



























































in northern calif for sale 530 527 5873
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Old 03-28-2019, 12:46 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by Justus C View Post
Something like this maybe? https://www.hondapartsnow.com/access...cr-v~tent.html

The 2019 CR-V has a payload capacity between 1,183 to 1,388 lbs. You can find your specific capacity on a sticker on the driver's door jamb. That means the weight of the four of you, your gear, and the tongue weight of the trailer (10%-15%, so 150 - 225 lbs for a 1500 lbs trailer) must not exeed your capacity. So do the math using your actual body weights and assume a 15% tongue load, and see if you still have room left over for cargo to even make the adventure worthwhile. My guess is you will be fine with those weights--but you won't find a suitable trailer that is 1500 lbs when loaded for camping.

For a 1500 lbs trailer, I can almost guarantee your owner's manual says the trailer must have brakes. For that, you will need a brake controller in the vehicle, which needs a 7-pin wiring harness, which will all be aftermarket. You might find something with surge brakes, which would keep you from having to do the 7-pin harness installation, but my impression is that they are inferior to electric brakes.

Justus - Surge brakes are not inferior to electric brakes. Our LiL Snoozy is built on a Wesco Boat trailer with the surge brake system. We've had our Snoozy for 1 1/2 years and no problems. Snoozys have been made since 2011 (up until a couple weeks ago ) and I've not heard of a brake system failure. They are just as comparable as electric brakes on the smaller trailers.
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Old 03-28-2019, 01:41 PM   #12
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Hi, I am Alvin, a newbie to RV. I owned an Honda CRV. I am looking for a small RV with gross tow weight less than 1,500 lbs but can sleep up to four persons. Is it possible? Thanks for any suggestions,
Friends of ours, have a Scamp 19' They have a sign by the door that reads, "SLEEPS 8 — 2 AT A TIME!"
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Old 03-28-2019, 01:52 PM   #13
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Small RV that can sleep 4 persons

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Friends of ours, have a Scamp 19' They have a sign by the door that reads, "SLEEPS 8 — 2 AT A TIME!"
That limit of 2 people is self-imposed. A Scamp 19 can sleep 4-6 depending on the configuration and size of the people. Even 8 is possible in the standard if most of them are smaller kids!

But it's not under 1500# and it requires a pickup, so it's not relevant to this thread.

My wife and I loved it when the kids decided to sleep outside in a tent, and we had our 13’ “honeymoon suite.” Sadly, once the novelty wore off, they wanted back inside. It was nice while it lasted!
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Old 03-28-2019, 08:10 PM   #14
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That limit of 2 people is self-imposed. A Scamp 19 can sleep 4-6 depending on the configuration and size of the people. Even 8 is possible in the standard if most of them are smaller kids!

But it's not under 1500# and it requires a pickup, so it's not relevant to this thread.

My wife and I loved it when the kids decided to sleep outside in a tent, and we had our 13’ “honeymoon suite.” Sadly, once the novelty wore off, they wanted back inside. It was nice while it lasted!
We’ve owned a Scamp 16 , a Casita 17 , and a 21ft SOB and none have been capable of sleeping more than 2 people , well 2 people and a small dog
I think a lot depends on which layout you have
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Old 03-28-2019, 08:28 PM   #15
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Small RV that can sleep 4 persons

It also depends on whether you are camping with your family for a weekend or a week’s vacation, or spending months on the road. Maximum sleeping capacity requires use of convertible dinettes and bunks, which can become a nuisance on longer trips. With some models you have to give up the wet bath.

A Scamp 16 can be configured to sleep up to 5, a Casita 17 up to 6, and a SOB 21 up to 4.

Choosing a small, lightweight, molded trailer does entail a willingness to make do with less space. It’s all about the huge living room: the great outdoors!
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Old 03-29-2019, 01:50 AM   #16
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Thanks for all the great responses and suggestions.
We are a family of 4 with 2 grown up kid (19 & 21). However, we are Asians who are quite light weight with a range between 120- 140 lbs. I did some research and found that the Outback Trillium Trailer (The Outback Trillium Specifications | Trillium Trailers) has a 1,000 lb tongue jack. It comes with a 6'2"x47" bed and two bunk beds that size at 6'2"x 26". The bunk beds are really narrow but for a small size like us it may work. At least the bunk bed mattress will be more comfortable than sleeping in a tent on the ground with a thin air mattress. As for gears, the major items we want to carry are 4 bikes and a tandem kayak that will take about 170 lbs. My CRV manual printed that the total trailer weight should not exceed 1,500 lbs and the GVWR is 4,450 lbs. Will this Trillium model sounds like a possible option?
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Old 03-29-2019, 07:07 AM   #17
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Justus - Surge brakes are not inferior to electric brakes. Our LiL Snoozy is built on a Wesco Boat trailer with the surge brake system. We've had our Snoozy for 1 1/2 years and no problems. Snoozys have been made since 2011 (up until a couple weeks ago ) and I've not heard of a brake system failure. They are just as comparable as electric brakes on the smaller trailers.
Interesting! I had no idea Lil Snoozys were built with surge brakes. I was referring more to the inability to manually engage or adjust them while driving, but for a smaller trailer this is probably not as much of an issue.
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Old 03-29-2019, 01:04 PM   #18
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Thanks for all the great responses and suggestions.
We are a family of 4 with 2 grown up kid (19 & 21). However, we are Asians who are quite light weight with a range between 120- 140 lbs. I did some research and found that the Outback Trillium Trailer (The Outback Trillium Specifications | Trillium Trailers) has a 1,000 lb tongue jack. It comes with a 6'2"x47" bed and two bunk beds that size at 6'2"x 26". ?
Tongue jack weight limit is basically meaningless. It only has to handle tongue weight. So a 1,000 pound tongue jack would work on a 5,000 pound trailer. Most of the trailer’s weight is carried by the axle and tires.

Trillium with typical camping gear will exceed 1,500 pounds no doubt.
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Old 03-29-2019, 01:39 PM   #19
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Small RV that can sleep 4 persons

Not a chance, I’m afraid.

Based on the bed size, this seems to be a 13’ Trillium (nice trailers!). Actual tongue weight will likely be between 150-200#, and the total trailer weight in the 1500-1800# range once it is loaded for travel with food, clothes, and other gear. The upper bunk is likely weight-limited. Varies among manufacturers, but 90-120# is common. It’s intended for smaller children. Then there are the bikes and kayak. How would you carry all that?

With that many adults and that much gear, I’d suggest a Honda Ridgeline and something like a Scamp 16 layout 7, which can sleep 4 smaller adults without using the top bunk.

You might also make the Trillium work with some reinforcement of the top bunk, but it’ll be really tight. And not with a CR-V.
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Old 04-03-2019, 10:23 AM   #20
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Hi, I am Alvin, a newbie to RV. I owned an Honda CRV. I am looking for a small RV with gross tow weight less than 1,500 lbs but can sleep up to four persons. Is it possible? Thanks for any suggestions,
A CRV is a great choice but save yourself a lot of money and head scratching and just get a nice tent. It checks off all the boxes and will save you a ton of money, on insurance, maintenance and depreciation. Plus, it still leaves you over a 1000 pounds for food, water and supplies needed to sustain the average young family with children on a camping trip.

-Teddy
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