Travel trailer recommendations

[Tanners Owner]

I might be looking at getting a small camper for the wife and I. We don’t anticipate anything over a week at a time, and normally will be at a campground with facilities- think national parks.

ive been looking at A frames and smaller fiberglass trailers & am wondering what others here have and are towed by their gladiator.

I have a 21 Sport S w/ max tow. Not new to campers, have owned pop up, 24’ travel trailer and a small class c in the past.

Looking forward to reading & seeing what this community has

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[smlobx]

I can’t recommend a particular brand but one thing we had to answer for ourselves is do you want to cook inside (all the time) or do you want to cook outside (all the time).

Teardrops have a lot of advantages but you only have a bed inside and you’ll have to cook outside all the time. If you’re in a rainy environment that may not work out too well.
The Ailiner trailer look interesting. I have an online friend who takes his to Baja all the time so they must be pretty well built. Perhaps that might be an option.

 

[Tanners Owner]

@smlobx - valid recommendation, but tear drops aren’t in the equation- we may cook outdoors, but like the option of eating indoors, so a small dinette is required. From our experience in western Wa and my luck of always raining no matter where I go camping , it’s nice to have a indoor place to read, play board game, etc

 

[yfarm]

Check out the “egg” trailers, Casita, Scamp and Escape. All weigh around 3500lbs depending on size. If you get a 17’ model will have a queen bed, kitchen and wet bath as well as heat and air conditioning. Spent 5 wks traveling one summer in my Casita. Are built like a boat on a steel frame so structural issues seen with many conventional travel trailers are rare or non existent. I replaced my torsion axle with a leaf spring with shocks and gained 5.5 inches of lift. Have no problems on FS and BLM roads. Mine is a 2002, has many miles on it and has never had a roof leak, how many conventional trailers have this history. Many owners pull these with Highlanders,4 Runners,Tacomas, and other smaller suvs. I towed mine with my 13 JKUR, it was ok. Am looking at a JTR, have driven one without a trailer and the power delivery is much better than my JK, suspect towing will be easier with the 8 spd. There is a Gladiator owner in Virginia that has posted towing a Casita and is happy with the combination. Don’t have a link.

 

[bd100]

We have an A-frame folding trailer. 17MPG-ish towing at highway speed with a 3.6L 6-speed stick. On hard up hills I might be stuck at 45MPH because of the big jump to third gear where it cannot hold speed. Your Max Tow will probably do better. The A-frame is allowed at campgrounds which forbid canvas (because of bears). Ours fits 3, or you can have a bed and a table (or two tables, which we never do). Not much convenient internal storage, some setup once you get to camp vs a walk-in trailer. I added closet rods which support the side walls from blowing in, and also can be used to hang clothing, and also support an additional wire shelf over the sink, and also support shower curtains to subdivide into thirds if needed for privacy. Porta-potty, but that's easy to walk to the restroom to dump once per day, vs having to handle dump stations. We have an air conditioner which is useful around mosquitoes because the roof fan can suck them in through any little gaps in the folding wall joints. Ours has leaf spring suspension and I added shock absorbers and heavy-duty spring shackles, but most have torsion beam. Not the most comfy seats if in bench mode. 3-way fridge to run on propane, 12V while towing, or 120V if plugged in. Small fridge, no freezer, but sufficient. Sink drains to an outdoor bucket or such. We got the off-road suspension, which is nice when you have to turn around in the woods or go over a curb, and LT tires last forever. No flats, 90MPH rating, but I mostly do 70 towing.

In general, nice for two, easy to tow, a bit more setup when you get to camp. OK to add a kid if you all get along well.

 

[Tanners Owner]

Back in the mid 80s when I was first assigned to FT Carson Co, my wife & I rented a scamp from outdoor Rec and travelled to Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. Have fond memories of that trip in the scamp and am seriously considering one of these.

How do you like the carpet wall covering? How do you keep it clean- one of the Qs my wife would have

Check out the “egg” trailers, Casita, Scamp and Escape. All weigh around 3500lbs depending on size. If you get a 17’ model will have a queen bed, kitchen and wet bath as well as heat and air conditioning. Spent 5 wks traveling one summer in my Casita. Are built like a boat on a steel frame so structural issues seen with many conventional travel trailers are rare or non existent. I replaced my torsion axle with a leaf spring with shocks and gained 5.5 inches of lift. Have no problems on FS and BLM roads. Mine is a 2002, has many miles on it and has never had a roof leak, how many conventional trailers have this history. Many owners pull these with Highlanders,4 Runners,Tacomas, and other smaller suvs. I towed mine with my 13 JKUR, it was ok. Am looking at a JTR, have driven one without a trailer and the power delivery is much better than my JK, suspect towing will be easier with the 8 spd. There is a Gladiator owner in Virginia that has posted towing a Casita and is happy with the combination. Don’t have a link.

 

[mumbo]

We like our RPOD 190. Under 3000 lbs. I used to tow it with my JLUR before getting the Gladiator.

 

[Aceman8772]

2021 Max tow, 154 Jayco Baja. I use a wdh and brake controller but it would pull without the wdh just fine. No sway at all with the wdh though.

It will hold between 45 to 60 on steep hills but of course the faster you go and the steeper the grade, she screams in 4th gear. I slow down as I can't stand the scream. If you want a truck that pulls a 3500lb trailer uphill at 70, get a 2500 or 3500 with a diesel.

I am averging about 12 mpg in the PNW going up and down hills and over passes. I cruise between 55 and 65, never more than that.

 

[Tanners Owner]

Good feedback- thanks

2021 Max tow, 154 Jayco Baja. I use a wdh and brake controller but it would pull without the wdh just fine. No sway at all with the wdh though.

It will hold between 45 to 60 on steep hills but of course the faster you go and the steeper the grade, she screams in 4th gear. I slow down as I can't stand the scream. If you want a truck that pulls a 3500lb trailer uphill at 70, get a 2500 or 3500 with a diesel.

I am averging about 12 mpg in the PNW going up and down hills and over passes. I cruise between 55 and 65, never more than that.

 

[916WI]

16' basecamp--2800lbs empty. Only pulled it a couple of times--aside from the mirrors, no issues.....

 

[yfarm]

Back in the mid 80s when I was first assigned to FT Carson Co, my wife & I rented a scamp from outdoor Rec and travelled to Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. Have fond memories of that trip in the scamp and am seriously considering one of these.

How do you like the carpet wall covering? How do you keep it clean- one of the Qs my wife would have
[/QUOTE

Have used spray foam carpet cleaner with a brush then vacuumed just like floor carpet. If its dusty then just vacuum. To be honest the trailer stays clean except for the floor as we rarely open the windows given the temperatures in South Texas. If that is a major issue look at Oliver, the interior is high gloss white gelcoat, the only fabric is the cushions, floor is laminate. I prefer the Oliver and Casita interiors as the cabinets are all molded fiberglass with mdf or wood doors or facings. Scamp and Escape use more interior wood. From a durability standpoint I like the molded fiberglass interior pieces. People will ask about the rivets holding those pieces to the outer hull, have a few failed, I elected to replace with stainless steel machine screws sealed well with the caps over the heads. Some owners have replaced all the rivets with machine screws, I only do the ones that fails. The Casita uses MDF for interior doors, I plan to replace mine with either plywood or Starboard.

 

[Gren71]

I’ll second @Aceman8772 with the jayco, they’re good quality for the money and light.

My first camper was a forest river wolf pup that had a ridiculous amount of interior space for just two people. Enough that it was adequate for my wife and I as well as our two children and two dogs for our first year of camping.

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/wolf-pup/18TO/6646

https://www.jayco.com/rvs/travel-trailers/2024-jay-feather-micro/floorplans/

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/rockwood-geo-pro/G19FBS/8013

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/rockwood-geo-pro/G20FBS/8027

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/rockwood-geo-pro/G20FKS/8538

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/r-pod/RP-190C/8127

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/r-pod/RP-196/8170

Food for thought. I would personally avoid a wet bath if you intend to be out for a while. Some of the smaller fiberglass campers have a combination toilet and shower. Which is just a recipe for Funk if you’re stuck inside a small camper in my mind. They often also use a cassette style black tag… Which significantly limits the amount of time you can go between dumping your tank. Not all state parks are. “ full hook up.” meaning they often only have electricity and water. And then a dump station. You can take your camper to when you’re done. So keep in mind the size of the black and gray tanks on whatever camper you get into.

another lesson learned from both multiple jeeps and now owning my second camper is get what you want the first time. Really consider how you’re going to use it and your needs and get the best camper for that purpose. I loved my little wolf pup, but in retrospect, I could’ve saved the money and just gotten a larger camper right out of the gate and never had to upgrade.

One final suggestion is also to get a more top-of-the-line weight distribution hitch right away. I’ve had four different ones now, and the four-point system I have is by far the best.

https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Weight_Distribution_Hitch-tw-4~Point.aspx

2020 Max tow

With the pup we used a wdh and had no problems at all. Easy to pull around, even through the katskills and other mountains north of me.

Wolf pup 18toBL

currently bullet 250BHS

 

[Tanners Owner]

Agree, not a fan of the wet bath concept. To be honest, with my previous rigs, I rarely used the onboard facilities- preferred to use the camp facilities, made clean up much easier.

I’ll second @Aceman8772 with the jayco, they’re good quality for the money and light.

My first camper was a forest river wolf pup that had a ridiculous amount of interior space for just two people. Enough that it was adequate for my wife and I as well as our two children and two dogs for our first year of camping.

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/wolf-pup/18TO/6646

https://www.jayco.com/rvs/travel-trailers/2024-jay-feather-micro/floorplans/

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/rockwood-geo-pro/G19FBS/8013

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/rockwood-geo-pro/G20FBS/8027

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/rockwood-geo-pro/G20FKS/8538

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/r-pod/RP-190C/8127

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/r-pod/RP-196/8170

Food for thought. I would personally avoid a wet bath if you intend to be out for a while. Some of the smaller fiberglass campers have a combination toilet and shower. Which is just a recipe for Funk if you’re stuck inside a small camper in my mind. They often also use a cassette style black tag… Which significantly limits the amount of time you can go between dumping your tank. Not all state parks are. “ full hook up.” meaning they often only have electricity and water. And then a dump station. You can take your camper to when you’re done. So keep in mind the size of the black and gray tanks on whatever camper you get into.

 

[Tanners Owner]

@yfarm. Didn’t see your reply

 

[Gren71]

Agree, not a fan of the wet bath concept. To be honest, with my previous rigs, I rarely used the onboard facilities- preferred to use the camp facilities, made clean up much easier.

%100 agree. We do that when we camp in march / nov / dec to avoid the frozen poo situation

I also updated my post with pictures and more links.

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