What's your take: TearDrop / SquareDrop / Micro-Camper/Trailer

[Gvsukids]

These seem like awesome things to rent. I have a travel trailer, but for roughing it, I would love this over a ground tent.

We're renting one to see how we like it.

Typical ones I've looked at are 4 x8' or 5x9'. Definitely a one/two person or a couple still on their honeymoon...

After 18 years, my wife and I are looking to leave the tent life and she'll be able to tow the teardrop with her Bronco Sport Badlands.

I recently bought a Modern Buggy 12LRK, went to PA to pick it up for a great price. I will be taking it from NC to Moab (via Texas and Las Vegas) and then a long trip back to NC.



IMG_0321.jpeg



IMG_0322.jpeg

We love our Modern Buggy 12lrk, perfect for 2 people. We bought it without the RTT, dont need the extra space. Already has AC and heat installed.

How's the buggy doing?

Sponsored

 

[chrismeece74]

We're renting one to see how we like it.



After 18 years, my wife and I are looking to leave the tent life and she'll be able to tow the teardrop with her Bronco Sport Badlands.



How's the buggy doing?

Buggy is doing great, we have had it for a year and a half now, taken it to 3 states and about to go to our 16th state park this weekend for Jeep Jam in Panama City. We absolutely love it, no issues at all.

 

[Deadpool392]

We're renting one to see how we like it.



After 18 years, my wife and I are looking to leave the tent life and she'll be able to tow the teardrop with her Bronco Sport Badlands.



How's the buggy doing?

It has been great, did 7700 miles last summer and hit a lot of states and did a lot of off-roading. It has been USED and continues to work well, we will have up in Uwharrie NF this weekend.

 

[Gvsukids]

It has been great, did 7700 miles last summer and hit a lot of states and did a lot of off-roading. It has been USED and continues to work well, we will have up in Uwharrie NF this weekend.

How's the television inside holding up?

 

[Deadpool392]

How's the television inside holding up?

it is still there, I have only used it one time when I first purchased the trailer. I will try to remember to check it this weekend when I am out and see.

 

[JTdiRtyD]

It appears this thread has deviated some from the original post, but heres my .02 for anyone coming here looking for insight.

I built my 5x8 off-road camper back in 2022. Steel framing, insulated walls, alum skin, 5x8 cabin, Flexiride half axle torsion suspension, 12v solar power, on-board water, etc. It's been great for us, but we are looking to go a little larger.

Things to consider:

- What are you intentions? If you spend a lot of time at camp with a lot of stuff then a small teardrop/squaredrop might not be ideal. Awnings are great to expand space, but they are really only usable in fair weather. Wind and rain they become more hassle then they are worth. We spend most of our time away from camp exploring, so we really only need something to come back to for cooking and sleeping.

- What terrain types do you frequent? Sure, you can get off road campers, but they will still limit you to wide enough trails with no sharp hairpins, no overly steep grades, you need ample space for setting up, etc. Some trails/areas do not allow trailers regardless of how small they are.

- Do you really need 120v hookups? Nowadays almost everything can be had for a 12v system. Not opting for 120v can save you money on a build, and can save you money on not paying extra for campsites with hookups. If anything, have an access port you can run an extension cable through if you want 120v. Plus, not having 120v might save you from needing to get plates for it (for example in MN if it's sub 3.5k GVWR it only needs recreational vehicle plates if it has two of the following options, 120v wiring, built in climate control, built in water).

- Weight and fuel economy. Sure a tiny trailer can be small and weigh less, but it's still going to tank your fuel economy. If you're on the fence between a large or small trailer because you're hoping to save MPGs, IMHO you won't be saving enough to justify the sacrifice in space. Again, just my opinion.


As I stated we built ours and it saved us a lot of money, but when we get a new trailer I will buy vs build. Yes it cost more, but the time it takes to build one adds up, and it will save me the mental stress of me worrying if my craftmanship is holding up.

Some photos from our build:

Things I learned:

- Go a little larger than you think you want. We thought we would be fine with a 5x8, but we found it just a little small so the next will likely be a 5x10. It's mainly the sleeping space thats an issue for us. I'm 5' 9"ish and while I fit head to toe, it's close and doesn't leave much room for anything else in the cabin. My fiancé at 5' 4" doesn't have any problems (lucky her).

- Independent torsion axles are awesome, but stay away from Flexiride. Out trailer with gear is around 1700lbs, we had 2k lb axles and they started to literally crack and come apart after about 10k miles, mostly highway miles. Currently putting 3.5k solid axle in for simplicity, but there are some great torsion options out there.

- Get trailer brakes, even if it's sub 2k lbs, especially if you frequent the mountains. Our next will have them.

- Square off the back. I didn't think the space we lost having a slope on the rear would matter, but boy does it. I used calculators and simulators and I thought the slope would decrease the negative pressure space and help with reducing drag, but it was marginal if it did anything. Not worth the space we lost.

- On really small trailers, insulated walls are really unnecessary unless you're seeing some really cold nights. The cabins are small enough that they stay decent just from body heat, toss a diesel heater into the mix and you'll cook yourself out. Insulate the floor if anything.

- If building your own, be sure to reinforce the framing if you plan to mount things to the outside. I wish I had added some extra bracing.

 

[Blade1668]

It appears this thread has deviated some from the original post, but heres my .02 for anyone coming here looking for insight.

I built my 5x8 off-road camper back in 2022. Steel framing, insulated walls, alum skin, 5x8 cabin, Flexiride half axle torsion suspension, 12v solar power, on-board water, etc. It's been great for us, but we are looking to go a little larger.

Things to consider:

- What are you intentions? If you spend a lot of time at camp with a lot of stuff then a small teardrop/squaredrop might not be ideal. Awnings are great to expand space, but they are really only usable in fair weather. Wind and rain they become more hassle then they are worth. We spend most of our time away from camp exploring, so we really only need something to come back to for cooking and sleeping.

- What terrain types do you frequent? Sure, you can get off road campers, but they will still limit you to wide enough trails with no sharp hairpins, no overly steep grades, you need ample space for setting up, etc. Some trails/areas do not allow trailers regardless of how small they are.

- Do you really need 120v hookups? Nowadays almost everything can be had for a 12v system. Not opting for 120v can save you money on a build, and can save you money on not paying extra for campsites with hookups. If anything, have an access port you can run an extension cable through if you want 120v. Plus, not having 120v might save you from needing to get plates for it (for example in MN if it's sub 3.5k GVWR it only needs recreational vehicle plates if it has two of the following options, 120v wiring, built in climate control, built in water).

- Weight and fuel economy. Sure a tiny trailer can be small and weigh less, but it's still going to tank your fuel economy. If you're on the fence between a large or small trailer because you're hoping to save MPGs, IMHO you won't be saving enough to justify the sacrifice in space. Again, just my opinion.


As I stated we built ours and it saved us a lot of money, but when we get a new trailer I will buy vs build. Yes it cost more, but the time it takes to build one adds up, and it will save me the mental stress of me worrying if my craftmanship is holding up.

Some photos from our build:

Things I learned:

- Go a little larger than you think you want. We thought we would be fine with a 5x8, but we found it just a little small so the next will likely be a 5x10. It's mainly the sleeping space thats an issue for us. I'm 5' 9"ish and while I fit head to toe, it's close and doesn't leave much room for anything else in the cabin. My fiancé at 5' 4" doesn't have any problems (lucky her).

- Independent torsion axles are awesome, but stay away from Flexiride. Out trailer with gear is around 1700lbs, we had 2k lb axles and they started to literally crack and come apart after about 10k miles, mostly highway miles. Currently putting 3.5k solid axle in for simplicity, but there are some great torsion options out there.

- Get trailer brakes, even if it's sub 2k lbs, especially if you frequent the mountains. Our next will have them.

- Square off the back. I didn't think the space we lost having a slope on the rear would matter, but boy does it. I used calculators and simulators and I thought the slope would decrease the negative pressure space and help with reducing drag, but it was marginal if it did anything. Not worth the space we lost.

- On really small trailers, insulated walls are really unnecessary unless you're seeing some really cold nights. The cabins are small enough that they stay decent just from body heat, toss a diesel heater into the mix and you'll cook yourself out. Insulate the floor if anything.

- If building your own, be sure to reinforce the framing if you plan to mount things to the outside. I wish I had added some extra bracing.

"Thread drift but some experiences"
I was building a teardrop trailer, it was scrapped by my move and I ordered my Scamp T.T. so I have a little knowledge on them, definitely not as much as many. Then (2000-2005) the concept of off-road trailers or back roads trailer were not a common thing in USA. I found utility trailers were not up to the task then after having one starting to fold up and other to start coming apart with minimal use on roads and less improved roads. To get some idea look at Rory's off-road recovery trailer. Anything not bolted, welded or strapped down to the tenth level is constantly being bounced around. "Note the shocks comment" later.
I'll second you on torsion axles. The life for them in best case is 7 years but really a year or two really. One of my projects this year is (was) replacing the torsion axle in my Scamp T.T. long overdue and price is triple. I ordered a custom axle for it and converted to beam axle for substantially less. For any self builds think about a way of adding some shocks (air bags?) it can help a torsion axle (or beam axle) lasting longer and cut down wear of the trailer and tires. With added stability of the trailer... Doh, just like the Jeep or cars. On most trips with my Scamp I would almost always find stuff scattered around in the trailer due to condition of the roads .

Insulation on a small trailer definitely a question on value, unless for AC in hot climate, I'd bet or someplace really cold "with empty open space." Not the same situation my 16 ft Scamp I've been in °20's F and lower it gets f###ing cold. But a lot of open space and heat loss though windows and minimum door sealing. That's just one person, but you do need to keep/ have a ventilation for condensation in all.
Definitely do remember the not enough space thing. Space to stretch out when sleeping or socked in by weather happens. The latter was in part of my change from my teardrop trailer build and reason why I bought the 16 ft Scamp over 13 ft model. Not that I'm dragging it on trails.
And to close out this post, I've thought about building one again too... As a project with a purpose of of doing it with the ability to haul my 4 wheeler too.

 

[Trauma PA]

I recently bought a Modern Buggy 12LRK, went to PA to pick it up for a great price. I will be taking it from NC to Moab (via Texas and Las Vegas) and then a long trip back to NC.

How does this handle off road?
after owning it over a year, any pros and cons you could share?

 

[Deadpool392]

How does this handle off road?
after owning it over a year, any pros and cons you could share?

For having just a regular ball hitch it handles great, I am probably a little over 10K miles now towing it. We did 7700 miles last summer between on and offroad, did the length of the white rim trail, took it for a couple hundred miles at new river gorge trails, been to Uwharrie more then a few times.

Pros: it is a very well made teardrop and the company is phenomenal with their support. The couch/mattress is comfortable to sleep/sit on, plenty of storage, the fridge cooler that came with it has worked great (Camco), comes with heat and AC. RTT allows for a family of 4-5 to take it and go. Lightweight and can be towed by almost any vehicle.

Cons: AC is loud inside, heats up the kitchen area behind it due to venting issues (no powered fan to pull heat out), solar panel that comes with it does not provide enough juice for prolonged offgrid use (cooler, fan, usb charging), stock battery could be bigger, RTT has a full Velcro cover (zipper would be a lot easier), AC and heat need shore power or a generator to be used.

I definitely recommend checking out Modern Buggy’s offerings, they have made some updates (hard shell RTT, 200w Solar but non-removable). They also have a new Country Born series, which is a square drop.

 

[Trauma PA]

For having just a regular ball hitch it handles great, I am probably a little over 10K miles now towing it. We did 7700 miles last summer between on and offroad, did the length of the white rim trail, took it for a couple hundred miles at new river gorge trails, been to Uwharrie more then a few times.

Pros: it is a very well made teardrop and the company is phenomenal with their support. The couch/mattress is comfortable to sleep/sit on, plenty of storage, the fridge cooler that came with it has worked great (Camco), comes with heat and AC. RTT allows for a family of 4-5 to take it and go. Lightweight and can be towed by almost any vehicle.

Cons: AC is loud inside, heats up the kitchen area behind it due to venting issues (no powered fan to pull heat out), solar panel that comes with it does not provide enough juice for prolonged offgrid use (cooler, fan, usb charging), stock battery could be bigger, RTT has a full Velcro cover (zipper would be a lot easier), AC and heat need shore power or a generator to be used.

I definitely recommend checking out Modern Buggy’s offerings, they have made some updates (hard shell RTT, 200w Solar but non-removable). They also have a new Country Born series, which is a square drop.

Appreciate your candid response. Skimming the surface of teardrops now. Torn between keeping my current set up (Smartcap adventurer, iKamper Skycamp 3.0 mini, 270 awning, decked drawers) and going with a teardrop or selling current set up and doing an Alu-cab modcap with a 2 sleeper. A lot to consider.

 

[Deadpool392]

Appreciate your candid response. Skimming the surface of teardrops now. Torn between keeping my current set up (Smartcap adventurer, iKamper Skycamp 3.0 mini, 270 awning, decked drawers) and going with a teardrop or selling current set up and doing an Alu-cab modcap with a 2 sleeper. A lot to consider.

No problem, I am very happy with my setup, and another pro is that if you switch vehicles you’re not having to start all over. I did recently trade my Gladiator for a Bronco Raptor, so it was nice to be able to still have my same camping setup.

 

[Trauma PA]

No problem, I am very happy with my setup, and another pro is that if you switch vehicles you’re not having to start all over. I did recently trade my Gladiator for a Bronco Raptor, so it was nice to be able to still have my same camping setup.

That’s really good to know. Congratulations on the Braptor! If I didn’t have a Gladiator and a Bronco Wildtrak (wife drives) I’d be all over a Braptor. And good to know you are pulling the Modern Buggy behind the Braptor as we were hoping to pull the modern buggy behind our Bronco. Was hoping there was some real world experience out there and it sounds like you have no issues with your Bronco Raptor pulling it.

 

[Deadpool392]

That’s really good to know. Congratulations on the Braptor! If I didn’t have a Gladiator and a Bronco Wildtrak (wife drives) I’d be all over a Braptor. And good to know you are pulling the Modern Buggy behind the Braptor as we were hoping to pull the modern buggy behind our Bronco. Was hoping there was some real world experience out there and it sounds like you have no issues with your Bronco Raptor pulling it.

The only issue was having to get a hitch extender because of the spare tire, there just isn’t room with the 37” spare to get it attached. I was able to use my same drop hitch to tow it level though.

Sponsored