Tiny Trailers/Teardrops

[Dgc333]

My wife and I have been talking about getting a travel trailer for the past year. We went to the Camping & RV show in Boston last winter. We decided we are not ready to commit to the price of a new one and have been watching for a deal on something in the 20' range for under $10k.

At the RV show I was stunned at the cost of the Teardrop campers. Many of them were at or over $30k. Considering how basic they are I would have expected them to be under $10k new.

In my search what I find interesting is the cheapest and best deals are on trailers in the 25' to 30' range. The 16' to 21' trailers are going for more than the larger ones.

I also have found that there are an abundance of camper scams on Facebook Marketplace. They all seem to follow the same pattern. A camper in the late 90s to mid 2000s that appears to be in great shape for a price that is almost to good to be true. When you ask about seeing it you get the same story. My wife/husband died recently and the camper has to many memories I need to get rid of it. I have moved in with a relative in another state and I am selling this through eBay (even though there is no eBay listing). Send me your info and you will be contacted by eBay with directions on how to pay. When eBay gets payment I will ship the camper to you. You will then have 7 days to accept the camper. Once you accept eBay will release your payment to me.

For me the first tip off was the listing on Facebook had it local to my home. The second tip off was eBay does not handle/process financial transactions.

Anyway, I hope the predictions of folks looking to get out from under a camper are true.

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[Nellieg]

Had a nuCamp TAB... Issue for home garaging is height clearance... They are about 17' and 7 to 8 wide... Rpods are taller but more narrow... I traded the TAB for a 17' sun-lite... Nice thing on nuCamp or rpods are the solid roofs... Nice thing on the sun-lite is it's a nice cheap trailer... Start cheap and depreciation is less hurtful... Some parks and private RV parks won't let you in with an older trailer... If you are thinking about it rent one for the weekend first

 

[DFisher]

Had a Riverside Retro 509Jr for a few years. It was essentially a rolling queen mattress with some cabinetry and roof vent. No water or propane so super simple, super light (under 1000 lbs) and it fit in my one car garage. It worked great but if the weather turned you had two options; 1) sit in bed, or 2) lay in bed. Not a huge issue as we typically made decisions to go camping late enough that we just watched the weather. Sold it last year for more than I paid for it new.

My new trailer is a Rockwood MiniLite 2109s. Much larger (21ft) and nicer but has new challenges. The Ranger tows it well, but not a lot of room to spare to be legal in payload capacity. Also, I have to pay to store it now. My wife and I are getting ready to take it from Ohio to Niagara Falls and Acadia National Park in Maine. Two plus weeks of travel and towing. Very excited!

Doug

 

[D Fresh]

Had a nuCamp TAB... Issue for home garaging is height clearance... They are about 17' and 7 to 8 wide... Rpods are taller but more narrow... I traded the TAB for a 17' sun-lite... Nice thing on nuCamp or rpods are the solid roofs... Nice thing on the sun-lite is it's a nice cheap trailer... Start cheap and depreciation is less hurtful... Some parks and private RV parks won't let you in with an older trailer... If you are thinking about it rent one for the weekend first

Ohhh those little Sun-Lites look right up my alley. Room for me, the wife and the dogs, kids can rough it in a tent. I go back and forth on wether I need a bathroom. Part me says I can rough it, part of me knows it would be VERY nice to have.

What's the height on your 17 footer?

 

[AzScorpion]

Had a Riverside Retro 509Jr for a few years. It was essentially a rolling queen mattress with some cabinetry and roof vent. No water or propane so super simple, super light (under 1000 lbs) and it fit in my one car garage. It worked great but if the weather turned you had two options; 1) sit in bed, or 2) lay in bed. Not a huge issue as we typically made decisions to go camping late enough that we just watched the weather. Sold it last year for more than I paid for it new.

My new trailer is a Rockwood MiniLite 2109s. Much larger (21ft) and nicer but has new challenges. The Ranger tows it well, but not a lot of room to spare to be legal in payload capacity. Also, I have to pay to store it now. My wife and I are getting ready to take it from Ohio to Niagara Falls and Acadia National Park in Maine. Two plus weeks of travel and towing. Very excited!

Doug

Doug, That's one of the TT (2109S) we were looking at along with the 2205S. I really liked the layout of the 2205S and it has the theater seating and a small built in fireplace. Glad to hear the Ranger is towing it good and those two are high on our list. Do you feel like it's a good size for the two of you or would you want/need something a little larger? From everything I've seen/read I thought Rockwood makes a good trailer.

 

[Bob902]

My camping days are over. Between back surgery and sleeping in holes in the ground, I'm happy to stay in a hotel. For the price of some of these campers, I can spend quite a few nights in a hotel.

 

[Mirage775]

Wife and I thought about buying another travel trailer, but I'm 6'5" and we have 3 Pit Bulls, that would have to go with us, if we ever went somewhere. Last 2 trailers we owned were 2012 Outback 21 foot and a 2014 Winnebago 32'. At first, I had a 2011 Red Silverado LS 2wd, that was fairly weak when pulling them, so I upgraded to a 2013 Blue Silverado LT Z71, which had plenty of power to pull both of them, but I'm unsure what the Ranger could carry, being it's not as powerful, it's lowered and we'd need something big/long to accommodate for my height and the dogs... A long time ago, we looked at those Mercedes Benz Diesel van? campers. They were close to $100k new!

Here are our old trailers:

Traded the Outback for the Winnebago and lost our ass on that trade.... Then, within a year, we sold the Winnebago and lost about $10-$15k.... These were expensive toys and at the time we had to keep them at a storage facility, but now I have enough yard to keep one here. Tag and insurance were outrageous as well. Unsure if I want another one honestly.... :/

 

[Bob902]

Wife and I thought about buying another travel trailer, but I'm 6'5" and we have 3 Pit Bulls, that would have to go with us, if we ever went somewhere. Last 2 trailers we owned were 2012 Outback 21 foot and a 2014 Winnebago 32'. At first, I had a 2011 Red Silverado LS 2wd, that was fairly weak when pulling them, so I upgraded to a 2013 Blue Silverado LT Z71, which had plenty of power to pull both of them, but I'm unsure what the Ranger could carry, being it's not as powerful, it's lowered and we'd need something big/long to accommodate for my height and the dogs... A long time ago, we looked at those Mercedes Benz Diesel van? campers. They were close to $100k new!

Here are our old trailers:

Traded the Outback for the Winnebago and lost our ass on that trade.... Then, within a year, we sold the Winnebago and lost about $10-$15k.... These were expensive toys and at the time we had to keep them at a storage facility, but now I have enough yard to keep one here. Tag and insurance were outrageous as well. Unsure if I want another one honestly.... :/

Find you one of these and build your own. Much cheaper than the MB.

 

[AzScorpion]

Find you one of these and build your own. Much cheaper than the MB.

I saw one today in the parking lot at Delicate Arch and told Annie this really is what we should be looking at. It was all done up with ac, sat tv and off road tires and looked really nice. The problem is by the time you're done accessorizing them you're almost at the same cost as a small house. lol

 

[DFisher]

Doug, That's one of the TT (2109S) we were looking at along with the 2205S. I really liked the layout of the 2205S and it the theater seating and a small built in fireplace. Glad to hear the Ranger is towing it good and those two are high on our list. Do you feel like it's a good size for the two of you or would you want/need something a little larger? From everything I've seen/read I thought Rockwood makes a good trailer.

Honestly, the 2109S is almost perfect for us. Tons of room, even when the slide is in. The only compromise we made was the sleeper sofa vs dinette. Glad we chose Rockwood. Quality has been good with only a couple minor issues I fixed myself. Good luck in finding the right trailer for you!

Doug

 

[Bob902]

I saw one today in the parking lot at Delicate Arch and told Annie this really is what we should be looking at. It was all done up with ac, sat tv and off road tires and looked really nice. The problem is by the time you're done accessorizing them you're almost at the same cost as a small house. lol

I stopped a guy a few years ago that had an MB van. Had explosive placards on it. He had the back four-ish feet of the van dedicated for cargo. The rest was made into an RV. He and his wife were contract carriers for FedEx. Both retired. Just took loads to places they wanted to see. Not a bad way to travel. When I stopped him, they had the small load of explosives that was going to Texas. About an hour from the grandkids.

 

[AzScorpion]

Honestly, the 2109S is almost perfect for us. Tons of room, even when the slide is in. The only compromise we made was the sleeper sofa vs dinette. Glad we chose Rockwood. Quality has been good with only a couple minor issues I fixed myself. Good luck in finding the right trailer for you!

Doug

My friend bought a Coachman Freedom Express 192RBS which is almost identical to the 2109S, it's the same company as Rockwood. Him and his wife love it but they've only been doing small trips for 2-3 day so it's good to hear that it's working out great for you guys. It's a tough decision because every time you look at them another one jumps out and looks better then next thing you know you're into something bigger than you really need. Thanks for the info and hope you guys have some great trips this summer!!

 

[UnregistredHypercam2]

I've been following that facebook group for some time now. From what I've seen, the prices are still delusional for anybody who is on a budget. They do seem to be tapering off a bit though.

 

[DFisher]

It's a tough decision because every time you look at them another one jumps out and looks better then next thing you know you're into something bigger than you really need.

100% true! Rockwood wasn't even on our radar. There just happened to be one at the dealer we went to. We spent more than we planned but were happy with the choice.

If you decide to purchase a Rockwood, check out these two dealers. I didn't buy from either (didnt know about them at the time), but they seem to have the best pricing around. The catch, they are located in Indiana and Ohio. Makes a long trip for you to pickup, but the cost savings make up for it.

Wana RV Center
RVWholesalers.com

 

[Spiritrider1]

Honestly, the 2109S is almost perfect for us. Tons of room, even when the slide is in. The only compromise we made was the sleeper sofa vs dinette. Glad we chose Rockwood. Quality has been good with only a couple minor issues I fixed myself. Good luck in finding the right trailer for you!

Doug

I recently purchased a 2109s as well. I have to agree that this is a great unit for a couple. So far it seems to be well built and have all the amenities we need.

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