camping with a smart car

pk1023 wrote:

Sprink-Fitter wrote:
Look for a Bunkhouse camper at bunkhousecampers.com I believe or a Aspen Classic at trailmasterinc.com, we towed a Aspen Classic about 60,000 miles behind our Goldwing the past 15 years until we switched modes and now ride off road and pull a toy hauler with a truck.

Remeber though that most Goldwings are built on the same line as Honda Accords and Civics... They do cars in the morning and bikes in the afternoon one guy told me about his Goldwing (in canary yellow!)

They have power to spare and are built by the best engine manufacturer on the planet.

I probably wouldn't trust a smart car as far as I could push it. Which, I dunno, might be farther than I think!

Interesting comment. I would be interested in hearing what generated that mistrust. Bad experience???

Sprink-Fitter wrote:
Look for a Bunkhouse camper at bunkhousecampers.com I believe or a Aspen Classic at trailmasterinc.com, we towed a Aspen Classic about 60,000 miles behind our Goldwing the past 15 years until we switched modes and now ride off road and pull a toy hauler with a truck.

Remeber though that most Goldwings are built on the same line as Honda Accords and Civics... They do cars in the morning and bikes in the afternoon one guy told me about his Goldwing (in canary yellow!)

They have power to spare and are built by the best engine manufacturer on the planet.

I probably wouldn't trust a smart car as far as I could push it. Which, I dunno, might be farther than I think!

In the US and Canada smart cars are not rated for towing. In europe the gas smarts with 1000cc are rated to 440 kilograms and the diesels are rated to 300 kilograms (both plus or minus) I have JPEGS of the German stickers but think they are on the old laptop.

Uhaul has the hitch which is made by Curt. Seems to me they `are just under 200 bucks. Wiring is easy and is just split off the tail lights. 20 minutes. Although less common on this side of the pond there are lots of smarts towing small trailers. In europe it is more common.

I recommend you look at something like a timeout trailer. We use this setup for weekends close to home. Loaded with Kayak and fridge freezer packed it comes in around 550 pounds. Our smarts are diesels so we have to watch the weight. Having said that it pulls a 6 percent grade with no problem in 4th gear. Braking is excellent and it is extremely responsive on the road. And having said all that we seldom go more than a couple hours from home. Local lakes etc. There are a few pics below from various places we have gone. Setup is 10 minutes...quicker if it is raining. :)

What you see holding up the Kayak is actually the legs of the bed end of the trailer. Very slick.

Two of our smarts are rigged for towing.




















We can also pull the smart cars own trailer if we have to although I don't like pulling this trailer any more than I have to. Good enough to move it around a campground etc.



Feel free to ask any questions. Personally I would never tow more than 700 pounds with a gas smart and keep the hitch weight no more than 85 pounds. Our hitch weight is 65 pounds.

RobbF67 wrote:
My partner and I are looking to get out and start camping together, he has a smart car and we are looking for options on a trailer we can pull. Anyone have any suggestions?

For the cost of just the hitch for a Smart car you could get a few weekend car rentals.

Why beat up your car and be limited on what you can take. If you're new to camping, get a minivan with folding seats, the flat floor makes a great (free) tent.

Good luck...

Another option for extra storage would be to get a car-top carrier. Or if the roof is strong enough, maybe one of those clamshell roof-top tents. Towing a trailer, I would not go heavier than 500 lb and would want it to have a very small aero footprint. That is assuming you can even get a trailer hitch for the Smart.

Buy a truck, put your gear in the bed or get a truck camper. Put the smart car in the glove box.

Wow, I think you may wear the Smart car out quick and not be happy. A guy down at work bought a Smart Cabriolet. He's 6'4 and 300 pounds and his wife is a good 250 and 5'3. They fit just fine but they are maxing the car out. When he got it, several of us gearheads went over it to look it over. It's really well thought out but it took us 20 minutes to find the engine. (Under the floor in back.)

With the size of the car, why not buy a pickup for a second vehicle and a medium sized enclosed trailer. Haul the Smart in the trailer, use the car as it's meant to be used and you'll even have a roof in case of heavy rain. I've got a 6X12 enclosed and I'll bet that puppy would fit right in there, along with tent gear, and ride just fine.

I tink the Smart is a pretty decent car and might be able to pull a motorcycle trailer. On the other hand, Goldwings are usually used to pull these, or comparable large bikes, and the average Goldwing pulling a trailer has 50-80% larger engine. If you and your sweetheart like the car, tow it.

We have a Smart car.

If you are tent camping, you should have plenty of room in the car for a tent, sleeping bags, clothes, etc. You won't have room for a massive cooler, though. But you should have plenty of room for short fun tenting trips...

I know there is a member here on RV.net that does tow a small pop-up tent type trailer with his Smart, but IIRC his is a diesel model. Not sure I would tow much of anything beyond a motorcycle pod with the gas model of Smart that we have...

Look for a Bunkhouse camper at bunkhousecampers.com I believe or a Aspen Classic at trailmasterinc.com, we towed a Aspen Classic about 60,000 miles behind our Goldwing the past 15 years until we switched modes and now ride off road and pull a toy hauler with a truck.