Anyone have a runaway camper?

If you are new to camping I would look for a used pop-up. It has all the basic items, a fair amount of room and keeps you off the ground.

PUPs tow easy and are a good introduction to camping.

Be careful about mating even a small trailer with some of the newer vehicles. My friend bought a Fiat, the station wagon model and a teardrop trailer. One trip of listening to the engine and tranny over working and the teardrop got parked. I'm guessing the drive trains in these smaller vehicles are not engineered to move anything but the vehicle body and passengers

I bought one of these Runaway trailers. I worked my butt off trying to get it where it would be comfortable. And they are not comfortable. Like someone else said just a box on wheels. Crawling around inside on your hands and knees is no fun. And banging you head every time going in and out of the tiny door is dangerous.

I took it on a 1 month trip camping. It was the most uncomfortable thing I have ever been in. There is no vent fan and there is 8" of dead air space in the ceiling above the windows. Even with the ac on it gets very humid in it. Everyday I had to remove the tri fold foam mattress and set it up to dry out. These things are very small and uncomfortable. They are also constructed very cheaply. There are no side supports, I noticed that they shift like a cracker box. In other words they are not squared after traveling with them.
Also, the AC unit is very loud because it is mounted on the walls and the sound is transferred throughout the box. And yes it is just a box on wheels. I sold the thing as soon as I got home. And I lost my butt on it.

My 2014 Ford Escape is more comfortable to sleep in. When I am traveling I go to the campgrounds or where ever and fold the seats down, pump up my air mattress with the electric air pump plugged into the rear powerport and sleep better than in that crappy little Runaway utility trailer. They are sold under the classification of a utility trailer when you buy it. They are not campers, they are utility trailers with an AC stuck in the wall.
And very over priced.

This is just an alternative to think about.

I'm inclined to look more at motor vehicles rather than trailers, for "empty box" camping. We did a lot of off the ground camping in the 50s and 60s sleeping in the back of station wagons based on the era's full-sized sedans. While today's SUVs are not so roomy as those wagons, we now have vans and minivans that quite a bit roomier.

For comparison on space inside, the standard Runaway at 46.5 W x 46 H x 94.5 L is a few inches less than what you would have in a Grand Caravan with both rows of rear seats folded into the floor, or any older "long" minivan with those two rows removed/folded. Floor to ceiling height will vary more on minivans across brands, but most try to match the 4 x 8 foot floor space of the Grand Caravan.

Another alternative might be a full-sized van. Mine is an ex-rental 12 passenger van, and I have 65" width wall to wall (50" at floor between wheel wells), 55" floor to ceiling, and 112" length behind the cab, 81" behind first row of passenger seats, 47" behind the second row. I took the third row out to make room for a conversion van convertible bed. A cargo van, without interior panels and insulation, would have another inch and a half of width, another two inches of height in most of the interior. An extended van would be 22-24 inches longer.

For price and weight, you should probably compare the Runaway to other 4x8 enclosed utility trailers available in the same area (for example, they cost about $1200 here). This will help to understand the added cost of the flooring, wall finishing, and windows.

As a towing problem, you need to find out the capacity of the Runaway, and figure out how much gear it will be carrying for camping. Weights being shown for the Runaway are empty weights, and to use it as a camping trailer, it will not be empty.

I have a Runaway Camper and I love it. I put a twin size mattress on the floor and I sleep quite comfortably. Sometimes, I sleep in it in my yard because I like the coziness of it. I'm a single person, so I have the freedom to do that. It's almost like being on a camping trip.

In May of this year, I took it on a trip to Utah, covering 11 states, saving a lot of money by not staying in hotels/motels. When in route, whenever I got tired of driving, I'd pull into a rest area, truck stop or shopping center, for a few hours of rest. When I got to my destination, I would check into a campground.

I did the same thing on a recent trip to California, which was taken during the latter part of August, returning on Sept 11th of this year. I visited some relatives and then it was on to Yosemite National Park. Pulling it with my 2006 Chevy Colorado pickup truck, I averaged 24 mpg, which isn't bad. It handled well going up the mountains, too.

I want to make one more road trip before the winter, not counting weekend camping trips at nearby parks. I hope to go east to The Great Smoky Mountains, which will be my second time there with the camper, and then on to Niagara Falls.

Happy Camping!

I found an in depth article just last week when we were considering replacing our 5 year old pop-up that is crapping out: www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/runaway-mini-camper-review-part-2/

We are looking for something without "gluey" board (OSB and some other names they use to try to trick me into buying the **** which I have had and had it with it).

Edit: It asterisked my word and it wasn't a swear word either but sometimes there is no nice word to describe something.

My friend with the Runaway, and another with a T@G, don't sleep on the floor. One doubled 2 twin mattresses, and the other uses a cot type of bed.

For 1/2 the price you can buy a utility trailer panel the walls, put a window in it and be the same thing. But to each their own. The picture shows very light duty axles so the capacity is not much.

I love my teardrop but they are not for everyone. I like the looks of the Runaway and the name is perfect to me.

lap527, you mentioned that they are just down the road from you/your friend. Have her go and check them out. It might very well be all that she needs. Only your friend can decide if the trailer you mentioned is suitable for her. Have her lie in it for several minutes, turn over from side to side, consider her storage needs, etc.

Also, you mentioned that your friend has "a small Kia." She needs to check the towing capacity of the vehicle to determine how much she can tow.

Many people, even with the biggest of "rigs", started out in tents but decided for whatever reasons as time passed that they needed more space and additional amenities, and some people just want to get off of the ground and don't need much space, or don't want the hassle of maintaining systems.