Ultra light TT brands

[Zebedee]

Still on my quest to find the right TT for me. Towing with a 3500 capacity RAV4 v6, I'm currently looking into ultra light trailers such as keystone bullets and camplites. any experience with these or similar TT's 3k or less?

*edit to add I am looking for hard sided units.

[PAThwacker]

One other spec you are overlooking is max frontal area limits.
The barn door effect of the brick in tow can squash a good V8 with poor ring gear. You are

Limited to ten foot pup max with a 3500 tow rated anything: VAN, SUV, CUV.

[patperry2766]

We pulled our highwall Flagstaff pop up camper (3500 lbs) home with our V-6 Ford Escape. Similar towing capabilities to your RAV4, and just the few miles from the dealership to the house was enough to know that it wouldn't want to be something I would do on a regular basis.

Keep your weight to around 2K max and a low front profile. Our camper and A/C sit higher than the roofline of the Escape, and created additional drag on the vehicle. The contoured profile of the Casita would help with towing significantly.

[Less_Stuff]

This is also an option watch the videos:
Jumping Jack trailers
Most useful small RV I can think of.

[Zebedee]

atreis wrote:
You should also check out the fiberglass eggs - Casita, Scamp, EggCamper... Good quality, lightweight, easier to tow because of their aerodynamic shape.

thanks. I didn't realize how light the fiberglass campers were. Looks like there's lots of good models out there

[atreis]

You should also check out the fiberglass eggs - Casita, Scamp, EggCamper... Good quality, lightweight, easier to tow because of their aerodynamic shape.

[DonNH]

We towed our Starcraft Launch 15FD (fiberglass version of the AR-1) with our 07 RAV4 for the first year. Had plenty of power with that V6, but felt like I was really pushing what that vehicle was able to comfortably handle. Gas mileage went from 26 normally down to about 11.
Now tow with a Tacoma which feels much better.
If you stay well under the overall and hitch weights, and go with an egg or popup to minimize wind resistance, you'll probably be ok.

Don

[muelldawg]

Agree, Scamp, Casita and, of course, a JayFeather Sport 165

[djsamuel]

We really like our Camplite. Well built, easy to tow, and tough. Others who own them have the same experience. Give them a good look and see if they meet your needs.

Camplite Travel Trailers

[jerem0621]

I would be looking into a Scamp or a Casita fiberglass egg style camper.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[Zebedee]

rexlion wrote:
If your Rav4 has the 3rd row seat, it has a somewhat stiffer suspension in the rear... which will help. If it doesn't, expect a whole lot of rear sag if you get close to the 350 lb hitch weight limit.

Hitch weight is the kicker. Keep in mind that a trailer's listed dry hitch weight will not be the hitch weight you end up with when ready to camp. Figure that your LP, battery, water and gear is likely to add 50-100 lbs to the published figure (depending partly on where the fresh water tank is located).

The best small trailer I know of in terms of light hitch weight is the Scamp 16. It's so balanced, it's very easy to have a real world hitch weight under 250 lbs.

Alright, now that I took a look at the fiberglass models such as Casita, Scamp, and Escape, feels like I have to start from square 1 with my research. I really like them!

[Mike_Up]

A pop Up or a Forest River Rpod is about it. The RAV4 crossover car has a very short wheelbase which makes for a dangerous tow with longer trailers, a low payload which will overload the cars suspension with a heavier tongue weight, and a low hitch receiver rating, which will be overloaded easily with a travel trailers tongue weight.

A small pop up camper is about the best camper for this crossover car.

Or ditch the car, and get a large SUV or truck that can tow a bigger trailer.

Good luck.

[Zebedee]

Thanks for the info. A lot to consider there.

I'm also curious about the insulation of these various units, as I imagine the aluminum builds must be colder inside, and I'll be camping in occasional cooler weather.

[temccarthy1]

Bullet Ultralites are great TT's.....I have a 2014 285RLS and never had a single flaw in 1 year.... BUT... the smallest Bullet made ( model 204) weighs 3900 lbs empty and is 23 ft overall .. and that exceeds your towing limit of I believe 3500 lbs. So if you want a hard side, it would need to be a Trailmanor or molded fiberglass brand.

[Houston_Remodel]

With a curb weight around 3600 pounds for the rav 4, whatever you purchase must have very good brakes or the trailer will push the rav around.

Not all states require brakes for trailers in low weight classes. Keep an eye out when shopping

[Bowfreak]

Take a look at a Trailmanor trailer.