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.

[atreis]

PAThwacker wrote:
Using modern passenger vehicles designed for daycare centers, grocery stores and comutting are not ideal tow vehicles.



Users claiming they are often boast ideal conditions but are grossly exceeding hitch ratings, payload, or gross combined weight ratios.

Passengers, coolers, clothes, drinks, firewood, water, fishing poles, chairs, generator, tools, gray/black water, and bedding are examples of everyday camping trips. Some days more goods such as bikes, canoe, quads, and grills. All deduct tow rating of truck or camper CCC
Loading up the trailer adds tongue weight. Exceeding tongue weight limit can cause crash to occur and harm others


So use that 3500lb rating all you want, destroy the drivetrain and stay out of the ditch!

My trailer is within all limits, and that's not all that hard with this trailer. It was harder with the previous one. I use a tongue scale and weigh the full setup periodically at a Cat scale. My TV has been towing this trailer and the one before it (which was heavier and had a slightly larger frontal area) since 2008. It now has over 100K miles on it, some 60K of that towing (all over the East, including mountains in WV, MD, NC, KY, TN). I've had no issues, and had to make no repairs, to the drivetrain. I follow the hard-use service schedule. The tranny still shifts the same as it did when new, and the engine still runs as beautifully as it did when new.

Towing, it's very stable - low center of gravity, long wheelbase. (It helps to have a good hitch too.) The only modification made was to add Timbrens to the rear suspension to help prevent porpoising. I don't put any cargo into the minivan - just people. That keeps the weight within limits. (It helps that all of the people are lightweight. I'm the heaviest at 150 lbs.)

Sorry - my experience, and that of many others who have actually towed with Toyota and recent-model Honda minivans, disagrees with what you say.

[RobertRyan]

GaryWT wrote:
I would not want to tow a box type trailer in the wind, afraid the thing would blow over. Pop up or tab and the like is what fits here.

No they do not tip over, the rest of the vehicle would go as well.Tabs are fine for a very small tow vehicle

[GaryWT]

I would not want to tow a box type trailer in the wind, afraid the thing would blow over. Pop up or tab and the like is what fits here.

[PAThwacker]

Using modern passenger vehicles designed for daycare centers, grocery stores and comutting are not ideal tow vehicles.



Users claiming they are often boast ideal conditions but are grossly exceeding hitch ratings, payload, or gross combined weight ratios.

Passengers, coolers, clothes, drinks, firewood, water, fishing poles, chairs, generator, tools, gray/black water, and bedding are examples of everyday camping trips. Some days more goods such as bikes, canoe, quads, and grills. All deduct tow rating of truck or camper CCC
Loading up the trailer adds tongue weight. Exceeding tongue weight limit can cause crash to occur and harm others


So use that 3500lb rating all you want, destroy the drivetrain and stay out of the ditch!

[RobertRyan]

Mike Up wrote:
As I said earlier, the only TTs I would recommend are the Rpods. This due to their light weight, short length, and aerodynamic/small frontal surface area design.

I don't recommend true 100% fiberglass trailers. I talk to my dealers service centers and hear of the horror stories of fiberglass stress cracks. Plus I've been in them, and their short ceilings and small living area leave me wanting a pop up over them. I only recommend something I would buy myself.

As far as tent trailers, there is some significant issues with the tent down to the ground. As many know in the U.S.A., raccoons are everywhere and numerous and most are fairly tame to people unfortunately.

As with any tent, you can't cook inside or have any food inside the tent, as the raccoons will tear the tent open with their sharp claws and pillage for food whether there's any in there or not, or just the smell in the tent material from cooking in it. That's also with you in there or not, as they aren't afraid of people.

I've seen this happen 1st hand, several times, to the inexperienced camper.

You need a trailer that's off the ground, and where the tent can't be reached by these critters. A pop up with solid 1/4 or 1/2 walls, and a hard door, keeps them from coming in. That's why you have a kitchen in most pop ups while tent trailers rarely have a kitchen in them.

I like both tent trailers and pop ups, but you have to treat a tent trailer like a tent, while a pop up can be used just as a travel trailer.

Pop Tops were popular in the 90s as I've looked at several used units. They were essentially replaced by High Wall Pop Ups in the 2000s.

CamperTrailers work, because we do not have the furry animal problem,,still they do not go to the ground.
Pop Tops are hard wall here, composite construction. All Fibreglass replaced by Composite construction including metal laminates. Egg Campers, have the problem of being too fragile
Rpods a bit too small and not very robust. Small Egg Campers like Scamp would be better.
High Wall Pop Ups i are traditional folding trailers here. CamperTrailers are much bigger overall
These are just called Campers here. Pop Tops much more substantial, they are more like your Hybrid Trailers
Camper

Pop Top Caravan

[Mike_Up]

As I said earlier, the only TTs I would recommend are the Rpods. This due to their light weight, short length, and aerodynamic/small frontal surface area design.

I don't recommend true 100% fiberglass trailers. I talk to my dealers service centers and hear of the horror stories of fiberglass stress cracks. Plus I've been in them, and their short ceilings and small living area leave me wanting a pop up over them. I only recommend something I would buy myself.

As far as tent trailers, there is some significant issues with the tent down to the ground. As many know in the U.S.A., raccoons are everywhere and numerous and most are fairly tame to people unfortunately.

As with any tent, you can't cook inside or have any food inside the tent, as the raccoons will tear the tent open with their sharp claws and pillage for food whether there's any in there or not, or just the smell in the tent material from cooking in it. That's also with you in there or not, as they aren't afraid of people.

I've seen this happen 1st hand, several times, to the inexperienced camper.

You need a trailer that's off the ground, and where the tent can't be reached by these critters. A pop up with solid 1/4 or 1/2 walls, and a hard door, keeps them from coming in. That's why you have a kitchen in most pop ups while tent trailers rarely have a kitchen in them.

I like both tent trailers and pop ups, but you have to treat a tent trailer like a tent, while a pop up can be used just as a travel trailer.

Pop Tops were popular in the 90s as I've looked at several used units. They were essentially replaced by High Wall Pop Ups in the 2000s.

[RobertRyan]

Less Stuff wrote:

RobertRyan wrote:

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

About 30 local builders of these, but not basic ones like the Jumping Jack

But how quick do they set up? Most take forever to set up for camping.
How many toys can they carry?

Check the Jumping Jack video or this link.
set up

Alas the OP wants a hard sided unit however.

Toys as many as you want. set up time the same or faster. Campertrailers are bigger , much bigger in area overall than the Jumping Jack, which is another variant of a traditional .Folding Camper.
Hard sided units here come as Pop Top Caravans or Hybrids(. Neither exist in the US)
Pop Top Caravan anywhere from 13ft to 20ft


Erection times for Soft floor or Hard Floor, CamperTrailers can vary from 4mins to . 45secs, Last type uses an Electric motor. RoyB from this site has studied Aussie campers a lot
Hybrid or Crossover Caravan

Hard Floor CamperTrailers, it folds out.Opening take 30 seconds, securing tent a few minutes. Example securing flap, making sure it is tight.


CamperTrailer Toyhauler

[Less_Stuff]

RobertRyan wrote:

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

About 30 local builders of these, but not basic ones like the Jumping Jack

But how quick do they set up? Most take forever to set up for camping.
How many toys can they carry?

Check the Jumping Jack video or this link.
set up

Alas the OP wants a hard sided unit however.

[RobertRyan]

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

About 30 local builders of these, but not basic ones like the Jumping Jack

[stufarmer]

Whether it's a Car, Truck, Boat or RV, I've found that by looking at used 3-5 yr old models will speak volumes in you're decision.

[patperry2766]

CAMPER

Saw this one in another thread

[Olli]

Maybe check out Prolite (http://www.roulottesprolite.com/indexenglish.htm). I saw one of the 13' models last summer towed by Toyota Matrix. I can't say anything about the towing performance and towing experience.

[atreis]

PAThwacker wrote:
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.

Not true. Some (mostly older, especially late 90s and early 00s Honda) vehicles have frontal area limits specified, but these days most either don't specify it at all, specify it as a value that's typical of a lightweight TT, or state it as a recommendation rather than a limitation. As always, check your owner's manual.

My minivan tows my trailer, and towed the one before it, quite nicely.

[willi4nd]

Check out RPod's