There are many different styles of micro campers out there. I’m curious if anyone here owns one and what your thoughts are on them .

Like a teardrop trailer? Or a Scamp? In midst if a very slow teardrop build myself. Hoping retirement will increase progress.

If you're looking at teardrops check out TC Teardrops

I'm very happy with my ALiner hard sided pop-up camper. There is a dealership on the north side of the Twin Cities where I bought mine from.

ALiner Campers

Just beware, ordering campers now is worse than canoes. TC is 18 months out for production. Crazy.

Like some of us would send people here for BWCA info; www.tnttt.com is a great forum for teardrops and tiny trailers.

My wife and I just bought a Vistabule teardrop trailer, made in St. Paul MN. We ordered it last July, and we got it in January. Only have one trip under our belt, but we are really happy with it.

It suits us, because in a teardrop, you are still camping outside, not closed up like in a RV. But you have pretty deluxe comforts and conveniences. I swear I slept better in the trailer than I do at home. It's got a ton of windows, so it's almost like you are outside, except you have a fan that can blow in or out and a heater. (they also come with AC too but that ties you to a electric hookup so we didn't want that). Just the fact that you have a little cupboard so you can organize all your clothes and stuff so you don't have to dig through endless packs to find things.

The galley is great too. Just so much more convenient to have all your stuff organized and accessible.

I think the teardrop really shines when you can find boondocking sites.

Now to find some time to get out in it!

If I was to buy, it would be Vistabule.

We decided against a microtrailer for two reasons. Bathroom for two elderly nocturnal pissants. And we planned to go cross country many times. An outside kitchen is a downside in a dust storm.

Now MN may not have many such storms but we had a week of them in Death Valley last Feb.

Our criteria were: inside kitchen, fixed bed with egress on both sides, a toilet at 3 am and the ability to keep us from killing each other in case of a day long rain.

Making sure you can rig a tarp to each is a plus.

yellowcanoe: "... the ability to keep us from killing each other in case of a day long rain."

What feature works for that?

billconner: "If I was to buy, it would be Vistabule. "

Yea, I thought about building one for awhile, but I realized I'd probably be too old to use it by the time I got it done.

marsonite: "

billconner: "If I was to buy, it would be Vistabule. "

Yea, I thought about building one for awhile, but I realized I'd probably be too old to use it by the time I got it done. "

I may be the non-living proof of that statement some day. Chassis is complete and operational. Cabin is still just a plan.

We bought our 2018 13' Scamp new-picked it up from Backus in August of 2018. Big bed, furnace, stove, refrigerator, ceiling fan, extra lights and outlets-no bathroom...we did get the brakes-which may now be standard. Our two grandsons love, love, love camping with us-love sleeping in the front bunks in particular. My wife's log says we have camped 68 nights in it.

The features of these units are all about personal preference-we love ours. Scamp has been doing this for many years and, per me, they have optimized the design and usage of space. We don't camp to sit in our trailer-we are out hiking and fishing during the day. We can pop into our camping area and be set up, fully ready to camp in 15 minutes-so simple and convenient.

Scamp recently kicked over to the third generation of family operation and the reports are that the kids are stepping up very nicely. They are advancing the technological options-I hope they keep things simple and don't get too carried away.

We tow with our Odyssey van and this little trailer tows like a dream. We average around 16 mpg-plus or minus two depending on the wind.

If you order your Scamp today you will not get it until 2023-that is where the demand is for this product. A 13 footer will cost you around 20K...a used 2010 will likely cost you about that same amount.

It beats the hell out of a tent.

jhb8426: "

yellowcanoe: "... the ability to keep us from killing each other in case of a day long rain."

What feature works for that?"

140 square feet.

I sold my 1978 Scamp 2 years ago. Bought it for $3000 about 15 years ago and sold it for $6000.

I now camp in a hammock. When with my wife, we camp at Air BnB.

The Scamp was an excellent camper. It fit in my garage, so at the end of a trip, I just backed it into the garage and opened the windows, done. It was also really nice while traveling. We could just pull over anywhere, jump in the camper to have a meal or just take a break. We live in WI and took it as far east as Maine and as far west as Yellowstone. The only thing is was missing was a canoe rack on top. Highly recommend a small fiberglass camper because they last forever and hold or increase in value. https://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/

My only desire currently is to have a space to sleep the night before a canoe trip. I have in mind building a canoe trailer with a bed inside.

Thanks for the responses everyone you’ve given me info to go on, I appreciate it !!!

jhb8426: "

yellowcanoe: "... the ability to keep us from killing each other in case of a day long rain."

What feature works for that?"

mini bar

I know OldScout built one. Have been looking for one myself, especially since arthritis kicked up. I'm cheap though and found what I consider a good beginning for a DIY teardrop, Road Toad Teardrop Cargo Trailer Add my own gear and go!

butthead

PS; Road toad changed the line some and also sells the Abode another basic no frill camper. bh

I got my Forest River E-Pro 12RK “micro trailer” in February after a twelve week build time. We’ve had it out twice and love it. I love that it has a higher profile than most tear drop type campers and off-road tires. There is also more head room than a teardrop but you still can’t stand up in it. It is super easy to tow with quick set up. It has inside storage and outside kitchen, doors with screens on both sides for air flow and ease of use for two campers. It is solar panel ready, has air and heat and a TV that I don’t really need or use. So far, it’s been a comfortable little trailer and I’m looking forward to getting it out more.

I actually did not build mine, but purchased a RetroRide Teardrop Trailer out of Plover, WI. 6 years ago and have been very pleased with it.

http://retrorideteardrops.com/

giddyup: "
I got my Forest River E-Pro 12RK “micro trailer” in February after a twelve week build time. We’ve had it out twice and love it. I love that it has a higher profile than most tear drop type campers and off-road tires. There is also more head room than a teardrop but you still can’t stand up in it. It is super easy to tow with quick set up. It has inside storage and outside kitchen, doors with screens on both sides for air flow and ease of use for two campers. It is solar panel ready, has air and heat and a TV that I don’t really need or use. So far, it’s been a comfortable little trailer and I’m looking forward to getting it out more. "

I like the look of off-road tires, but really doesn't make any sense- no need for a towed vehicle to have better traction.

Banksiana: "

giddyup: "
I got my Forest River E-Pro 12RK “micro trailer” in February after a twelve week build time. We’ve had it out twice and love it. I love that it has a higher profile than most tear drop type campers and off-road tires. There is also more head room than a teardrop but you still can’t stand up in it. It is super easy to tow with quick set up. It has inside storage and outside kitchen, doors with screens on both sides for air flow and ease of use for two campers. It is solar panel ready, has air and heat and a TV that I don’t really need or use. So far, it’s been a comfortable little trailer and I’m looking forward to getting it out more. "

I like the look of off-road tires, but really doesn't make any sense- no need for a towed vehicle to have better traction."

Traction is the least of the issues. How tough the sidewall is is an issue. Off road there is going to be plenty of bounce and we have blown out regular trailer tires. We don't off road normally but potholes and the "road" to Chaco Canyon have the similar effect.

Once I would have liked a snowtread on our trailer as it slid sideways on ice. A more variably aligned tread might have averted a collision between our travel trailer and our canoe trailer.

yellowcanoe: "

jhb8426: "

yellowcanoe: "... the ability to keep us from killing each other in case of a day long rain."

What feature works for that?"

140 square feet."

Centipedes have square feet? Haha. Hey, good to hear from you. My little camper is a truck camper I built cause in rebuilding my old one I was to far along to quit before I realized how bad it was. I’ll be wintering in the Arizona desert.

nctry: "

yellowcanoe: "

jhb8426: "

yellowcanoe: "... the ability to keep us from killing each other in case of a day long rain."

What feature works for that?"

140 square feet."

Centipedes have square feet? Haha. Hey, good to hear from you. My little camper is a truck camper I built cause in rebuilding my old one I was to far along to quit before I realized how bad it was. I’ll be wintering in the Arizona desert. "

wappa wappa.. !!LOL.. To each his own. One of the things about the pandemic is seeing TOO MUCH of each other. Its nice to be able to hunker in an individual corner on the road! In the rain.. And heck the awning is nice.. No need to rig a tarp with pole trees and lines.
Just push a button.. Gad. Soft in old age.

Thinking of a small trailer myself when I retire in the next 6 to 9 months and I have been researching them endlessly for the last year or so. If you like buying local here is one company based in Hutchinson, MN:

Escapade campers

Take a look at the features and photos of the MT-10


This is another company I am very interested in, currently a long lead time but really nice:

Rustic Trail campers

The Forest River E Pros, as mentioned above are really nice too. Lots of options out there.

LindenTree: "I'm very happy with my ALiner hard sided pop-up camper. There is a dealership on the north side of the Twin Cities where I bought mine from.


ALiner Campers "

Yet another thing we have in common. :-)
We bought an Aliner Ease in 2010 and the two of us have stayed married even during trips with wet snow, six days of nonstop fog and overcast at Acadia and, most memorably, the remnants of Hurricane Irene.

gravelroad: "

LindenTree: "I'm very happy with my ALiner hard sided pop-up camper. There is a dealership on the north side of the Twin Cities where I bought mine from.



ALiner Campers "

Yet another thing we have in common. :-)
We bought an Aliner Ease in 2010 and the two of us have stayed married even during trips with wet snow, six days of nonstop fog and overcast at Acadia and, most memorably, the remnants of Hurricane Irene."

Another ALiner owner here. My wife decided about 10 years ago she doesn't want to tent camp anymore - arthritic knees, etc. - so we had pretty much stopped going camping together. Then she read about ALiners and how easy they were to tow and set up.

It only took 3 years for me to wake up and take a look at them and she was right. We bought a used 2010 Classic in the fall of 2015 and have done over 30 trips since. Well made and still light and easy to tow and back up. Takes 15-20 minutes to have camp set up with a hard sided camper, which is nice in bear country. They are a great way for aging tent campers to get outside.

lindylair: "Thinking of a small trailer myself when I retire in the next 6 to 9 months and I have been researching them endlessly for the last year or so. If you like buying local here is one company based in Hutchinson, MN:


Escapade campers


Take a look at the features and photos of the MT-10



This is another company I am very interested in, currently a long lead time but really nice:


Rustic Trail campers


The Forest River E Pros, as mentioned above are really nice too. Lots of options out there."

I’m really considering getting one , but I want the overcharging to calm down a bit .

I just don't get buying something you can't stand up in.

Stumpy: "I just don't get buying something you can't stand up in."

Off the top of my head I could think of lots of reasons.
Costs less
Weighs less
Tow with a car
Park in your garage
Better gas mileage
Off road camping
Don’t own a truck
Don’t want the hassle of a big camper
Use a few times a year, can’t justify more costs
Sleep better in a bed than on the ground
I’m sure there are many more.

Stumpy: "I just don't get buying something you can't stand up in."

I think of it as a plywood tent, and haven't been in a tent I can stand up in for quite a while.

billconner: "

Stumpy: "I just don't get buying something you can't stand up in."

I think of it as a plywood tent, and haven't been in a tent I can stand up in for quite a while."

Having a stand-up height is an aspect where Aliner's style shines.
On the other hand, another big plus of 4'-5' height units is spending most of the time outdoors but having the security of sleeping in a hard-sided enclosure. A haven in grizzly country, for example. When the weather is sloppy for days on end it's nice to get off the ground too.

Interesting thread. I'm not quite there yet but have a good friend who really enjoys their tear drop. I drove a suburban for years with three kids, and I guess that was a similar scenario. We'd get to a campsite and the three kids would be wondering why they should give up their comfy bunk in the car for a sleeping bag on the ground, plus the work of setting up the tent. So there were several nights when I was the only one in the tent and the three kids were quite happy to just crash in the car, which essentially was car Plus travel trailer in one.

My E-pro was a fraction of the cost of a camper I can stand up in, and even a fraction of the cost of the “swankier” tear drops.
It is much quicker and easier to set up and tear down than a tent or larger camper when I’m traveling/camping alone.
I feel a lot safer in my E-Pro than my tent when I’m traveling alone.
It has much more organized storage for gear and supplies than a tent.
It has heat and air conditioning that I didn't have in my tent, if I choose to use it.
I doubt I’ll ever be asked to leave a Walmart or Cracker Barrel parking lot, and less likely at an established rest stop, if I sleep overnight in my E-Pro like I would be if I set up my tent.

It is a compromise not being able to stand up in my E-Pro but well worth the trade off for all of the other advantages (for me, personally) than a larger travel trailer or a tent I can stand in.

Savage Voyageur: "

Stumpy: "I just don't get buying something you can't stand up in."

Off the top of my head I could think of lots of reasons.
Costs less
Weighs less
Tow with a car
Park in your garage
Better gas mileage
Off road camping
Don’t own a truck
Don’t want the hassle of a big camper
Use a few times a year, can’t justify more costs
Sleep better in a bed than on the ground
I’m sure there are many more. "

+1

A little different but the Sylvan Sport Go I've seen at Canoecopia is pretty interesting.

Equally interesting, the Cricket by taxaoutdoors.com.

Options.