A Guide To
Ultra-Lightweight Travel Trailers

I have been looking for a small camper/travel trailer that I can pull with my existing Ford Ranger pick-up truck with a 3.0 liter engine. I was surprised how few travel trailers are light enough to be pulled by a car or light pickup truck. No wonder so many people are buying the huge SUVs and monster pickup trucks. I also found that most RV companies have little interest in this area of the market.

My goal is to have a mobile motel room suite that I can easily pull. Easy to pull is essential given my 150 horsepower engine, and my desire to not be hampered when I travel. My list of wants is a comfortable bed that I do not have to make up every day, storage so I don't have to unpack every day, breakfast making equipment, cold place for my Diet Coke, and bathroom facilities. As it turns out, the bathroom is the trick since it adds all the plumbing and it requires a high ceiling for a shower. I don't want to use campground showers. Finally, a nice to have would be the ability to rip out the useless dinette and put in an easy chair. The other nice to have is A/C power so I can have a flat screen TV and satellite dish.

There are four classes of travel trailers that fit this market area. Those are the pop-up tent trailers, fiberglass eggs, teardrop trailers, and ultra-lightweights. I have no interest in pop-ups since I want to use my trailer in both the heat of Arizona and cold of Minnesota. An Egg would work, but I seemed to be bothered by the fiberglass smell. A teardrop simply doesn't have the room for the items that I want, but it is a great option for those folks who really like to camp and spend time outdoors. That leaves the ultra-lightweights of 2000 pounds or less, which I review below.

With the second edition of this web page, I have broken out the list of discontinued ultra-lightweight campers from the ones that are still available from the factories. You can still find the discontinued units from time to time in dealer closeouts, E-bay, or cases where someone buys one and never uses it.

Note—I am not a dealer, nor am I affiliated with any of these companies. I am just an RV'er who did some research on this topic, and I would like to share this research with others.

  Lil Demon: I have not seen a Lil Demon yet. It looks like it would be a great weekend rig for anyone who wants to pull a trailer behind a car. The low profile of a teardrop would really reduce the frontal area drag that kills your gas mileage. At the same time, the expandable roof solves many of the headroom problems of the classic teardrop. It would, however, be little more than an overnight rig (or camp ground queen) due to the lack of facilities and only primitive galley equipment.

Note—it appears that the Lil Demon was only made for a short period of time in 2005. Some dealers may still have leftover units, but A-Liner appears to no longer make them.

  The Twist: I have not seen a Twist in person. The only impression that I have is that they seem relatively expensive for the size and equipment. One dealer has a Twist advertised for nearly $14,000 nicely equipped. That just seems high for such a small unit.

Note—it appears that the Twist was stillborn. It was discontinued after only a few months. That is too bad because it looks like a nice sized unit for a weekend fishing trip or other outdoors activity. As of fall of 2007, there were still a few units in dealer inventories.

  Cassette: The Cassette appears to be a very well built trailer. It is small and looks like it would pull very well. It was the only trailer that I found that would fit in my 7-foot garage. On the downside, it is very short inside. It is missing some of the items I need for a mobile motel suite, such as bathroom facilities, refrigerator, microwave, and A/C electrical system. By the time you add all this stuff on, the price advantage evaporates, so you might as well get a TAB. The one part that keeps catching my eye is the huge back door. This might be useful as a bike or toy hauler if you get rid of the interior wall. Unfortunately, that wall is structural, and the carrying weight is pretty low for a cycle or ATV.

Note—the Cassette is now out of production. A few can still be found as of 2006. The A-Liner Twist is about the same size and weight.

  T-139: The Shadow Cruiser Fun Finders are a step up from the other units, more like a conventional travel trailer, but they are still under 2000 pounds. The weight number must be taken with a grain of salt since nearly everyone will order it with many of the accessories that are not included in the dry weight, plus the fiberglass option (which looks very nice) adds a reported 500 pounds all by itself. The T-139 is surprisingly spacious inside, has ample head room, and it really uses the room well. It has great fit and finish, and uses standard RV appliances and fittings. In my opinion, this is the best unit for the weight and money.

Note—the Fun Finder model is no longer made. It was replaced by the Fun Finder X, which is essentially the same unit. The X is no longer available with aluminum siding, and the fiberglass adds enough weight to push the dry trailer to over 2000 pounds, but not that far over 2000 pounds. It is still a very nice unit, but on the heavy side of being an ultra-lightweight.

  T-160: The T-160 is the heaviest unit that I found that was still under 2000 pounds. Everything that I said about the T-139 applies, plus this unit is extremely spacious inside. With the bunk beds, a family of 4 could live in this unit for a week or two at a time. As a mobile motel room, one can leave the bed made up, and still have the dinette available for use.

Note—the Fun Finder model is no longer made. It was replaced by the Fun Finder X, which is essentially the same unit. The X is no longer available with aluminum siding, and the fiberglass adds enough weight to push the dry trailer to over 2000 pounds, but not that far over 2000 pounds. It is still a very nice unit, but on the heavy side of being an ultra-lightweight.

  Tab: The Tab also looks very well built. In practice, some users are reporting that the top is delaminating. Thor has been fixing this as it happens. The head room is just a few inches short for me, but the interior room is otherwise OK for me. The kitchen is nice, but one would need to add a microwave, and the lack of a gray water tank will keep you out of some campgrounds. The sink water just runs onto the ground. There are no bathroom facilities, but there is a cabinet to store a port-a-potty. One thing that many Tab owners have been saying is that this is an attention magnet. Folks will gather around everywhere you go.

Note—for 2006, Tab has introduced more colors and more floor plans, including a rear kitchen that is configured much like a traditional teardrop. As of 2008, more colors and more floorplans are available, and the assembly bugs have been worked out. In addition, a new bigger Tab is now available, the Tada.

  Basecamp: The Basecamp is built by Airstream. They have a reputation for lasting forever. They also cost like an Airstream. While you can find models at $19,000, units that are nicely equipped rapidly go up to $29,000 retail. What you get is a sturdy looking trailer that tows relatively easily that looks anywhere from like a retro-style horse trailer to a shuttle craft from Star Trek. If you want something ultra cool, this is it. It is also one of the heaviest of the ultra-lightweight trailers. At 1950 pounds dry, just filling the small water tank puts it over 2000 lbs. The best feature of this rig is that the rear door is built like a cargo aircraft—two clamshell doors open in each direction, then a cargo ramp folds down. That allows you to load up a motorcycle or ATV. So, if you are looking for a toy hauler in the ultra-lightweight class, this is it. But does it ever come with a price tag.

  Cabin A: The Cabin A is essentially an A-Frame camper that is permanently in the upright position. This unit uses the interior size very well. The fit and finish is OK, and the materials used in the interior all look pretty good. A residential A/C unit cuts cost and weight. The bathroom is small but usable, and includes a commode with holding tank, plus a shower. My only concerns are that many Aliners have had their floors rot out, sometimes in only 2 years, and the structure seems very lightweight, almost to the point of being flimsy. It is very light for its size, has little carrying capacity, and it is rather expensive.

Note—Cabin A was building three different floorplans of the Cabin A in 2007. However, in late 2007, the Cabin A line was dropped from their lineup in favor of a new model called the TRE Amelia. Columbia Northwest, the manufacturer, is still taking orders for 2008 model Cabin A units, which will be available until the inventory is exhausted.

Note—The Cabin A factory assures me that the floor problem has been solved. It started to show up with 1999 models, and the fix went in at the factory in 2001. New units are not affected, but do check this out if you are looking at a used unit.

  A'Van Weekender: The Weekender is basically an oversized teardrop style camper. It is extremely light, so it should tow easily. It appears to be well built compared to a typical budget level teardrop. The entire back door opens, giving great access to the interior. In addition, part of the ceiling lifts up to provide an upper level storage space. Beyond that, there are not too many of the RV type features as found on larger trailers. The biggest drawback, however, is that this is an Australian product, and they do not have any US dealers. Getting the trailer here would be the trick. It might, however, work for military folks.

  Hyperlite Superlite: The Hyperlite is new in 2007. It is a short but tall camping trailer built the conventional manner with fiberglass panel sidewalls and a rubber roof. The key difference is that the Hyperlite has folding doors and a ramp at the back to allow it to be used as a toy hauler. It is perfect for cycles and four-wheelers. Everything in the trailer folds against the sidewalls or tucks into the front cabinets. This includes a flat panel TV, refrigerator, stove top, sink, water system, surround sound systems, etc. Such features do not come overly cheap. The trailer sports a base list price at $15,000, and goes near $20,000 nicely equipped. However, some dealers appear to have an overstock, and I have seen loaded units with price tags of $11,000.

  TRE Amelia: The TRE Amelia is built by Columbia Northwest, the folks that make A-Liner and Cabin-A. The Amelia is the smallest of three similar looking trailers. These appear to be the replacement for the Cabin-A line of trailers, but much improved all around. Most notably, it has basement storage rather than the front storage box featured on the A-Liners. This also appears to be the only current ultra-lightweight trailer that has a real bathroom. TRE is attempting to make picking out a trailer easy by shipping all units with a long list of standard options, and leaving very few items as options. I thought that the Cabin-A units were kind of flimsy. Lets hope that the TRE units are a bit more evolved. The price was not yet announced as of January, 2008.

  Sidekick RV: I know basically nothing about the Sidekick, and I have not seen one in person. There have been no major magazine reviews of the Sidekick that I am aware of. They appear to be very modern and well built. They offer a nice mix of standard features and RV-style options. You will not find granite countertops or designer fabrics, but you will find name brand hardware in these units. The company is new, having started selling trailers in late 2007. They appear to have a dealer network established, they are moving units, and the company is doing well from a financial standpoint. If the quality does pan out, that makes these trailers a very cost effective starting point for the RV'er. My only concern is that the axles look a little light, which really limits the total gross weight that you can carry. Since options are not in the base dry weight, you could easily go over the axle weights just adding options and putting a few cans of beans in the pantry.