Let’s face it: a full-size travel trailer or RV is a big commitment.
Not just in terms of cost, but also terms of your tow vehicle, maintenance, and maneuverability.
But what about those of us who love to travel but aren’t interested in the huge commitment of a full-size trailer?
In this case, small travel trailers are a great option. Compared to full-size trailers, smaller trailers offer up a lot of perks. Let’s take a look at just a few of them…
Table of Contents
Benefits of Small Travel Trailers
- Benefit #1: They aren’t going to break the bank. Their smaller footprint means fewer materials and lower manufacturing costs. Thus, small travel trailers are often much cheaper than their full-size counterparts.
- Benefit #2: Upkeep is easier! With fewer moving parts, there’s much less maintenance work to be done. And with less interior space, cleaning won’t take nearly as long. Convenience!
- Benefit #3: They’re easier to tow. Lighter weight means more tow vehicle options. In many cases, you can tow these trailers with the car you currently own. This way, you have your living space and your car together.
- Benefit #4: They’re much more mobile! Like I said above — small trailers win when it comes to maneuverability. Campgrounds will be easier to come in and out of, and you’ll be able to get a trailer of this class on some much more rugged terrain than a large trailer could handle.
Pretty sweet, right? So we’ve put together a list of our 10 favorite small travel trailers to help guide you in your hunt!
1, The Happier Camper
With a catchy name and a sleek design, this is one of our favorite small travel trailers. Just from the outside, you will fall in love with this little camper. It has a fresh but retro design and spacious windows to let a healthy amount of light into your living space.
The great thing about this retro-looking camper, though, is that its interior is super-modern. It has a modular design, which allows for a large amount of customization. The inside has 2 AC outlets that include USB ports and 4 DC-powered cigarette lighter ports.
Watch this video and see how cool this modular design thing is:
It can even function as a toy hauler:
The sleeping area offers a bed big enough for two, which can easily be converted into a seating area with a table. The modular design means you can add a wide range of options to your camper to supplement this area.
If you’re looking to go green, this camper scores points there too. Included in the roof of the rig are solar panels to help you generate some additional power while minimizing your carbon footprint.
We recommend checking out The Happier Camper’s website, where you can find more info and plenty of photos and videos.
2, The American Dream Trailer
With a name like this, it better be good. Fortunately, it is! This small and compact trailer rocks a funky design and a cozy interior. It’s on the smaller side of our list, but still comfortably sleeps two. This trailer is very light, coming in at less than 1000 pounds, so it will easily be towable by most vehicles.
The interior of the camper includes a great double bed, shelf space for storage, and a galley that opens up to a 2’ by 3’ table. As a bonus, the top of the camper pops off into a two-person rowboat!
This small trailer also offers a lot in the way of customizing the exterior. You can select from a range of paint colors to make the outside of your camper pop or more subtle colors for the low-key travelers out there.
3, Taxa TigerMoth
Would you like an ex-NASA engineer to design your camper? If you said yes, this is the camper for you. Garrett Finney applied the knowledge he gained working for one of the most intelligent organizations in the States to create this travel trailer.
It has a great compact design but opens up to provide a spacious interior. The camper is incredibly versatile and has a towing weight of under 900 pounds. The large side hatch provides easy access to the interior, which includes a double bed and stow away kitchen set.
The intelligent design also provides plenty of options for exterior storage while you’re on the road. This camper has mounting racks on the roof, various other attach points externally, and hooks for maximum transporting ability.
The Tigermoth also has optional solar panels so you can spend time off the grid if you desire.
4, Taxa Cricket
We loved the TigerMoth so much we decided to include one more great design from the team over at Taxa. This model is a bit larger than the TigerMoth and includes additional space to relax without adding too much extra weight. This trailer is 15’ and weighs in at just under 1500 pounds.
The camper has windows on four sides, providing great ventilation and a cool breeze when the weather is nice. It includes a convenient rear hatch that allows for easy loading and unloading.
The interior is decked out with a v-berth bed including storage underneath, a pop-up table, and a kitchen. The kitchen includes cooking space, a table, and six large storage cubbies to hold your necessities.
This camper is a great alternative for people who like the Tigermoth, but want some extra space to relax in after a long day on the road. It comes in two different models, the Cricket Camp and the Cricket Trek.
The Camp model is more suited to weekend travelers. It is simpler and easier for you to pack and get on the road. The trek model is more decked out with additional perks, like a toolkit and coated gravel guards. Either model is a great option in the world of small travel trailers!
5, Safari Condo Alto
Another teardrop style trailer, the Safari Condo is lightweight and aerodynamic to help boost your fuel efficiency. Safari Condo provides two different models of this trailer, R and F, to help you find your perfect fit. The R model has a retractable roof while the F model has a fixed roof, hence the names.
The R trailers include large beds that can be converted into two twin beds along with kitchen and storage space. The kitchen includes a sink and a cooking area. A pop-up table provides you with a cozy eating space in the kitchen as well!
The F series’ fixed roof provides you with additional storage space compared to the R model. This series also includes a large King size bed which is also convertible, a kitchen with cooking and storage areas, and a pop-up table. This model also has large European style windows to provide the interior with as much light as it can take!
6, Scamp Travel Trailers
This travel trailer measures up to about 13 feet and is light enough to be towed by small cars and SUVs. The great thing about Scamp is that if you would like a larger model, they are offered at 16 feet and 19 feet as well. But, we are going to focus on the smallest model in this article.
The 13-foot option includes seating areas for up to four people and a pop-up table. The kitchen area provides a gas stove along with a sink for preparing your meals. You can also convert one of the sitting areas into a bunk bed and the second sitting area into a double bed.
Another nifty aspect of the Scamp trailers is that they are easily customizable. You can choose the color of the carpet you have on the interior as well as the style of wood.
For those of you travelers and RV lovers that like traveling as a family but are on a budget, Scamp could be a good option.
7, So-Cal Teardrop
Just saying Southern California is enough to put a smile on a traveler’s face. It’s one of the most beautiful areas of the country, and the teardrop from this region is an equally fantastic product. The model has a light and aerodynamic design with a sleek silver paint job. Their smallest model weighs in at under 700 pounds for towing by many different vehicles.
The interior doesn’t disappoint either. It is easily customizable to fit any needs that a customer may have. The rear has a nice area for storage while the main cabin has a sleeping area and additional storage space.
Fortunately, if you are interested in having a little bit more space in your camper, the So-Cal family offers some larger options as well. The largest trailer they offer is 10 feet long and about 1,400 pounds. This model is called the XS and includes significantly more interior space than the smallest model, Buzz. Some of the additional perks to the XS are heavy-duty doors and a reinforced cabin structure.
To see different So-Cal small travel trailers, photo galleries, and where to rent or buy, check out the So-Cal Teardrops website here.
8, Hutte Hut
Two things about this camper stand out compared to other small travel trailers: its interesting name, and its unique exterior. The exterior of this camper is a wood grain that will catch anyone’s eye, and the roof is made of clean white canvas supported by wood beams. If you have an appreciation of art and functionality, this is a great choice.
Although this is a smaller travel trailer, it has an open design on the interior that provides a spacious experience. The interior includes a double bed along with storage cubbies along the wall. There is a large side hatch that makes getting in and out of the camper incredibly easy.
The entire wall of the camper opens up which adds to the feel of spaciousness in this unit. Lining the walls are windows to illuminate the rest of the trailer.
If you are just looking for a portable place to sleep that is comfortable and appealing to the eye, this is a great option. It leaves out the additional kitchen and lounging spaces to create more room for sleeping.
9, Deseo
The Deseo is a model created by Knaus, a company based in Germany. This model is a testament to German efficiency. It has a modular design that allows for customization and the interior space is incredibly well utilized.
The rear hatch is very large which makes loading and unloading a breeze. The design is very sturdy and the unit is easy to keep clean. The exterior also provides a nice, sporty look while you travel.
Inside, the unit offers sitting areas with a pop-up table in the middle. When not in use, the seating area can be easily stowed away against the walls. When it’s time for bed, the seating area can also quickly be converted into a bed big enough for two.
10, Nest Caravan
With our last (but not least) pick for 2017, we are going with the Nest Caravan. It has a simple but sleek exterior design that will catch your eye. The aerodynamic design will help you get the best gas mileage possible.
The interior has a very intelligent design consisting of whites, blacks, and greys. When you’re inside this camper, the luxury might make you forget that you are out camping!
This camper includes a central island with a gas cooking stove and some space for meal preparation. The sleeping area includes a queen-size bed and is accompanied by a toilet and shower. Folding chairs are also included with the counter space for eating and relaxing.
Until Next Year!
That about wraps up our 2021 list of small travel trailers. There are a ton of options out there when it comes to buying a smaller travel trailer. The list already stretches into the thousands, with new models popping up every day.
When deciding on which style of a travel trailer is best for you, it’s important to know your priorities. Small travel trailers are going to be better for your budget and a more convenient option when you are out on the road. If your vehicle doesn’t have the towing capacity to haul along a 10,000-pound travel trailer or fifth wheel, a small trailer may be right for you.
This list of 10 just scratches the surface of options out there, but they are 10 choices we love. If we missed out on the small travel trailer that you swear by, give us a heads up in the comments below!
We would like to thank you for reading this article. Find out more about the List of Travel Trailers.
RV Destinations: 8 Parks for the Whole Family