Looking for something new, but small. Unfortunately with that it'll have to be a hitch trailer not a gooseneck or 5er obviously but with the weight of these that kind of stuff is unnecessary (a load balancing kit is probably even unnecessary).

For an idea of what small is, I was looking at http://www.bigfootrv.com/traveltrailers/1500.html for example, which is about 17 feet.

Anyone know of other brands that make small ones and/or have any idea as to about how much they run in terms of price?

 

Scamp trailers make some small but nice units.

http://www.scamptrailers.com/

They even have a 19' 5th wheel trailer. Yeah, you may not need it for weight, but it makes for a shorter overall towing combination.

Don't know about prices, but if you call the 800 number on their website, they'll send you a full brochure with current pricing.

 

Just wondering why you are asking about an inexpensive TT? Because I also wanted a cheap TT but my reason was I wasnt sure if a TT was the way we wanted to go so I looked for a used one first. That way I could get a reasonable size trailer for the money I wanted to spend and I could learn a few things about how they work without worring about breaking something expensive. Then if my family and I really liked it, I wont mind spending the money on a new one. Just an opinion.

 

Katoom,

I started out doing the same thing as you - looking for a used trailer so I could kind of get my feet wet without a huge investment. What I quickly learned was that I didn't know much about RVs. I was going to have to pay a professional to look over every trailer I looked at because I didn't know what to look for. I could have easily have overlooked hidden problems.

I decided to start looking at new ones because I realized that I wanted a warranty and full service on the unit for several years. Plus I have a manual for absolutely everything. Not to mention, I get to learn how to use everything, before I have to learn how to fix everything. My brother-in-law bought a used one, and I don't think he stopped working on it the entire time he owned it.

Just the other side of the coin so to speak.

 

Good point. I can see where guys would like a warranty. But how long is a normal warranty and what do you do when the warranty runs out?

 

My bumper to bumper warranty is three years. Most of my major components have longer warranties. Off the top of my head I think the roof is ten years. Frame is lifetime (lifetime usually has a defined limit though). Appliances each have different warranties. Fridge was 5 years. Microwave was ninety days. But since the microwave was included, it gets covered in the bumper to bumper warranty. Basically the only thing not covered for three years is the bedspread and pillow covers.

After the warranty runs out, I will at least have a few years of knowledge of this specific trailer and will hope to do minor stuff myself. Otherwise, I may have to find a good RV tech who will work for beer. ;D

 

Another thing you should consider is going to your local RV shows when they occur. This is one place you can evaluate the dealership, trailer features, get a feel for how much space you get for what kind of money, etc. Our first trailer cost $9600.00, was a 19' Nomad (by Skyline), and was a tounge pull. The only complaint we had about it was a small potty room, but the rest of the trailer seemed to have better space than most of its 19' contemporaries. Shop around and look before you buy.

 

[quote author=KATOOM link=board=11;threadid=19703;start=0#msg185178 date=1063683620]
Just wondering why you are asking about an inexpensive TT? Because I also wanted a cheap TT but my reason was I wasnt sure if a TT was the way we wanted to go so I looked for a used one first. That way I could get a reasonable size trailer for the money I wanted to spend and I could learn a few things about how they work without worring about breaking something expensive. Then if my family and I really liked it, I wont mind spending the money on a new one. Just an opinion.
[/quote]

Mainly because it would just be me and 1 other person and maybe a doggy. The MSRP on those tiny bigfoots is apparently 20,000 dollars

Called up Scamp and waiting for the brochure and prices.

 

When I started looking for a trailer I was looking at Scamp and Casita. http://www.casitatraveltrailers.com/home.html

I wanted something small and light weight, and this seemed to fit. They have an almost cult like following and the owners really seem to like them. http://www.casitaclub.com/ You buy factory direct and can get a list of owners in your area so you can look at one.

My observation were that they are really small inside. Limited storage, and you better like to eat out because the kitchens are near impossible to work in.

I looked very hard at these trailers, spent about 6 months of internet research into the original introduction of the "egg" trailer and the pros and cons of the currently available models along with past builders.

What I found was that you were paying a lot of money for an image. I ended up buying my 21ft trailer for $12,000 and am now ready to trade up to something bigger. It is just me, my wife, and three small dogs. Having owned this trailer for over a year a know that the Casita would not have worked for us.

 

[quote author=sdscuba link=board=11;threadid=19703;start=0#msg185593 date=1063753526]
When I started looking for a trailer I was looking at Scamp and Casita. http://www.casitatraveltrailers.com/home.html

I wanted something small and light weight, and this seemed to fit. They have an almost cult like following and the owners really seem to like them. http://www.casitaclub.com/ You buy factory direct and can get a list of owners in your area so you can look at one.

My observation were that they are really small inside. Limited storage, and you better like to eat out because the kitchens are near impossible to work in.

I looked very hard at these trailers, spent about 6 months of internet research into the original introduction of the "egg" trailer and the pros and cons of the currently available models along with past builders.

What I found was that you were paying a lot of money for an image. I ended up buying my 21ft trailer for $12,000 and am now ready to trade up to something bigger. It is just me, my wife, and three small dogs. Having owned this trailer for over a year a know that the Casita would not have worked for us.

[/quote]

What about Scamp... do you have any thoughts on them?

 

SdScuba brings up a good point. It seems fairly rare to see people trade down in size, but lots of people are trading up.

Our 25' TT is already starting to seem small. I would like to have something bigger.

Have you considered renting one before you buy? Might be nice to try it on for a weekend before you make a size decision.

 

I think I would look-up several RV dealers in your area and give them a visit. Also we have several papers here that dealers list there adds in, these are always a good resorce when looking. Right now is a great time to buy, modle year close-out, and higher fuel prices have the odds in your favor of getting a great deal. I have seen several adds here with the smaller trailers at very good prices. Nomad is one that I have seen advertised localy very reasonable. There are so meany brand (meany are built buy the same manufacture, then sold under various names) I can not recall them. Intrest rates are also low now. You might do a search of local rv dealers on your computer also. Good luck.

 

i own a wilderness lite, it was the cheepest around.its not LOADED, but it is nice,has everything i wanted. i bought it from a dealer, when it was 1 year old.it was a trade in.it was used 2X. i got lucky. new, i think it went for about 20,000. i got it for 12,000 and i got the warranty.

my advice is to buy a used one first, i`m allready thinking of upgrading.most ppl find they would like a little more space than they thought they would.

just my 2 cents

 

I agree with DD361 about how people upgrade. We went through 3 trailers in about 14 months before we settled on our current Laredo. We found a dealer that buys unsold models from dealers. He had lots of 1 -2 year old new trailers. Still had factory warranty but were quite a bit less than the current model year. After looking for about 6 months and swearing that I would not buy a pop-up we bought... a pop-up. Had that for about 6 months before we traded it on what we now call our starter 5th wheel. Kept that one for about 6 more months before we got our laredo. We camp several times a month so our learning curve was pretty compressed. We have a 95# lab that goes everywhere we go. In the end, dogspace was one of the major factors in our getting a bunkhouse. Dog gets the lower bunk and everyone is happy.

Good luck

 

There are some very good deals going on right now, in my area. As an example they have a COACHMAN spirit of america 24' travel trailer, ac,awning, choise of three different floor plans only 8995.00. I think that is a great price, and yes they are 2003 models. these are being offered by MICHIANA RV, they are located in ELKHART, INDIANA (of coarse, where about 90% of all rv's are made).866-208-2329