# RV trailer discussion **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 22, 2022, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415 "2022-11-22T23:45:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/21 "2022-11-27T22:16:58Z")
Playing with sticks has a Tab 320 video. (well, Mandy does the bulk of the work) Interesting that even though she lives in the trailer has NOT used her indoor toilet. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/acJH08AFJvg/maxresdefault.jpg "Teardrop Trailer with Bathroom and Kitchen (Walkthrough Tour)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acJH08AFJvg) One of the trailers he compares it to is the Meerkat – which is \< 1000 pounds. No shower, but does have a port a potty: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Uq0LQO_H_kw/maxresdefault.jpg "STAND UP CAMPER That Fits In Garage: Meerkat Trailer Tour") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq0LQO_H_kw) Brian ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/22 "2022-11-28T03:11:54Z")
Here is a lightweight (1,800lbs), compact true teardrop shape trailer with a queen bed and bathroom. It expands to allow 6’ headroom throughout most of it, and has LOTS of windows. It includes custom blackout curtains for good darkness inside. The **Alto** trailer, by **Safari Condo** : [Safari Condo – Travel Trailers and Motorhomes](https://safaricondo.com/en) [![](https://i.imgur.com/Rhprc4m.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/Rhprc4m.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/dpOxGeI.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/dpOxGeI.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/B1jbi1w.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/B1jbi1w.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/xuqhb9e.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/xuqhb9e.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/113EhLY.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/113EhLY.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/RL0p6B9.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/RL0p6B9.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/23 "2022-11-28T17:28:31Z")
Today I’m driving out 3 hours to visit an RV dealer that has some Taxa Trailers available. They have a Taxa Cricket and a Taxa Mantis that I’ll look at. They have pop up sections similar to a VW Westphalia. I’ll circle back here with an update afterwards. Here are some web pics. [![](https://i.imgur.com/vUDbooX.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/vUDbooX.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/220EXt5.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/220EXt5.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/SCVVJ3e.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/SCVVJ3e.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/MBgwZ1H.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/MBgwZ1H.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/24 "2022-11-28T23:04:08Z")
I looked at 2 Taxas and two others, and took several pics of each. Taxa Mantis [[Album] Taxa Mantis ![](https://i.imgur.com/WSvJXQR.jpeg?fb "Taxa Mantis") ](https://imgur.com/gallery/pOnmjiP) Taxa Cricket [[Album] Taxa Cricket ![](https://i.imgur.com/pDyuWro.jpeg?fb "Taxa Cricket") ](https://imgur.com/gallery/cMT9Wm9) Opus Air [[Album] Opus Air ![](https://i.imgur.com/UMUEx2H.jpeg?fb "Opus Air") ](https://imgur.com/gallery/CTKpleh) A small Ember [[Album] Ember - Album on Imgur ![](https://i.imgur.com/boJMT26.jpeg?fb "Ember - Album on Imgur") ](https://imgur.com/gallery/0Clg4lw) Of these I think the Taxa Mantis would be best for my wife and me. ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/25 "2022-11-28T23:11:44Z")
My wife really wants a Scamp, but they seem to be overpriced thanks to Covid. I’m hoping the prices drop and used ones show up on the market, but she will also consider the R-Pod or the Casita. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/26 "2022-11-29T00:01:56Z")
Small trailers are more expensive than bigger ones (especially if you do cost per foot). Even pre Covid this was true, I think mostly due to lower production and less automation. Brian ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/27 "2022-11-29T16:46:01Z")
I own a Taxa Cricket and am happy to answer any questions you might have. Mine is a 2014 purchased used (I’m the second owner) about a year and a half ago. The older models came with fewer/different amenities and are a bit lighter than the newer models. My family has always tent-camped but decided we’d like something that provided a bit more security and comfort. My heart was set on a Vanagon Westfalia, with a Scamp or similar fiberglass trailer as a second choice, but then learned about Taxa and happened to find one for sale a couple hours away. As a family of three we really enjoy it and it works great for us, though our kid will likely outgrow the bunk in a year or two. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/28 "2022-11-30T13:21:49Z")
FWIW, know what you’re getting into with a pop-up, if you’re considering them. They’re not bad…and a way to get more protected space in a format that can be easier to two…but: If you’re awake, all your crap is in the wings, if you’re sleeping, all your crap is in the middle…you’ll be moving everything at least twice a day. Setting up and tearing down is an exercise in origami…your experience will be better if you are good at making a bed with hospital creases…and the wind isn’t blowing. When the wind is blowing, you’re not sleeping well, and if the wind is blowing when you’re tearing everything down, it does its Hot Air Balloon impression. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/29 "2022-11-30T19:33:53Z")
I’m leaning towards the Mantis because of the bathroom and shower. But the Cricket is a nice, compact and light package. How has it held up for you in your 1½ years of ownership? In those 1½ years, how many nights have you slept in it, and how many miles have you towed it? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/30 "2022-11-30T19:39:28Z")
I’d never before heard of Taxa, until 3-4 months ago when I spotted this rig parked outside of an REI store. [[Album] A Taxa off-road trailer — the Cricket ![](https://i.imgur.com/cNRX6Dt.jpeg?fb "A Taxa off-road trailer — the Cricket") ](https://imgur.com/gallery/2xd7WT2) In going through my imgur stream just now, I also had spotted this Airstream Basecamp X. That’s an interesting setup. [[Album] New Airstream trailer, the Basecamp X ![](https://i.imgur.com/nhklkTh.jpeg?fb "New Airstream trailer, the Basecamp X") ](https://imgur.com/gallery/KpPhC1B) Spotting these two has piqued my curiosity about RV trailers, and I think there will be one in my future, maybe by 2024 or so. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/31 "2022-12-01T01:42:26Z")
It’s funny how campers’ needs and wants vary. For us, we have no desire to cook or use the bathroom in such a small space, so the older model we found that lacked those those features (just a sink) was perfect. We quickly found looking at other campers that if we wanted something big enough to sleep three, it almost always had a bath, which would just be wasted space for us. Most teardrops with outdoor kitchens only sleep two. We also love being able to stand up! Once our child outgrows the cot in the Cricket I could see a Mantis being our “step up,” and by that time we might be more interested in the on-board facilities! I don’t have my log handy but I’d say we probably spent 25-30 nights in it over the last two seasons and put on over 6K miles. We’ve taken it all around WI and out to Colorado, Missouri, and the UP. It is super easy to tow and it’s great that it can fit in our garage. We upgraded our tow vehicle after the first year, which was something we’d planned to do anyway. For the most part the Cricket has held up quite well, but despite being “designed by a former NASA engineer,” Taxa campers are plagued with some particular issues. Primarily structural, but fairly easy to remedy if caught soon enough. There are some dedicated Facebook groups that I’d highly recommend joining as the primary issues, at least for the Cricket, get discussed quite often. I can get into the nitty gritty if you want. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/32 "2022-12-01T04:24:14Z")
Thanks, and that’s plenty of info for now. I’m early in the research phase, but I was surprised at how much I liked the Mantis. I’m really glad I went, even if it is 2½ hours away. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2022, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/33 "2022-12-22T17:01:54Z")
Yesterday on the interstate I passed a pickup towing a teardrop trailer. A large teardrop. It looked big enough to stand up in, its read end was curved up a little so as to increase departure angle without dragging on the ground, and it has solar panels on the roof. It looked very interesting to me. I looked it up and it is the **nüCamp TAB 400 Teardrop**. [![](https://i.imgur.com/Km5ay4r.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/Km5ay4r.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/8BHZr7M.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/8BHZr7M.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/h3l603p.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/h3l603p.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/34 "2022-12-23T15:15:53Z")
The TAB 400 was mentioned above, a bigger version of the TAB 320 (video above) Here is Drew reviewing the Road Toad: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LYfhQwDzD0s/maxresdefault.jpg "Lightweight Camper BUILT TO LAST! (You Won't Believe The Price!)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYfhQwDzD0s) And Cosmo Weems RIP: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RlADRG3Wcho/maxresdefault.jpg "Remembering Cosmo Weems") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlADRG3Wcho) Brian ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2022, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/35 "2022-12-23T15:43:49Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > And Cosmo Weems RIP Awwww. I didn’t know that. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/36 "2023-02-25T04:51:29Z")
I’m back at this. A few weeks ago my wife and I needed a hotel room, or a trailer. On [outdoorsy.com](http://outdoorsy.com) I found a lady who owns a nüCamp TAB400 Teardrop. Outdoorsy is like Turo. RV trailer owners can rent out their trailer and make a little money. She lives like 2 hours from me, so, not super far. Since I’m interested in the TAB400 I rented it. It’s pretty large and there is plenty of room to stand. The bed is big enough, like the RV Queen mentioned upthread. However we realized that we don’t like an east-west bed. We much prefer a north-south bed. There’s plenty of room inside for us. It was very spacious for two adults. I got much better gas mileage that weekend than my first rental experience. That was 10 MPG while this time it was 15 MPG. I’m glad we rented this. It was a good experience. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/37 "2023-02-25T05:12:46Z")
Some pictures, in this imgur post — [[Album] TAB400 RV trailer for a weekend ![](https://i.imgur.com/tE9qibW.jpeg?fb "TAB400 RV trailer for a weekend") ](https://imgur.com/gallery/XOukuJU) ---
**Author:** ![Mortimus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Mortimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mortimus)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/38 "2023-02-25T05:44:35Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > However we realized that we don’t like an east-west bed. We much prefer a north-south bed. You could park 90° from the disagreeable orientation. Or get a different compass. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/39 "2023-02-25T05:46:25Z")
It all depends on your perspective, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Mortimus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Mortimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mortimus)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2023, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415/40 "2023-02-25T05:57:43Z")
Sorry I was being a bit snarky. I kinda get it, I think. Most folks like to sleep with their head slightly elevated. It’s easier to accomplish the desired tilt if the trailer’s axis is N/S as you can use the wheels as the pivot point. If the bed is E/W you’d have to jack up one side or the other to accomplish the same thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rv-trailer-discussion/975415.md?page=3)