Writing an article like “small travel trailers” immediately runs into a problem of semantics: what does “small” mean? What is the cut-off line between small and medium-sized? Is thirteen feet small? Is fifteen? Or do you rate a travel trailer by weight? Is 1500 pounds small? 2000 pounds? Anything under 2500 pounds?
Keep that in mind as we continue with this article. Small is in the eye of the beholder when talking about RVing, and that’s just the truth of the matter. I’ve known people who have downgraded from a 30-footer to a 20-footer and thought they went miniature.
How’s this for a point to agree upon: if it doesn’t seem small to you, it isn’t small. Clear as mud?
Travel trailers by length
Generally speaking, the smallest self-contained trailers on the market are about thirteen feet in length. If we are talking about trailers without a bathroom, and with the kitchen snugly fit in the rear, accessible outside via hatchback, then you can find travel trailers in the 10-12 foot range.
However, there are smaller ones. Quite a few pop-up tent-style trailers are now showing up on the market, and some of them are no more than six or eight feet in length.
Travel trailers by weight
If you measure small by the weight of the trailer, the aforementioned pop-up tent travel trailers can be found under 1,000 pounds. There are several teardrop, fiberglass travel trailers which range between 1,500-2,000 pounds, and some of them manage to be self-contained. And, there are still more which hover around the 2,500-pound range.
For reference, most SUVs and small pickup trucks can handle 3,000 pounds or less, so those with small towing vehicles really do have a large number of travel trailers to choose from.
Self-contained or not self-contained?
For the purpose of this article, we will define self-contained as having the following features:
- Sleeping area
- Water system
- Power system
- Some sort of grey water and black water tanks
- A bathroom of some variety
Like most things in the RV lifestyle, there is even some ambiguity regarding the term self-contained. Cassette toilets, and composting toilets, do not require a black tank, but because they are acceptable toilets, they qualify for the self-contained discussion.
A final thought on the matter
Really, all that matters is your particular preference and the towing capacity of your towing vehicle. One or two people can enjoy many wonderful experiences in a thirteen-foot travel trailer; they can have a great RV life and fondly remember RV travel as a great thing. Four people, in the same length of trailer, would probably question the sanity of anyone RVing.
Those who prefer a private bathroom will want some sort of self-contained trailer, which drastically cuts down the number of options, but still there are dozens of brands to choose from.
What can be said, with certainty, or as much certainty as is possible in the RV world, is there is a travel trailer for just about everyone, no matter the taste and needs. The number of new trailer brands is increasing yearly, and technology is finding new ways to construct trailers in more efficient ways.
Figure out what you can spend, figure out what you want, and you can be pretty certain it is out there waiting for you, a travel trailer with your name on it, ready to hit the road and improve your quality of life.
Happy RVing to you all!
