Miscellaneous / Off-topic: Small Campers

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Small Campers

Printed From: R-pod Owners Forum
Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Miscellaneous / Off-topic
Forum Discription: Pull a chair up to the campfire and chat. No religious, political or weapons talk, please.
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15543
Printed Date: 28 May 2024 at 6:26pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Small Campers

Posted By: David and Danette
Subject: Small Campers
Date Posted: 07 Dec 2022 at 9:40am

I have been looking for a small camper we can tow with our Kia Soul with a 2,000 pound towing capacity and have come to the conclusion the smaller the camper the less you get for your money. Have been looking at the Aliner Scout-Lite and they are not too far from the price of a r-pod. The smaller Tab is another camper I have looked at and there is not much as far as construction the smaller campers I guess are more in demand so they cost more. And the smaller campers seem to hold their value more than a larger camper if you were to buy used they will cost more. So far the Aliner Scout-Lite is the one I like best it's a basic lite weight camper I could tow with our Kia Soul but the reviews are not the best for the Aliner campers.

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2018 Vista Cruiser 19BFD (2018-
2012 Vibe 6503 (2014-2019)
2009 r-pod 171 (2009-2014)
Middle Tn
2014 Ram 1500 Quad cab

Replies:

Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 07 Dec 2022 at 10:05am

Aliners can be "fiddly" to set up and tear down.. many owners don't do "fiddly" very well, and that's generally where the problems arise.

T@Bs seem to be well built, but they are small. They have a strong and dedicated owners group. Friend of ours puts on a couple of rallies every year. We have been to a couple, and I didn't hear any more growsing by owners then at any other brand get together.
My personal thoughts on both, or really all the campers in that class, is that it's a lot of money to spend on a (hard sided) tent.

The A-Liner will get you a lower towing profile, probably a serious concern if you intend to pull with Kia.. Even though they have a "2000" pound tow rating, they aren't made to tow, and I suspect they have a very small, if any at all, frontal area rating..

Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 07 Dec 2022 at 11:47am

My brother had an A-Liner for quite a few years and liked the fact he could be all set up in about 6 minutes once he unhooked from his car. Really no issues with it but then again with no toilet, A/C, or other amenities there is little to go wrong. The negatives - no storage and then the 2nd, no storage. Everything had to be carried inside his vehicle. But they are light and as Furpod states,"they have a very small, if any at all, frontal area rating" which is a good thing if you are going to tow with a 4 cylinder Kia.

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God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 08 Dec 2022 at 1:35am

Ive looked at the nucamp Tab. Very nice trailer but not towable by a 2000 lb rated vehicle. It's dry weight is already over 2000 lbs. You have to go with gross trailer weight when sizing a trailer for your vehicle, and on top of that leave some headroom because that 2000 lb rating is going to be set with the tow vehicle unloaded, not full of passengers and gear.

You could look at the nucamp Tag or other very small teardrop trailer but even then, 2000 lbs is going to be very tough to stay under once you add in tow vehicle loads.

Have you considered tent camping? There are some very nice comfortable, easy to rig tents and air mattress options now, we just bought some modern backpacking gear last spring, and found it to be surprisingly comfortable even for us stiff old folks with bad backs. Other advantages are more camping options, Ive frequently seen space available in tent camping sections of campgrounds when the RV areas are full up. Tent camping sections also tend to have more space and are quieter, sometimes the RV sections feel like some kind of overcrowded noisy ghetto. Much cheaper than a new trailer too..

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: gpokluda
Date Posted: 08 Dec 2022 at 11:30am

Agree with the posts so far. You will be hard pressed to find something that the KIA will pull although I have seen compact SUVs pulling Tabs. Another option is a hard shell roof-top tent. See a lot of these in the campgrounds. Never investigated them but I'm sure there is a weight consideration to be researched. We've seen several really nice rooftop setups lately, one used a Jackery solar generator for electrical conveniences.

Best of luck on your quest

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Gpokluda
2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023)
2022 Escape 5.0TA
2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB
Triumph T120

Posted By: JohnnyMac
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2023 at 9:34pm

Get a bigger vehicle,...or invest in a really nice tent. Just sayin...

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JonnyMac