Travel Trailer Choices
This is not a simple process – trying to find just the right travel trailer to fit our needs and trust that the workmanship is of excellent quality, which in the RV world, is hard to find.
After researching the various travel trailer brands and going to a RV show we have come to one unfortunate conclusion – most travel trailers are pretty much crap. I know, harsh words, but the construction and materials are of incredibly poor quality. That being said, there are a few companies out there that actually try to make a quality product. The trailers that made it to the top of our buy list were nuCamp T@B 400 Boondock Lite, Little Guy Max Rough Rider, and Casita Liberty Deluxe. There are obviously brands such as Airstream and Oliver that make high end travel trailers but they are way out of our price range. Let’s just get right to it shall we?
The Break Down
nuCamp T@B 400 Boondock Lite
nuCamp T@B 400 Boondock Lite
What a beautiful trailer! Elegant and thoughtful design inside and out. What I like about the T@B 400 Boondock Lite is the wider base at 7.5 feet, interior height of 79 inches, separate sleeping and eating areas, raised axel, external shower, solar, and the tongue platform. The above bed window, beautiful Amish built cabinets with ample storage, and rounded cabinet shape throughout is also a plus since small spaces and sharp corners are a bad combo for this camper. Heating is managed by an Alde heating system and water tank sizes are of a decent capacity considering the size of the unit.
What I didn’t like? Really, all I can say is I didn’t like the price. When you consider its direct competition, the LG Max, the price seems overly inflated.
I did not get a chance to walk-through this one so I can not comment on how it “feels”. Mandy here provides an excellent description of all things nuCamp on her youtube channel if you are interested.
Current average pricing for 2019 models comes in around $38,000.
Little Guy Max Rough Rider Edition
Little Guy Max Rough Rider
Another impressive light weight travel trailer. Again, beautiful craftsmanship and design. Little Guy and nuCamp are very similar in looks and appeal because they were the same company once upon a time. They are very comparable and I’d say the biggest differences are the LG Max is longer at 21 feet, has a bit more internal/external storage space, 13,500 BTU roof mounted air conditioning, water tanks are slightly smaller except for a significant gain of 12 gallons in the grey water tank.
Also, Max has entertainment extras like an additional TV that can be mounted on the outside. That sort of thing isn’t important to me but there it is.
This trailer really appeals to me for its longer length, internal storage, aesthetics, external storage pass through, and windows, windows, windows. So much light which is wonderful when in a tiny space.
What I didn’t like were some of the stories I’ve read about a faulty axel in 2018 models (Little Guy has since replaced the defective axel in later models), the potential for leaks, which seems to just depend on the skill of the construction crew that built your trailer that day. This seems to be an overall issue within the RV industry where quality control is fairly nonexistent.
Current average pricing for 2019 models comes in around $30,000.
Note: Go to NADA Guide for RV pricing and values.
Casita Liberty Deluxe
Casita Liberty Deluxe 17′
As we went back and forth over which one of the above trailers would work best for us I decided to look into a different style of travel trailer and found the Casita travel trailer. The construction is of fiberglass, a top and bottom piece that comes together midline. These trailers have been around a long time and haven’t changed over the years – they just keep it simple.
The fiberglass construction pushed the worry over leaks to the bottom of our concerns. Of all the floor plans we really liked the Casita Liberty Deluxe for its versatility in the dining/sleeping area. Like I said, everything about this rig is basic and simple. I wasn’t crazy about the overall design especially the carpeted walls and ceiling but it was within our price range and worth consideration.
We were fortunate enough to find a private seller in our area and got a walk through of the Casita Spirit model. My first impression was… what’s that smell? It confirmed what I thought would happen over time inside a space full of carpet that absorbs condensation. It had that old musty scent and that was the deal breaker for me. All in all, it was quite tight and I didn’t feel comfortable in this unit.
Current average pricing for 2019 models comes in around $25,000.
Conclusion
Here’s the thing… If we weren’t on such a tight budget we would buy the Little Guy Max Rough Rider Edition. Overall, it has everything we need for the right (negotiated) price. However, since we already own a 2011 Little Guy T@B trailer we are now of the mind to simply modify the interior to suit our needs better. We thought we needed a bigger trailer for our adventures but this exercise really brought it home that we already have what we need and with some creativity, time, and effort our little T@B will do just fine. Thanks for reading and remember, happiness is a journey, not a destination.
