A Little Trip to Little Guy Trailers

I recently returned from San Diego, Calif. where I visited Little Guy Trailers. This company focuses on campers and trailers less than 2,800 lb. and has their own camper design—the MeerKat. The company has a wide range of tiny campers and trailers to choose from, all in one place. They include the nüCamp RV T@B and T@G, Little Guy teardrop trailers like the MyPod and the Silver Shadow, Serro Scotty trailers, and the new Ascape by Aliner. Little Guy Trailers also has the beautiful T@B 400.

What's so great about this company is that you can get a better idea about which tiny camper works for you. Sometimes photos and videos don't do the space or amenities any justice and you need to visit each trailer individually and compare. The staff are more than happy to offer you tours of each type of trailer and give you the pros and cons of each.

Little Guy Trailer's own MeerKat could be a nice alternative to a teardrop trailer. The 900 lb. camper has a popup canvas roof, dinette that converts into a bed, cabinets and a basic kitchen. The kitchen is meant to be more for camping than RVing and features a one-burner propane stove and a sink with a pump that works with any container you want to use.

Learn more about Little Guy Trailers on their website or in my article for Tiny House Magazine. Watch my video to see a quick tour of the company.

Pleasant Valley Splits from Little Guy; Becomes nüCamp

Many of you might know that my teardrop trailer was built by the Ohio-based Pleasant Valley company when they were an independent business. For the past few years they have been manufacturing teardrop trailers, like the popular Silver Shadow, for Little Guy Worldwide. Last spring Pleasant Valley decided to split from Little Guy and become their own company, nüCamp RV.


nüCamp RV, who already features the Cirrus Truck Camper, will be building a sleek, new T@B design and will continue to manufacture their popular style of teardrop trailer. nüCamp expects to build more than 3,500 campers this year and has increased their manufacturing facility in Sugarcreek, Ohio by an additional 91,000 feet.


“We employ some of the most highly skilled craftsmen and craftswomen in the world, and their continued dedication to quality is renowned in the industry," Scott Hubble, nüCamp RV CEO says. "This is our second plant expansion in three years, and we continue to manage this growth through a dedication to the core principles upon which our company was founded.”

In September, nüCamp revealed their latest design: the T@B 400 prototype. The trailer is full of amenities like a bathroom, more headroom, a closet and separate eating and sleeping spaces—all within 2,300-2,600 lb. What's awesome about this design is that it is similar to the European versions that we've been wanted to come over to the U.S.

Photos by nüCamp

Friday Teardrop Photo

This 2011 Little Guy Sport was recently purchased by Tricia and her husband. The trailer's maiden voyage was at the Thunder Ridge Campground near Woodland Park, CO. The couple strung LED lights in their teardrop galley with removable adhesive that doesn't seem to attract bugs. The side tent was also a trial run. The couple plan to take their new-to-them trailer up to Yellowstone National Park this summer.

Friday Teardrop Photo

A set of 2016 Little Guy T@B trailers on their way to new homes — through the snow.

Photo by Little Guy Teardrop Trailers/Facebook

Friday Teardrop Photo

This Little Guy T@G teardrop trailer was recently purchased by photographer Mandy Lea Earnshaw. I'm looking forward to future camping shots from her because her photos are stunning.

The T@G is a hybrid between the T@B trailer and a classic teardrop. These stylish little campers have a queen size bed, tons of storage, AC and a full galley.

Photo by Mandy Lea Earnshaw

Little Guy T@B Goes Off Road

Starting in 2015, the popular T@B trailer by Little Guy Worldwide will be going off-road. The new concept trailer is not available yet, but the upgrade package will be available if you order and purchase a new T@B from Little Guy.

The new T@B Outback will have a five piece ABS off-road assembly package as well as a pitched axle, off-road tires and rims. Other features will include:

• Roof rack with cargo basket and off-road spare tire
• Custom diamond plate tongue storage box
• Aluminum front utility platform
• Cargo netting above windows
• Tough Marmoleum flooring
• Radiused diamond plate LP/battery box
• Solid gray couch/bed cushions

The Outback will be available in any of the T@B floorplans except the Clamshell rear kitchen design. Production of the trailer will start over the next couple of months and units should be available come the start of the 2015 camping season.

Photo and information by The Small Trailer Enthusiast

Featured Teardrop: Little Guy T@G

The Little Guy Worldwide company just keeps coming up with new trailer ideas and the T@G teardrop marries two of their most popular designs: the T@B and the classic 1940's teardrop like their popular Silver Shadow. The T@G is a stylish and modern teardrop trailer that is light enough to be towed with a Toyota Prius.

The T@G has a 100 percent aluminum frame and a silver or white fiberglass exterior with brightly colored trim and graphics. The doors feature a portal window like the T@B, two additional windows and a full galley with a sink and a stove. The T@G comes in two versions: the 875 lb B@sic and the 1,105 lb Max.

The B@sic includes a 3-speed, dual directional roof vent, fiberglass fenders, alloy mag wheels, wood cabinetry, LED lights and a high quality, padded queen sized mattress. The tongue of the trailer features the T@B LP tank, which also houses the battery. The galley is set up for an optional fridge/freezer. The trailer has 12v and 110 power with multiple outlets, LED interior lights, porch lights, a 30amp inlet and a 25 power cord that you can use to charge up the battery at campgrounds. The B@sic starts at $8,995.

The T@G Max includes all the B@sic features as well as 12v fridge and freezer chest for the galley, a 19 inch LED TV with DVD/CD/AM/FM/MP3 and mounted speakers and installed AC. The Max starts at $10,995.

 

 

Photos by Little Guy Worldwide

Tiny Meercat Trailer

While this tiny trailer is not a teardrop, the Little Guy Trailers distributor in San Diego, has done a really amazing job of restoring a vintage 1968-69 Eriba Puck trailer into a stylish and modern camper. The company decided to rename their project and are calling it the Meercat Trailer because of its diminutive size.

The original Eriba Puck trailers were lightweight European trailers built for two people and weighing in around 500-800 lbs. The Meercat is 900 lbs. and only 6-feet tall at the roof, but it luckily has a pop top for taller people. This steel tube framed trailer features a dining area that converts into a queen size bed, a two-burner stove, sink and an ice box, a closet and storage under the seating, a port-a-potty, stylish lighting, and a battery and connections for power and water.

The 100 percent American made trailer is now being built and sold by the San Diego company as a unique, restored design built around the size of the original Eriba.

  

 

  

Photos by Little Guy San Diego

More Teardrop Trailer Rentals

The teardrop trailer rental industry seems to be growing all the time, and I have some additions to my previous list of companies that offer teardrop rentals in the U.S. I was actually thinking of creating a map of teardrop trailer rental companies using Leaflet. I recently created a similar map for all the tribal courts in the country — so putting rental companies into a map should be a snap!

Hitch and Go Adventures (Houston, Texas)

Hitch and Go Adventures in Houston, Texas have three fiberglass teardrops for rent for only $50 per day (10 percent tax rate not included). They include chairs, shade canopies, folding tables, dishes and utensils, but no linens or blankets.

Miller Trailer Sales (Perkasie, PA)

Miller Trailer Sales in Pennsylvania has a "try before you buy" program for three of their rental trailers. If you rent a trailer and then decide to buy you own within 60 days, they will deduct the rental cost (up to $260) from your final purchase price.

Thomas RV Rentals (Charlotte, NC)

Along with their larger RV rentals, Thomas RV Rentals in North Carolina rents out a 4-foot wide Little Guy teardrop (April-October) for $65 a night or $390 a week. It includes a DVD/CD player, a 10x10 foot screened porch, heating and AC and a Coleman stove can be rented for an additional $5 a night.

TC Teardrops (Wausau, Wisconsin)

TC Teardrops in Wisconsin have a partnership with a local campground where you can test out one of their trailers before buying your own. The cost is $39 a night when used at the Indian Trails campground and $49 a night when used off site. It's only $299 for 7 days when the trailer is used off site.


Pasadena Teardrop Rentals (Sierra Madre, California)

Prices: $250 for 3 nights. Handmade teardrops by Sierra Madre Teardrop Trailers

Friday Teardrop Photo

This photo of some poor teardrops covered in snow comes from Little Guy Worldwide's Facebook page. Time for the snowblower!

Little Guy Spring Sale

I am finally back in the U.S. and ready to start the spring teardrop camping season. This weekend I will be giving the Sunflower a good spring cleaning and will document it for this blog. In the meantime, I thought I would mention that Little Guy Worldwide is having a spring sale on their Little Guy teardrops,  T@B Camper Trailers and the ALiner camper.

 
I received and email from Eric at Little Guy and several truckloads of Little Guy teardrops have been scheduled to be delivered to their southern California location and they are still taking orders for any of their models. In addition, if you purchase a Little Guy trailer, the company will include a portable solar panel for free.

Photos by Little Guy Worldwide

Featured Teardrop: Little Guy Silver Shadow

When shopping around for my teardrop trailer, I was torn between the Pleasant Valley Spirit and the Little Guy Silver Shadow. Both of these trailers have a retro style and similar features and options. I ended up getting the Spirit because of the color and I liked the look of the inside of the hatch more, but the Silver Shadow is still one of my favorite manufactured teardrops on the road today. Little Guy sells three versions of the Shadow: the White Shadow, the Silver Shadow and the Highline. They come in four sizes: 4'x8', 5'x8', 5'x10' and 6'x10.

The teardrop features include retro styling with white-wall tires, black fiberglass fenders, baby moon hubcaps and a silver Alufiber® finish for the roof and galley hatch. The interior has birch walls, a mattress, a single speed roof vent, three 110v outlets, LED lights and a wood countertop for the galley. You can stick with the silver walls or pick your choice of colored walls (available on the Highline). I think the current colors are green, red and black.

The upgraded kitchen of the larger Silver Shadows have an 8 gallon water tank, a sink with pump, a 12V refrigerator and a pull-out camp stove. The sink drain empties onto the ground.

The Silver Shadow is only sold through dealers or by private owners. I've seen them as high as $10,000 down to about $6,000. Keep an eye out on eBay, Yakaz and Craigslist for both new and used trailers.

 

Jason and Amanda of the TNTTT forum camp in a 2009 Silver Shadow

Jason and Amanda of the TNTTT forum camp in a 2009 Silver Shadow

Jason and Amanda of the TNTTT forum camp in a 2009 Silver Shadow

Photos by Little Guy Worldwide and Jason and Amanda of the TNTTT