Spring is coming, which means that America’s highways and campgrounds are soon to be crowded with countless RVs. If you want to join them when it gets warm but don’t want to buy a truck to tow your camper, you have plenty of options. I found some of the smallest campers that you can stand up in and also tow with most vehicles that have tow packages. One of these might be the only camper you’ll ever need.
This year, I noticed a growing trend at the Florida RV SuperShow. While mammoth motorhomes and fifth-wheels dominated show space, a lot of manufacturers were also displaying smaller units front and center. That’s great! Not everyone needs over 40 feet of luxury living space to go camping. Besides, at some point, it becomes more “glamping” because many rigs are nicer than entire houses.
Many people just want a camper that’s a comfortable step up from sleeping on the ground. The RV industry has taken note that many buyers want hard walls they can stand up in, a mattress, some basic appliances, and that’s it. They don’t need the latest and greatest tech, but something more sophisticated than a tent or tent trailer.
Because of this criteria, I will be excluding the absolute smallest campers for sale in America. Those units tend to be so small that you’ll be lucky if you can sit up in them. Instead, these will be the smallest units that you can stand up in, and they will have hard walls. Perhaps confusingly, you’ll also soon discover that the smallest campers also aren’t the cheapest campers.
The Scamp 13′
For decades, one company has been the first name in small, durable, and affordable trailers. That’s the iconic Scamp Trailers by Eveland’s Incorporated.
In many ways, a Scamp is perhaps the ultimate travel trailer. Canadian salesman Ray Olecko was fascinated with fiberglass. According to a letter sent by Olecko’s daughter to the Boler-Camping blog, Olecko made a bit of everything out of fiberglass, from septic tanks and slingshots. The course of his fascination changed when his family got washed out of tents at campsites. Olecko decided to make something out of fiberglass to get his family off of the ground and to keep them dry.
In 1968, Olecko’s idea became reality as the “Boler,” a 13-foot, 800-pound fiberglass camper that promised to keep everyone dry while being more durable than other campers. Canadians loved the little “egg” camper and in 1971 the team at Boler was able to get RV restorer Duane Eveland to bring the sensation to the United States. Boler American would fail just a year later, but Eveland loved the camper design enough to take the design and build it on our side of the border. Scamp was born, and the company says it was almost an instant hit.
What’s glorious about Scamp is that the core product is still largely the same today as it was back in the 1970s. When you buy a Scamp, you get a tiny trailer built out of two fiberglass hulls molded into one single tough monocoque. Building a camper out of thick fiberglass has been proven to be fantastic for longevity. It’s not hard to find a 40-year-old Scamp that’s still on the road, and I have no doubt I’m going to see 2025 models 40 years from now, too.
Scamp’s classic design is a 13-foot trailer. The latest iteration of it weighs 1,500 pounds and has a tongue weight of 200 pounds. Eveland’s, Inc. says this trailer can be towed by anything from a small car and up. The base model 13′ Standard hasn’t changed much over the decades. The trailer rides on a steel frame and features two fiberglass halves molded together and complemented with a composite floor. There’s no wood to rot, no rubberized roof to fail, and no plywood floor to get soft.
The exterior of the trailer features a 2-inch receiver, two rear stabilizer jacks, an outside GFI outlet, electric brakes, a city water connection, a wheeled tongue jack, and a solar power connector. I note all of this stuff because while the Scamp 13′ is nominally a decades-old design, Eveland’s, Inc. has given it modern updates.
Moving inside, a Scamp 13′ has molded fiberglass cabinetry (shown above), just like the trailers from the ’70s and the ’80s. The simplicity continues here; there’s a sink, a refrigerator, a two-burner stove, and maple cabinet doors. This is all very similar to what fiberglass campers were like decades ago but with welcome updates like modern appliances, acrylic windows, and an on-demand water heater. The base model comes with a dinette that turns into a bed plus a bunk bed up front. However, Scamp now sells the Scamp 13′ with a front bathroom (shown in the video below). You can also get an air-conditioner, a lithium battery, a furnace, and more.
If wood is more your style, there’s also the Scamp 13′ Deluxe, which replaces the fiberglass cabinetry with warm oak or birch wood. Scamp is pretty much the ultimate in tiny campers, and I love how the company lets you build one exactly as luxuriously as you want it. Eveland’s, Inc. is also still a smaller business that has survived for so long in a world where so many other brands have been bought out by mega conglomerates.
Sadly, Eveland’s, Inc. does not show up to RV shows and doesn’t publish pricing information, either. This is because pricing may change at any notice. As of publishing, Eveland’s, Inc. will sell you a pre-constructed Scamp 13′ Standard for $25,000. For that price, Eveland’s says the options you’ll get are a furnace, a full propane tank, and blue cushions. If you spend about $26,000, you’ll get the addition of an air-conditioner, an outdoor shower, and a Starlink connector.
I probably don’t need to say that a Scamp is a premium price, but it seems that you’ll pay more now but enjoy a camper for far longer than if you bought one of those cheaper units I’ve written about. Every Scamp I’ve stepped in has impressed me with consistently good quality.
The Aliner Ranger
A popular alternative to Scamp is Aliner. This company has been around since 1984 and like Scamp, it has thus far dodged getting bought out by one of the mega RV conglomerates. Here’s some history from a previous piece I’ve written:
Aliner’s history is a short one. Back in the early 1970s, Ralph Tait decided that he wanted to design a new camper. Working out of his garage in Bend, Oregon, he spent several weeks crafting what would become his first A-frame camper. The resulting travel trailer was like a more traditional pop-up camper, but different in one key area. While a traditional pop-up opens up into a sort of tent on wheels, Tait’s camper has hard walls. Apparently, people loved his camper enough to request their own, and eventually, Tait decided to make it into a business.
Tait’s family moved to Pennsylvania, where Ralph and his brother built the campers. A third brother hitched a completed camper up to a station wagon and drove around the country until the camper sold. Aliner says it’s been producing the campers in Pennsylvania since 1982. The Taits retired in 2007, but the company still builds the A-frame campers that you’ve probably seen on the road.
Aliner is famous for its A-frame trailers of various sizes. The company also launched a pair of teardrops that are large enough for you to stand up in. However, if you want the absolute smallest Aliner with the most gear, your pick will be the Ranger 10. This little guy stretches out just 13 feet long in total and weighs only 1,300 pounds with a 175-pound tongue, or a decent chunk less than a Scamp 13′.
The party trick of the Aliner is the fact that its roof collapses into the body, making for a slim and flat trailer to tow behind your vehicle. It’s not nearly as streamlined as a Lightship AE:1, but the design should afford you a relatively easy towing experience.
When you’re in camp mode, you can easily set up the trailer’s A-frame and stand in its 7 feet of clearance in the peak. Aliner says you get says the roof is made out of a sandwich of vacuum-bonded fiberglass with a polystyrene core. The walls and ceiling panels are Azdel thermoplastic composite.
The standard equipment list of the Scout Lite is pretty short:
2 Burner Stove
Slide Out 12 Volt Refrigerator/Freezer
Water Heater
11 gal Fresh-Water Tank
Outside Shower
Water Pump
Furnace
The options list is pretty short:
Front Soft Dormer
High Wind Lift Assist
Outside Grill
Dual Bunk Layout
Rear Dinette Layout
The soft dormer (the tent-like thing) won’t make much sense to check as an option unless you’re really tall. Otherwise, the extra space it adds will likely be wasted. Sadly, unlike the Scamp, the Ranger cannot be optioned with a bathroom of any kind. You also cannot option an air-conditioner. If you’re willing to go two feet longer you can get the Ranger 12, which unlocks an air-conditioner as an option but still doesn’t have a bathroom.
Aliner also doesn’t note pricing. That said, it looks like you’ll be able to find either a Ranger 10 or a Ranger 12 for $17,500 and up.
If for whatever reason you’re not interested in a stove or refrigerator, the Ranger design is also available as the cheaper Scout Lite (above) for around $13,500.
In my experience, the quality of an Aliner is typical, which means I was disappointed. Whenever I tour a new Aliner I often find early frame rust, poorly applied sealer, poor-fitting panels, and crooked switches. A web search for “Aliner poor quality” suggests my observations might not be a fluke.
The Coachmen Clipper 12000 ROK
The last camper on this list is a little bit of a weirdo. It’s a stand-up camper, but only technically. The Coachmen Clipper 12000 ROK offers enough space for a 5’8″ person to stand up comfortably. If you’re any taller, you’ll have to hunch over or bend your neck.
This trailer is bizarre to me because the ceiling height seems completely arbitrary. It’s too short for many people to stand comfortably, but because its ceiling is higher than other campers in the squaredrop class, the roof now sits eight feet tall. Thus, it won’t fit into a standard garage, which is one of the primary reasons you’d buy a camper in this category in the first place.
Even the name is funny. It’s the Coachmen Clipper “ROK,” which just means “Rear Outdoor Kitchen.” RV model names tend to just be codes for features, like how a trailer with “BH” in its name means “Bunkhouse.” But the ROK is a whole series with its own stylized logo.
This is also the one unit on this list that doesn’t come from an independent company. Coachmen is a brand from Forest River, one of the largest RV conglomerates in the country. Coachmen doesn’t advertise any special construction techniques. Instead, the build sheet notes a laminated roof, aluminum siding, and a painted steel chassis. In other words, expect the quality of a stick build. Indeed, the quality of this unit wasn’t anything to write home about.
That said, the 12000 ROK is pretty big on features. The standard model comes with an air-conditioner, sink, microwave, water heater, furnace, cassette toilet, and stove. Out of all of the trio, this example has the best equipment for the price.
But again, you’ll have to put up with that awkward ceiling height and the poorer quality. The ROK is also like the Aliner in that you have no option whatsoever for an indoor bathroom. Even the cassette toilet forces you to read the Morning Dump while facing whatever unlucky soul might see your struggle from the bed.
This trailer is also the cheapest of the three with a price of around $13,000. Likewise, it’s also the heaviest at 2,380 pounds with a hitch weight of 225 pounds. It’s also the longest at 16 feet from tongue to bumper.
Personally, the only real reason to go with this one is the size and the price. If you have more money to spend, get a Scamp. If you don’t mind a larger size but still don’t want to pay more than $13,000, it seems a Coleman will be a better deal.
I’m sure there are other tiny campers out there that I’m missing. However, these three really caught my attention. Several readers have mentioned Scamp in several articles in the past, and I’ve also seen recommendations for Aliners. The Coachmen was just a weird oddball that stopped me in my tracks.
Whatever you choose, I think any of these three fulfill the mission of being something better than a tent.
If I had about $25,000 to spend on an RV I would grab a Scamp 13′ in a heartbeat. Scamp is one of the brands that has proven itself to build a quality product. Yes, you’re paying more for it, but that $25,000 should last you many years. It’s light enough to be towed by almost anything with a tow package, looks as cute as a button, and it’s not something everyone has.
I own a 2021 Nucamp T@B 320 CS, and love it to death. Will be camping in it this weekend in fact. Not cheap but it has everything we need and the build quality is exceptional.
A-Liners and other A Frame campers are notorious for leaks and drafts. It’s a neat idea, but the hard folding panels never quite line up.
One of those days, a Scamp or Casita is in my future…
Huh. I thought Scamps also had a 5’8″ interior height, but according to Google they’re 6’3″. They certainly didn’t feel that big when I’ve toured them at RV shows, but maybe that changed since the last time I was in one.
After the Scamp factory burned about ten years ago, they upsized the new molds to accommodate today’s larger folks. Frankly, a six-footer would need to duck inside my 2021 Scamp 16. The rooftop air conditioner claims several inches of headroom.
Interesting, I didn’t know that! It may have been 10 years since I looked at one because I kind of dismissed them as an option after realizing I’d have to remove quite a few vertebrae to be able to stand up in one. 🙂
Also, the Runaway Rouser, it’s 840lbs and is basically a boxy bedroom on wheels with air conditioning and electric, but no water or propane
so much about RV / camping is the toilet / shower. They could have more people camp, and sleep in worse beds if they made those things better…
Like I’m feeling like a tow behind camper that is JUST a storage space, outdoor kitchen, and one hell of a nice bathroom, could sell alot.
I understand the A-Liner’s appeal, especially to novice tow-ers who are nervous about the idea of towing something as bulky as a Scamp. The A-Liner will obviously cause less aero drag, and you can see over it in the rear mirror. But I’m uncertain about the durability and weather tightness of the seams on the movable roof.
The Scamp’s advantage is its built-in cabinetry. Just look at it- it puts my home kitchen to shame. My 16 foot Deluxe model has a dozen cabinets and a closet. It’s an organizer’s dream, with a place for everything and everything in its place. We keep dedicated cabinets for tea and spices, water bottles, medical and personal items, books, games, you name it. This cuts down on packing work and time spent searching for “that other small brown box.”
The A-Liner has no overhead storage at all. Which brings me to the big disadvantage of any pop-up trailer – you have to erect the roof structure to get inside. “Honey, did you pack the mustard? ” turns into a five-minute process to check. With the Scamp, every stop on the road (and there are many, mostly for fuel) gives me a reason to go inside to get something. It’s easy to stop and make a quick lunch. Everything inside is organized and accessible all the time, and that’s very helpful.
With an A-liner, it’s more like a 30 second process to check. Slight exaggerating, but I used to own one of their Alite models and it was definitely under a minute. Undo two latches, push up on the handle, spring loaded roof panels rise into place, then fold up the front wall and flip the latch, fold up the back wall and flip the latch, done.
The biggest disadvantage was I didn’t want to leave the bed made while traveling, didn’t like the side walls resting right on the sheets, but the bigger high side models have enough space to clear that
This kind of small trailer works even better when you add a roomy tent or screen room as a second space outdoors. You can double your living area, without raising your towing load.
Damn. That Scamp looks good and I don’t even like the idea of camping.
I feel like sleeping in the Scamp would give me nightmares. I’d wake up in a cold sweat in my queen sized bed, then stagger over the bathroom only to find two children in bunk beds where the bathroom is supposed to be. One of them — an obnoxious 14yo boy — looks up and says “Sorry bro, go drop your deuce outside, Boomer!” and then I startle awake to find this is actually real life.
Standing up is overrated. Sitting up in a teardrop is nearly as good and far less dorky.
Dressing is easier standing up.
dressing laying down is good for your core muscles.
And undressing laying down usually is just part of good fun.
I don’t disagree, but when you’re looking at a tiny amount of floor space, I’ll trade the tiny floor for a larger bed any day. Plus, pulling a tiny brick down the road isn’t much different from towing a bigger/longer one . . .
that is why I tent and cot. loads of space to walk around in my tent and it fits in or on my jeep.
We purchased the largest Aliner Expedition 15 a year ago. The quality was far better than our prior camper a Coachman Clipper. The larger size means the peak is 8ft+ in height and you can get a true queen size mattress.
While many small vehicles can tow these campers, they may not do so easily. We upgraded from a Toyota Sienna to a truck even though the Aliner was only 2300 lbs dry, it was not a comfortable towing experience. Short distances, no problem… but spend 4hrs in the VT mountains and it was a different story.
SafariCondo R1713?
More expensive, but under 2000lbs.
I’d love to read about your impression of one. They look intriguing.
Those look really nice. Neat setup.
I love that the headline that you needn’t have a truck to pull them, but the headline pic is “nope, we’re gonna show you a truck pulling it anyway. Because truck.”
My parents had an A-liner that they pulled w an Elantra.
I mean, I’m guessing it’s hard to find good pictures of specific campers being towed by small vehicles and have permission to use them. If that’s the only picture they could find (especially if that’s all that’s on the manufacturer’s website or something), then they gotta work with what they can get.
I pulled an A-Liner with a Hyundai Ioniq hybrid, still got 55 mpg on the highway
Thanks so much for this. I love Scamps.
Also I tent but never sleep on the ground. I have a Gazelle T4 that goes up in about 90 seconds, I put a folding table, chair, and cot in it and have a nice little apartment for camping, off the ground, Tall enough to stand and walk around in and the total cost was around $400 for all of it. It also goes up faster than several roof top tents.
Have any cot recommendations or advice on what features to look for? I’m looking to get a couple before Spring.
The army style I have been using for decades. The hollow aluminum tube ones are great. The modern ones look great but I have not tried them yet and they are low to the ground. I put my stuff under the cots to reduce heat loss. being up in the air even 18 inches allows for heat loss below you. Get one big enough. Places like cabellas and bass pro shops have cots for larger people.
Having extra storage space underneath the cot is a plus I hadn’t considered. Less clutter and better heat retention makes me definitely want one now.
I also love my cot tent https://kamprite.com/
I will check it out, thanks!
This one is expensive and bulky to store, but amazingly comfortable. You may want to sleep on it at home
https://www.rei.com/product/242928/rei-co-op-wonderland-comfort-cot
That one looks very comfortable. Is it good enough to not need a sleeping pad on top?
Yes, almost. There’s a row of springs around the bed mat that allows some flex. If you like firm mattresses, it’s fine. But unless you add an insulation layer to the cot, such as a foam pad, you’ll have a cold night. The sleeping bag will compress under your weight and give little insulation.
I have an instant Coleman tent that I have for those times I still go tent camping at state parks. I can get it up in about 90 seconds even if I’m buzzed and it’s dark outside. I’ve gotten it comfortable enough with a heater and an air mattress.
But I’m beginning to hate that mattress. It was a wedding gift and it seems it has reached its expiration date. If I pump it up I’ll be touching the ground about halfway through the night. Maybe it’s time to try a cot, next! I’d love to know more!
I’ve only done “dry runs” with the cot in our backyard and I love it compared to an air mattress. You can toss a sleeping pad (or two) on there for padding, plus you can sit up normally in bed and use it as a basic bench. Gear can go underneath.
As long as I’m car camping or glamping, I’m never going back to air mattresses. They’re also horrible insulators on cold nights, so I ended up using sleeping pads, anyway.
I have used air camping pads for backpacking but for car camping I have had an old army cot since the mid 1980s. About 10 years ago I restored it by taking it apart, refinishing the wood, painting the metal and getting new canvas. I still us it more than the newer hollow aluminum cot I have. Only thing is that if you do not put stuff underneath you it does get cold from below.
The https://kamprite.com/ cot tents are also fun I have one of these also. they also sell just cots. I like the cabellas and bass pro shop army style cots as I am 6 ft 230#
I bought a foam cot cover that helps. I do get cold from below on a cot but as an old I like the height. https://www.cabelas.com/SearchDisplay#q=cots
The Clipper’s height is an odd compromise, but I like the idea of an outdoor-only kitchen. I want to be outside as much as possible when camping because that’s sort of the whole point.
That said, I wouldn’t mind a setup with no kitchen at all since I can bring a camp stove or use a fire. Maybe put a bathroom in place of the kitchen?
100%. I want a scamp with a convertible bed/dinette and wet bathroom, but I don’t need a fridge or stove. Heck, even the shower could just be a place to hang those solar/black shower bags, or a portable hot water shower. A fancy cooler and camp stove works just as well for a kitchen. I think there is a company (or was a company?) that sold empty egg fiberglass campers that you DIY the rest. Always thought that was brilliant.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to find an old fiberglass camper in need of some interior work and redo the inside to your liking. People already do that with old Airstreams and those take much more work because the interior walls need to be redone, whereas fiberglass walls might only need a good cleaning.