One of the biggest and loudest complaints I hear about RVs is that they’re just too darn expensive. It’s wild that there are several camper vans that cost a quarter million dollars, and you can buy million-dollar motorhomes that pretzel their driveshafts. Thankfully, the RV industry has realized that not everyone is rolling in the riches like Mr. Monopoly. This year, I’m seeing several new travel trailers that are significantly cheaper than even the least expensive new cars in America. Here’s the king of the cheap, the 2025 Keystone Coleman 13B. It costs just $9,999 and somehow still has every single feature you need for a fun weekend getaway with your family. This makes a Mitsubishi Mirage seem expensive!
Cars remain expensive commodities. The average price of a new car is approaching $49,000 and the floor is dropping out from under the least expensive options. According to Mitsubishi, the Mirage is now $16,695. That ever so slightly undercuts the previous cheap car champion, the Nissan Versa, which now starts at $17,190. I remember when the Nissan Versa was $10,000 during the Great Recession.
Sadly, much of the RV industry is the same way with prices that make you ask how people even have the money to spend on these rigs. For example, the Wingamm Oasi 540.1 is quite expensive at $188,500. Yet, luxury camper vans by the likes of Winnebago, Airstream, 27North, and others sell for a quarter million or more, which makes the Wingamm sound like a deal in comparison. Meanwhile, larger Class C coaches are cheaper than all of the above. Yeah, RV pricing is wild.
Thankfully, the RV industry has something going in its favor that the automotive industry does not, and that’s a race to have the most affordable campers. It’s resulting in trailers that are dirt-cheap, but remain usable for you and your family.
Each year I go to shows like the Florida RV SuperShow and I’ve noticed that the number of low-cost campers keeps increasing and the prices keep getting lower. In 2023, one of the cheapest RVs I found on the market was the $15,000 Dutchmen Coleman Rubicon 1200RK, a trailer so small that you couldn’t even stand in it. In 2024, the cheapest I found was the shockingly cheap $13,000 Dutchmen Coleman Lantern LT (below), a larger trailer that could fit a family. I thought that was the apex of cheap. I couldn’t see how you could make a fully-featured stand-up trailer for even cheaper.
Well, new for 2025 is the Keystone Coleman 13B, and it’s somehow even cheaper. This fully-featured travel trailer has an MSRP of $12,632, but the trailer just launched and dealers are already advertising a price of $9,999. I wonder how low some people will be able to get one after some negotiation. That means this new camper is a fraction of the price of America’s cheapest new cars.
A Household Name In Camping
Coleman only shows up in my articles when I’m talking about a super-budget RV, but the brand is iconic in the camping space. If you like the outdoors, you’ve almost certainly purchased Coleman-branded tents, grills, sleeping bags, lanterns, coolers, camping gas, and more. Coleman’s history goes back to the early 1900s when William Coffin Coleman began marketing a gas lamp of his own design. The company expanded into other outdoor products, introducing a camp stove in the 1940s, a plastic cooler in the 1950s, and backpacks, sleeping bags, and tents in the 1960s.
In 1967, Coleman got into the RV space by launching a pop-up camper, which took only two years to become the top-selling tent trailer in America. Fleetwood RV purchased the rights to the Coleman RV division in 1989 and removed the brand name from the trailers. The Coleman name was revived on trailers in 2008 just to die again in 2011 when its parent company halted pop-up camper production. Today, Coleman camping products are sold by the Newell Group and Coleman-branded camping trailers fall under the umbrella of Thor Industries. Thor brand Dutchmen was the steward for Coleman for a while, but this latest creation comes from Keystone, a different Thor brand.
Regardless of the brand name, Coleman trailers tend to be not just the cheapest RVs in Thor’s portfolio, but the cheapest fully-featured RVs in the entire market. I found cheaper campers in Tampa, but all of them forced you to sacrifice room or features to get to that price. Of course, getting that rock-bottom price does mean that you should temper your expectations.
Small Size, Big On Features
So far as I can tell, Keystone was able to slash $3,000 off of the price of last year’s cheapest Coleman just by making it shorter. Last year, the Dutchmen Coleman Lantern LT was 21′ 5″ long. This year’s new Keystone Coleman 13B is 15′ 11″. Of that, the box is 13 feet long. That means you’re getting a substantially smaller trailer. Yet, as you’re soon about to see, the trailer is also optimized pretty well for how tiny it is.
Starting with the exterior, the cost-cutting is immediately apparent. Keystone isn’t advertising any modern construction tech like Azdel walls or Alpha-Ply roof membranes. That means you’re looking at a standard stick build here, which is fine given the fact that you aren’t really paying much for it. One touch I do like is the corrugated metal siding. I dig the style and in my experience, the metal siding does seem to age better than fiberglass sheeting.
Walk around the trailer and you’ll see even more dough-saving measures. The trailer’s battery is a puny unit and the tongue jack is a manual affair. That’s about as old-school as it gets! The trailer’s frame also appears to be a simple painted frame. Look underneath and you won’t even see four stabilizer jacks. There are only two in the rear, a hallmark of a bare-bones unit.
Also cheap is the entry door, which doesn’t even have a window. Yet, I did find an improvement here. In previous iterations of Coleman trailers, the door was held open with a hilariously weak plastic arm that couldn’t even withstand a light breeze. This time, the door’s swing has a physical limitation in its hinge that stops it from slamming into the awning. Underneath, the entry stair is one of a basic, decades-old design.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Keystone found the plans for a trailer from the 1990s, dusted it off, and put it into production. This trailer isn’t even trying to be that modern.
Walk inside and you’ll see a hilariously minimal, yet functional layout. There’s a small bed up front, a bunkhouse in the rear, and facilities in between. Everything is unapologetic in how low-rent it is and in this case, I dig that. The refrigerator doesn’t perfectly fit the space it’s in and it’s secured with ugly exposed brackets and fasteners. The sink is a single-basin plastic unit and your only cooking appliances are an electric cooktop and a microwave. The walls are devoid of a pattern or decoration and the mattress pads are thin.
My pictures don’t show it well, but the bed up front appears to be able to fit two adults, though I hope one of them isn’t too tall. The rear bunks will be great for kids or maybe adults who are still kids at heart. The bathroom is similarly tiny, but it does have a real functional toilet and shower, which is pretty sweet.
The rest of the trailer is so cheap it’s almost endearing. It seems Keystone couldn’t figure out how to mount the battery and tank monitoring station without impeding bunk space, so it’s just slapped on there. Then there’s the random light switch with cheap labels on it.
Oh yeah, the air-conditioner is like something you’d hang from an apartment window, but it’s installed into the wall. Heat comes from the electric fireplace. The switch seems to suggest that you can have air-conditioning or heat, but not both. So, this trailer must have a really basic electrical system.
Not Falling Apart From The Factory
Of course, the big question here is about quality. Well, it’s cheap. Everything in this trailer looks and feels cheap, but it’s also not really trying to convince you it’s anything different. You’re not going to walk into this Coleman and think it’s trying to be luxurious. Every part from the counter to the walls feels like Keystone used the lightest, least expensive option it could find. I’m fairly sure if a kid tripped and fell into the front wall of the bunkhouse they’d fall through into the bottom bunk.
Yet, at the same time, it does seem that some quality control was put into this trailer. I saw nothing that would slice your hand open (you’ll read about that trailer next week), nothing broken straight from the factory, no missing fasteners, no rust, and things that should be mounted level were on-point. Even the seals looked like they were applied by someone older than five, which I can’t say about my parents’ much more expensive travel trailer.
It’s sad that I even have to mention things like rust or missing fasteners, but that’s just how bad RV quality has become in recent years. I’ve seen it with my own two eyes. I cannot guarantee this trailer will last decades, but I do get the feeling that if you keep up on the maintenance, it should serve your family well for many years. Then, once it does wear out, maybe just retire it to become a permanent cabin or something.
This little guy looks like a good option for a small family who just wants to have a ton of fun at the lake on a weekend but doesn’t want to sleep in a bunch of tents. This trailer doesn’t even have a propane system because that would add cost. Yes, you can get a used camper for less than $10,000. But if you want something new with a warranty, it’s hard to beat the 2025 Coleman 13B right now.
The other good news is that the Coleman 13B weighs just 2,460 pounds, which means a large variety of crossovers that families already own will be able to tow it without a problem. In terms of holding tanks, the 13B can hold 28 gallons of fresh water, 34 gallons of gray water, and 34 gallons of waste. That’s not amazing, but I think that should be enough capacity for a couple of days if you’re careful.
While there’s absolutely nothing exciting going on here innovation- or feature-wise, I’m happy to see that the RV industry isn’t leaving the bottom end of the market behind. Not every RVer wants a giant bus, a dishwasher, and two decks. Some people just want a thing to take to a state park every now and then. I think this Coleman will be great for that. It’s a cheap tool to create memories in. I hope the RV industry continues this trend of having cheap options because everyone who wants to enjoy this hobby should get the chance to do it.
I wonder how this compares to folks doing DIY campers out of cargo trailers? As in: which is more durable.
This is tempting, my Dodge Magnum R/T could pull it and I had the rear shocks updated with the self leveling Nivomat shocks. This has what I need: heating/cooling, and the ability to shower and poop indoors. 🙂
Now this is a camper that I could actually make use of and not feel like I’ve totally set my financial future on fire. It’s nothing fancy, but all I would want is a hard-walled place for my family and I to sleep and go to the bathroom. And a place to escape when the inevitable thunderstorm rolls through. All other moments should be spent outside anyway.
Spartan. That’s the word. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Apparently windows and other openings add a lot of cost, as this thing is screaming for one or two or three more ports. I fear I would become sad if I had to spend too much time in one of these. Otherwise, it’s a fantastic lower cost option. Metal exterior, yes!
Windows add more opportunity for heat transfer into or out of the trailer — given the small A/C and heater units, minimizing windows helps with cooling and heating. So it’s actually a good design feature for efficiency. Besides, if you’re camping, go outside for the best views!
You know, I think I’m on board. I’ve seen 200 Euro/night hotels rooms that weren’t this nice (yeah, you heard me say Euro because no hotel room denoted in dollars would be this tiny).
I mean, you could run this thing into the ground and still probably sell it for $5k over a decade from now. Good luck retaining 50% value on a six-figure RV or trailer.
Lastly, I’m one of those weirdos who loves modularity — the fact that the fridge and A/C can be replaced with a quick Walmart trip? That’s a big plus. Our collective obsession with customized, built-in stuff (both in our homes and in RVs or cars) has a meaningful cost and hassle to it, all for some intangible aesthetic benefit against our better judgments.
I disagree about no hotel denoted in dollars would be this tiny. Go to NYC. I stayed in a main-line hotel in Mid-town Manhattan that was about half as small as this trailer. The door to the bathroom wouldn’t open all the way because it hit the bed. I think it was $300/night about a decade ago
I had a 15’ box (called an 18’) camper that weighed half again as much as this little box. It was built of plywood & little wood studs w/ plastic outer walls and a rubber roof. I was going to decry the wall mounted AC unit because a rooftop mounted unit occupies a standard 14” square opening, but the lack of penetrations make for fewer leaks. But the idea of an electric cooker and heat, implies that it will be used only at full hookup campgrounds or, you will have to carry a 2000 watt generator and/or use your Coleman stove on the end of a picnic table. Propane for the fridge, cooking and cabin heat is well established, conventional and not terribly expensive.
Given the inflation of materials prices of the last five years or so, this is actually some impressive pricing.
It’s no longer $10k. Reading the story, the references to Mirages and Versas made me think. I checked out Coleman’s site and they now call this the Coleman 13R (other than name it hasn’t changed much). It’s $12,632, which would be a bitch to get in Lucky Seven on The Price is Right. That’s still cheap, but it is 20% higher than this story talks about.
True but the story mentions that dealers are selling for 2600 off list and I assume a chunk of that is being eaten by the mfgr in the form of subsidies.
Story said that’s what they retail for but dealers have them listed for $9,999. So discounts seem to be available already
Is that a 2025 or a left over 2024?
Messing around, the deal seems to be left over 2024 Coleman 17Rs. Big name retailers like Camping World have them for $12k. This is a couple feet longer so that the queen bed is actually a rectangle instead of missing a corner. The big thing I see is that it includes propane and a sort of fake fireplace thing that provides heat for the winter.
Left over or not, this looks to be worth spending $2k extra on, especially that heat.
Just going off what the article says. Assuming it’s a 2025 as it sounds like a newer model maybe?
But to get propane and some extra length for $2k more definitely sounds like the right move to make if you have the right vehicle to tow
Looking at KeystoneRV.com (which seems to be the factory site for Coleman trailers), the 13R is 2460 lbs empty and the 17R or17B (different floor planes) are 3061 or 3071 lbs empty.
I would think that you would need a 3000 lb towing capacity for the 13R and 3500 for the 17R.
Realistically, I don’t think this is really a problem. It seems like vehicles that can tow can tow 3500+ lbs. A minivan can tow 3500 (but good luck fitting all those kids in either trailer). A Maverick with a tow package, AWD and the Ecoboost can tow 4000 lbs. (But a Maverick without that can tow only 1500 lbs.)
I would think of a mid-sized truck like a Ranger or Taco to be a good fit. These vehicles can tow 4000+ lbs even without special packages (the Ranger can tow 3500 with the bumper hitch).
This is all many people want I think. Much easier to justify and amortize this at this pricepoint.
This is like an advertisement for Airbnb in disguise. “Put the $10k into investments. Skip the truck, the parking spot for the camper and all of the pointless depressing stays that you’ll endure in a crowded serviced campground. Use Airbnb.”
As an avid camper let me tell you Coleman is pumping out trash products these days. The cheapest, thinnest tents imagine able (at full price though). Gone are the days where Coleman meant affordable quality camping gear (I remember those days fondly). I can’t imagine buying this from them when they can’t get a tent right
I mean, it has to be a totally different division, right? It’s hard to outsource the camper to China but it seems likely they did that with the tents. Maybe it’s fine? I’m inclined to trust Mercedes trained eye here compared to my own, that’s for sure.
A lot of new caravans sold in Australia these days are made in China, often they are then assembled in Australia.
It’s not even a division, Coleman is a trademark owned by Newell Brands (formerly known as Newell Rubbermaid), Coleman-branded campers are made by Thor Industries (specifically Thor’s Dutchmen division) under license from Newell
I concur, I have a Coleman sleeping mat that sprung a big leak after 3 years of use ( parse : about 2 weeks of sleeping on it each year )…
It was replacing a 60+ year old mat that had been used ( and abused ) by my grand parent, my parent and me before the latex cmpound insde became brittle from old age and it leaked from everywhere…
Now I’m in search for a good inflatable sleeping mat that can last decades, and it seems i’m looking for a dodo bird…
now the light stoves are still decent. But since they are technically the bare minimal and at that level of minimalism you can’t really be inventive…
Now I’m in search for a
good inflatable sleeping matanything that can last decades, and it seems i’m looking for a dodo bird. FIFYKlymit makes some great inflatable pads in different sizes and insulation values. I have one that I used as a scoutmaster for 4 years, so 20-25 nights camping each year, in every weather condition and various terrains. It has lasted overall for nearly 10 years and still has no issue. I have the orange insulated one.
I’ll lok at them and see if they are available in France
I still have the camping stove I received in 1969. I replaced the pump valve that had started to leak because I failed to drain the gas from the tank, but the stove works well after 50+ years of occasional use. I fear we Americans have poisoned the well of quality in our quest for low cost. American manufacturers have gone to buying in products from the lowest cost producers to maximize their profits. Sadly, we have destroyed our industrial base and left ourselves defenseless and at the mercy of our enemies in the quest for lowest cost goods. We saw this in the time of COVID when we couldn’t even provide our own (useless) KN95 masks.
I’ve had 2 of their garbage propane lanterns, neither of which put out any light compared to the old naptha lanterns, literally burst into flames and melt
I still have and enjoy my Coleman gasoline stove and several pressurized lanterns. They were high quality products.
Thing is, I go camping to be where ABNB and hotel rooms are not close or convenient. The costs of lodging in a camper are silly compared to a medium priced hotel room. The last driving trip I took, we stayed in ABNBs on the way out. The quality ranged from delightful to disgusting. On the way back, we chose hotels. The accommodations were much more consistent , convenient and just as reasonably priced, w/ breakfast included.
“My pictures don’t show it well, but the bed up front appears to be able to fit two adults, though I hope one of them isn’t too tall. ”
For future reviews, get the editors to spring for a cardboard cutout person about 5’9″ with hinges at the knees and waist who can be propped up in various poses in the photos.
Not bad for bare bones and hard walls.
I’d like some European-sized and weighted options in America. Something I could hook up to 90% of sedans without worrying.
Reinforce the bunk beds. Add some lithium batteries under the bunk bed. Maybe keep a cheap diesel heater and some diesel fuel on hand if you are off grid. I could make this work.
Yep, good starting point. Not paying for much of anything you don’t want.
One thing I’d like to add is that most RV dealers add some kind of prep and freight charges to these show prices. So what was $9,995 ends up being more like $12,000. Source: I’ve been in this industry for a decade now and have worked plenty of shows.
Honestly this is the kind of RV I might order for myself. Don’t need a massive vehicle to tow it. Big enough for my family and it weighs only about 2600lbs. Though if I was buying for myself, I’d probably get something even lighter and more basic like this:
https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/rockwood-tent/16OTG/9668
I don’t need a stove because I already have a portable stove.
Having power might be useful, but for less money I can get a something like a Bluetti portable power station with or without solar panels.
I was surprised by the power awning and the fake fireplace in this pricepoint. I do realize that fireplace is the electric heat. There’s a benefit to having “less stuff to break”, and even if it doesn’t hold up well, the stick built and covered with metal style can last a long time. I have a 1966 vintage that is built the exact same way and is still in service (wood frame with metal siding). Nearly every included RV mattress is crap and they might as well not include them so you can just buy a good one at the start.
Exped Mega Mat is what I use and it is fantastic.
Regarding the absence of propane… Even a lot of the larger and fancier trailers and motorhomes have given up on propane systems in the last several years. It’s one more system to maintain, and if you get leaks, it can literally kill you.
Rather, it would be nice if Coleman would offer a ~$2000 upgrade to this trailer for a few lithium batteries and a roof full of solar panels. It should give you a few days worth of off-grid camping.
Yeah, there’s a lot of benefit to going without propane in a unit like this. I do like having propane. We have an older Airstream and I camp with our local club a lot. I hear a lot of complaints about the newer models that switched to 12 volt refrigerators and the instant water heaters. I don’t have solar, but I can boondock and keep my fridge going on propane, my little 5 gallon water heater hot, cook in my propane oven or on the cooktop, and run my furnace if it gets cold and be fine for a day or two with my 2 standard batteries. If I ever move from a long weekend camper to taking a couple weeks out west or something, I may add some solar though.
A lot of the RV dealers will add a solar system for you as an upsell, so there may be pressure not to include it so there’s something they can add on for an extra fee to roll into that 20 year financing. That’s where the money is for them on these units. They get advertised at under $100 a month (for 20 years). They are a really bad deal if you do that. But if you are a cash buyer and want something new and basic, there are probably many worse choices out there.
I’ll be the guy to point out that these barely cost enough to finance for 7 years. You don’t hit 20 year financing until you finance over $50,000.
Even though we do have a propane system in our B van, we try not to cook with it. For $50 we bought a one burner electric induction stove top. At lower to medium heat, it runs off our inverter at times of the day that we can’t run the generator. (We bought our rig when Li-ion was new and a lot more expensive.) We also can bring our Coleman camp stove for outdoor cooking. We aLos repurposed our small Magma marine BBQ for RV use. There’s something about indoor propane use that introduces moisture into the cabin.
Burning propane releases water vapor, so your observation makes sense.
A lot of the Lithium Ion rigs don’t have any propane and other rigs either have induction cooktops or no built in cooktop and a portable unit stored in a drawer like we do.
A major complaint I have: camper beds are too short.
Especially transverse mounted beds.
Whilst the corner-cut in the ‘double’ bed might be inconvenient, if I’m taller than the trailer is wide (incl some space above my head): I’d be forced into the top bunk with my feet dangling off the end of it.
I’m not sure the interior could be any more depressing.
Sure it can. Add 30 years of wear and tear and its then current residents, a homeless family who can’t afford a van living in it down by the river.
Touche!
In 30 years this thing will be hard pressed to attract raccoons as a living space. Not that it really matters at this price point. It’s a deluxe tent for people who want hard sides but can’t/won’t accept a car payment to get one.
There are people living in this country who marvel at inside running water. Pretty sure if they can’t make rent they’ll happily put up with this tent.
Coleman “We will stick our name on anything!”
Sad because I still have my Grandads old Coleman white gas camp stove from the 1950s and it still works flawlessly.
The first time some of my friends saw it they asked, “wait, we have a backup stove right!?”
They used to make some great gear but now it’s just another label affixed to crap disposable goods.
Watch for the upcoming Coleman camper Harley-Davidson edition. It adds faux leather danglies along the roof and a $5,000 price increase!
Shoot, for the HD badge I’d expect at least $10k.
I can’t wait for a Coleman-branded car.
Made by Tatra most likely.
A Coleman Tata Nano? /s
This is the part of the market I’d like to see real competition in. When my dad was working far enough away that he was living in a camper during the week, this would have probably been perfect for him. He was renting a space with hookups, so no off-grid prep necessary, and this would have been smaller and cheaper than what he was using (which was probably also a Coleman, but I don’t remember for sure).
To echo others, offering a propane option would make this a heck of a trailer, but I think there are enough people who camp where there they can plug into power. This is nice to see.
Of course, I don’t camp in a trailer, so there may be plenty I’m missing here.
So these campers cost less than half what the city next to mine is paying for micro shelters after factoring in exchange rates. Way to go Hamilton!!
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/tiny-homes-microshelters-1.7433258
Based on having to replace a few tongues over the years my first concern is that the latch isn’t easily replaceable when it eventually breaks. Although it’ll probably get a lot less use than the ones we have at work so maybe it isn’t a big issue.
Worth noting that basically every low-priced RV comes with a disclaimer that it is not intended for full-time occupation and you will have problems if you try it. I don’t know whether the tiny homes are any better, but something like this would not be suitable as mid-to-long-term housing. Something that is should cost more than this.
I will concede that these trailers aren’t for full time living. Also, knowing the city of Hamilton, whatever crap ass shelters they paid for probably won’t be ideal for living full time.
I’ve worked with a few people over the years who live full time in small trailers. We actually had a guy at work years back that lived in a slide in camper in his truck. Not the sort of people I’d want to live like but certainly better than the tents people are currently living in and routinely setting on fire.
As a former Burlingtonian, I should feel compelled to make a joke at Hamilton’s expense, but given that I couldn’t even afford to move back to my old neighbourhood there, I’ll just wish the city good luck – I hope the shelters do make a difference.
Hah, I’m in Burlington (Aldershot) now. Grew up in Ancaster then lived in Dundas for 15 years. Every city council does dumb things, Hamilton just seems to do it in the most public way.
My city recently got an $11.65 million dollar grant to provide electric charging stations. Okay, cool. Fine. But it’s only for 47 charging stations, meaning a price of nearly $250k each.
Ugh. Might as well just provide 47 dryer ports and use the savings to supply a lifetime of free electricity.
If they are DC Fast Charge and needed electrical infrastructure upgrades to support them, that’s probably about right. The equipment itself without install can be $100,000. If they are Level 2, then they are getting screwed on that price.
They are “Level 2 and 3”. And I lied, the contractor that is installing them is chipping in nearly 3 million, so that more like $300,000 per station. I think they are being built across a lot of sites, so there is a lot of associated infrastructure.
But if you look at the official list, lots of cities are building a lot more chargers for a lot less money.
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/cfi/grant_recipients/round_2/cfi-awardees-round2.pdf
Yeah, that’s too much
Hamilton is a model of efficiency. California is spending $1Billion to build, site & install 1200 one person tiny homes. So, for $833k/ea we will house 1% of California’s homeless living in stressed encampments. Hooray for us! /s
I’ve always appreciated these barebones trailers. There’s a lot of frippery in so many trailers these days (who needs heavy solid surface countertops in a trailer?), and if this provides you a place to sleep, cook, and poop out of the weather then it’s doing its job.
My one complaint (and it’s a big one) is the lack of propane. A trailer with an old school lead acid battery is basically useless for off-grid camping if it doesn’t have propane for the fridge, water heater, and cooking. No matter what the dealer tells you, an electric fridge does not work unless you have a crazy battery/solar setup.
I’d also have to add a mattress topper to those backbreaking pads, but that’s easy enough to do. I even did that in my current trailer even though it has a proper mattress.
Yeah, this is definitely something you’re not going off-grid with unless you’re also bringing a generator and fuel along for the ride. That being said, I did see a bunch of slightly more expensive units with propane and slightly better beds. That’ll be in a round-up concerning “the rest of the cheap” units. 🙂
This would be perfect tow for a REXEV with V2X capability.
Hmm, thinking about it, if we towed it with our ’25 Rav4 PHEV, we could use the 120v outlet on the Rav4 for boondocking power.
Barebones? It has A/C! And a heater! And a fridge! And a toilet with a shower!
That’s LUXURY!
IMO “barebones” would be more like a dilapidated 1960’s VW van with its drive train ripped out. You get a rickety table, a bench bed, an icebox and MAYBE a cooktop.
I am able to run lights, 12V fridge, and my CPAP machine indefinitely when off-grid in my travel trailer after adding a 2nd group 27 battery and wiring up 200W of free-standing solar panels (so I can chase the sun when in partially shaded sites). It does have propane, but I didn’t realize the fridge was 12V-only until after I took delivery. Doh!
Honestly, if it was 400-500 lbs lighter, low enough to slide through a normal garage door opening, and had a propane system, I’d be seriously looking at this, for $10,000, it certainly does appear to be $10,000 worth of camper, which is a fair transaction
I can swallow the “This depreciated luxury car is cheaper than a new economy car” stuff, but the comparison of a camper to new car prices seems too far removed, seeing how the camper is not a car at all. I’m afraid we are about to get an article titled “These geniuses bought 100 PS5s for the price of a new Camry!”.
The headline is a strategy that our editors have said pairs the “unfamiliar with the familiar.” Most readers of this site are car people, so they can visualize cheap in car terms. But it’s harder to explain what’s “cheap” in RV terms to car people. Most people just know that RVs usually cost more than most cars.
So, my intent here is to show that here’s this new thing you can sleep, crap, and shower in that costs less than the cheapest new thing you can drive to work.
In fairness, I’ve been using this sort of headline construction for at least a couple of years (longer than the “Genius” thing) and most people seem to be able to make the connection of what I’m trying to do. 🙂
“ here’s a thing you can sleep, crap, and shower in that costs less than the cheapest new thing you can drive to work”
This would have been an outstanding hed
Very true! Sadly, internal data shows that super-long headlines usually kill a story for various reasons beyond our control. I still do them, but the usual goal is to take a statement like that one and try to say it in as few words as possible.
No worries. I am genuinely interested in the article about this camper, and liked it overall. I didn’t personally find the comparison of a new car price to a new camper price particularly helpful, but I realize that is only my take on it. Maybe I was thrown off by the fact that there isn’t even a new car available for anywhere near $10k, so the comparison seemed clunky to me. I love the website, and cheap campers are definitely of interest to me, so even if I am not going to take $10k from an envelope marked “Mitsubishi Mirage Money” to buy this, I am now interested in this camper that I didn’t know existed before.
“But it’s harder to explain what’s “cheap” in RV terms to car people. Most people just know that RVs usually cost more than most cars.”
But what I REALLY want to know is how many surplus EMD GP10 locomotives can I buy for the same price as one Monaco Dynasty 45P.
I like to compare trailers against the number of nights at a Hampton Inn – a fine hotel for 2 or 3 people for about 120-160 dollars a night.
When was the last time you found a Hampton Inn in the woods near a lake or stream?
There are hampton Inn’s near, Zion, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Gatlinburg (smokey mountains), Bar Harbor Maine (Acadia), Whitefish MT, Kalispell, MT..
dude – you are covered. And it comes with a hot shower, real toilets and breakfast.
And you dont even need to repack the bearings in the trailer this winter.
Let’s see, $10000 camper, at least a 10mpg hit to the average tow vehicle’s non-towing fuel mileage, minimum of $30/night campground fee, you don’t have to drive very far to come out ahead renting a Hampton Inn.
It will be a bit more to rent a hotel near most national parks and meals out may be a bit more (and slower) than preparing a meal in your camper. The advantage or purpose of a portable room on wheels is to be near somewhere that there are few or no accessible accommodations.