This New $10,000 Camper Is So Cheap, It’s Nearly Half The Price Of A Nissan Versa

It sure seems like nothing is cheap in today’s world. I recently went to a Dollar Tree and discovered that everything starts at least $1.25 now, which seems wrong. RVs are no different, whereas units with “cheap” quality don’t have a cheap price to match. Some manufacturers are fighting against high prices by going hard in the other direction. This Sunset Park RV Sunray 109 Sport is shockingly cheap for a new RV and even better, it comes fully equipped. You can get one of these brand-new for just $10,000, or nearly half the price of a brand-new Nissan Versa.

I just returned home from the 2024 Thor Dealer Open House in Indiana. It was our third year covering the event and let’s just say things were awkward. Apparently, Thor is well aware of and might not appreciate that I’ve been very critical of the build quality of the products from some of its brands. To be clear, I don’t intend to be mean. An RV might be the first or second largest purchase a person makes, so I want that person to feel happy with what they’re getting.

At the same time, I love the low end of the market, where trailers can be so cheap it’s very likely the vehicle you’re using to pull the trailer is exponentially more expensive. That’s what you’re getting with the Sunset Park RV Sunray 109 Sport. It’s so cheap that even if you bought your car used, there’s a good chance a new one of these is still cheaper.

Each year, the Thor Dealer Open House is a showcase of the latest and greatest from Thor’s many brands. However, you should never skip the independent manufacturers who rented space outside of the event. The indies are sometimes where you can find great ideas before the big guys get around to them.

Sunset Park RV Manufacturing was founded in 2007 by Merle Schmucker. At the time, Schmucker was just 19 years old and he was already a successful businessman, having founded a luxury home construction company in Florida two years prior. He moved to Indiana, the home of RV manufacturing, to raise his kids and to start an RV company of his own. Like many entrepreneurs in independent RV manufacturing, Schmucker sought to provide the kind of innovation and unique designs that you don’t often see with names like Thor or Forest River.

Today, Sunset Park RV says it’s the 11th largest manufacturer of travel trailers in America, and it’s done this on the backs of a whole lineup of tiny single-axle trailers like Sunray 109 Sport. Sunset Park RV believes that single-axle trailers are great due to their reduced weight, reduced tire wear, and lower entry cost compared to multi-axle trailers. The company says its customers are a little bit of everyone from the couple looking for a weekend getaway to off-roaders looking for somewhere remote to camp.

The pandemic was a blessing and a curse for the RV industry. On one hand, just about every popular vacation destination closed down. Americans with money dumped their cash into RVs and hit the road, leading to all-time RV sales records. However, just as the RV industry was enjoying the spoils, everything opened back up and people got back on planes, took cruises, and went to resorts.

As a result, RV sales cratered. In 2023, just 313,174 units were sold. The last time RV sales were that bad was a decade ago and the RV industry was pulling out of the Great Recession. This time, the RV manufacturers are hoping that people will start buying RVs again once the election blows over. Sunset Park RV has a different idea. The company thinks a major reason people aren’t buying RVs is because they just can’t afford them, and a new President isn’t going to change that. But a manufacturer can produce cheaper rigs.

The great part about the Sunset Park RV Sunray 109 Sport is how normal it is.

Usually, going with a super cheap trailer means giving up on features. Maybe you don’t get an air-conditioner, your electrical system is an off-the-shelf power station, or your “kitchen” consists of a portable two-burner cooking stove. A cheap camper usually constantly reminds you that you’re furiously miserly.

That’s not the case here. Pop open the door and you’ll realize the Sunray 109 Sport has a real RV electrical system, an air-conditioner, and a furnace. There are more expensive trailers that don’t even give you a furnace!

Then you move around to the back and spot a fully-equipped kitchen. There’s a real RV two-burner stove, a microwave, and a decent refrigerator. That microwave is a trip to me because so many teardrop-sized off-road campers costing tens of thousands more don’t even get microwaves. Not even the zombie apocalypse-ready ELE trailer had one!

Now, there are some quirks. The Sunray 109 is 12 feet long with an interior height of 4’6″. Indeed, you aren’t going to be standing in this. Also, the interior is only just big enough for two people to sleep comfortably, and I sure hope you’re really close with the other person. There’s no space to fit a bathroom. However, Sunset Park RV isn’t leaving you entirely on your own. There’s an outdoor shower and plenty of space to store a cassette toilet.

I could stop here and I think I would say $10,000’s a deal, however, the company isn’t done with the Sunray 109’s standard features. The trailer features a 3/8″ walkable roof structure, there’s a water heater, a 500-pound roof rack, and a six-inch lift kit with all-terrain tires. You’re getting a lot for $10,000!

To give you an example of the value here, I found a smaller teardrop trailer for sale by Bontrager Outdoors a few displays down. It was the same price of the Sunray 109 and built the same way, but that trailer comes with nothing but a bed and a tiny table.

Of course, you won’t be surprised to read me tell you that the Sunray isn’t the highest quality trailer you’ll find. It has a PVC roof you’ll need to maintain and that little interior it has feels cheap. The frame’s only rust protection is powder-coating, so you’ll have to keep that maintained as well. The more you look around, the more you realize where Sunset Park RV saved money. But I think it’s important to note that you’re spending $10,000 here, not $70,000 and up.

There is a catch here. While you can find new Sunray 109 Sports for sale for $10,000, many dealers want to charge around $14,000 for them. Unfortunately, that’s the state of the RV industry. So, you’ll have to shop around to find one for that magical $10,000. You might even find one for under $10,000 if you get one that’s a few years old.

If you can find one for that sweet price, I think you’ll be happy with what you get. Just temper your expectations. You aren’t getting a rolling hotel room, but something several steps up from a tent. You’re getting hard walls, heat, air-conditioning, 16 gallons of running water, and a place to cook. That’s basically everything you need for a fun weekend!

If one of these won’t work for you, I hear you can still find one of those much larger Coleman campers for $13,000.

The icing on the cake is the fact that the Sunray 109 Sport weighs just 1,475 pounds empty. That means it can even be hauled by some of the more wimpy crossovers on the market and pretty much any sedan or wagon with a tow rating.

Again, I’m going to stress that quality isn’t going to be out of this world, but the price isn’t either, and that’s good. If you’re a solo camper or want to take a weekend getaway off-road with your love, I could see the Sunray 109 Sport being an option. At the very least, it’ll be likely that the car you’re towing with was priced higher than the trailer, which you can’t often say in today’s RV market.