You may have owned an RV or even a travel trailer in the past, but now you want to downsize to a teardrop. These are no-frills vehicles that are inexpensive and perfect for boondocking. They’re also quaint and cute, possessing a certain charm with their size that you can’t find with other trailers.
You’re aware of some bigger RV and trailer brands, but what about those companies that make teardrops? What are the best teardrop trailer manufacturers? There are many teardrop manufacturers, some of which you may have heard of and others that are smaller.
While no one brand is the “best,” I think each company I’m going to showcase in this article is worthy of the acclaim they’ve earned.
As you start your search for a teardrop trailer, you should research these manufacturers first. With their high level of craftsmanship, variety of teardrop models, and competitive price points, you cannot go wrong.
The Best Teardrop Trailer Manufacturers
1. Vistabule
One teardrop trailer manufacturer that has come up on this blog before is Vistabule. They produce the eponymously-named teardrop the Vistabule. Their trailer has an aluminum frame with plenty of windows on the sides, front, and back. After all, what’s the fun of traveling the world if you can’t enjoy the view along the way?
The retractable kitchen—a standard in most teardrop trailers—is made of appealing natural wood. When fully opened, it has everything you need for your cooking adventures, including cabinets, utensil holders, shelves, a sink, drawers, and a cooking surface.
With a convertible sofa bed, a tall headboard with included storage, and retractable tables that can open up outdoors, you’ll be extraordinarily comfy. If you want to get back to nature, the Vistabule is a great way to start. This small, cozy trailer even has customization options so you can truly make it your own.
2. Timberleaf Trailers
Home of the famous Pika, Timberleaf Trailers is another great teardrop manufacturer. They also produce the Classic trailer.
The Classic is a tiny, bright orange teardrop towable by bigger cars and SUVs. It includes such perks as wood finishing, galley cabinets, retro laminate countertops, and Baltic birch plywood throughout. You also get a 20-square foot cabin, a four-inch foam Colorado queen mattress, skylight shades, an aluminum roof and sides, and insulation in the ceiling and walls.
Then there’s the Pika, a Timberleaf staple. This is the less expensive trailer of the two, even though it boasts much of the same features.
With either of your Timberleaf trailers, you can add:
- A customized, upgraded Colorado queen mattress
- A Rhino Rack Euro-style roof rack
- A Rhino Rack mesh room
- ClimateRight AC/heating at 2,500 BTUs
- Shore power adapters
- Zamp solar panels at 160 watts
- A Partner Steel 22-inch two-burner stove with a windscreen
- Maxxair upgrade fan
- Detachable wood exterior shelf
3. Cozy Cruiser
A smaller, lesser-known brand, Cozy Cruiser is based in Eugene, Oregon. They’re a family-run business that manufactures six teardrops. Those are:
- Columbia Cruiser: This deluxe trailer has a width of five and a half feet and weighs 1,250 pounds dry. You can choose from such hardwood options as mahogany, cherry, walnut, maple, and oak. You may also customize the fabric of the curtains. Other features include a plywood and vinyl ceiling, a vent fan with a rain guard, a MaxxAir 10-speed roof fan, LED interior lighting, a 55×80-inch queen-sized foam mattress, and locking shelves and cabinets.
- Rogue Cruiser: The Rogue Cruiser is an extended Cozy Cruiser. It weighs 1,350 pounds dry. You get the same features as the Colombia as well as 14-inch wheels with moon caps, torsion flex axles, an aluminum underlay, and an aluminum diamond-plated cargo box.
- Umpqua Cruiser: The Umpqua Cruiser has a wet bar. This comes with a gravity fill, hand-pump faucets, dual holding tanks that are six gallons each, and a stainless steel sink. If you’d prefer, you have the option to order an upgrade for the wet bar. This has double sinks and electric pumps that are 12 volts. The Umpqua Cruiser weighs 1,250 pounds dry.
- McKenzie Cruiser: Boasting the same features as the other trailers (with the exception of the Umpqua Cruiser and its wet bar), the McKenzie Cruiser weighs 1,250 pounds dry.
- Willamette Cruiser: The entry model of the Willamette Cruiser is smaller and a little less no-frills. It weighs less too, as it’s 1,200 pounds dry.
- Deschutes Cruiser: If you’ve got a motorcycle that you want to use as a towing vehicle, the Deschutes Cruiser is the pick for you. This teeny-tiny teardrop weighs just 550 pounds dry. It’s three and a half feet by seven feet.
4. Aero Teardrops
Another Oregon-based company is Aero Teardrops, but this time it’s in Portland. Each Aero trailer is custom-built for a unique vehicle you’ll love for years to come.
You get three base models to work with: the Broadway 5×8, Steel 5×10, and the Steel 5×10 H/C.
The Broadway 5×8 has an overall width of 80 inches, an overall height of 66 inches, and an overall length of 12 feet. Its dry weight is 1,300 pounds and its tongue weight is 150 to 170 pounds. Included are a retractable kitchen, storage cabinets, LED ceiling lights, and a 58×75-inch sleeping space.
For more roominess, there’s the Steel 5×10. This model has an overall width of 80 inches, an overall height of 66 inches, and an overall length of 14 feet. Its dry weight is 1,400 pounds and its tongue weight is 195 pounds. Since it’s bigger, there’s more room for interior cabinets. In fact, the top cabinet is so big you can convert it to a bunk bed if you have kids and need the extra space!
The biggest option is the Steel 5×10 with a high clearance package. This teardrop has an overall width of 80 inches, an overall height of 72 inches, and an overall length of 14 feet. Its dry weight is 1,500 pounds and its tongue weight is 215 pounds. You get such features as LED reading lights and ceiling down lights, storage beneath the floors, a convertible top cabinet, Jeep fenders, and large wheels.
5. nuCamp
The manufacturer nuCamp is mostly known for their TAG teardrop trailers. You may have even heard of them. They also produce the TAB 320 and 400 teardrops. Let’s discuss each model in more depth.
You can build your TAG trailer from the ground up, customizing the graphics, colors, and the hue of the sidewall. There are two packages to choose from as well: the Sofitel and the Boondock. The former is more about luxury while the latter is for roughing it.
The TAG trailer has an exterior height of 72 inches, an exterior width of 80 inches from one fender to another, an exterior length of 163 inches, and an exterior box length of 116 inches. There’s a queen-sized mattress that’s 58×78 inches. Inside, the interior width is 58 inches and the interior height is 47 inches. The TAG teardrop has a Gross Axle Weight Rating or GAWR of 2,200 pounds and a tongue weight of 100 to 170 pounds.
The counterpart to the TAG is the TAB teardrop line. This includes models like the TAB 320, the TAB 320 Clamshell, and the TAB 400. Both 320 models have several floorplans.
For the TAB 320, the floorplans include:
- TAB 320 U: The TAB 320 U has an exterior height of 89 inches, an exterior width of 78 inches, and an exterior length of 182 inches. Inside, the width is 71 inches and the height is 69 inches. You get a 70×73-inch bed, a 19-gallon graywater tank, and an 11-gallon freshwater tank. The TAB 320 U’s GAWR is 2,900 pounds and its tongue weight is between 138 and 198 pounds.
- TAB 320 S: The TAB 320 S is even bigger. Its exterior height is 89 inches, its exterior width is 78 inches, and its exterior length is 182 inches. Inside, this teardrop has a width of 71 inches and a height of 69 inches. The bed is bigger at 70×73 inches. You get an eight-gallon blackwater tank, a 19-gallon graywater tank, and an 11-gallon freshwater tank. The GAWR is 2,900 pounds and the tongue weight is 140 to 200 pounds.
For the TAB 320 Clamshell, the floorplans are:
- TAB 320 CS: The TAB 320 CS in the Clamshell line has an exterior height of 89 inches, an exterior width of 78 inches, and an exterior length of 182 inches with the coupler. The interior width is 71 inches and the interior height is 69 inches. The bed measures 70×58 inches. You get a 19-gallon graywater tank and an 11-gallon freshwater tank. The GAWR for the TAB 320 CS is 2,900 pounds. The tongue weight is between 156 and 216 pounds.
- TAB 320 CS-S: Next is the TAB 320 CS-S, a step up from the other floorplan. It has an exterior height of 89 inches, an exterior width of 78 inches, and an exterior length of 182 inches. Inside the vehicle is an interior width of 71 inches and an interior height of 69 inches. The bed measures 70×58 inches. Included are an eight-gallon blackwater tank, a 19-gallon graywater tank, and an 11-gallon freshwater tank. The GAWR for this floorplan is 2,900 pounds. Tongue weight is 152 to 212 pounds.
Then there’s the TAB 400, which is the only floorplan available under this line. This teardrop has an interior width of 79 inches and an interior height of 81 inches. Included are a 12-gallon blackwater tank, an 18-gallon graywater tank, and a 30-gallon freshwater tank. The dry tongue weight of the TAB 400 is 457 pounds, and its total dry weight is 2,690 pounds.
6. Camp-Inn
A smaller but still great brand is Camp-Inn. They’re the manufacturers of the Tiny Camper. There are two models in this teardrop line: the 550 Teardrop and the 560 Raindrop.
Both are teardrop trailers, but the 550 is the smaller of the two. It features rounded styling, dual cabin doors, and front windows. At eight feet long, this is one lightweight trailer. The weight varies from 850 pounds at the lightest to 1,250 pounds at the heaviest.
If you need more space and room, the 560 Raindrop should satisfy. It too has the same rounded styling, dual cabinet doors, and stunning panoramic windows at the front of the trailer. It’s longer at 10 feet and heavier, too. The weight is between 1,030 and 1,430 pounds.
For both models, you get such features as a lengthy bed, a bunk/couch area, door stops, an aluminum body, roof insulation, stainless steel fenders, chrome cabinet hardware, storage cabinets, more storage underneath the floor, a Fantastic Fan on the roof, and a stainless steel sink.
7. Little Guy Trailers
Over in Uniontown, Ohio is Little Guy Trailers. This brand is best known for the MyPod as well as the Little Guy Max. They also produce a smaller version called the Little Guy Mini Max.
The MyPod may be tiny, but it’s cozy and adorable, too. It features everything you need inside, such as a Fantastic Fan that runs on three speeds, air conditioning, a generous sleeping space, window shades, power at 12 volts, and an entertainment center. Its overall length is 139 inches, its exterior height is 62 inches, the inside height is 37 inches, and the inside width is 60 inches. This teardrop has a GAWR of 2,200 pounds, a tongue weight of 110 pounds, and a curb weight of 630 pounds.
Another teensy-weensy teardrop is the Little Guy Mini Max. It can fit up to three passengers and is a rare trailer that includes a residential-style wetbath. Its exterior height is eight feet, six inches, its overall width is six feet, nine inches, its interior height is six feet, and its overall length is 17 feet, six inches. It includes a nine-gallon blackwater tank, a 14-gallon graywater tank, and a 20-gallon freshwater tank. The Little Guy Mini Max has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating or GVWR of 2,900 pounds, a dry weight of 1,993 pounds, and a tongue weight of 280 pounds.
For the most room, you need the Little Guy Max. Here, you get an entertainment system, a 32×76-inch dinette, the wetbath, and a decently-sized kitchen. This teardrop has an interior height of six feet, seven inches, an exterior height of nine feet, one inch, an overall width of seven feet, and an overall length of 21 feet. The Little Guy Max also includes a nine-gallon blackwater tank, a 14-gallon graywater tank, and a 20-gallon freshwater tank. Its GVWR is 3,800 pounds, its dry weight is 3,140 pounds, and its tongue weight is 330 pounds.
7. High Camp Trailers
High Camp Trailers produces its teardrops in Portland, Oregon. All are made with a customized steel frame that’s powder-coated and welded. The trailer has a two-inch ball coupler, 10-inch electric drum brakes, and a torsion axle that’s 2,500 pounds.
The propane system comes with insulated currogated stainless steel tubing lines that are secured with brass fittings. The tank mount can be customized. Most propane tanks from High Camp Trailers have a capacity of 2.4 gallons and weigh 11 pounds.
To power the teardrop trailer, you get five fuse circuits, a shore power plug that’s 15 amps, a battery converter and charger from Progressive Dynamics, and a Duracell Group 27 deep cycle battery that promises 100 amp hours.
Inside the camper, you’ll find birch paneling and cabinetry. There’s LED lights on the porch, near the entrance doors, and in the cabin. The roof fan has 13 speeds; you can adjust these via remote control. At night, you’ll sleep on a five-inch foam mattress that’s queen-sized. The entire interior cabin is five feet.
The outdoor kitchen galley includes a locking latch handle, automotive latch lifts, a cubby under the counter that can be used for storage, and exterior LED lighting. You also get a Coleman cooler made of durable stainless steel and a cooktop stove with three burners.
Conclusion
Are you looking for some impressively awesome teardrop trailers to buy? If so, any of the above manufacturers I covered would be a wonderful pick. These are some of the best of the best in terms of teardrop trailer quality, floorplan availability, amenities, and sizing. Good luck with your search!
Which is your favourite teardrop trailer brand? Please leave a comment below!
