Built in north central Minnesota, these 13- and 16-foot all fiberglass trailers were originally designed to be ice fishing houses on wheels. Winter fishing is hugely popular in the land of 10,000 lakes, and every year tens of thousands of traditional wood ice-fishing shacks come out of on-land storage yards and get slid out onto the lake ice.
Scamps are convenient to store and transport and have more amenities than most of the shacks --- full bathrooms are optional --- and they have the added value of being trailer-towed when the ice is thawed or warmer climates beckon mid-winter. They are also very easy to maintain. The gel-coated fiberglass exterior can be buffed to a protected shine with marine wax and buffer. All come with optional refrigerator, stove and heater. Their light weight makes them safe on the ice, inexpensive to tow, and they can easily be rolled around by hand or with a trailer dolly.
Scamp Travel Trailers
507 State 371 NW
Backus, MN 56435
218-947-4932
scamptrailers.com
Pop up travel trailers had been around for a long time when Takena/Chalet RV started to build their version of the pop-up. It only take 30 seconds to flip up the two flat panels, which form an A-frame roof, and fold and lock the side panels into place. The smallest model is just shy of 13 feet long, weighs 1,140 pounds, sleeps two in a double bed and has a two-burner stove and sink. The largest version (there is also a 15.6-foot model) is 18.7 feet long, has a number of floor plans, and is capable of sleeping four on an over-dinette center double and two bunk beds forward. These trailers are designed for couples and small families who want cozy comfort when they rough it.
Takena/Chalet RV Inc.
124 41st Ave. SE
Albany, Oregon 97322
541-791-4610
chaletrv.com
These all-aluminum teardrop trailers really make a statement: "I am 1930s cool." Compact and lightweight, each Raindrop (larger version with a squarer front) and Teardrop has the side profile of a rounded front tapering to a point at the back, and has a sleeping space and kitchen cubbyhole accessed from outside. Best suited for couples and singles travel, the sleeping compartment stores camp chairs and other outdoor amenities while traveling, and setup takes seconds.
Camp-Inn Trailers/Petenwell Industries LLC
555 Kucirek Street
Necedah, Wisconsin 54646
608-565-7443
tinycamper.com
Micro-Lite makes a number of trailers, both travel and cargo; all are designed to be small, lightweight, and affordable to buy and tow. The smallest travel trailer, the Moto-Mate model, is for towing by motorcycle. It is eight feet long and three feet wide, sleeps one average height person comfortably (very cozy as a double) and has a flip-up outdoor kitchen compartment in the back. It weighs only 490 pounds. The 12.4-foot Wazat model sleeps two comfortably and the sleeping "pod" can be removed from the trailer underneath it, which has the dual purpose of a small flatbed. At 14-and-a-half feet, the largest Vymeron model has a large double bed over the dinette, standing room, and a galley-style kitchen forward. The latter two models are designed for car towing. Maximum weight empty is 1,500 pounds for good gas economy on the highway.
Micro-Lite Trailer Manufacturing, LLC
25745 Woodlawn Avenue
Elkhart, IN 46514
574-264-3067
microlitetrailer.com
