2008 Writing
D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
September
2008
Trailer Test
A Little Guy mini-trailer just might be the
towable tent substitute you need.
One of the fringe benefits of being a professional outdoor writer is the fact that I sometimes get to try different products that may be of interest to you readers. The ones I'm going to talk about today I think will be of particular interest to those of you who drive small- to medium-sized all-wheel-drive cars and SUVs, but the product applies to everyone who is an outdoor lover no matter what you drive.
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The smallest Little Guy model. |
Jeff Bryan, co-owner of Bryan Truck and Auto here in Silver City, loaned me a couple of his new compact pull-behind RV trailers to try out. (Bryan is the exclusive dealer for this area, from El Paso to east of Tucson.) Of course, I jumped at the chance to test them for a weekend.
I backed my new Explorer Sport-Trac to the largest model — a "Little Guy Sport" — and after hooking up I was off to put it through its paces.
Little Guy mini-trailers are made here in the USA in Ohio. I was surprised to find that they have been made there continuously since 1940, using the popular teardrop design of the 1930s and 1940s. The Little Guy was, and still is, considered by some to be the perfect compromise between a tent and a full-blown camper. The best part is, they are made with thriftiness and miserly gas consumption in mind. Why squander materials on large RVs when you can get something just the right size for your needs with no wasted space?
I tested the largest model for "trailerability" behind my big Sport-Trac pickup and my mid-size Suzuki XL7 SUV. This "Sport" model is a full six-feet wide between the wheel wells and accommodates a king-sized bed in the interior. Over the rear half of the bed is a row of wooden cabinets that open from the inside and the outside beneath the liftback hatch door. That lift door opens to reveal a large hinged shelf meant to serve as a kitchen counter and hold a portable electric or gas stove.
All Little Guy models are powered by a 12-volt system and an alternate 110-volt hookup, so you can use a portable generator when in the outback. There are interior lights as well as lighting for the "kitchen" and also an electric fan in the roof vent. A door on each side means one person doesn't have to crawl over the other when exiting. All models have low-pile carpeting and a fold-away mattress that, when removed, gives you a fairly large covered utility trailer.
This largest model comes with a 6x5-foot platform on the exterior front made of steel mesh and designed to carry an ATV, a couple motorcycles, or four mountain bikes. A covered storage box is mounted on the frame between the rack and the hitch.
The first thing I did was to find a long, steep hill to climb; the trailer tracked with no problem whatsoever and didn't slow me down in the least at a weight of 1,440 pounds. I never knew the trailer was back there except when looking in the mirrors. Rough and winding roads were no problem either and there wasn't a bit of wheel hop even with the trailer empty. I had no trouble braking down steep grades. I doubt that my gas mileage was affected at all pulling this job because it is so light and towable.
The king-size bed was great, although the mattress could use some firming up, and I would add one to two inches of extra foam on top if it were mine.
There are some downsides to a trailer this size. My Zuki would have trouble because the Sport is a tad heavy for it and, at six feet, too wide for my mirrors. The Zuki or any other vehicle in that class or smaller would be severely slowed down going up even the slightest of hills. So this model is for full-sized vehicles only, as the brochure later confirmed.
But that's why Little Guy offers smaller models. Since a whole bunch of you readers drive Subaru all-wheel-drive wagons, RAV4s and other smaller SUVs, I chose to take the smallest model and try it out on both my vehicles.
My Zuki has a six-cylinder engine coupled to a four-speed auto tranny. I find that when pulling my ATV and trailer, I'm slowed down on longish hills, so I looked forward to see what would happen with this four-wide platform trailer. If it suited my Zuki, then it would work even better with the larger V-8 Sport-Trac.
This Little Guy has a four-foot tongue hitch with a 16x48-inch mesh-steel platform in front of the compartment. This can accommodate coolers, a small generator or a couple mountain bikes.
It is otherwise the same as the larger model except the bed width is comparable to a tight full-size bed — just right for those who like to snuggle on cool nights! All of this comes in a 660-pound package. I believe, from pulling it around, that even the tiniest of vehicles — even an ATV — could handle this trailer.
Although I didn't pull the midsized five-foot-wide trailer, I believe it can be utilized by tiny cars and SUVs, too, with no problem. Plus you have a queen-size bed, so it could very well be the absolute perfect mini-trailer!
The company also offers a covered, screened dining tent that attaches to one sides of the trailer. I have a dome tent with doors on opposite sides, so I'd just put one of the doors up against, or hang a big tarp out for sitting.
Off I drove with the tiny trailer behind me to try the same tests I'd put the larger model through, but this time using the Zuki. Even with the smallish engine, I never knew the bed-on-wheels was behind me. Up hill and down, rough roads and smooth, it was great! I believe this or the five-foot models are perfect for towing. I even encountered a stiff cross-wind on top of a ridge and the trailer never veered once or gave me problems.
Even a Mini-Copper could handle it!
Were there any downsides? Yep. It did road hop just a tad when empty, and the narrow width made it annoying to back up because it was narrower than my mirror width. But that is a slight annoyance. The interior bed is narrow but acceptable. The hitch could have been a foot longer for backing up, and it didn't allow my tailgate to drop on the Sport-Trac or the door to open fully on my Zuki. I solved that by installing a 12-inch extension on my receiver hitch. But its light weight and compact size far offset any inconvenience.
So why get such an arrangement? Well, they're perfect for the person who wants to be very mobile — the type who wants to pick up and go and drive to a new hiking or hunting spot every day, without the bother of a erecting a tent, especially in bad weather. You can also take it to more private spots because it is so tiny and pullable. Yeah, there's no bathroom, but a tent doesn't offer that convenience, either.
Gas mileage won't be affected either, or not by much anyway.
I don't believe it is the thing for those who want to go to a campground and stay for weeks, though, unless you buy a tent to attach to it.
Otherwise, it beats by miles having to set up and take down a tent every day. You get a bed on wheels that will keep you safe from rain, snow, sleet, wind or any other weather.
As always, keep the sun forever at your back, the wind forever in your face, and may the Forever God bless you too!