If you’re looking for a travel trailer that’s easy to maneuver but packed with amenities, you’ve come to the right place. Small travel trailers are appealing because they’re easier to park in campgrounds and require less maintenance.
Best of all, with the right trailer, you won’t have to sacrifice your favorite amenities. We’ve tracked down the best small travel trailers under 21 feet long and weigh less than 5,000 pounds when empty. These trailers are stunning and jam-packed with all your favorite luxury items.
Keep reading to see our favorite small travel trailers on the market right now!
Our Top Picks
Best Overall
Jayco Jay Flight 145RB
Most Innovative Option
Lance Enduro
Most Luxurious Option
Intech Sol Horizon
Best Overall
Jayco Jay Flight 145RB
When it comes to features, the Jayco Jay Flight 145RB has it all. What we especially love is the overhead cabinet space surrounding the trailer, giving you plenty of storage and access to your essentials. This lightweight, small travel trailer is an excellent value.
With a trustworthy brand like Jayco, you can rest easy knowing you’re getting a high-quality travel trailer. This small travel trailer stands out because of features like JaySMART lighting, which flashes the side marker lights and upper marker lights with the turn signals–an outstanding safety feature.
Like other Jayco trailers, the baggage doors and luggage compartments are all keyed the same. There’s also a nice pantry at the back of the trailer that you can use as a closet. You’ll also have 6 foot 6 inches of headroom.
As a Jayco buyer, you can also take advantage of Jayco’s two-year limited and three-year structural warranty.
UVW: 2,465 pounds GVWR: 3,200 pounds Length: 16 feet 8 inches
Pros
- Great price and value
- Bathtub included
- Jayco is known for its sturdy rooftops
Cons
- Dinette sleeping option isn’t the most spacious
- Only 10 gallon freshwater tank
Most Innovative Option
Lance Enduro
Launched in July 2023, The Lance Enduro is something else–it’s inspired by the popular teardrop shape commonly seen in small travel trailers and adds a square back that has a large, fully openable rear door that allows access to cooking space. This innovative design is space-saving and convenient.
The Lance Enduro maximizes its space efficiently, and its 40-gallon freshwater tank stands out. It also comes with 190 watts of solar standard energy, and customers can easily hook up a second panel to double the wattage.
This model also comes with a 1,500-watt inverter and 100-aH lithium battery–customers can also add a second battery. There’s also a television that can swivel inside or outdoors.
Its cabin is designed with high-gloss fiberglass that is gel-coated. A cozy 80-inch by 72-inch bed and two bench seats with backrests form into a U-shaped dinette. The Lance Enduro also has around 6 foot 6 inches of headroom (exactly 79.5 inches, according to their website).
UVW: 3,500 pounds GVWR: 4,500 pounds Length: 20 feet 6 inches
Pros
- Designed for four-season use
- Full wet bath with 24-inch by 26-inch shower and a cassette toilet
- Plenty of storage
Cons
- These innovative features come at a high price!
Most Luxurious Option
Intech Sol Horizon
Luxury in a small travel trailer is defined in a whole new way with the Intech Sol Horizon. This small travel trailer is designed from quality, functional materials. The Intech Sol Horizon is available in two models, the Base or Rover.
The biggest difference between these two models is the base features sporty decals and the Rover features rugged decals. The rover also features a tongue tie-down rack, a 3-foot lift, blackout wheels, and an aluminum tube bumper.
Both of these models are luxurious and trendy and will make onlookers jealous. One of the most impressive aspects of both models is the panoramic window, a 3-ply laminated glass front windshield that offers incomparable views of the great outdoors.
UVW: 3,230 to 3,372 pounds GVWR: 4,000 pounds Length: 19 feet
Pros
- Separate kitchen and bedroom area
- 10-foot power awning
- Seats up to five adults and can sleep six if one is a small child
Cons
- Lighter-than-average cargo capacity, even for a small travel trailer
Best Micro Travel Trailer
Little Guy Micro Max
If you’re looking for a travel trailer that’s ultra small and lightweight–aka a micro travel trailer–look no further than the Little Guy Micro Max. This tiny travel trailer packs a lot into under 16 feet, weighing less than 2,000 pounds dry.
This small travel trailer includes a queen and twin bed, and it’s able to sit six and sleep three. It includes five Euro-style acrylic windows, so you can enjoy natural light.
Little Guy didn’t skip on quality with this design–the travel trailer comes with a luxurious, well-equipped kitchen, including a deep stainless steel sink, high-rise faucet, and stainless steel microwave.
You’ll have no problem staying organized with smart storage space with several under-bed cabinets, a floor-to-ceiling media cabinet, and a spacious exterior component. It’s no wonder why this trailer was named one of the best new models for 2022 by RV Pro Magazine.
UVW: 1,860 pounds GVWR: 3,500 pounds Length: 15 feet 11 inches
Pros
- Cassette toilet allows you to cut down on time and hassle of taking a trip to a dump station
- Small size allows adaptability with a wide range of towing vehicles
- Two dinette areas that convert into beds
Cons
- Only 5-foot 9-inch interior height–this travel trailer is designed for little guys (and women)
Best Retro Travel Trailer
Riverside Retro 135
Vintage styles still have a pretty solid fanbase, so we wanted to include a stunning retro small travel trailer that’ll throw you back to the 1950s and also includes all your favorite modern luxuries. This eye-catching trailer was built in 2022 and will spark nostalgia with its teardrop shape.
This small travel trailer is functional, fun, and most importantly, easy to haul. It’s been featured in many music videos and TV commercials all over the world. It’s also available in eight colors.
UVW: 2,640 pounds GVWR: 3,780 Length: 15 feet 9 inches
Pros
- Dry bath
- Stabilizer jacks on all four corners
- Good storage under bed
Cons
- No bathroom sink
- No kitchen counter space
Small Travel Trailer’s Buyer’s Guide
Weight
The first numbers you need to look at and consider when buying a small travel trailer are those you see next to GVWR and UVW.
UVW
The Unloaded Vehicle Weight (UVW) is the weight of the trailer when it’s unloaded. This is also sometimes called dry weight. The UVW does not include cargo, water, propane, occupants, or additional accessories.
A small travel trailer is defined as having a weight of less than 5,000 pounds dry.
GVWR
The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is the maximum weight of the trailer, including UVW, all passengers, cargo, personal items, propane, and additional accessories. This number is the maximum weight the trailer can weigh when you take off on the road with it.
Length
Our top picks are all under 21 feet long, though small travel trailers can be defined as any trailer under 22 feet long. It just happened to work out that the ones we liked best were under 21 feet.
Water Capacity
Like RVs, most small travel trailers have separate water holding tanks, which work as the trailer’s plumbing system. Each tank plays a special role in the system. When considering the best small travel trailers, we looked at the capacity of each of these tanks.
Freshwater
The freshwater tank holds the trailer’s potable or drinkable water.
Gray Water
The gray water tank holds used water that has been drained by appliances or faucets and showers. This water is no longer potable.
Not all travel trailers have gray water tanks, and they aren’t required to have them. They’re only essential if you plan on camping in campgrounds that don’t allow drain water on the grass.
Black Water
The black water tank is also called a septic tank. Liquid and solid waste that drains from the trailer’s toilet goes into this tank. If the small travel trailer does not have a flush toilet, then it does not have a black water tank either.
Features
Bathroom
When researching small travel trailers, we focus on what is included in the bathroom area.
Most small travel trailers include some type of shower: either a full shower/tub set (which is less common in small travel trailers), a dry bath (a shower like what you have at home), or a simple wet bath (a shower with a toilet and a sink in the same room).
We also pay close attention to the type of toilet used in the travel trailer. The most common types of toilets are cassette and flush toilets. Flush toilets are the common common and flush your waste into a black water tank that you will empty at a dump station.
Cassette toilets make life a little easier because you don’t have to deal with a black water tank. With a cassette toilet, water enters a separate, easily removed waste tank.
Kitchen
When reviewing kitchens, the first thing we look for is cabinet space. Kitchen cabinet space is incredibly useful in a small travel trailer because it gives you quick, easy access to your storage items.
We also look at the materials used in the kitchen. We like to see high-quality materials like stainless steel, vinyl, and hardwood.
Counter space is another thing to be on the lookout for. An adequate amount of space for meal prep is nice to have in a small travel trailer since one of its primary functions–other than to sleep in–is to meal prep!
Windows and Lighting
Natural lighting helps reduce energy costs, and it has several other benefits, such as enhanced moods and better photo shoot opportunities if you’re a travel blogger. We look at where the windows are placed, how many there are, and how big they are.
Small Travel Trailers Frequently Asked Questions
What is the lifespan of a small travel trailer?
Like all vehicles and RVs, the answer to this question depends on how much you use it and how well you maintain it.
Slide-out trailers also tend to last not as long, so we recommend avoiding them. They can seem appealing because they can reduce space while on the road, but they can get stuck easily.
It’s important to properly maintain your small travel trailer, which includes cleaning after each camping trip, winterizing your trailer, checking tire pressures, and keeping an eye out for any roof damage.
Does my small travel trailer need insurance?
While it’s not mandatory, since your auto policy will usually cover what you’re towing for liability purposes, it generally will not cover damages to your trailer or theft. You should look into a separate insurance policy for your small travel trailer.
Wrapping up the Best Travel Trailers
Camping in a small travel trailer is a new lifestyle, and if you’re someone who finds this style of camping appealing, there’s certainly no shortage of luxury options on the market.
You’ll enjoy the ease of driving to your camp spot and not having to call ahead of time to make sure your trailer will fit in the campground’s spots.Looking to enhance your small travel trailer camping experience? Don’t forget to bring these 20 essential trailer camping accessories.
- About the Author
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Nicole Kinkade grew up in campgrounds in the Midwest with her family in their RV and has many fond memories around the campfire. She and her husband took many tent camping trips at the beginning of their relationship, and she looks forward to sharing the outdoors with her young son as he gets older.
She loves discovering new camping techniques and sharing them with the world. With a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Media Communication, she is a passionate writer who loves sharing her knowledge online.
Nicole can be reached at nicolek.author@gmail.com
