Don’t tell our trusty Thor Gemini, but we have a secret RV crush — on small trailers. It’s impossible to travel around in an RV and not wonder what it would be like to have a different rig. After two years in our motorhome, we love many things about it, but we often wonder about the advantages of having a trailer. Take the Casita for instance. These super-lightweight fiberglass trailers can be pulled with a passenger vehicle and are extremely versatile. We first ran into the Casita while traveling in Sisters, Ore., where we met Petra Hegger, a full-time RVer who goes by the nickname “Grateful Traveler” on Instagram. (Check out her excellent photos at instagram.com/grateful.traveler). Hegger loves her 16-foot Casita, which she calls home as she travels around the West. “Everything about it just makes sense to me,” she says. “For someone who never pulled a trailer before, it has been remarkably easy to use.” We’ve seen Casitas everywhere in our travels and they never fail to turn our heads. The company, based in Texas, offers a variety of models in the 16- and 17-foot range that can sleep as many as six people. Along the same lines — but in a much fancier package — is the Airstream Basecamp. We were lucky enough to try out the 16-foot Basecamp during a trip through the North Cascades in 2018. The rig handled well behind our borrowed SUV, and the classic Airstream styling easily makes the Basecamp the most handsome trailer of its size on the market. The kitchen area in the front of the trailer is gorgeous. In the small-trailer market, there are dozens of other models to choose from. We’ve also been impressed with the R-Pod, by Forest River, another under-20 foot model you seem to see everywhere. But what about something a bit bigger? While we were staying in Sedona, Ariz., this year, we kept seeing Lance travel trailers pull into the RV park. That got us thinking: What’s special about the Lance? The company, based in Lancaster, Calif., is known for its hardy truck campers and trailers. The trailers range in length from 15 to 25 feet, many offering slide outs as well as other bells and whistles. We’ve seen Lance rigs everywhere we go, so the company must be doing something right to have built such a following. Another contender for Spokane reader Jennifer Ferraro is the Keystone Hideout. Keystone, based in Indiana, makes all kinds of RV trailers, from toy haulers to fifth wheels. Ferarro emailed us to share her impressions of the efficient layout of the Hideout. “What I liked about the Hideout was that it has a big dining area in the back of the trailer where you could fit quite a few people to play games and hang out,” she says. Ferraro is still in the process of shopping and hopes to eventually buy in the near future. Travel trailers are the most popular segment of the RV market. Dozens of other popular brands are out there, including Gulf Stream, Jayco and KZ. Are you thinking of buying a travel trailer, or do you have one that you love? We’d love to hear more about it. Please drop us a line at goingmobile@spokesman.com.

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