You can't have it all in life, and a camper trailer is not the place to start trying. When it comes to finding the compromise solution when shopping for a new camper trailer, it all boils down to a choice between features and weight.
In much simpler words, you can choose extra features for extra comfort, which will add to the size and weight of your towable, limit your range and access, and require a new towing vehicle. Or, you can choose a more compact towable, in which case you'll be compromising on comfort.
Faced with incredible demand from newbie travelers looking to get a taste of adventure and see what the current frenzy is all about, some manufacturers try to pack the most features in the same compact footprint. Others are thinking outside of the box with a creative approach that sees new types of towables struggling to make it to the market.
PeeWee Campers is keeping it simple. "We believe this is the best teardrop camper on the market" might seem like a statement that contradicts the childish wink in the company's name, but the Half Pint is meant to be just that: a peewee camper that offers the basics as standard but could be rigged as the perfect companion on your wildest adventure.
Photo: PeeWee Campers
PeeWee Campers is an all-American company working out of Nashville, TN, with the stated goal of delivering small, lightweight, and highly versatile solutions for campers at affordable prices. These solutions range from the smallest towable, the Small Fry travel trailer that you could tow with a motorcycle, to the larger and newer Big Tripper.
The Half Pint was introduced to the lineup in 2016 and remains, to this day, the company's most popular model. Given their promise of delivering a towable ready to go camping when you drive it off the lot but also highly customizable should you need it to be more, we'd say it’s mission accomplished.
The Half Pint is described as a teardrop trailer, though its sharper edges and angular design seem to work against this classification. On the bright side, they also allow for more space inside, which means you can turn it into whatever your dream camper is – even if that means an off-grid, off-road machine you can rely on no matter what.
Photo: PeeWee Campers
The standard Half Pint is 12.5 feet (3.81 meters) long, 6.8 feet (2 meters) wide, and 5.6 feet (1.7 meters) high, with a ground clearance of 13.5 inches (34.2 cm) standard. It rides on 15-inch wheels clad in 15-inch 6-ply tires, upgradable to off-road ones if you supply them.
The trailer frame is heavy-duty welded square tube steel with laminated aluminum walls and a Dexter axle with a supported weight of 3,500 lbs (1,588 kg). The trailer itself is as light as 900 lbs (408 kg) in standard spec, which means you can tow it with your daily, even if it's a VW Beetle. The company promises support in offering the real towing weight of most vehicles available on the American market before committing to a purchase.
The standard unit is, as the headline notes, a blank canvas. It's imagined as the basic package for a fixed price but adaptable to upgrades if the budget allows it.
Photo: PeeWee Campers
The basic spec includes a 2-inch ball front receiver hitch and a jack with wheel, so you can move the trailer into position by hand if need be, 120V outlets, two access doors on either side with screens, fenders and exterior trim with diamond plate, lights, step plates or exterior shelves welded to the frame, and windows.
PeeWee Campers says you can take the Half Pint camping as soon as you drive off the lot, but that entails you owning all the camping equipment already, down to the queen-size mattress that fits inside and comfortably sleeps two adults. Available interior space is 39.3 square feet (3.65 square meters) standard, reduced to 31 square feet (2.87 square meters) if you opt for the galley in the rear.
If you don't own camping gear yet, they can provide it for you. Optionals range from a rear galley, small but more than enough for the basic needs of a couple of adventurers for a few days, double rear doors, an extra wall to separate the kitchen from the living space, additional windows, roof rack and fans, TV, extra storage boxes, and complete solar packages. You can even opt for customized graphics since they no longer offer color options as they did several years ago.
Photo: PeeWee Campers
PeeWee Campers promises that the Half Pint isn't just versatile, lightweight, and affordable but also "one of the sturdiest teardrop campers built." Based on their feedback online, their customers – proud members of the PeeWee Campers community – agree wholeheartedly.
The RV market is feeling overcrowded these days, but it's always good to have options. And the Half Pint is putting on an excellent case when vying for your attention.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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