Teardrop trailers are known to be very lightweight and affordable. This is why both beginning and already expert overlanders, including me, started to look into this to see whether it’s really worth getting or not.
One of the things I’m most curious about, though, is how it is considered lightweight. How heavy is a teardrop trailer? This piqued my interest and pushed me to learn more about it.
That said, I found out that a teardrop camper can weigh from 300 lbs to 4,500 lbs maximum. It’s nearly impossible for one unit to go above 4,000lbs because of its relatively smaller structure. This means that almost any standard vehicle, even without special requirements, can tow it around.
To give travelers more information about the specifics of how to drive and tow a teardrop camper, we have prepared all the things you need to know in the following sections. Let’s take a closer look.
How Heavy is a Teardrop Trailer?
Because teardrop campers are known to be lightweight, you can expect their weight range to lean on the low side. Specifically, you can picture it weighing around 300 lbs to 4,000 lbs. It’s uncommon for one to be heavier than this, but it can still stretch up to 4,500 lbs at most.
All in all, this means that, more often than not, one unit of a teardrop camper is lighter than most cars and other vehicles. You can also expect it to fit most cars’ towing capacity.
What Constitutes Ultra-Light Trailers?
The 300-pound teardrop campers are considered ultra-light trailers. These are also the latest and most innovative releases in the field after years of having a minimum weight range of 500 lbs.
Don’t be fooled by the lightweight structure, though. A certain model called the “Earth Traveler T300” has a four-person capacity. You should only check this out if you have the budget, though. It costs more than $20,000, which is far from the budget-friendly prices tied to regular teardrop campers.
At What Weight Does A Trailer Become Affordable?
If you’re specifically looking for affordable teardrop campers, you should start by looking at 500 lbs. This is usually the minimum weight of regular units, which starts at around $5,000, even less. The common base material is fiberglass, which maintains a trailer’s protective qualities against external weather.
The most common teardrop campers weigh an average of 1,000 lbs to 1,500 lbs. This is what you should expect from most of the models you’ll encounter.
Still, no matter the weight of the teardrop camper you choose, you can rest assured that you will still be able to find a wide variety of towing vehicles to use. You simply need to look at the camper’s weight, and the vehicle’s towing capacity to know whether you will be making the right combination for your Overlanding journey or not.
Three Vehicle Options to Pull a Teardrop Trailer
We have previously said that you have a lot of options when it comes to how you can tow your teardrop camper. However, it can definitely get overwhelming since it can be difficult to know where to start looking in the long line of vehicles around.
To help you with this, here are the top three vehicle options you should consider:
Option 1. Compact Cars
Compact cars refer to SUVs that are smaller in size but not enough to be considered mini SUVs. This type is probably the most common one that you’ll see on roads. They’re relatively lighter and smaller, but still, you can expect them to be just right to tow a teardrop camper.
Some of the specific models that you can consider for this are in the following list, along with their towing capacity:
| Compact Car Model | Towing Capacity |
|---|---|
| Toyota Corolla | 1,500 LBS |
| Kia Soul LX | 2,400 LBS |
| Hyundai Elantra | 2,866 LBS |
| Volvo C30 | 2,866 LBS |
| Saab 9-5 Wagon | 3,500 LBS |
If your teardrop camper is less than 3,000 lbs to 3,500 lbs, then it’s best if you check out the models above.
Option 2. SUVs
SUVs usually have a high towing capacity, and, thus, you won’t really have problems with this even if your camper weighs around 4,500 lbs. Here are some models you can check out:
| SUV Model | Towing Capacity |
|---|---|
| Honda Pilot | 5,000 LBS |
| Audi Q7 | 7,700 LBS |
| Toyota Land Cruiser | 8,100 LBS |
| Land Rover Defender | 8,201 LBS |
| Ford Expedition | 9,300 LBS |
The good thing about getting an SUV is they’re family-friendly. It can make up for the limited space of your teardrop camper, so it’s a good choice if you’re traveling with three or four other people.
Option 3. Pickup Trucks
Finally, we have pickup trucks. See the following list for recommended models:
| Pickup Truck Model | Towing Capacity |
|---|---|
| Ford Maverick | 4,000 LBS |
| Chevrolet Colorado | 7,700 LBS |
| Ford Raptor | 7,500 LBS |
| Mitsubishi L200 | 7,700 LBS |
| Nissan Titan | 9,120 LBS |
You should consider pickup trucks if you need extra room to bring your luggage or you simply want to have more space to enjoy the outdoors during the drive.
Can a Jeep Pull a Teardrop Trailer?
Since Jeeps have a towing capacity of around 2,000 lbs to 4,000 lbs. Two-door Jeeps have a 2,000-pound towing capacity, while those equipped with four doors can tow up to 4,000 lbs.
Overall, you can rest assured that they can definitely tow most teardrop campers. Of course, this is as long as they don’t exceed the 4,000-pound limit. You should also consider the added weight of the passengers and your luggage if you plan on placing them inside your camper.
Can a Prius Pull a Teardrop Trailer?
A Toyota Prius has a towing capacity of 1,598 lbs, while a Toyota Prius Prime can tow a maximum of 1,500 lbs.
That said, a Toyota Prius won’t be the most versatile choice for teardrop campers. However, if they weigh less than 1,000 lbs, then the Prius can definitely tow it around. If it’s more than the said weight, you may want to consider the other models under Toyota, such as Corolla, for instance.
Final Thoughts
To wrap it up, the weight of a single unit of a teardrop trailer is not even half of that of a regular RV trailer. It starts at as light as 300 lbs, which will be suitable for solo campers. At most, you can expect it to reach 4,000 lbs, which will be worth checking out if you’re traveling with a partner.
If you want something heavier than this, then you may want to look into regular trailers instead. You can find one starting at 5,000 lbs if so.
On a side note, your choices for towing vehicles are broad for a teardrop trailer. The three main things that you should look into, however, include compact cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks.
How about towing, is it easy to tow a trailer? Have a look at a recent article here.
