There are few campers that give us the nostalgia of bygone days more than the teardrop trailer. Teardrop trailers have a history that follows the American experience of the 20th century - one of hope and the pursuit of happiness. The teardrop became extremely popular after World War II, when people were tired of war and eager for prosperity. Teardrops were literally made out of the rubble of the war - the exterior skins from the wings of WWII bombers or the chassis of steel U channel; and made in a way that anyone could tow them in a time when cars typically had an engine under 100 horsepower.
The teardrop declined through the decades as engines and RVs got bigger, but they never really faded. As gas prices rose and more people wanted to RV regardless of vehicle, the teardrop trailer started coming back in the 21st Century, where they are now often seen on the highways towed by cars and SUVs that are not typically used for towing. That is the beauty of them - they are accessible to just about anyone with a car and a dream to enjoy the RV lifestyle.
One of the people responsible for bringing that revival is Joe Kicos, co-founder of Little Guy Trailers. In the early 2000s, Kicos, an airline pilot, decided he wanted to start a business making teardrops. "My old partner had a teardrop on his car lot and I fell in love with the idea," recalled Kicos. "The concept is perfect - it's aerodynamic, simple and it is something everyone could afford."
The 2020 Camp Rover open house showing the ins and outs. [Photo/Xtreme Outdoors LLC]
After beginning to make really small teardrops, the company and its product line have evolved from there - from making 2-3 a week to making several a day with over 17 different models on the road today. Their newest 2020 model is called the Camp Rover and it hails back to the roots of the company and to the roots of teardrop trailers themselves.
"I go to a lot of shows every year and I listen to the feedback we get on our trailers," Kicos explained, "And people love our Little Guy Max, but some are saying it has too many features. That it has all the modern conveniences and some of these people are camping to get AWAY from all those things. So we made a trailer for them - for the folks who just want to enjoy camping in a high quality trailer."
The Camp Rover is the same body size as the Little Guy Max - 21' long and 7' wide. The interior height is an impressive 6'7". There is still a queen-sized bed, wet bath, kitchen and more (it also has an optional flip-down upper bunk bed to fit a small family). The difference comes in the features. The Little Guy Max has all the bells and whistles - two TVs, speakers, DVD player and all the entertainment that gives the comforts of home. The Camp Rover does away with all that in order for campers to enjoy the thing they are doing - camping.
"We eliminated the flashy trim and all that to return to the idea of camping as a way to decompress," Kicos told The Buzz. "Though that doesn't mean we skimped on the build process. It's the same components and high quality we put into all our trailers. Yet, it retails for less because it doesn't have all that extra stuff."
Kicos explained that the Camp Rover is still equipped with things to install certain features in case the customer wants them, such as the Keder rail, which allows for aftermarket screen room, a visor and an awning. It is pre-wired for TV and entertainment features, should someone want to add a couple of features.
Little Guy Trailers has gone through several transitions as a company the past two decades. Most recently, Xtreme Outdoors, LLC, bought the assets of Liberty Outdoors, who owned Little Guy. In 2017, they started manufacturing their trailers in-house at a 100,000 square foot space facility in Somerset, PA employing about 80 people.
Having the ability to come up with new ideas and make them in-house gives Little Guy the opportunity to experiment with different ideas and utilize feedback from their customers. They offer consultations for customization depending on the need of the client - from tailgaters who want an outside grill to outfitting a trailer for handling off-road conditions. Besides the Camp Rover, coming soon is the MyPod, a tiny fiberglass trailer that has a dry weight of 550 pounds. It can be towed by basically any car and has a bed, entertainment center, AC, and comes with an available roof rack for a kayak or bicycles.
Although many prefer a large motorhome or travel trailer for their home base, there is a group that likes to have a camper to solely enjoy the weekends and summers. If you’re the latter, you can’t get any better than teardrop trailers that hearken back to the glory days of camping in the wilds of North America.