3 Reasons To Choose A T@B Teardrop Trailer
The first camping trip that I can remember was one to Fort Wilderness at Walt Disney World in a Coleman pop-up trailer. Since then, I have been on hundreds of camping trips in various types of recreation vehicles and tents.
In 2008, my wife and I decided to ditch our tent and purchase our first, and only, travel trailer. After much research, we chose the T@B 320Q teardrop by Thor Inustries. T@B has since been bought out by nuCamp RV. In deciding what we wanted to purchase, we looked at our lifestyle and what we wanted to get out of our experiences. We definitely needed it to be stylish, lightweight, and well built!!
Courtesy of nuCamp RV
It’s Stylish!!
The teardrop design has been around since the 1930’s and became pretty popular in the 1940’s after World War II. Many returning soldiers built them from surplus aircraft parts. In recent years there is been a resurgence of interest due to the fact that people are becoming a bit more environmentally conscious. Bigger is not always better when it comes to camping. We loved the aesthetics of a teardrop. It’s not for everyone, but I do feel like we attract quite a bit of attention when driving down the road. It really does have a surfer vibe. During our last camping trip; we met so many people just because they were curious about our camper.
Maybe I should add some surfboards!!
It’s Lightweight
The TAB is 16 feet long and 7 1/2 feet high with a dry weight of 1640 pounds. Fully loaded it tops the scales at 2000 pounds. In fact, it’s so light weight, it has grab handles that you can use to maneuver it around.
Due to the lightweight design, the Tab is extremely easy to tow.It is one of the most efficient eco-friendly designs of any RV. In fact, our first tow vehicle was a Subaru Legacy. Since 2008, we have towed this trailer with a Toyota Highlander, Honda Ridgeline, and most recently a Lexus GX460. Towing the TAB is a dream. You hardly notice it behind your vehicle and fuel consumption is considerably better than conventional travel trailers. In most cases, we reduced our overall mpg by no more than 4 miles per gallon. An added plus is that you will have no problem booking at National Park campgrounds that usually have a 25 foot limit.
Well Built
The TAB is packed with amenities. It has a three-way refrigerator (propane, electric and battery power), a two burner propane stove, a sink with five gallons of water storage, a Cool Kat air conditioner/heat pump, as well as ample storage for all your camping gear. The construction is awesome. It has an aluminum fiber exterior and aluminum frame which was made in Germany. That quality comes at a cost. The purchase price in 2008 was nearly $20,000. NuKamp continues that quality construction today but with a price tag of nearly $30,000. Let me just point out that we have had this camper for 13 years and have never had a leak or a mouse in the camper. If you have a traditional travel trailer, you know how unusual that is. You can find used models for sale locally. We’ve actually seen them for around 5-7 thousand dollars.
BONUS!!! Accessories Galore!!
So you think it’s small…………accessorize!! In case you need a bit more room, you can also attach a fairly large tent to the side in channels made specifically for it. This nearly doubles the useable space. We also purchased an awning that slides into that same track in case we just want a shade. We’ve never really found the design to be limiting. There are so many manufacturers now that make aftermarket products so you can customize your camper.
Verdict:
We love our camper!! It does have a few quirks, but it’s nothing we can’t live with. Besides, it’s paid for; and as we all know; those are the best kind of campers!!!
