Honest Review of the 2025 Riverside Retro 145BT cabover travel trailer
Today’s RV review is of the Riverside Retro 145BT, part of the Riverside RV Retro family. According to a company spokesperson this is the first of what will be a line of these cab-over trailers - the response to these was pretty great.
But first, you might not have heard of Riverside RV but they’re a small, independent manufacturer of RVs that has a few lines, including the Retro series.
The model shown was something before even a prototype - the company was sort of experimenting with what they could do and came up with this very unusual floor plan. The thing is, this floor plan isn’t as unusual as you might think. In the 1960s there were a number of these ‘cabover’ or upper bunk trailers produced by a number of companies. This is just the first one I’ve seen built in the last 50 years.
The idea of this is to extend the interior of a smaller trailer by allowing the bed to protrude over the tongue of the trailer. This gives you more interior space without necessarily extending the entire trailer.
A welded aluminum cage creates the frame of the Riverside Retro line.jpg
Built differently
You might look at Riverside’s Retro series of trailers and see the aluminum corrugated skin and assume that these are wood-framed trailers, but they’re actually not. Riverside actually creates a welded aluminum structure for these trailers and then attaches the aluminum skin to that.
From there the company builds these models with retro-looking interiors that I think are very tasteful. To be sure these trailers are designed to compete in the mainstream market so they’re not built with a lot of high-end features but they’re not cheaply built either. That aluminum cage construction along with the aluminum skin can produce a really long-lasting rig.
Now do know that these do feature simple leaf spring suspensions and import-brand tires that don’t feature tire pressure monitors which I think is a big bummer.
What’s inside
What I really love is the retro look - not just the red-and-white upholstery and curtains in the sample the company brought to Open House but also the birch look to the walls and cabinets.
There is a surprising amount of storage in this little rig starting at the door where there are two cabinets right there for jackets or shoes or what not.
Over on the camp side there’s a table under the window that’s part of a cabinet build that could be used for kitchen counter space, additional dining, or whatever. The cabinet cubby beneath that is also a bit of extra storage, though it really could be a bar, quite honestly. A good one!
There is a reasonable amount of storage in the kitchen considering the small size of this rig.
Up front is a U-shaped dinette which can become a bed but the big surprise is that overhead bunk, much like you’d find in a pickup camper. I don’t think an adult could sit up in that space. I would imagine that it’s really meant for a smaller camper, although not necessarily.
The bathroom in here is decent but doesn’t have a sink, which I don’t care about but which drives my adult supervisor (aka my wife) nuts. But, again, this is a really small trailer.
There is a shower and a plastic toilet and Riverside puts a high-performance vent fan in here so I’m a happy camper.
Final thoughts on the Riverside Retro cabover trailer
I don’t have any specifications nor really many other details about this. I know the prototype was built somewhat to explore the concept of even moving forward with this.
The company did state that the MSRP of this was going to be about $25,000 which is a pretty good value once you factor in typical dealership discounts.
If this is like the company’s similar 135-series trailer then you’ll find decent holding tanks here - 39 gallons of fresh water and 30 each of gray and black. Not bad at all for such a diminutive rig.
Honestly I don’t have a read on whether this will sell well or not. I see a lot of pluses in this unique trailer including the fact that it’s very compact yet really doesn’t feel all that small inside.
I’d love to read your comments below about your feelings on this trailer and so would Riverside.
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