Today’s RV review is of the Rustic Trailer teardrop trailer. This is a small trailer built by a family who has an unusual aspect to how they design these.

There’s a secret that the RV industry doesn’t always want you to know. Very, very few RV decision makers actually ever go RVing. Seriously. So the fact that Steve Russel who, with his wife Amberly, spent six months living in one of his company’s trailers makes Rustic Trail Teardrop Campers really unusual.

The fact that they worked with the family to incorporate some changes and ideas learned on the trip into their own teardrop trailers is what makes them exceptional.

In fact Rustic Trailer Teardrop Campers is unusual in a number of ways. The company is family-owned by Steve and his wife Amberly along with her brother Derrek and his wife Meredith. The whole company started building trailers in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina in 2012 with Steve being the guy who did the company’s website. When the founder decided to retire he offered Steve first crack at the business. Since Derrek had experience in the logistics of production, the whole family jumped in and now are in the RV business.

Rustic Trail Teardrops

The company very specifically specializes in building small trailers with four different models to choose from; The Koala Bear, the Papa Bear, the Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Stealth. All four models share the fact that they are relatively simple single-axle trailers with no plumbing system whatsoever. There are available air conditioners and advanced battery systems but the trailers remain very simple.

All Rustic Trail Teardrop Campers feature a 3,500lb axle and the company basically builds rugged, simple campers. Essentially the campers are a bedroom on wheels, although the larger Grizzly, Polar and Kodiak models do have enough space to add a portable toilet, but Rustic Trail Teardrop Campers doesn’t offer one.

Nor do they offer a kitchen. Nor any water. There is no propane. At all. Again, the idea is to remain very simple. As such, the most expensive base model is the Kodiak Stealth starting at $20,350.

Essentially they’re an upgrade from a tent and that’s how the company likes it, as do their customers whose orders are months out. In fact, in speaking with Derrek he said, “Many of our customers are upgrading from tent camping,” but also noted that an equal number are downsizing from larger RVs and appreciate these for their sheer simplicity.

For example you just don’t have to worry about winterization when there’s no water aboard.

All Rustic Trailer Teardrop Trailers are sold factory-direct and sit on a 3,500lb axle. Their largest trailer, the Kodiak Stealth, weighs in at 1,525lbs giving you plenty of reserve for your stuff.

The grand tour

Inside the Kodiak Stealth you’ll find a set of cabinets at the front. To the rear of the trailer is a U-shaped dinette which you can have outfitted with a Lagun table if you choose. This is a good choice, these things are slick.

That dinette is also the bed so the table table top becomes the remainder of the bed platform. Under the bed is storage which is accessible from inside the trailer or outside and there is a window on either side of the dinette. That’s your entire tour.

Interior height is just five feet and the width is also five feet with an overall interior length of ten feet. It’s certainly a small space but the real wood finishes on the cabinets and dinette base give it a warm, inviting nature.

You can opt for an air conditioner in the trailer which is a window-style unit in the front. This leaves the overall exterior height at under 81 inches so it could be parked in a regular residential garage. Another plus.

If the interior storage doesn’t provide enough space Rustic Teardrops can outfit your trailer with either a front open rack or even a front rack tool box made of the same diamond plate material as the lower front of the trailer. There are also roof racks available for things like kayaks and an awning.

Furthermore there’s a receiver hitch at the back if you want to add a bike rack or other convenience for carrying stuff.

The buts

I can hear the questions now.

What about cooking? I’ve talked about this with things like the Duxtop portable induction cook top, the Magma nesting pans and you can power this with a Jackery portable power station.

Oh, and on that, if you do want a restroom outside the trailer there are a number of folks who make small stand-up tents like the SylvanSport Privy Bivy we like so much.

Tent camping is much more sophisticated than it used to be with some really fancy gadgets, if that’s your thing, to improve the tent camping experience. So, by extension, if your Rustic Trail Teardrop isn’t outfitted from the factory with something you want then someone out there makes that gadget and eventually I will review it, if I haven’t already.

In summary

We’ve talked about other trailers in the past that were very simple but I absolutely love the story about this family and their RV adventure. One of the interesting things, to me, is how young the family is. But you can also tell that in the design and style of these trailers.

There are no swooshie graphics and the cabinetry is all real wood. It’s a nice change from some RVs.

Furthermore, from the company’s blog, “As you can imagine, living in a tiny camper for a long period of time gets one thinking about what kinds of changes and enhancements could be made to our line of campers. During this time, we redesigned the dinette for 2021 giving greater ease of use. We also created a new optional front cabinet layout for the Kodiak that provides added storage and flexibility. One of our favorite innovations was the sliding RV queen-size bed in the Koala Bear which gave our customers the ability to sleep on an elevated platform instead of the floor – something that is rare in a 5 x 8 camper.

In total, over a dozen changes and improvements were implemented to our line of campers throughout the summer. We are thankful for our hard working builders Levi, Zach and Jonathan who are not only committed to constructing each camper to the highest quality possible but also aid in the constant innovation of the trailers.”

I would think the RV industry would do well to require that anybody who is a decision maker be required to use the company’s RVs. It certainly worked for Rustic Trail Teardrop Campers.

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