TAXA OUTDOORS trailers

[mep1811]

Anyone have any experience with these trailers?

http://taxacampers.com/ultra-light-trailers/tigermoth-camper-trailer/

http://taxacampers.com/ultra-light-trailers/woolly-bear-trailer/

I like the both designs . While I like the Wooly Bear with a RTT the wife likes the idea of a hard camper especially since we are planning a trip to Alaska in bear country.

The only down side is there is only a ball hitch


The pricing does not seen that outrageous especially with RV financing. The closest trailer to see is in Houston. Road trip

 

[jsek29]

I looked at the Cricket, their other model. It had nice features and was well laid out. The kitchen seemed easy to use and the bed seemed comfy. Tow weights are low, which is nice. However, it was a super lightweight build. I would worry about how it tough it is, especially if it is going to be towed off well maintained roads. I didn’t like the thought of what corrugated gravel roads would do to that trailer.

 

[ottsville]

At $14k for the tiger moth, what's another $300 or so to have a welding shop put a pintle on?

We looked at the cricket also and thought it had a smart layout and seemed well made without a lot of potential issues that a traditional RV has. Not sure how they would hold up under extreme off road use and I thought they were over priced for what you get.

 

[ferg101]

At $14k for the tiger moth, what's another $300 or so to have a welding shop put a pintle on?

We looked at the cricket also and thought it had a smart layout and seemed well made without a lot of potential issues that a traditional RV has. Not sure how they would hold up under extreme off road use and I thought they were over priced for what you get.

Agreed. Tongues are usually universally sized so a pintle hitch would be a drill and bolt on.
The price of those seems nuts for what you get... it's pretty minimalist and flimsy looking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kdj]

Looked at one at camper world. Neat design features like open side and such, and good size. but construction was standard RV industry. plus the one I looked at they wanted $17,000. No way!

 

[mep1811]

Yes 17K is a lot with a lot of unneeded options but then again most Teardrops you can't sit in are in that price range.

 

[QQQ]

I had a cricket. While it never went off road I can say they are extremely well built and would have no problem handing some offroading (you aren't going to be doing any rock crawling with one)

They are expensive new, however they are well built and they are sold on the premise that you don't need a F450 to tow one so you "save" by being able to keep your current TV.

Try to find a used one, there isn't much to go wrong with them so IMHO they are a safe bet. (not like buying a press board POS old pop up)

 

[Contiop]

We purchased a Tiger Moth earlier this year and really like it. Compared to other teardrop campers we found near the price range, it seemed much more well constructed. And, we got a pretty good deal on the price. The list was well out of my initial price range but there was definitely wiggle room.

We have not taken it off road much. I’ve seen a few other people who have mentioned doing so and with decent results.

There is not much to go wrong on the thing. Ours has remained water tight. One CAN sit up in the thing, but with two people and everything closed up it is still somewhat tight and access to the storage underneath is hindered. It’s still a bit of a struggle getting dressed, etc. One person would be a bit better.

It really comes into its own when you set up camp for a bit and open the doors. We camped in the Badlands this year and the cross ventilation and openess with the views were fantastic! The conversion from the bed into the couch is a nice touch.

 

[mep1811]

Thanks . Even closed up it must be much more comfortable that a teardrop or hiker type trailer . I'll be going to the factory in a couple of weeks to check them out. i have read that the frames are now made of steel to make it more off road capable.

 

[geoff325]

We have a Tigermoth. Being able to sit upright is such a premium over other tear drops. It is very functional. Just got some AT tires and moving to WYoming in a few months, excited to take offroad. Attached is some pics from our first trip to New Mexico.

 

[mep1811]

The pictures did not attach. What do you tow it with ? Do any other mods beside A/T tires?

 

[WhileInTheWild]

I have the 2017 Woolly Bear and for our purposes it is almost perfect, here is an album from one of my trips - https://imgur.com/gallery/3qRKs

I was between the Tiger Moth and the Woolly Bear for similar reasons, I thought my wife would be more amenable to camping during Texas summers if we had a more traditional RV that I could hook air conditioning up to so was leaning toward the Tiger Moth despite it not being my style but we discussed it at length and both agreed that there would be times she would still just prefer not to go camping and inevitably I would regret purchasing something I didn't really want leading to guilt trips and general household disharmony so Woolly Bear it was.


First up, the things that can be improved:
- the trailer neck is way too short so backing it up is a complete PITA
- the ball coupler is welded on (insert swearing here) so to swap to a more off-road friendly hitch would mean taking a cutting wheel to it
- there isn't currently a good solution for getting an awning over the kitchen area but Taxa are working on a way to use a height adjustable truck bed ladder rack to lift the RTT along with an awning while at camp to have the height for an awning
- the rear drawer isn't wired with power for a fridge nor does it have pre drilled holes to do so yourself so I hated having to drill into a brand new trailer but it was worth it

Mods I have done:
- Ran wiring for a fridge in the rear drawer including an outdoor outlet to hook up to mains power for when in the garage or at a park with hookups, the fridge automatically switches from 12v to mains if mains is available
- I used anderson power pole connectors for both the fridge wiring and another pigtail to easily hook my solar setup to the battery
- Upgraded the ****ty trailer tires to BFG AT KO2

Now for why I love it:
- Gear storage & organization, now I have all my "overlanding" gear stored on the trailer ready to go, I'm still bedding down the best way to organize things but have it close to being able just to hook up, stop at a store for food & beer and then go camping
- The RTT while still needing a decent amount of attention to setup & breakdown mainly due to all the awning sections is much more sturdy than most ground tents, it doesn't break a sweat in bad storms and can usually even have the window flaps open to enjoy the breeze, plus of course the 2" memory foam is great
- It is super light weight so easy to maneuver by hand but I do wish it had some form of a brake on the tongue for when doing so on a slope as otherwise on your own it can be a bit dicey getting wheel chocks in place
- there is plenty of storage including plenty of rack space on the top and an accessory hitch on the rear to put on something like a bike rack
- I barely notice it when towing due to how light it is even fully loaded
- There are other things I know I love about it but I need more coffee for my brain to be able to compose & type more

 

[eevlgoose]

We just took our cricket for our first longer trip. 2 weeks from LA up the coast through Oregon and Washington ending on the Sunshine Coast in Canada. I really wanted the tigermoth and we drove to Phoenix to look at both the moth and the cricket side by side. Eventually the wife decided on the cricket. With the 2 of us and 2 spoiled rotten dogs and all our gear (3 Mt bikes, 2 paddle boards and bag loads of gear for both activities) i think she did the right call. We both pack way to much stuff and my truck is always full with just our activity gear.





I haven't taken it on any serious off roading, just gravel with some mud trails.

Here's my 2 cents:
They are super over priced compared to some other big brand trailers. But not creaky compared to any to any smaller teardrops. As a designer myself I really liked the approach of the company and I love their quirky design. The concept is very smart and well thought out, the bent cnc'd Aluminum internal structure is super cool and feels way stronger then flimsy camper trailers.

Unfortunately some of the execution while in production is really sub par.
We did buy ours used so it was already a year and a 1/2 old. In really nice shape and very well maintained but Taxa is relying on double stick tape in some areas and that aged like ****. I've had to use 3m vhb tape to reglue quite a few things. Mostly rubber seals and velcro holding the pop up tent. Not a big deal but i expect better for something that price.
Supposedly their customer service is great but since we bought ours used it's no longer covered by any warranty so rather then haggle with them i just fixed **** myself.
Only time I've had any leaking issue was after spraying it at the car wash, a little leak in the wheel wells trickling inside. Gotta investigate that now that I'm home.
Their living structure is great but you can tell they went for light weight when it came to the actual trailer it's resting on. Thin gauge c channel is flimsy as F$@&. Axles are light torsion units. Hitch is standard crap.
My plan is to weld up my own trailer and just transplant the living structure onto it. Adding bigger water tanks and getting rid of the useless electric water heater for a propane one. And adding a real axle and wheels/ tires/ hitch. Especially since the trailer tongue is sooo damn short it's ridiculous.

That's my 2 cents
Btw, if you buy one, be prepared to answer questions about it every freaking time you stop anywhere lol

 

[mep1811]

Thanks for the feedback. I had a M-416 with a RTT but since getting married my life has be changed. No more RTT. The Cricket is much too large for what I do and the Tiger Moth seems right.

I can't see how getting dressed in the TM is an issue. I've never had an issue with a RTT which is much more restrictive .

 

[fike]

I wouldn't worry too much about the absence of a Pintel hitch. There are some threads here where they show some crazy articulation out of an ordinary 2" ball.