I'll warn you, these are kinda pricey - certainly more than a standard popup or small hard side. But for the right kind of user, they are a great option.
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I got my little Cricket hooked up to the new car today and went for a 25 mile ride. Everything went well, as I hoped it would.
The Escape with the 2 liter turbo makes a great tow vehicle for a small trailer. More than enough hill climbing power. Road manners pretty good considering the short wheelbase. Don't think I'm going to install a brake controller, after the testing I did, I don't think it's necessary.
Probably will get around 20 mpg highway if today's run was any indication.
Certainly looks well made, but almost a little too funky for me... and I have a bright red trailer behind a V10 diesel Volkswagen. I do like it, but seems a little cobbled together because the systems don't appear very integrated.
I guess I would be interested in your opinion about why somone would buy this over something like an R-Pod...?
I suppose that if you are just going to commercial campgrounds, an R-pod would be just fine for most people. If I wanted that kind of trailer though, I'd probably opt for a Little Guy T@B. Lot higher quality and materials.
The Cricket is more sports equipment than RV. It's primarily for those moving up from a tent. It certainly is tough and I wouldn't hesitate to take it up a log road or even off-road to go boondocking.
My previous adventure camper was a teardrop trailer. That had some limitations - primarily no hot water, no porta potty and certainly no shower. It was fun though, but had it's limits. This Cricket is a lot more practical/comfortable for what I want to do with it.
I was wondering if Wincrasher has any helpful long term thoughts on the Cricket now that some time has passed. I have a Fiat 500L with a turbo 1.4 that will only pull something less than 2K with a max toung weight of 200lbs. so it's a cricket or back to the tent days. The trailer looks amazing. We looked at every detail at the dealer's and were very impressed.
I've since sold the Cricket. Went back to a teardrop to use for my car rallies.
I'd be concerned that your tow vehicle is marginal. The cricket is not very aerodynamic, other than it's low profile.
If I were you, I'd also look at T@B's and the variety of teardrops that are out there. They would be cheaper than a Cricket, as well as lighter to tow.
We're too old to use a teardrop, don't want to go outside to cook and don't like dressing while laying down. Also have two dogs so a teardrop is out of the question. We feel the Meerkat looks too claustrophobic and lacks the quality of the Cricket. The only other possibility is probably another tent trailer. We had one and didn't care for the soft sides. When the dogs bark, the whole campground can hear em but if it turns out that the cricket doesn't pass our towing test, then we may go back to the tent trailer. Our car has 180 hp which is 10 more than my dodge dakota had so I'm not concerned about power. I think the power to weight ratio is probably close to your Escape. You didn't say why you sold the Cricket. I'm wondering if their was some problem with trailer or did you find you needed a major weight reduction or ? Thanks for the reply.:
Take a look at the Little Guy T@B then. They have 4 or 5 different floorplans. Most have inside kitchen, and some have bathroom. They weigh in the same ballpark. Personally, I like the clamshell model that has the outside kitchen.
Basically I sold off the Cricket because I wasn't using it. I have a Class B that I take trips in, but I need something for car rallies I go to. A teardrop works better for that activity and is very light to tow behind my sports car. I go to around 4 of these things a year, so the inconveniences are not too much to deal with.
Yes the Escape towed the Cricket fine, but you could feel the wind drag. The flat front on the Cricket is like a sail. It might do better on a tow vehicle that is a bit higher, like a minivan, so that it's completely in the slip-stream behind the vehicle. My Escape has about 260 hp so it was not really much of an issue, but I'd be wary of having less power. It's smart of you to get a test tow and see how it goes.
Otherwise, the Cricket is a solid, if not unusual looking trailer. I got alot of questions and positive commentary whenever I took it out.
Another thing you may want to consider is a Lifetime Tent Trailer. You can find them on Amazon. Basically it's a custom tent mounted on a utility trailer. You can store the tent in your garage and use the trailer for odd jobs. They are cheap ($2800) and very light (750 lbs). Better than being on the ground and useful to have around the house.
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