Jim (Pennsylvania) – How about stopping? Doesn’t it “push you” a bit when stopping?

I’m thinking about one of these, but I’m afraid of the weight. I pull a cargo trailer but the weight never exceeded 250 lbs. with a 25 lb. tongue weight. If I got the Rascal in the cargo version but with one camper door and put in my own air mattress how much weight do you think that would cut out?

I figure on hauling almost all my gear on the bike and keeping  the trailer for sleeping. Like you I want the hard sides for keeping out critters on the Alcan.  How did your Rascal hold up on the Alcan with all the crappy road debris?

Hello, Jim…

If you are looking to lighten up the overall weight of the Rascal, you would save about 80 lbs by removing the cabinets and one of the side doors.  The tongue weight would still be near 40 lbs and the overall camper weight exceeds 400 lbs.  On the Alcan, the Rascal held up just fine.  I am not sure if I was surprised or not, but the stone guard, aluminum fenders and fiberglass exterior offered a great deal of security for me and after the first 50 miles or so, I never gave it a second thought.

Tom (Colorado): Even though I have a Honda Pilot and could easily tow a larger trailer, the Rascal sounds very intriguing for my needs. As you described in your article, I am primarily interested in quick set up and take down, and protection from weather and wildlife. With the floor and mattress listed at 68 inches long, will a person 5′11″ (71 inches) be able to sleep in the Rascal?

Without question. The 68″ dimension is the floor length, not necessarily the sleeping length. When you lay the tri-fold mattress down, it lifts you 4″ above the floor line. The distance between the head and foot walls expand the further up from the floor you go. The mattress alone makes the sleeping length about 72″ but adding blankets on the mattress and placing pillows between the mattress and headwall will push the sleeping area closer to 6 ½ feet.