Choosing the right small travel trailer for full-time RV living can feel completely overwhelming. Go too small, and everyday life could quickly become cramped and frustrating. Go too big, and you may spend more money, burn more fuel and lose some of the freedom that made you want a small camper in the first place.
That is exactly the decision my husband Tom and I are facing.
Tom plans to retire next spring, and we are preparing to sell almost everything we own and begin living in an RV full time. I love the freedom and flexibility of a small travel trailer—but choosing the wrong one could be a very expensive mistake.
I recently shared seven small travel trailers I would actually consider living in. After comparing their layouts, bathrooms, storage, holding tanks and prices, I asked viewers which one they would choose.
I expected one trailer to become the clear winner.
Instead, viewers brought an eliminated travel trailer back into the running, suggested several campers I had overlooked and told me I might be better off keeping the Little Guy Max already sitting in my driveway.
Then they began offering solutions for its nine-gallon black tank—and that is when things got really interesting.
What Makes a Small Travel Trailer Suitable for Full-Time RV Living?
Living in a travel trailer full time is very different from taking it on a weekend camping trip.
When your camper becomes your only home, it must function as your kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room and sometimes even your office. There is no larger house waiting for you at the end of the trip.
For Tom, Thor and me, a small travel trailer would need to provide:
- Enough room for two adults and a dog
- A comfortable bed
- A usable bathroom and shower
- Adequate food storage
- Enough freshwater and wastewater capacity
- Practical storage for full-time travel
- A weight our Ford F-150 can comfortably tow
The challenge is finding all of that without ending up with an enormous travel trailer.
I still want to fit into smaller campsites, tow comfortably and explore places that may not accommodate a large RV. That freedom is one of the main reasons I am reluctant to go bigger.
The nuCamp Haven 220 Was a Viewer Favorite
Of the possible replacements featured in my original video, the nuCamp Haven 220 received some of the strongest support.
I understand why.
The Haven offers a walk-around bed, a beautiful dry bathroom, larger holding tanks and considerably more interior space than my Little Guy Max. It manages to feel residential without becoming an enormous trailer.
My biggest concern is its refrigerator.
The Haven could probably hold approximately one week’s worth of food for both of us, but likely not much more. Its small freezer concerns me even more.
For full-time RV living, I would prefer enough refrigerator and freezer space to go closer to two weeks between grocery runs—especially when we are camping far from town.
Several viewers suggested carrying an additional refrigerator or freezer in our truck. That could certainly solve the problem.
But we will already be trying to fit everything we own into a small camper and our truck. An additional refrigerator becomes one more thing to buy, power and find room for.
And I am trying to figure out how to live with fewer things—not find new places to put more of them.
The Haven is still an appealing travel trailer, but food storage remains one of the compromises I would need to consider carefully.
The InTech Aucta Magnolia Also Received Strong Support
Viewers also encouraged me to keep the InTech Aucta Magnolia on my list.
The Magnolia provides a roomy interior, larger holding tanks and an impressive number of windows without feeling like an oversized travel trailer.
I had questioned its exterior storage because part of that space can be used for an outdoor kitchen. However, several viewers pointed out that the outdoor kitchen is optional, which could improve the storage situation.
That is exactly why hearing from actual owners is so valuable. A feature that looks like a deal breaker during my initial research may have an option or solution I did not know about.
From my original seven travel trailers, the Haven and Magnolia emerged as two of the strongest contenders.
But the biggest surprise came from a camper I had already eliminated.
The Encore Venu 17TB Is Back in the Running
Tom and I first saw the Encore Venu 17TB at the Florida RV SuperShow a couple of years ago, and we were both impressed.
It did not look like every other camper at the show. The Venu had an airplane-inspired interior, aluminum cabinetry, impressive construction and an enormous amount of storage.
It is approximately the same length as my Little Guy Max, but it is more than a foot wider. That extra width makes a noticeable difference inside a small travel trailer.
I liked the Venu so much that I produced an entire video about it.
So why did I eliminate it from my list?
It had an approximately five-gallon cassette toilet.
My Little Guy Max already has a nine-gallon black tank, which I consider too small for two people living in an RV full time. Replacing it with an even smaller cassette toilet did not feel like an improvement.
Then a viewer encouraged me to take another look.
The new 2027 Encore Venu 17TB no longer has that five-gallon cassette. It now includes a conventional porcelain RV toilet and an impressive 30-gallon black tank.
That is more than three times the black-tank capacity of my Little Guy Max—and unusually large for a travel trailer this size.
The Venu also offers:
- 38 gallons of fresh water
- A 30-gallon gray tank
- An eight-cubic-foot refrigerator
- A tremendous amount of storage
- A conventional RV toilet
The one feature that caused me to eliminate the Venu has now been eliminated from the Venu.
I am not saying it has suddenly become our next camper. However, it has gone from completely eliminated to one of the most interesting small travel trailers I am considering.
I would not have discovered that important change if a viewer had not encouraged me to look again.
The Small Travel Trailers I Overlooked
Apparently, narrowing more than 100 travel trailers down to seven was not enough. Several viewers kindly sent me back to work.
The most-mentioned travel trailer brand I overlooked was Escape.
Escape owners praised the company’s construction, large windows, storage, holding-tank sizes and overall value. The Escape 21C and Escape 5.0 were among the models viewers encouraged me to investigate.
Following closely behind Escape was Lance.
Viewers suggested several Lance travel trailers, including the 1685, 1985, 1995 and 2075.
One former Little Guy Max owner explained that they moved into a Lance 1995 for many of the same reasons Tom and I are considering something larger:
- More room for two adults and a dog
- A walk-around bed
- A dry bathroom
- Larger holding tanks
- Better storage
- Models that may work with a half-ton truck
Honestly, both Escape and Lance sound suspiciously close to what I have been looking for.
I still have considerably more research to do before adding either one to my finalists. But enough experienced owners recommended them that I cannot ignore them.
My carefully researched list of seven may need to become a list of nine.
Should We Keep Our Little Guy Max?
While some viewers were adding travel trailers to my list, many others were trying to talk me out of buying another one.
A surprising number said the best small travel trailer for us might be the one we already own.
There are several good reasons to keep our Little Guy Max:
- We already own it.
- It is paid for.
- I know how it tows.
- It has held up well for eight years.
- I have spent years making it comfortable.
- I know it works well for my solo camping trips.
- Tom and I can comfortably vacation in it together.
Several people recommended beginning our full-time RV living journey in the Little Guy Max. Actual experience would then show us whether we truly need something larger.
That could prevent us from spending tens of thousands of dollars trying to solve problems we do not even know we have.
However, vacationing in a small camper is very different from living in one full time.
Once we sell our condo, there will not be a larger home waiting for us at the end of each trip. The Little Guy Max will become our kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room and office.
On a long rainy day, it may also become a very small test of our marriage.
One viewer offered a creative solution: keep the Little Guy Max and buy a second one for Tom.
Two campers. Two beds. Two bathrooms.
And if he annoys me, two completely different campgrounds.
Financially questionable? Possibly.
Good for the marriage? I am not ruling it out.
Can We Solve the Nine-Gallon Black-Tank Problem?
Even many viewers who suggested keeping our Little Guy Max agreed that its nine-gallon black tank could become a problem.
With two people using it full time, we might need to find a dump station every three or four days.
Viewers suggested several possible solutions:
- A portable RV waste tote
- A larger replacement black tank
- A composting or separating toilet
- A dry-flush toilet
- WAG bags
- A honey-wagon service
Each option solves a slightly different problem.
A portable waste tote adds capacity, but we would need to store, transport and clean it.
A separating toilet keeps waste out of the black tank, but it creates an entirely different bathroom routine.
A dry-flush toilet eliminates the need for a dump station, but it requires special bags, creates more trash and adds an ongoing expense.
A larger replacement black tank might solve the actual capacity problem—if one can be installed safely underneath our Little Guy Max.
Some campers prefer cassette toilets because they can be removed and carried to an approved disposal location without moving the RV. I understand that advantage.
However, an approximately five-gallon cassette provides less capacity than my current nine-gallon black tank. Five gallons of liquid can also weigh more than 40 pounds.
For me, emptying a toilet more frequently and carrying it does not appear to solve the problem.
That does not make cassette toilets a bad option. It simply means they may not be the right option for the way Tom and I plan to travel.
The real question is whether we need more capacity—or simply an easier way to empty what we already have.
If you have personally switched from a conventional RV black tank to a cassette, separating, composting or dry-flush toilet, I would love to hear what everyday life with it is actually like. What works better—and what do people conveniently forget to mention?
Is a 21-Foot Travel Trailer Too Small for Two People?
The viewer comments helped me separate two very different concerns.
The first is whether Tom and I can manage with a nine-gallon black tank.
The second is whether two adults and a dog can comfortably live together in a 21-foot travel trailer.
Changing the toilet system might solve the first problem.
It will not add a single inch to the camper.
My Little Guy Max has worked beautifully for years of camping, especially when I travel alone. But full-time travel trailer living will introduce challenges we cannot completely predict until we experience them.
That may be the strongest argument for beginning with the camper we already own.
We could take the Little Guy Max on the road and allow real full-time RV living to show us what works, what does not and what we truly need from our next travel trailer.
That decision could save us a considerable amount of money.
Or it could confirm within two weeks that Tom needs his own camper.
Can You Live Full-Time in a Small Travel Trailer?
Yes, many people successfully live full-time in small travel trailers—but the right size depends on far more than length.
A small camper becomes too small when its everyday compromises no longer work for the people living inside it.
For us, the final decision will come down to whether we can comfortably share the space, carry enough food and water, manage our wastewater and store everything we genuinely need without giving up the freedom we love.
The nuCamp Haven may be the favorite from my original seven.
The updated Encore Venu may be the biggest surprise.
Escape and Lance may be the travel trailers I should not have overlooked.
And keeping our paid-for Little Guy Max may be the smartest financial decision.
I am not ready to tell you whether we will keep Max or buy something larger. But I am beginning to think the best next step may be starting with the travel trailer we already own and allowing experience to answer the question for us.
What would you do?
Would you begin full-time RV living in the paid-for camper, change the toilet system or purchase a larger travel trailer before hitting the road?
And if you think I have overlooked the perfect small travel trailer with a bathroom, good storage and larger holding tanks, tell me about it in the comments.
If you missed my original video featuring the seven small travel trailers I would actually consider living in—and the hidden catch that kept each one from being perfect—watch that video next here: https://youtu.be/TuISZD0zNHY
Apparently, I am going to need a bigger list.
