We have always admired the little travel trailers made by Casita, and two days ago, while buzzing down the freeway between Dallas and Houston, we both did a double-take when we saw a slew of them lined up on the side of the road. A huge sign above them said “Casita Travel Trailers.”
We had no idea these wonderful trailers were made in Texas! What a perfect opportunity to check them out and get a factory tour.
Look! It’s Casita Travel Trailers!!
We turned our buggy around and somehow squeezed it into their front lot (which is just the right size for Casitas), and jumped out to prowl around the lot. There were dozens of brand new Casitas lined up, and each one had an owner’s name printed on a window sticker.
These are very solid and well made little trailers.
When we poked our heads in the door of the building, there was a flurry of activity going on inside. At least three couples were walking in and out of the four trailers on the showroom floor, and several sales people were in cubicles along the walls, filling out order forms and finalizing the paperwork for trailers being picked up. These things are Popular!!
Casita Travel Trailers World Headquarters
“Feel free to look around,” a saleswoman named Carla told us. “I can give you a factory tour in a few minutes after I sign off the paperwork for a couple that just came in to pick up their new Casita.”
There were four trailers on the showroom floor, and we admired every one!
Casitas are sweet little trailers that are extremely well built. They range from 13′ to 17′ in exterior length end-to-end. “Our 13′ model gets the most inquiries,” she said, “but most people end up buying the 17′ model.”
The Freedom model has two captains chairs
There are four interior plans for the 16′ and 17′ models, and several have a king bed option! The Freedom model has two captains chairs and looked really inviting. “That model gets a lot of interest,” Carla told us when she joined us a few minutes later, “But most people end up buying a different floorplan because those chairs are a little impractical.” I sure liked her straight forward approach!
Some models have furniture that folds into a king size bed!
There are lots of other options for these trailers too, including fresh water tanks as big as 25 gallons, a microwave, and a furnace. Virtually all Casitas are special ordered by the buyers who will be using them. Winter is the slow season, Carla told us, but they keep building trailers even when orders slide. Some winters they end up with four or five trailers that weren’t special ordered, but they’re always gone by spring!
Prices for new Casitas range from around $14k to $20k.
The kitchen is small, but it has all the things you need to make a good meal.
Casita doesn’t have a dealer network. Instead, they have a dealership in the front of their building, where all the selling is done, and they have a factory out back where everything is made. “We build 14 Casitas a week,” Carla told us, “and it takes about two weeks to build one from start to finish.” That means there are about 30 on the line at any one time.
A brand new Casita peeks out of a bay at the factory.
Out back, the factory was absolutely humming. Most of the employees have been with the company for at least 10 years, and since the company’s founding 25 years ago, Casitas have grown ever more popular. We couldn’t take any pics in the factory, but it was a great scene. Trailers surrounded us on all sides, each in various stages of completion. They are rolled by hand from station to station down the line! Outside a small tractor wheels them around with ease.
Casitas are pretty easy to maneuver around the lot!
The top and bottom of each trailer is a molded fiberglass shell, and the two halves are joined with a bonded seal that is fiberglassed in, much the same way as our sailboat was constructed. The final testing stage was most impressive. Each Casita takes a 30 minute shower at full blast while a technician checks every square inch inside for leaks. They had shower nozzles aimed at each window and the door as well as the roof. How amazing to watch a Casita getting totally drenched by a virtual hurricane!
A storehouse full of future camping memories!
Folks sometimes ask us how to “test drive” the RV lifestyle. Without a doubt, the best way is to get a small rig and go do some camping. Our first RV was a popup tent trailer.
The Casita is a wonderful first RV, because it is a very well built trailer that has all the functionality of bigger rigs, but doesn’t require a big truck to tow it (they weigh about 2,500 lbs) and doesn’t require a lot of space to store.
Couple a Casita trailer with a portable solar power kit and you can learn all about boondocking and your rig will fit comfortably into any campsite anywhere! When you’re ready to upgrade, these popular RVs undoubtedly hold their value better than most.
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For more info about these fun trailers:
- Casita Travel Trailers – Official website
- Love My Casita – Check out the A-Z Guide!
- Casita Travel Trailer Forum – Owner’s Forum
- Casita Owners Facebook Group
- Casita Escapes – Personal blog by a couple who live and work full-time in their 17′ Casita Liberty
- Interstellar Orchard – Personal blog by a woman who lives and works full-time in her 17′ Casita Spirit Deluxe
Related Posts:
- Choosing a Trailer for Full-time RVing – Notes About Cargo Carrying Capacity
- Learn RVing in a Cheap and Small Trailer – Popup tent trailers are a blast!
- Spacecraft Fifth Wheel Factory Tour – Custom Trailers Made to Order
- How Big an RV Do You Need? – There are many virtues to traveling in a small rig!
- Our First RV: Fleetwood Colonial Popup Tent Trailer – The rig we learned on and that made us decide to go full-time
- NuWa Hitchhiker 5th Wheel Factory Tour – Chanute, Kansas
- Heartland RV Factory Tour – Indiana Amish Country
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I’m the author of the Casita Travel Trailer A-Z Owner’s Guide and I can tell you firsthand that these little trailers are extremely popular, especially with Boomers. Please consider adding my website to your Casita links.
Thank you!
What a great site, Eileen. I’ve added your link. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for adding my Guide to your list! This blogpage is a terrific resource for expectant and wannabe Casitans.
Great posting!
Small is the new big!
We found our sweet camper finally. While it’s not a new one (2009) it was loved and well cared for. It took a while to find one but we are sure enjoying our casita so much.
Because we have the dogs in the car with us, it means we stop every hour or so to let them get out, stretch their legs and do a wee. But this gives us an opportunity to explore many places, even if it’s just for a quick stop.
Sure would love to know what the underside is made of. Our T@B made by Dutchman fell apart due to water getting to the underside and wheel wells. They are made of a plywood type base with a clothe over it. Now, we are looking for a better underside
I have no idea. Why don’t you call Casita Trailers and find out?
I looked them over one time here while back I was really interested my wife passed away so I just give up but it’s a complete fiberglass box put together in the center well made and unless they’ve changed it in the last few years it’s sitting on the torsion bar very dependable
Would a ford escape titanium@with 3500 tow capacity work for a casita spirit deluxe?
Give Casita a call. I’m sure they’d be happy to answer any questions you have!