Towing with a Yaris

[KendCo]

I bought my Yaris ('10 5 door model) last year because it's all I needed to putt around in, go camping, kayaking and what not but now I want to build a camper. The plan is to build it from a northern tool 5x8 with mostly foam walls and PMF. I'm guessing that the camper, once all is said and done, should be relatively light. Is this feasible? I'd really rather not have to upgrade so soon. I like this little car and would much rather keep it for a while.

 

[Squigie]

Other opinions will differ.

In my opinion, it is inappropriate, unless a bespoke 'ultra-light' trailer is built for it, from scratch.
Look to our Euro friends for light car, ultra-light 'teardrop' design inspiration - particularly the monocoque and hand-laminated 'capsules'.

More specifically...
The Yaris has no official tow rating in the US, because Toyota doesn't think it is suitable for towing. This, in itself, could present legal issues in some areas.
Many of the hitches on the market are only rated for 1,000 lb due to the manner in which it attaches to the vehicle.
Even in the countries where Toyota does allow a government-limited tow rating, it always requires trailer brakes, no more than 89 kg (200 lb) tongue weight, and a maximum of 1,050 kg (2,365 lb) trailer weight.

That unofficial towing capacity seems helpful and like a step in the right direction, until you note that the car itself already has trouble climbing hills, getting out of its own way, and already weighs 2,346 lbs empty. It is also just ... really out there for a car so light and under-powered.
They were built for economy, not utility.

 

[gudmund-TNT]

"Other opinions will differ" Squigie !!Not mine!! Squigie, I -AGREE- with everything you have said here!!!! This would be like me wanting to tow a teardrop with one of the GEO/Suzuki Swift's 'driver's' I have owned over the years (7 so far since '87) I WOULD NEVER THINK OF DOING IT!!

 

[KendCo]

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of I guess. I've been looking into getting a RAV4 if I couldn't tow safely with the Yaris. I just like it so much :'( y'all have given me a good bit to think about. Thanks for the advice.

 

[working on it]

* If you're not ready to give up your Yaris as the vehicle-of-choice quite yet, how about getting a hatchback tent? It would enable you to use the Yaris as the base of operations, holding most of your gear without unpacking, and would also be handy to get into if weather turns very rough (I hated T-storms while tent camping, yet not so much if inside my squareback TTT, or even inside my 2009 Chevy HHR Panel).

* I built my trailer to be used with my HHR or my wife's Cobalt coupe, but it turned out to be much too heavy for those to tow (Chevy puts a 1000-lb towing limit on them), and the wife actually refused to camp in it (she felt too enclosed, preferring a Coleman tent). So, I thought of a compromise for her to use...a truck-bed tent (for her GMC Sierra pickup, or a hatchback-tent for the HHR, just to get her off the ground if needed. She would camp with her friends, and would invariably come home with a saturated interior in the tent. I found the "Napier Sportz Dome-To-Go Hatchback Tent", and was about to buy it, when she retired from camping altogether, and my trailer was perfect for my camping needs, so I never bought it.

* If I had bought it, it would've worked fine with the HHR. I had spent many a night sleeping in it (no tent), with just a sleeping bag and space heater, when I would be trapped at work (120 mile round-trip from home) during ice-storms. I was usually working 16+ hours a day during those times, making the long trip home not feasible.

* Anyway, the hatchback tent is available at Amazon or many other vendors, usually for $290. It might be worth trying while you build a suitable trailer/find a heavier-duty tow vehicle, if you might want to camp immediately.

 

[FloridaNative]

I'll go against the grain and say a Yaris could handle a lightweight foamie just fine if you just have one or two people.

-Mike

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[pinstriper]

I'll go against the grain and say a Yaris could handle a lightweight foamie just fine if you just have one or two people PUSHING IT FROM BEHIND

FTFY

 

[Sandman333]

A good starting point for any car, is that you should be able to tow anything that a motorcycle can. There are lots of folding motorcycle tent trailers, you can check your local offerup or craigslist. Here's an example of what to look for: https://www.timeouttrailers.org/TimeOut ... camper.htm

If you want to build, here are some plans for a trailer that could be towed behind a yaris:
http://tnttt.com/Design_Library/The%20Pico-Light.htm

 

[cwegga]

It may be possible, but like everyone is saying you would need to build super-ultralight. Here's an example of a micro camping trailer being towed by a Yaris.

 

[Richard Grotto]

Building a light camper is great. But you don't want to make it too flimsy, if it is too weak and you hit a pothole on the street, will it collapse? Will you be able to take it off-road in any fashion?
Think sturdy more than light. If your car cant tow a 800lb trailer safely, you might look at getting a more robust car/light truck. JMO.

 

[BigGoofyGuy]

or turn ones Prius into a camper?
https://rvshare.com/blog/prius-camper/

 

[robhwashington]

I made this foamie for mine in March 2019. The whole teardrop (including the trailer) weighs just under 400 lbs. It pulled fantastic behind the Yaris (I could maintain 60 mph on a 6% grade), however I ended up getting a CRV and it rides behind that now. Even though it pulled fine, I too got concerned about my insurance because of the official Yaris tow rating......

 

[BigGoofyGuy]

There are campers that a motorcycle can tow. Perhaps tow with one of these?

It seems this person is towing with a Yaris.

 

[OP827]

Dancam on this forum built a popup foamie and it was towed with an "econobox" car across Canada over 1000km. Average fuel consumption reported as 11.5km per litre or ~27mpg.
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=66816&start=255#p1252728

 

[OP827]

Another teardrop build with Prius as TV.
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=4428&highlight=prius#p59480

 

[OP827]

It is perhaps more feasible (and potentially more economical due to less amount of steel needed) to custom make ultralight frame for a light teardrop. This old thread has some useful info: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=7275#p85804

 

[friz-TNT]

I pull my CLC with a Focus. Build light.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[SparkyDog]

Go tent camping only or stay in a Motel 6. That is the solution, until you can get something with a higher tow rating. Finding camp spaces for a small home built camper in an RV park might be difficult right now due to all the new RV owners clamoring for spots. My neighbor bought a 3 yr old off road style camper with folding hard sides and he wasn't able to find any nearby RV parks that would accept his small trailer. He has a 3/4 ton Ram truck and if he had bought a 5th wheel RV he could have reserved a spot.

 

[comp]

I wouldn't do it even though I do think you could do it totally safely. We live in 2021, common sense isn't so common on the off chance an accident happens. That includes our legal system unfortunately. Would get a car rated to tow. There are guys out there towing with cars like Yaris.

 

[BigGoofyGuy]

I wouldn't do it even though I do think you could do it totally safely. We live in 2021, common sense isn't so common on the off chance an accident happens. That includes our legal system unfortunately. Would get a car rated to tow. There are guys out there towing with cars like Yaris.

there are guys out there that are towing with a Smart Car. Perhaps it depends how small ones camper trailer is? there are some campers that a motorcycle could tow.