opinions on Meerkat

[fireaunt]

Hi, I have decided I need a standie that is light weight and can fit in the garage. I found a Meerkat which is like the old Eriba Puck.
http://www.meerkattrailers.com Have any of you heard any feedback? Pros or cons. I have a 2014 Ford Escape 1.6 engine and will need a hitch. I wonder if a class II is ok. With this light weight trailer would I need sway bar or brakes? Would I be wise to get a transmission cooler too. If I don't get the cooler now can I add it later? I value your opinions - thanks.

[reo-ron]

I have had various small campers ie. Scamps, Casitas, Compact Jr., Trailerboats, and teardrops. I like the fact this has a" large enough for two full grown people" bed!!!
It should be great for small tow vehicles and the price new seems less than it's fiberglass counterparts. It fits under all standard garage doors yet has 13" tires which to me are far better than the tiny tires of the original Eriba Pucks. A single person or couple should be able to really enjoy this little slice of "newstalgia" esp. now that they worked in some a/c! Stand up dressing, Porta Potty, Wash-up sink, Big Bed, Less than 1000lbs, and CUTE, sounds like a deal!!
Ron in Tulsa

[fireaunt]

Thanks Ron, any experience or thoughts on sway bars, brakes and tray coolers with this type trailer. Any one living in Mesa AZ want to go look at Tom's camper land and report back?

[lee senn]

As to sway bars or brakes. I would be very surprised if sway bars or brakes would be required. If sway is a problem I think a friction sway control bar would be sufficient. Only someone who is pulling a Meercat can give a definitive answer to the sway issue. I have pulled a 13 foot Uhaul , total weight 1480 pounds, with no brakes and would surely recommend brakes at that weight. We did not need sway control on the Uhaul but the dynamics as to sway vary from trailer make to trailer make and can be impacted by how you load the trailer. I did not own the Uhaul long enough to add brakes but would have added them as a safety feature. We now pull a Trailswest Campster pop up, total weight 1180 lbs and I don't feel like trailer brakes are required, however I do have a friction sway control bar, maybe not necessary but I feel more comfortable with it. I would think you would be fine without brakes as the Meercat is not as heavy as the Trailswest. We are towing with a 2012 Toyota Rav4. Lee

[fireaunt]

thanks - the Meerkat is a reproduction on the German Eriba Puck.So maybe someone who has one will chime in. Somewhere I read that anything under 4k# doesn't need brakes but I guess if you got in the mountains they would be nice to have.

[kudzu]

Haven't seen a Meerkat in person but a place near my sister sells them. She thought the Meerkat was "adorable". Didn't express any other opinion. I love the looks of it, just judging from the pictures.

Perhaps the 4000 lb rule for trailer brakes is the combined car & trailer weight? In Georgia, trailers over 1500 lb require brakes. Found this for Texas:

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/cve/brakes.htm

Brakes Required

A motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or combination of those vehicles shall be equipped with brakes.

A trailer, semitrailer, or pole trailer is not required to have brakes if:

its gross weight is 4,500 pounds or less; or
its gross weight is heavier than 4,500 pounds but not heavier than 15,000 pounds, and it is drawn at a speed of not more than 30 miles per hour.

Each power unit must be equipped with a parking brake

A motor vehicle used to tow a trailer, semitrailer, or pole trailer equipped with brakes shall be equipped with service brakes arranged so that, in case of a breakaway of the towed vehicle, the towing vehicle is capable of stopping by use of its service brakes

[JuneBug]

Thank you for posting this! We just bought a small 2002 pop-up camper (impulse buy!) and I'm already seeing the downsides in the effort to set up and take down for the type of travelling that we do. The Meerkat has so much on the plus side - including being cute as a button and very light weight. It also seems reasonably priced! The other tiny trailer that i really like is the Little Joe -- these are about the same size. I noticed on the Weis Craft site that the Little Joe is now listed with a base weight of 1,100 lbs, up from 900 lbs. Both the Weis Craft Little Joe and the Meerkat are narrow -- about 5' wide, which seems like it would a much better footprint for towing.

ETA: Dealers in Phoenix and San Diego are not listing a price for Meerkats -- "call for price". A 2016 base model Meerkat is listed at $14,650 on the NADA Guides Web site.

Meerkats also look to be relatively well insulated.

[fireaunt]

What I liked about the Meerkat was the external heighth at 77" - that fits in my garage.