I’ve been camping in my 2008 T@DA trailer for 5 months. I often get queries from fellow campers who are enchanted with what I’ve done with the place. So I thought I’d create a tour to explain a few things.
Before I bought the T@DA in February 2020, I’d been traveling full-time around the country for almost 3 years in my 2007 T@B, aka The Tiny. I bought the T@B from a friend for $7,500 in December of 2016. Here it is:
You can see the two trailers have a common vibe due to the “hippie panels” and the lights and the rugs and dog fencing. The smaller T@B is 13 feet, or a bit bigger when you include the tongue. The T@DA is 16 feet, or a bit bigger with the tongue.
The T@DA’s “front porch” is something called a visor, and made by a company called PahaQue. This company makes visors and awnings and side tents for several types of small trailers. The T@B is equipped with something called an awning made by the same company. Both types of covered front porches attach to the trailer via a something called a keder rail. That is something for another post. Adding the hippie panels is my invention.
Here is my original T@B without the accessories:
Yes, that is snow in the desert at my brother’s house. I was toasty warm inside. Here is the T@B inside:
Have you ever seen anything so cute? Yes, I like cozy. Here is the floorplan:
As you can see if you look at the teeny tiny type above, the T@B has no bathroom or shower. I used my trusty Thetford Porta Potti like this one, which I had used in my previous conversion van:
And I took showers in the campground shower block, because I always camp in campgrounds. I was quite happy in my T@B. Then I went away for a meditation retreat in January 2020 and it occurred to me that I guess I should try to buy a slightly bigger trailer, and that I should buy a 16-foot Airstream Bambi. Hopping on the Internet after the retreat, I couldn’t help notice that 16-foot Airstream Bambi’s are about $50,000.
I thought I had better start saving my money! After paying off the personal loan I got to buy my trailer and after paying my Dodge Durango early and some other debts (made easier as I work as a freelance writer and have no rent or utility bills), I decided I would never buy a trailer on credit again, but would always pay cash.
That same day, I was browsing the Facebook group where a lot of T@B owners hang out, and I saw this beauty come up for sale for $12,000:
I was spellbound! It’s kind of got the shape and color of an Airstream. I had always known about T@DA trailers, but never really wanted one. It was the interior that got my attention:
Before I go further with this story/tour, let me explain that the T@B and T@DA are made by the same company, nuCamp, as well as their smaller cousin, the T@G.
The T@B’s were made from 2004 until today. The T@G’s have also been made for some 15 years (just guessing). But the T@DA’s were only made in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Apparently only 1,600 of them were ever made. So that’s why so many people I meet at campgrounds say to me: “I’ve never seen that kind before.”
The most important thing I’m telling you here is that you cannot buy a new T@DA. Every single T@DA every created is at least 10 years old. My 2008 model is 12 years old.
If you like a small fiberglass trailer, you can also consider a T@B 400, a Scamp, or a Casita, or an Escape trailer. Do rigorous research.
Here is another picture of the T@DA that came up for sale that caught my attention.
Those beautiful drawers were put in by the seller, who is a kitchen designer. She remodeled the T@DA and give it a look that really excited me. She also moved the microwave and refrigerator lower, and created a closet area. This photo shows the closet with the maple-colored doors. But she later painted those doors white, which really completed the look.
Here is what a T@DA looks like when it has not been remodeled. It’s quite fine.
Another thing that got my attention was the U-shaped dinette. In the original design, the dinette was not U-shaped, but two seats facing each other. (see above) Below is my T@DA’s reconfigured dinette.
The dinette makes down into a bed.
Here is how I work in the T@DA.
I sit at the dinette and use my wireless keyboard and track pad to control the computer on the opposite counter. The 27-inch screen is rather large, so being 36 inches away from it as I work is a blessing. I do some good work with this set up.
Sad story about the cup you see in the photo above. I had bought it at Pier 1 Imports. Once while traveling I sat it down on the hard surface of my sink and when I got to my destination, the whole bottom had broken off. That’s when I switched to my awesome stainless steel Yeti cup.
The kitchen is the T@DA is nothing special. In fact, it’s dysfunctional. See how small it is. No counter space at all!
There is another version of the T@DA that has a much better kitchen set up. I’ll need to go into that in another post. But I don’t use the sink or the stove. I know. That’s weird. So I’ve got two butcher block pieces that make this whole area a counter. I cook outside, and I do my dishes in a tub with water heated in my tea kettle. I’ll explain it all some other time.
And now for the big question. Everyone wants to know if the T@DA has a bathroom. Yes it does. Here it is:
There was originally a door for the bathroom. But the previous owner felt it was heavy and clunky and so she took it off and put in this curtain instead. I totally concur.
The bathroom is equipped with a Thetford cassette toilet.
What’s interesting about the T@DA is that there are no holding tanks for grey or black water. Grey water is from the shower and sink. Black water is from the toilet. Most trailers have these two tanks, or one tank for both grey and black. The typical process is to use a sewer hose to hook your trailer up to a sewer connection at the campground so the waste water magically goes away. If there is no sewer hookup the campground, the built-in holding tanks contain the wastewater until you can get to a dump station and dump your tanks.
In this set up, the toilet waste goes into a 5-gallon cassette, which you remove from a little door on the outside of the trailer. You roll the cassette over to the restroom, and dump in the toilet. I always do serious stuff (number 2) in the campground toilets, and only light duty stuff (number 1) in my cassette. I remove the cassette and dump it every 2 or 3 days.
Also, while there is a shower head in the bathroom and a floor drain (it’s known as a “wet bath”) I have never used it. I take long, hot showers in the campground bath block. I just don’t want too much going on in this small space, with all the steam and water of a shower. Some people would not consider using a campground shower, and insist on only using the shower in their rig. You can make up your own mind.
So what about the grey water created in this rig (from the sink and shower)? The T@DA came equipped with a 26-gallon external holding tank on wheels. The idea is that you drain off your grey water into the portable tank and then hook it onto your car’s hitch and pull it to the campground dump station and dump it. That is the normal procedure for people with all kinds of rigs who are camping where there are no individual sewer hookups at the campsites. I gave away my portable tank as it’s quite large and I didn’t want it taking up half of my storage area. The only grey water I create is about 1/2 gallon when I do my dishes at night.
Before I go, as I’m getting tired here, I’d like to offer some numbers for you to ponder:
Weight
The T@B weighed about 1,500 pounds empty, and could hold about 300 pounds of cargo for a total of about 1,800 pounds. It had what are known as surge brakes.
The T@DA weighs about 2,200 pounds and can hold about 1,000 pounds of cargo for a total of about 3,200 pounds. It has electric brakes and my vehicle got equipped with a brake controller.
My vehicle has a towing capacity of 6,400 pounds. Some people believe you should try not to tow anything more than half your tow capacity. I’m in that category. Others believe you can go right up to your tow capacity. You should study this topic carefully and act safely.
Sales price of T@DA
It was listed for $12,000 and I ended up paying $11,500 because I needed to get some electrical stuff upgraded: the power box and a new battery. I also had a new fancy ceiling installed.
If you hang out on these T@B/T@DA/T@G Facebook groups, you see T@DAs come up for sale on occasion. The prices I have seen range from $10,000 to $15,000.
There can be some problems with older T@DA’s and older T@B’s, so you need to educate yourself before jumping in. There can be floor problems, and frame problems. I bought mine from someone known to the T@B community, and also to the community of Sisters on the Fly. She is known as an honest, high-quality person. I have been so darned happy with my purchase. I’m grateful to the seller.
So if you’ve come by in a campground and wondered what this thing was all about, here you go. Happy camping!