Casita campers are adorable little travel trailers. They’re small, relatively light, and very well-made, making the Casita camper a great choice for people looking to step up from tent or car camping.
In this post, we’re taking a look at Casita Travel Trailers to find out just what makes these rugged little campers so popular.
What Is a Casita Camper?
Casita campers are single-axle fiberglass travel trailers made by the company Casita Travel Trailers.
You may find Casita travel trailers on the used RV market in lengths of 13′, 16′, and 17′. But the new travel trailers currently being made by Casita are all 17′ in length.
Casita campers are offered in five floorplans:
- Spirit
- Independence
- Heritage
- Freedom
- Liberty
While Casita campers are strong and durable, they’re also lightweight. That means they can be towed by nearly any vehicle with a towing capacity of at least 3,500 pounds, which includes many SUVs, trucks, and even passenger cars.
Fully loaded, a Casita Camper weighs between 3,000 to 3,500 lbs, with a tongue weight of around 10%-15% of the rig’s GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating).
This means the typical tongue weight of a Casita is anywhere from 300 – 525 lbs.
Casita Travel Trailers are made in Rice, Texas, a small town southeast of Dallas, with a population of less than 1,300 people. 10% of the working population of Rice work for Casita Enterprises, Inc., creating around 700 Casitas each year.
Are Casita Campers Made Well?
Casita Travel Trailers are made exceptionally well. They have a robust design with a two-shell construction on top of a 3″ channel-steel frame.
All Casita travel trailers are created using two halves of a molded fiberglass shell with a single seam connecting them.
This design not only makes Casita campers lightweight and easy to tow, but far more durable and less likely to leak, even over many years of use.
The Five Casita Camper Models
All five models of new Casita campers are small fiberglass trailers 17′ long, and all are built on a single axle.
Each of the five models is available in a standard or deluxe version, with the most significant difference being the presence of a wet bath as a standard feature in the deluxe models.
All offer an interior height of 6’2″.
A Casita camper is somewhat customizable once you’ve chosen your model.
For example, when you order any Casita, you can opt for an RV wet bath regardless of the model. However, in some models, you’ll likely be exchanging what would typically be storage and bunk beds for the wet bath.
With any Casita model, there are lots of add-ons available, such as:
- Sliding battery tray
- Aluminum-cased patio awning
- Roller shades
- Andersen “no sway” weight distribution hitch
- Propane furnace
- Electric tongue jack
- Maintenance-free AGM deep cycle battery upgrade
- Video entertainment package
Let’s take a brief look at each of the five 2024 models to see what makes each unique and how much you’re likely to pay for one.
Spirit
This is the Casita Spirit, a 17′ single-axle travel trailer. (Photo courtesy of Casita Travel Trailers)
The Spirit Casita trailer model is a 17′ single-axle travel trailer with two sleeping areas and two dinettes designed to accommodate up to six people.
From two dinettes to two beds. Shown here is the Spirit Deluxe model that sleeps three and has a wet bath. (Photo courtesy of Casita Travel Trailers)
The Spirit is available in a standard model that sleeps up to five people, and in a deluxe version that sleeps up to three, and has a bathroom with a shower.
Here you see the Standard & Deluxe floor plans of the 17′ Casita Spirit travel trailer. (Photo courtesy of Casita Travel Trailers)
A nice feature of this model is that the side dinette is situated next to a large screened picture window.
The side dinette of the Spirit models sits beside a screened picture window. (Photo courtesy of Casita Travel Trailers)
All of the new standard Casita camper models have a dry weight of 2,210 lbs, with prices starting at $30,996.
All deluxe models have a dry weight of 2,480 lbs with a cost that starts at $32,694.
Independence
The Casita Independence is another 17′ single-axle travel trailer available in two models – Standard & Independence Deluxe. (Photo source: Casita Travel Trailers)
Casita’s Independence travel trailer is another 17′ camper with an interior height of 6’2″.
The Independence has the unique feature of permanent twin beds that convert from the large dinette, and offer lots of under-bed storage.
With the Independence models, you can have a large dinette and permanent twin beds. (Photo courtesy of Casita Travel Trailers)
Like the Spirit, the Independence is available in two floorplans, (a standard version and a deluxe model), with the deluxe including a wet bath.
The Casita Independence is available in two floorplans – Standard and Deluxe. (Photo courtesy of Casita Travel Trailers)
A really nice feature of the Independence models is that they offer three large screened picture windows, bringing lots of light and beautiful views to the interior of the RV, as well as excellent cross-ventilation.
Again, the Independence standard model has a dry weight of 2,210 lbs and a price that starts at $30,996, while the deluxe version has a dry weight of 2,480 with a starting price tag of $32,694.
Heritage
An exterior view of the Casita Heritage.(Photo courtesy of Casita Travel Trailers)
The Casita Heritage is a nice option for families with its characteristic bunk beds.
Here you see the Casita Heritage in dinette mode on the left and in bed mode on the right. (Photo courtesy of Casita Travel Trailers)
The deluxe version features a bathroom with a shower and can sleep up to four people. It also offers a dinette with a back area conversion that seats four.
The standard model of the Heritage sleeps up to six people.
The standard and deluxe floor plans of the Casita Heritage. (Photo courtesy of Casita Travel Trailers)
The Casita Heritage standard and deluxe models are great for families with children.
Freedom
You’re looking at the Casita Freedom, a good choice for couples or families with small children. (Photo courtesy of Casita Travel Trailers)
The Casita Freedom has as its unique feature a couple of nice swiveling chairs at the side dinette.
Here you see the Casita Freedom swivel chairs at the side dinette and the rear of the Casita Freedom in bed mode. (Photo courtesy of Casita Travel Trailers)
The standard model sleeps up to four people, while the deluxe model, perfect for couples, sleeps two and offers a full wet bath.
These are the standard and deluxe floor plans of the Casita Freedom. (Photo courtesy of Casita Travel Trailers)
Both models feature screened picture windows for panoramic views, cross-ventilation, and lots of light.
Liberty
The exterior of a Casita Liberty travel trailer. (Photo courtesy of Casita Travel Trailers)
The Casita Liberty has lots of natural light, panoramic views, and great cross-ventilation, thanks to its three large screened picture windows.
This Casita has a highly flexible design that features a large dining area with two dinettes that are capable of being converted into multiple sleeping options.
Among those options are a large double bed, two small single beds, or a king-sized bed created by converting both dinettes.
With the Casita Liberty’s double dinette fully converted, a king-sized bed is possible. (Photo courtesy of Casita Travel Trailers)
There’s also the option to keep the rear dinette permanently converted to a double bed while using the smaller forward dinette area for dining, sitting, working, etc.
The standard model of the Liberty sleeps up to four people, while the deluxe model sleeps two and features a full RV wet bath.
The floor plans for the standard and deluxe models of the Casita Liberty show the RV’s versatility.(Photo courtesy of Casita Travel Trailers)
What Makes Casita Campers So Popular?
We think Casita travel trailers are so popular because they’re so well made, rugged, durable, and versatile.
The fact that these little rigs are made of fiberglass and are so lightweight and easy to tow with a family vehicle is another big draw.
And as you can see from the photos and descriptions above, Casita has packed an awful lot into a small footprint!
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Kayren
Monday 22nd of May 2023
Rice TX is SSE of Dallas not SW. We have a 2018 Independence deluxe and love it. We tow it with a Kia Sorento. It tows beautifully with very little tendency to sway.
TheRVgeeks
Monday 22nd of May 2023
Thanks @Kayren... we re-worked that part of the article and got our directions confused. All fixed. So glad to hear you're having such a good experience with your Casita... thanks for sharing!