TAXA Outdoors offers an innovative series of small, lightweight travel trailers that we thought our readers might be interested in seeing. Not only are all TAXA travel trailer models (called “Habitats”) unique and intriguing, but three of the four Habitats are also available with an overlanding option. Choosing the Overlanding package includes upgrades such as enhanced suspension components to improve performance on rough roads and off-road.
Are these little easy-to-haul rigs for everyone? Nope. But neither is a Class A motorhome! In the RV world, there’s something for everyone. These compact travel trailers could be just the ticket for outdoor enthusiasts who want a unit they can keep in the garage and tow with their family SUV. If you haven’t yet heard of TAXA Trailers, we’ve got a snapshot for you in this post.
Note that we’re updating this article in 2026 with information on the newest TAXA trailers (currently the 2025 models). You may also be able to find older models of TAXA trailers on the used RV market.
Who Makes TAXA Trailers?
TAXA Trailers are small, lightweight innovative travel trailers designed and manufactured by the company TAXA Outdoors in Houston, Texas. TAXA says its mission is to get people to enjoy the outdoors by providing them with what they need to live inside their “mobile habitats” while traveling and finding adventure. They pride themselves on the unique design, build quality, and sustainability of their products. But it’s also important to TAXA that they’re sufficiently lightweight to be towed with the family car, and compact enough to fit in a typical residential garage.
TAXA Trailers are designed to help get you outdoors in some of the most rugged terrain.
Currently owned by L Catterton, a very large global consumer-focused private equity growth fund, TAXA was founded in 2014 by a NASA architect named Garrett Finney. Finney had worked on the International Space Station and Lunar habitats and had dreams of bringing people back to the outdoors, reconnecting them with nature.
He sketched a design idea on a napkin in 2009, and that sketch eventually became the Cricket mobile human habitat.
What Makes TAXA Trailers Different?
TAXA trailers are made, at least in part, with sustainable materials. The company seeks to protect the environment by providing mobile habitats for people to go and enjoy. In addition to the use of sustainable materials, TAXA Outdoors has designed its travel trailers to be:
- lightweight, so they use less vehicle power (and less fuel) to tow
- durable (requiring fewer resources over time)
- aerodynamic for traveling efficiently down the highway (and thus use less fuel)
TAXA trailers use powder-coated steel, laser-cut aluminum, aluminum composite panels (Aluminum alloy ASTM B 209) with a powder-coated Kynar exterior and interior (Kynar is a sustainable, water-based resin), 7-ply Baltic birch wood, Douglas Fir plywood, lightweight milk crates for storage, and recyclable ABS laminate. They also use a fairly high R-value (2lb closed-cell) foam core for insulation.
So, in short, what makes TAXA trailers different is:
- their eye on sustainability
- the lightweight, compact nature of every “habitat” they produce (allowing them to be towed by smaller vehicles and stored in a personal garage)
- and what will hopefully prove over time to be a highly-durable product for efficient use both on and off road.
In our post on recycling while camping, we emphasized the importance of leaving no trace. It’s critical to not only preserve the great outdoors for future generations but also to ensure that misuse doesn’t end up resulting in the closure of desirable remote areas. We appreciate that TAXA Outdoors appears to share this philosophy, as evidenced by the eco-friendly design and manufacturing of its mobile habitats.
Speaking of which, let’s take a look at these lightweight, compact little gems!
TAXA Mobile Habitats
TAXA habitats are created in four different models, with three additional models that are offshoots from the original four but offer either overlanding or tailgating features. Let’s take a look at the four main models of TAXA trailers and their three rugged siblings.
Mantis, Mantis Overland Version, and Mantis X
The TAXA Mantis can sleep 4+ adults and up to 7 people total!
The Mantis is TAXA’s most spacious habitat, accommodating 4+ adults and up to 7 people total. At just 19’ long, the 5.2 can be stored in a standard residential garage, and with a dry weight of 3,115 lbs, it’s easily towed. As with other TAXA trailers, Mantis models have a pop-up roof for additional height, space, and ventilation.
The Mantis has what TAXA calls an “enhanced shower”. That means it can handle a 6’6″ tall person and includes a long enough hose on the shower wand that it can reach the door for rinsing off muddy shoes and feet. It also has a cool feature of a sitting/standing desk for working in the trailer or for dining, crafting, kids’ projects, etc.
With a 20-gallon fresh water tank and a 22-gallon gray water tank, the TAXA Mantis appears to be well-suited for some short-term boondocking.
For some pretty fascinating additional details on the Mantis, scroll through the linked page of the TAXA website. You can also check out the features of the rugged Mantis X Overland!
Meanwhile, check out this interior:
An interior shot of the TAXA Mantis
Mantis X has all the features of TAXA’s Mantis Overland, plus added top-of-the-line features to power your off-road adventures.
Cricket, Cricket Overland Version, and Cricket X
TAXA’s Cricket habitats are just 15′ long and have a dry weight of only 1,800 lbs.
The TAXA Cricket is a smaller travel trailer with a dry weight of only 1800 pounds.
With sleeping quarters for two adults (and two children with the optional berths), not only are these units suitable for families with a small child or two, they’re also towable by many vehicles with only 4-cylinder engines (i.e. many popular models of SUV).
Two optional births can be deployed to increase sleeping quarters in the TAXA Cricket.
The Cricket habitats have integrated electrical and plumbing systems, with a 15-gallon fresh-water tank and a 16-gallon gray-water tank. They also include a 5,000-BTU air conditioner installed in a fifth window, which TAXA says was designed to provide a more aerodynamic location for the AC option in Cricket units.
Cricket units offer 63 square feet of living space.
The Cricket X offers an upgraded build and suspension to tackle rough off-road routes anywhere. (Sleeps 2 adults and 2 kids, with an interior kitchen.)
TigerMoth, TigerMoth Overland Version, and Tiger Moth X
TAXA’s Tiger Moth habitats are tiny, with just 40 sq ft of interior space. At a tiny 12’10” in length, the TigerMoth has a dry weight of only 1,310 lbs. Like the Crickets, these habitats are towable by many 4-cylinder-engined vehicles and feature hatches & doors that unfold for ventilation and views.
The tiny TigerMoth sleeps two inside (but you’d better really like each other), and an optional rooftop tent provides a sleeping space for a small child or two. (Photo source: TAXA Outdoors)
TAXA Outdoors says you can get 7 or more days off the grid with these little campers. They come with a built-in electrical system and an external water system, are pre-wired for solar, and provide enough sleeping space for two adults (expandable to 3 with the optional rooftop tent).
The TigerMoth has a slide-out camp kitchen with a two-burner portable stove. You can read more about the TigerMoth here. Meanwhile, here’s a floorplan to intrigue you.
When fully outfitted with all the options, the tiny NASA-inspired TigerMoth fits a whole lotta camping into a tiny space! (Source: TAXA Outdoors)
The TigerMoth X gives you an upgraded build and suspension to tackle off-road terrain. It sleeps 2 adults and features an open indoor/outdoor design, plus a slide-out camp kitchen.
Woolly Bear and Woolly Bear Overland
The Woolly Bear is a compact basecamp featuring a full-size outdoor kitchen with a stainless steel countertop, a pull-out cooler drawer, and lockable storage compartments on the driver’s and passenger’s sides. It also offers sleeping space for 3 adults in a rooftop tent. Lightweight and garageable, the Woolly Bear is built to be towed anywhere… even with tow vehicles with a basic 4-cylinder engine.
With the rooftop tent installed, you can sleep two or three in a Woolly habitat.
These little basecamp habitats are only 10’ 8″ long and have a dry weight of only 1,270 lbs. They have a battery box sized for a group 24 battery; however, a battery isn’t included (check out our article about the best batteries for boondocking to learn about what option might be best for you).
Have You Seen a TAXA Trailer?
If you’ve seen, used, or own a TAXA trailer, we’d love to hear what you think! These are amazingly lightweight and compact units that really seem well-designed for their chosen tasks.
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