As written before, I’m doing my best to work through all the requests and emails you have been kind enough to send me. One reader, Mike E., asked me to take a look at the Dutchmen Kodiak Cub 177RB.
This is a relatively small single-axle travel trailer with no slides. But there is a surprisingly large amount of fresh water storage for a trailer this size.Â
Highlights of the Kodiak Cub
This is exactly the same floor plan as my previous trailer, and there’s a lot I like about it. When you consider the size, it’s imminently maneuverable. It’s a relatively simple box with no slides, and all the features are accessible all the time. The biggest difference between this model and what I owned is that the bed in this trailer is always in place as opposed to being a Murphy bed design.Â
Another thing I really liked about this trailer is the bathroom. This is a pretty spacious bathroom in that it spans the entire width of the back of the trailer with a shower on one side and sink on the other.Â
One of the fancier touches in here is the backlighted medicine cabinet which makes a halo of light around the medicine cabinet. Ooh la la!
On the subject of lighting, there are a couple of motion lights in here, as well, that can be set to automatically come on when the light senses motion. Further, there is a strip of LEDs across the whole front of the storage compartment, which is a nice touch.Â
I’m also a fan of the more traditional folding entry steps in this trailer, although we upgraded ours with a Lippert Solid Stance Step Stabilizer.Â
Another surprise, to me, was the cargo carrying capacity in a single-axle trailer at 1,862 pounds. That’s a lot more than I would figure.
Observations
There aren’t a lot of surprises in here but there are a few things worth noting. The stove is a simple two-burner flush mount propane stove. However, there’s no provision to light the stove—so make sure you bring a lighter of some sort. We’ve all gotten super fancy over the years. While this seems like such a big deal nowadays, it’s how RV stoves were for decades.
But this does have a distinct lack of counter/prep space. Yes, the stove has a flush mount glass cover and the sink, too, has a cover. But using either or both of these devices then limits the space available.
In our trailer I took the rail mount that was intended for our outside table and put the same rail mount inside, thus increasing counter space. It worked great.
Look into the laminated floor in the Kodiak Cub
There is one thing I think you should look into if you’re considering one of these and that’s the laminated floor. First of all, this concern is based on some personal experience at the dealership, but also a lot of complaints I’ve seen on YouTube.
For trailers that get very little use, these laminated floors are often just fine. But if you’re using it very frequently, some people’s experience with these floors is that they tend to get soft. Now, am I saying this is a lousy design? I don’t know.
I do not have a statistically valid sample—only empirical data based on a small sampling of people. But I would look to see if there are older models of this line at a dealership before I make a final decision.
In fact, our own RV tech expert Dave Solberg answered a question about these floors from a reader in his column. You can read it here.
I will state that this floor construction is quite different than the one used in Airstream and Ember RV products, even though those are also laminates. It’s the foam at the core of this flooring that is my concern.
In Summary
My own experience with Dutchmen products, in general, has been very positive. This trailer offers a lot of usability in a small package, so it may be a great choice for some travelers.Â
Based on the huge volume of readers who have responded to reviews of trailers with no slide rooms, both in comments here but also in emails to me, I think there’s a much larger market for no-slide models than the RV industry realizes. But the RV industry is populated by decision-makers who don’t often go RVing—which is such a disappointing fact to me.Â
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I would love to read your comments and suggestions over on our new forums, where you can weigh in and start or join a discussion about all things RV. Here’s a link to my RV Reviews Forum.
Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a lifelong RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. You can find his writing here and at StressLessCamping where he also has an RV podcast with his wife, Peggy.Â
These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.
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Years ago Dutchman was noted for terrible products. Has quality improved that much?
This looks interesting for a single person. Does any company make a trailer like this but in a stick and aluminum siding? Should also cost the least.
Isn’t technology wonderful, you would think with all the delaminating walls the RV industry has experienced over the last 45 years they would find a better way to build a floor that’s being walked on constantly.
For two people who are not going to be spending months at a time out camping, this is a great choice. A big fresh water tank for its size, and a bed that doesn’t fold up, and you can walk around it, which makes for easy bed-making. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any bedside stuff accommodations. Also, as Tony points out, not a lot of food prep area.