By Chuck Woodbury
Look at the size of this trailer. Wow! Is it pint-sized or what? Actually, it’s 16 feet long. It doesn’t look like that to me, but then I didn’t actually measure it. Watch the video at the bottom of this article, and I believe you will be impressed at how smartly this small 2025 Palomino Puma 121RKCE travel trailer is designed.
This 2025 model weighs in at 3,840 pounds GVWR, so it doesn’t need a muscle car or monster truck to tow it safely.
This trailer would be perfect for a single RVer who didn’t want or need to hassle with a bigger trailer and the complexities that come with it.
A couple who gets along well in tight spaces might also love this and not mind the relatively small 54 x 74-inch “Queen” bed, which, if the manufacturer were being honest, would call “full-size.” Give this RV to a young couple as a wedding present for their honeymoon; they could probably do with a twin bed.
It’s a basic rig. It doesn’t have a table, which I don’t like, but then it’s always easy to pack along something that does the job that folds away when not in use.
Kitchen in the 2025 Palomino Puma 121RKCE
The kitchen, although spacious considering the small size of the Mother Ship, has adequate cupboards, but no drawers, which seems like a design flaw to me. Where do you put the silverware? It should not be difficult to install a couple of drawers in the cupboard space, so that shouldn’t be a deal breaker. The stove has two burners, which will work just fine for most people, and there’s a microwave for the TV dinner crowd.
The refrigerator is spacious for such a little trailer. And there’s even a bathroom with a shower. If you are a giant-sized human, showering may be a struggle, but most people will fit in, although it might be a tight squeeze.
The pint-sized RV even has a couch, about love-seat size. It makes into a bed for a guest or a child (or two, if small).
And, very, very impressive: The basement storage is generous.
This is a cheap “stick-and-tin” RV and almost certainly not made with the finest components. But what do you want for “cheap”? It seems to me it would do well for weekend camping trips and short camping vacations.
For someone who loves to camp, who is a minimalist or along those lines, and who wants a mobile sanctuary to protect them from weather and maybe a mean-spirited bear when in Yellowstone, then this would be ideal. Its price tag is $28,698 MSRP, but the sales price is $14,480. This discrepancy, of course, illustrates how ridiculously inflated MSRP prices are.
The video below provides a speedy overview of the small rig. Frankly, if I were looking for something for an occasional local camping getaway, I’d consider this.
RELATED
- RV review: Palomino Pause 19.6—More affordable, still different
- RV review: Palomino Backpack HS-8801 pickup camper—Better than a Class B?
- RV review: Palomino River Ranch 393RL fifth wheel floor is all on one level
- RV review: Palomino Pause Reboot 19.4: Champ of off-grid camping
- Palomino Pause 20.3—Yeah, but it’s worth it… for some
RVDT2723
Our son bought this trailer for his use as a solo camper. We have added a lagun style table at the center of the couch and plan to add a drawer under the stove. He added a TV and we are good to go. He tows it with his Honda Pilot.
suppose this is for the 16’ PUMA trailer. FIRST, WAY over priced, I would not pay more than $18,000 for this trailer, and they want $28,000, they’re nuts. Any unit with horizontal corrugated material is over plywood sheathing on a 2×2 wood structure. Assembled with tacks. Don’t buy anything that’s not constructed out of welded aluminum tubing with Azdell sheathing. Stay away from product, it’s poorly constructed and the price is shameful
Never understand why they list these beds as queen size, when they are really only full/double beds.
Take a look at the Gulf Stream 189dd. Dry weight is less than 3,000 pounds. It has a short queen (60X74 vs full queen 60X80) with open sides & mini closets, dinette (can convert to full-size twin bed), full bath, full-size RV frig/freezer. We tow ours with a 4-banger Subaru Ascent (rated for 5,000 pound towing).
We migrate semi-annually between Lake Superior and Texas Hill Country (where we keep a seasonal RV); 2 adults, a golden retriever and 2 cats (litter box in bathroom), plus use it for a wide range of ‘adventure’ trips.
Thank you for the review, Chuck! Yes, this certainly IS small. I don’t think that I could actually use the shower, but I am sure that many can. The price is nicely proprtional to the size, so this allows someone to “try” RVing without a large financial commitment. Have a great day and safe travels!
Interesting that $28k+ is considered “”cheap”””
Our 16′ Sunlite Sport is the same size, but we like the layout better because it has a rear door and a standard dinette, which we use all the time. I do like the kitchen in this one better, though. One consideration is that there is no bathroom sink in ours, nor in this one. It’s kind of a pain. But you can’t beat the price and the low weight. It’s been quite an adjustment downsizing from our former 24′ trailer, but we were very glad to downsize from a Ford F-150 to an SUV as our tow vehicle. It’s also great that this setup is much more nimble & allows us to use smaller campsites, such as in our state forest campground.
The Sunlite also came with double propane tanks, double batteries, a power hitch, and solar.
The sofa should have been a table and chair that converts to a bed, but other than that, I think it is great.
Mitzi here. Current camper is 17 ft long. If I was single this might tempt me. 1 thing I require is a dedicated bed, not a breakdown dinette. I need more light than this- agree another window should be over the sofa. DH and I sleep on a full size bed so doesn’t bother us that the bed isn’t a true queen.