Today’s RV review is of the Vida Refuge 2120, a very small travel trailer that is made completely out of composites and aluminum and offers a lot in a very small package. How small? The Refuge 2120 measures a scant 15’6” in overall length and weighs in at just 2,200 pounds. But you can change a lot of that.
Something that’s unusual about Vida Campers products in general is the degree to which you can customize them. Vida offers quite a selection of choices.
To be fair, the base Refuge 2120 has a very attractive price. But that price factors in that it’s devoid of a number of things that you might come to expect in a modern RV. However, the fact that you can get it without those might make some buyers pretty happy.
While some options might be no surprise, including a solar package, others might not be expected—such as an awning or some overhead cabinets in the trailer. The microwave and air conditioner, too, are on the options list.
Start at the road with the Vida Refuge 2120
In an interview with one of the decision-makers at Vida, Blair Hood, he indicated that Vida was started as an offshoot of his family’s RV dealership, where the quality of RVs came into question all the time. Their particular challenges included things like water damage and rot, which many of us can attest to.
So this camper starts with an axle-less suspension. The frame on the trailer is all aluminum and is built by Vida in-house. Further, the floor is an interesting structure that uses layers of aluminum to sandwich a honeycomb aluminum structure. It’s a very unusual build.
The holding tanks are very small in this trailer at eight gallons for black and gray with the fresh water tank at 25 gallons. But what I think is unusual is that the underbelly is not enclosed at all, so you can see the underside of the tanks. RV manufacturers have started putting a sheet of plastic over the underbelly, which does offer a modicum of protection against the elements. But it also makes it much more difficult to service the tanks.
I like how Vida includes a plastic tube for the sewer hose. An unusual thing is that there is but one dump connection point, although the gate valve for the black tank is on the road side while the gate valve pull for the gray is on the camp side. Sometimes a trailer this small has some forced compromises that are not typical.
We’ve looked under the trailer, and the walls are also a sandwich of composite materials with an aluminum sheet on the outside. The roof is similarly made. Again, no wood.
What’s inside the Vida Refuge 2120
This trailer pretty much has everything you could need in a trailer. You might be surprised by how well-outfitted it is.
The front features a kitchen with a sink and a two-burner stove. Below the stove is a cabinet. Inside that cabinet is a drawer that can be reconfigured with plastic inserts.
The bathroom occupies a space on the road side and features a toilet and sink, although you can opt for a shower if you’d like one. There is already a water heater.
There is a fridge here. I’m going to assume you’re sitting down while you read this and not doing some circus act on a high wire, though, if you are, please stop reading for a moment. The fridge is a proper RV three-way fridge. Yes! Three-way. That means propane, 120vac, and 12vdc. Boy, I haven’t seen one of those in a good long while now.
The back of the trailer is a U-shaped dinette with a table that mounts on two poles. The table has a nice wooden look to it, but the entire interior is made of man-made composites—that includes the table. This is also the bed, which works out to be 52” X 78”.
One of the unusual options is the halo of cabinets around the dinette/bed area. This would seem like a popular choice.
Who is Vida?
In 2019, Phil and Cindy Hood, along with their son, Blair, started Vida Campers. Vida began production on its first model of all-aluminum, lightweight, pop-up tent campers with a starting unloaded weight of 690 lbs.—car-towable pop-up campers. Rapid growth as a Canadian RV manufacturer of lightweight trailers, along with many requests by RV owners for a true all-aluminum lightweight travel trailer, led to another new lineup of RVs.
In 2024, Vida Campers released six floor plans in the Refuge lightweight aluminum travel trailer line. The Refuge travel trailers start at just 1,625 pounds and use all-aluminum and composite materials in the build.
My thoughts on the Vida Refuge 2120
This is a very small trailer but packs a surprising amount of usability into that diminutive size.
For those who might eye this trailer and see it’s lightweight and think “I can tow it with my Mini Cooper” or whatever, wait. Know that this trailer also has a large frontal area to accommodate that taller ceiling. That will affect who can tow this.
Years ago, Livin’ Lite was a company that made a similar product called CampLite. These, too, were very well-made all-aluminum trailers that were built by a small, independent company and created a strong following. These little trailers were so well made that, if you see one for sale today, it will likely look as good as it did when they were first in the showroom. Unfortunately, Thor bought Livin’ Lite and promised us all that things wouldn’t change, but they changed. They got more like other RVs, which meant people got less interested. They ultimately just got put out of business.
You see, they were potentially better than an Airstream, and Thor wasn’t about to have their silver cigar one-upped by another trailer.
Vida does make travel trailers up to 21’6” with a proper walk-around queen bed, traditional bathroom, and a nifty choice of dining seating. Those are also significantly more expensive, but not outrageously more so than other trailers with similar specifications that aren’t as innovatively built.
So what do you think? I know a lot of the readers here aren’t that into trailers this small. But are you as intrigued by the unique construction and vision of Vida as I am? As always, I look forward to reading your comments below.
More about these RV reviews
These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. They are based on information from a single unit and may not reflect your actual experience. Shop your RV and dealership carefully before making a buying decision. 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.
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 also check out Tony and Peggy’s RV podcast.
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Another one person trailer, in my opinion, and a tall person at that. That microwave placement leaves a lot of people needing a step stool to access. Giving up potential storage space for an outside grill seems silly as well. Looks like their lavatory design comes right out of a Boeing 707.
Thank you for the review, Tony! The tank sizes imply this needs a campground bath house for routine bathroom activity and possibly also a honey wagon. At least can use own bathroom for the nocturnal needs (?). The east-west bed does imply that “young and so much in love” couples or single people will find this RV most desirable. The implied high quality of the build makes this a great choice for some. Have a great week and safe travels!
Reminds me of the size and floorplan of the Braxton Creek Bushwhacker+ 15FK, which now apparently has a different company name. The differences are that the Bushwacker is a teardrop (slightly less wind resistance) and the Vida uses much higher-quality materials and suspension. This might be a great weekend trailer for USFS cgs. that have pit toilets, together with a “solar generator” power source. In that context, it could be used nearly anywhere in the Rockies!
Are there dealers or only factory order/pickup?