My wife and I have been looking for a smaller (under 5000 lbs) comfortable travel trailer for at least three years. For the last 20 years our classic Winnebago Rialta class C motorhome has served us well. However, in recent years we’ve been spending an increasingly longer period of time wintering in Florida. And while the Rialta has many features we love, we’d like more living space for our two months in Florida.
One feature of the Rialta we’ve always rated highly is the amount of window area that lets in a good amount of natural light. So that was an important consideration in our travel trailer search.
Another important criteria was NO Slide-Outs. Slide-Outs have a reputation for lots of nagging operational problems (leaks, slide-sticking, etc.) and they add another set of maintenance responsibilities. Additionally slides can be a hassle in some limited-space national forest campsites.
Best Rated RV Travel Trailers for Couples
We initially looked at what many consider the top quality, no-slide-out, compact trailers (see our article here) and had narrowed down our choices to the Airstream Bambi and the InTech Horizon/Magnolia travel trailers. While these models let in lots of light and had some very attractive features, each had some drawbacks that kept us from pulling the trigger on buying.
- Escalating prices of travel trailers, in general and in particular in these two favored units, was a downside. But not necessarily a deal buster.
- We ended up walking away from the Airstream Bambi because of the East-West bed location. We’d still have to crawl over one another at bedtime.
- The bed in the Magnolia provided more easy access. However its bathroom had no vanity sink. Shaving, brushing teeth, washing your face, etc. would have to be done at the kitchen sink.
Space Saving Murphy Bed Travel Trailers
In 2025, we resumed our search with renewed importance on a North-South bed arrangement that allowed either one of us to get up during the night for “bathroom duties” without having to crawl over the other to get to the Loo. That requirement, plus being short and light enough to be easily towed by our RAM 1500 led us to focus on models with murphy beds. Many murphy bed models offered access on both sides of the bed. And the fold-up feature, converting the bed into a sofa, offers additional daytime living space.
On YouTube Josh the RV Nerd did a video on his favorite no-slide, no bunk couples campers.
Of the 5 models Josh previewed we were most attracted to the R-pod 197. We liked the floor plan and the fact it featured a generous amount of window area, letting in lots of light. In checking dealers in our area we found R-Pod also offered a second murphy bed model, the R-Pod 192. We also found two other brands and models with no-slides, murphy beds and similar floor plans: The Vibe 19 RB and the No Boundaries 19.2 RB. All of these units were 23 feet or less in length and under 5000 lbs dry weight.
No Boundaries 19.2
- We eliminated the No-Bo 19.2 RB due to its’ tiny vanity and no mirror in the bathroom.
- The Vibe 19 RB was eliminated because it had no rear hitch for our bikes and a more modest amount of window area.
- We liked the R-Ppod 192. In addition to the Murphy Bed/Sofa, it offered a dinette booth, a large pantry, a good amount of natural light, and a huge amount of wardrobe space.
- We also liked the R-Pod 197, equipped with a similar Murphy Bed/Sofa. It is a foot longer than the 192 and featured a breakfast bar-style counter (instead of the dinette which we slightly preferred). But it had a larger galley area with more counter space. It also had twin axles which should make it trailer a bit easier.
We dithered back and forth on which model to get: the R-Pod192 or the R-Pod197.
In approaching this decision we were aware of one drawback to the Murphy Bed layout. While it gives you more daytime living space in a smaller trailer, the comfortable sofa disappears at bedtime. If one us wanted to stay up and read while the other went to bed, he or she would have to use the dinette table or sit at the breakfast bar. Same situation for the morning – can’t relax in the sofa until the murphy bed flips up. We decided we’d live with this inconvenience.
A New addition to the No-Slide Out Couples Camper Choices
We were just about ready to close the deal on either the 192 or 197 when we noticed a newly introduced R-Pod no-slide model: the Rpod 205. At 25 feet, it was longer than our 23 foot maximum, but it’s dry weight was still less than 5000 lbs, easily towable by our Ram 1500.
My wife Jo was nervous about going above our 23 foot maximum. But I talked her into doing a walk-through of that model before we closed the deal on a 192 or 197. She instantly fell in love with it. It’s strongest feature was a separate couch and a dedicated bedroom with a walk-around bed and dual wardrobe closets. Another plus was the super-spacious galley area with an L-shaped kitchen counter. That extra 2 feet in length provided a meaningful difference in interior space.
We were sold; we bought it. In our our opinion the R Pod 205 is Best Compact Couples Trailer without a slide-out. Our next article will provide more pictures and go into the details of why we think it is the best no-slide couples camper.