Have you seen the new Jayco Hummingbird 10RK? Tiny trailers are all the rage right now, and this is just the latest example of innovation in this RV segment.
Two years ago, on our way out to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, we stopped at the Jayco campus in Middlebury, Indiana to check out some of their newest RV’s. We have owned three different Jayco RV’s and Jayco sponsors both the RV Family Travel Atlas and Campground of the Week podcasts.
At that time the brand new Jayco Hummingbird (a stylish, lightweight teardrop) was getting a lot of buzz among tiny trailer fans. So we asked to interview the product manager behind the debut, John Fisher. We had a great time talking to John and learning all about his plans for the Hummingbird line. You can check out that interview here.
Since then, sales of the Hummingbird line exploded and the variety of floor plans has expanded. The latest entry into the lineup, the Hummingbird 10RK, really grabbed our attention. Not because it makes sense for our family of five (six including Maggie the Camping Dog!) but precisely because it doesn’t make sense for us at all.
Tiny trailers have always been a kind of forbidden fruit for us. We are fascinated by them because they look like so much fun! You can take them just about anywhere, and tow them with so many different vehicles. Maybe I can talk Stephanie into buying one for a rental unit or to use for occasional weekend getaways without the kids.
I know, I know, who am I kidding!
Either way, we thought it would be a good time to check back in with John Fisher, and learn all about the newest entry into the Hummingbird line.
Meet John Fisher
RVFTA: Tell us about your position at Jayco and what role you played in bringing the Hummingbird line to market.
John Fisher: I’m the Senior Director of Product Development for the Jayco Light-Weight brands, which includes the White Hawk, Jay Feather, Hummingbird & Jay Sport camping trailer. With the growing demand for smaller light-weight trailers I approached management in 2015 with a market study showing the upward trends of the expanding tear drop market along with our Product Development Team’s design input & plan. It was a no-brainer for Jayco to enter this market, so we targeted the 2017 model year as the debut for our new brand, the Hummingbird, and brought it to market May 1, 2016.
RVFTA: The new Hummingbird 10RK is getting a lot of buzz among tiny trailer fans. Give us some basic specs on this trailer–weight, height, length–and what type of consumer do you think will buy it?
John Fisher: Our Sales Team came to me months ago asking for a smaller trailer that would appeal to the Jeep Wrangler type of customer that has a towing capacity of approximately 2000 pounds. They wanted to have another option for those campers that weren’t interested in a camping trailer. The 10RK is 13 feet long and 90 inches high to the top of the TV antenna, which is a key feature allowing the model to be put in a garage as long as the doors are 8 feet or higher. If you view the Hummingbird 10RK video we posted on Facebook (see below)…you’ll see that Ryan Galasso, Jayco Towable Brand Manager, and myself were moving that lil’ Bird around ourselves!!
The Exterior of the Hummingbird 10RK
RVFTA: What exterior features are included or available?
John Fisher: The Jayco 2-Year Warranty is always an awesome feature and one of the most important things we offer, giving our campers 2 full camping seasons of protection!! 15″ American-made, nitro-filled Goodyear Endurance radial mudder tires with self-adjusting electric brakes are standard. We’re very proud of the fact that we’re putting American-made tires on all of our Jayco travel trailer and Fifth Wheel brands as they carry the highest speed and load ratings in the industry–and I know our customers feel safer towing with Goodyear tires!! All 10RK’s have a standard enclosed underbelly with an added layer of AstroFoil insulation, so better MPG’s with less wind drag and any wire runs, tanks, etc. are protected from the elements & road debris.
It also features both A-frame and roof-mounted solar prep, so a customer has the opportunity to go more “off-grid.” There is a camp-side exterior baggage door that will house the optional exterior grill or it will fit a standard size porti-potty, which I know is a nice added feature. We put the exterior grill bracket on the rear of the off-camp side, which allowed us to add a nice size window on the camp-side. A power tongue jack is also a standard feature on the 10RK. (All of these listed features set the Hummingbird 10RK apart from the Rockwood Geo or Flagstaff Eco). Also, the ever-popular A-frame mounted 2-bike rack carrier is also optional, like on all of our other Hummingbird models.
The Interior of the Hummingbird 10RK
RVFTA: What interior features are included or available?
John Fisher: The 10RK has a standard Fantastic Fan powered roof vent, which can really move a lot of air. We also offer an 8,000 BTU side-mount A/C for those customers that want their unit to be nice and cool!! The 10RK has a standard Furrion Lit portable Bluetooth speaker mounted inside, so you can stream music inside or outside the coach and it also has a TV bracket and hook-ups in the interior and a standard 2-way (12V/120V) 24″ LED TV in the rear exterior kitchen. Interior overhead storage cabinets, multiple cargo nets, retractable cup holders, a nice size cubbie area at the head of the bed & USB and 110 recepts make the interior well-appointed.
The mattress is a 54×74 size mattress wrapped with our Teddy Bear soft touch covering giving it a nice look and making it very comfortable. An awesome feature that we added is a built-in hinge, which allows the mattress to act almost like a sitting sofa when our camper wants to watch TV, read or do other things when not sleeping or taking a nap. (This is demonstrated in the video).
The exterior kitchen offers the TV previously mentioned, a 2-way refrigerator (also 12V/120V), microwave, USB ports, kitchen sink with removable faucet and comes equipped with an attachable sprayer that will serve as an outside shower, plus storage cabinets and a pull-out drawer. One little extra thing we do on all Jayco light-weight towables is over our slide-outs (or in this case the strutted large storage door for the outside kitchen on the 10RK) we put a larger drip spout over the top to keep water run-off away from the strutted door.
RVFTA: In an era when RV’s seem to get bigger and bigger, you seem to be pushing your Jayco line in the other direction. Why do you seem to be particularly interested in pushing design and production on the smaller end?
John Fisher: We want to make sure we have nice options for the folks with limited towing capacity in that 2000-3500 tow class. Above that we have nice alternative choices in White Hawk and Jay Feather models, but that’s why our lil’ Hummingbird & the tear drop segment are so important!! We are looking to continue to design creative floor plans and features that appeal to that 3500 and under tow class. One very interesting thing is the demographic of this camper where we are seeing first-timers, seasoned campers and even many retirees selling their motorhomes to go “small.”
RVFTA: Should we look for more tiny trailers from Jayco in the future?
John Fisher: We recently designed industry-first Murphy-bed models in the Hummingbird line-up. The 16MRB (non-slide) is just now hitting the market and we’ll have the new 17MBS coming out in May. Both are awesome floor plans targeting that 3500# + tow vehicle. But with the Murphy bed you get the added sofa that you just don’t see in tear-drop trailers, plus both of these new models have dry baths and a ton of storage!!
RVFTA: What is your favorite part about working in the RV industry and working for Jayco in particular?
John Fisher: I’ve been in the RV industry for 14 years and have loved every minute of it! The world is so crazy nowadays, but watching families spend quality time together bonding and making memories camping is awesome. I’ve been at Jayco for almost 4 years now and they truly are an awesome organization. They care about their employees, suppliers, dealers and retail customers and whole-heartedly want to make the best RV’s in the industry!
A big thanks to John Fisher for telling us more about the Hummingbird 10RK. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below, and hopefully we can help you out!
The 10RK is beautiful. I have a Jeep Wrangler…need 2000 lbs. or less. So, try to design a 10 RK with an indoor bathroom. Can be tiny. combo shower toilet.
I would rather have one without. Use the campgrounds or join a nationwide gym are better options IMHO. Happy camping!
About how much are the tiny trailers?
We bring an insta-pop-up privacy tent which we can stand up in, change clothes & it has enough room for a toilet (with a holding tank), We typically use the campground facilities, but bring our privacy tent & toilet and set up only we we need it.
I just bought a new renny trailhawk and I’m looking for a RV under 2000lbs .
Looks like I found the right one in the 10 RK
But with one question , where around Richmond, Virginia area can I find it?
You can find a nearby Jayco dealer on the manufacturer website, http://jayco.com
I got excited when I saw this at Bish’s RV, I though finally an affordable small trailer! Wrong! $20,000!!!! Are you freaking nuts! Get real!
Hmmm. That’s not accurate pricing info. You can find this online in the 12-13K range, and pricing at Hershey was at about 10.9K…
I built one, really nice, getting ready to sell, I’m building one a little bigger
We paid almost half that price when we bought our 10RK new in 2018.
James look at the GEO Pro 12RK, 1500 lbs dry weight and under $15K. I own one very similar to this model, except not nearly as expensive and real RV AC unit, not wall unit like this one…
That trailer looks interesting but is still too much of an investment for it and still inclides notable negatives: outdoor kitchen, no indoor bathroom (a small one would work).
For both the Jayco and Geo Pro : keep the hatch-back idea, put in a small indoor kitchen and food storage, and small sink and bathroom arrangement. Even a porta-potty like in all the old truck bed campers would work. I would not want a lot of liquid splashing around when I take this over rough roads or trails behind my Jeep JK 4door.
The price must be much lower since buyers are really getting much much less in material and design. USD$8K or less. The smarter manufacturer will take control of this growing market.
I am perplexed why the tv is not mounted inside the unit. Who wants to watch tv while it’s raining outside.???
I’ve looked at one of these in person and was perplexed at first as well. Turns out the TV can be easily moved back and forth between the kitchen area and the interior, there is a dedicated space on the interior wall to put it.
There is a mount inside as well.
The TV can be mounted inside as well as outside.
Wow I must be living in the stone ages.
I here guys on here talking about 10,12,13000 like that cheap money.
I understand its not 20000 but this is a tiny trailer for full blown RV money.
Where do you millionaires get your money and I’m a six figure guy.
The reason they continue to charge this kind of stupid money is folks like you buy it. This should be going for 5or6 no 10 to 13. That crazy.
I agree that the trailer looks good but it doesn’t have some functions that a tear drop would have.
Just not priced right.
Hi Mike. I agree that it seems overpriced and yet people still buy them at 12-13,000 dollars. In the future I’d like to see which small trailers can be towed by a Subaru Outback. Ideally, my firm budget would be about $8995, and yes, that would be for a new trailer.
Like so many RVs these days the bed is only long enough for short people.
I’m 6’3″ and just laid in one, I could lay flat with my feet not quite touching the end. I did not have a pillow. I loved it. Quality is good. Salesman didn’t know about the heater or if there is a water heater, I didn’t find it. For those wanting cheaper look at Coachmen Viking/Clipper 9.0 TD. $7-8K out the door and lighter than this one. The Jayco seems much better built and worth the extra money to me.
Not for me. Don’t need a TV outside, and no, I don’t want to move it. And the fridge is too small
I loved this post. I read your blog almost every day and
you’re always comining out with interesting materials.
I shared this on FB and my followers loved
it. Keep up the good work.
Can you take TV from outside and place on Mount inside?
Yes
Two words: Bathroom/Price! This is a wonderful little camper, or would be, with those two words—in fact, one could split the difference with you on price to get it under 10-11k, but no potty, no deal. It’s 2019 in every campground! come on—we shouldn’t have to ask, esp from a good company like this!
The issue with a bathroom is the weight. There are actually quite a few lightweight travel trailers that do no offer a bathroom…yes, even in 2019. More rugged options include the Sylvan Sport, the NuCamp Tag, the Clipper, The Mantis and many more. These trailers are for folks looking for a truly lightweight, off grid option. You might not fall into this market, but the market most definitely exists.
What is the prices of the Jayco Hummingbirds.
what is the price
Can it hold a roof top tent?
We just bought the hummingbird 10RK, 2020, it has no stove, there is a rail on the outside, where do you find a table for that rail to put a stove on?
Looks cute and manageable.
What’s the price on this little beauty.
Shower inside and keep overall 2000lbs or less.
Where can I see one of these?
Tyler, Tx