Must Do Modifications to Casita Travel Trailers
We purchased an older Casita travel trailer that needed some work. Most of the upgrades that we have completed are options that you can buy brand new from Casita today. There are still many used Casita trailers on the road so we wanted to share the must-do modifications that make our Casita much more livable.
Lithium Battery Upgrade
Our trailer was missing a battery when we purchased it. We took the opportunity to upgrade to a lithium battery bank while we were purchasing a battery. The stock battery seems to have been a 65ah AGM or lead acid battery, which translates to around 30ah of usable battery energy, which is sufficient to power the 12v lights.
We upgraded to 2 100ah LiTime Lithium batteries and moved the batteries from the single exterior compartment to under the bed. The power difference is incredible. Not only did we 6x our number of total amp hours, but we also increased our usable energy by over 400%! The lithium batteries can be run down to 0% without damage and provide much more peace of mind when we are boondocking.
Solar Panels
We hemmed and hawed about adding a permanent solar panel to the roof of the Casita and opted to use a Renogy Solar Suitcase instead. The suitcase has a couple of benefits, mainly the ability to adjust the panel to the changing position of the sun in the sky. We added a 30-foot 10 AWG extension cable to allow us to move the panel practically anywhere. There are only two real drawbacks to the solar suitcase: finding a place to store it and the risk of it walking off when we leave for camp. We have had no trouble with sticky fingers at our campsites, but it is always something on our minds. We store the suitcase under the bed and it fits perfectly with room on top for bags or other items.
MaxxAir Fan
The trailer came stock with a Fantastic Fan that was extremely noisy and leaked a little when we took ownership. This was an easy upgrade for us as we had installed a Fantastic Fan in our skoolie build. We were not super impressed with the performance of the Fantastic Fan over the long term, so we went with the slightly more expensive MaxxAir Fan. The MaxxAir Fan fills the same hole and has most of the same features, but the integrated rain cover allows you to run the fan in bad weather. With the Fantastic Fan, we had to purchase a separate cover to allow us to use it in rain and snow. The cover on the Fantastic Fan also stood about 6 inches taller than the MaxxFan.
15" Tire Upgrade
We covered our tire upgrade in more detail in a previous post about our shakedown in the Casita, but this has been a game-changer for ride quality. We upgraded the stock 13” tires to 15” tires. This required no changes to the suspension but did require new wheels.
Read More: Casita Travel Trailer Shakedown Trip
We were able to find a shop in a pinch that had a couple of 15” wheels and tires to get us back on the road. We picked up a spare wheel and tire to match the rest and affixed it to the stock spare location. We debated buying name brand (read expensive) tires, but after speaking to a couple of shops we chose to go with Chinese branded tires and to rotate them often.
Rear Hitch Receiver
While there is a rear hitch receiver available on the market from Casita Works, we have access to tools and supplies to make this project happen. Thankfully Rachael’s father Vic is a skilled craftsman and is always willing to help design and build custom projects. Our receiver uses the frame and the spare tire location for support and it has held up over 10,000 miles of rough roads, Baja two-track, and hauling supplies and bikes to campsites in Colorado. The 2 inch receiver allows us to carry a hitch hauler with room for fuel and firewood or our 1Up bike rack. In an emergency, one could hypothetically use a recovery shackle on the receiver to get unstuck, but it would be a last resort to avoid damage.
1000 watt inverter
The most recent addition to our electrical system is a 1000-watt Renogy Pure Sine Inverter. The original 3-way refrigerator has never worked well, so we have replaced it with a dorm-style mini fridge and are powering it from shore power and the batteries when boondocking. The inverter allows us to use household electronics and charge things like our laptops without worry of damage. The included remote makes it easy to turn on and off and the inverter lives in our external electrical cabinet with the DCDC charger and other electronics.
DC-DC Charger
One of the most impactful modifications that we have made to our Casita has been the addition of a Renogy 50a DC-DC Charger with MPPT solar. The DC-DC charger allows us to charge the lithium battery bank while driving the vehicle. We ran a dedicated power wire from the alternator to the trailer to ensure the charger gets the appropriate amount of power. Charging on the move is obviously very helpful, especially on days when the sun is not cooperating. The charger that we chose also controls our solar input from the solar suitcase. This unit handling both DC-DC charging and solar input keeps the electronic closet nice and tidy.
Buddy Heater
Our Casita came from the factory without a heater installed. The option from the factory is an Atwood propane heater that is very loud and occupies a huge amount of space in the storage compartment under the sink. We opted to use a Mr. Buddy propane heater for the convenience and the cost. The Buddy heater was around $100 and heats the space very quickly.
Mattress Upgrade
We ditched the Casita cushions and replaced them with a 10-inch full-size memory foam mattress that is much more comfortable. Because of the curve of the Casita, we had to trim two corners of the mattress. Once trimmed, the mattress has changed how well we sleep in the best way. We held on to the cushions for a potential future owner, but we will not be sleeping on the cushions again.
Closet Shelving
The most functional modification we made to the travel trailer was adding the closet shelf system by Rachael’s dad Vic. While his build was completely custom, there are commercial options from companies like Katy’s Casita Closets. The added functionality of the closet shelving is a HUGE improvement over the open design. We use tiny tote organizers for clothes and other items and they all stay put while driving.
