Teardrop campers are the perfect match for Suzuki Jimny owners in South Africa. Explore Edgeout, Trailpod, Metalian, Moremi and rent before you buy on Kampi.
Something interesting has happened in South Africa's camping scene over the last few years. The Suzuki Jimny, that compact little 4x4 that refuses to take itself too seriously, has built one of the most active vehicle communities in the country. And right behind it, a new category of camping trailer has taken off: the teardrop camper.
The two are directly connected.
Suzuki sold over 71,000 vehicles in South Africa in 2025, a 20% jump year-on-year. The Jimny is consistently one of the top sellers, and the reasons are obvious. Proper ladder-frame 4x4 with low-range transfer case, at a fraction of what a Fortuner or Land Cruiser costs. It sips fuel. It fits in any parking spot in Sandton or Sea Point. And it handles gravel roads and mountain passes like a vehicle twice its size.
The community around it is big. On Facebook, groups like Suzuki Jimny JB74 South Africa and Jimny Owners South Africa are full of build photos, trail day invites, and mod advice. The Suzuki Auto Club SA runs regional chapters with regular off-road events, and their Western Cape chapter alone has over 650 members on the distribution list. On Instagram, @explorejimny has over 56,000 followers, many of them South African.
Then there is the aftermarket scene. SA-based specialists like JimnyworX SA, JimSA, Jimny Wild, and Des Sol have built entire businesses around kitting out Jimnys with bumpers, lift kits, drawer systems, and camping gear. JimnyDRIVE in De Wildt builds custom camping trailers designed specifically for the Jimny.
Suzuki themselves host an annual Jimny Gathering in the Outeniqua Mountains near Oudtshoorn. The 2023 event set a world record with 787 Jimnys switching their lights on at the same time. There is a camping village, guided trails through rocky passes and river crossings, and a music festival in town.
The question every Jimny owner eventually asks is: what can I tow?
The Jimny's braked towing capacity is around 1,100kg. That rules out anything resembling a traditional caravan. But it puts teardrop campers and compact off-road trailers well within reach, since most come in under 750kg GVM.
Here is a number that catches people off guard: a manual Jimny towing a teardrop trailer uses around 9.6 litres per 100km. A Jimny with a rooftop tent mounted? 10 to 11 litres per 100km. Towing a teardrop actually burns less fuel than driving with a tent on the roof, because the trailer sits behind the vehicle instead of adding drag on top of it.
At R24+ a litre for petrol, that math gets your attention.
And most teardrop campers in South Africa stay under 750kg GVM, which means you can tow them on a standard Code B licence. No EB licence test. No extra fees. No waiting six months for a booking at the testing centre. Hitch up and go.
If you drive a Jimny and you want to camp properly without sleeping on the roof of your car, a teardrop is the obvious answer. And South African manufacturers are building some seriously good ones.
Based in Cape Town, Edgeout built the world's first rotomoulded plastic teardrop camper. The body is LLDPE (the same material used in industrial water tanks), moulded in two separate pods and joined on a galvanised steel chassis. No traditional seams means no leak points. The thing does not rust, does not rot, and barely needs maintenance.
You get a queen-size mattress, two-burner gas cooker, 110-litre water tank, hot water for the sink and external shower, and 15-inch Goodyear Wrangler tyres on torsion bar suspension. International publications like New Atlas and autoevolution have covered it. Pricing starts around R229,000.
The catch: at 750kg tare weight, you will need an EB licence to tow it. But for a Jimny with 1,100kg braked towing capacity, it is well within range mechanically.
Also Cape Town. Trailpod's Cricket range uses zero-wood composite construction: rigid recyclable foam panels, aluminium cladding outside, laminate interior. No wood, no fibreglass in the body at all. That eliminates the biggest enemy of South African caravans, which is moisture damage and rot.
The Cricket Lite starts at R189,681 with a tare weight of just 420kg. Comfortably in Code B territory. Total length is only 3.5 metres, short enough to fit in any garage. The range goes up to the Cricket Max at R257,600 with a bigger battery bank and more storage for off-grid trips.
Classic teardrop shape with a retro look, modern engineering underneath. About two months from order to delivery.
Metalian is the name that comes up whenever anyone asks about tough off-road trailers. Also Cape Town. They build using 3CR12 stainless steel monocoque construction, which is about as close to indestructible as a camping trailer gets.
Their Genie model sits in the teardrop/compact space. Starting from R79,925, it is the cheapest way into a premium trailer. Tare weight ranges from 260kg to 550kg depending on configuration, and in lighter setups it stays under 750kg GVM for Code B towing. Metalian exports to Australia and Switzerland. Their Parthian model won the 2019 Australian Camping Trailer of the Year.
For Jimny owners who want something they can tow without an EB licence and do not want to spend R200k+, the Genie is hard to beat.
Not every compact camping trailer needs to be a teardrop. Moremi Campers, manufactured by Custom Canopies, builds off-road camping trailers and "trailvans" (trailer-van hybrids) that solve the same problem differently: lightweight, towable by smaller vehicles, built for African conditions.
Their XLT 2-Sleeper weighs just 250kg tare with a 750kg GVM. That is light enough that most vehicles can tow it with barely any fuel penalty. The Evolve 4-Sleeper comes in at 480kg tare, sleeps four, measures 4.2 metres long, and still fits in a standard garage.
Every single model in their range stays under 750kg GVM. No EB licence needed for anything they make. They also build rooftop tents and bakkie canopies, so they know how South Africans actually camp.
You can already find Moremi trailers listed on Kampi for rental, which is a good way to try the format before spending money on one.
The growth in teardrop campers is not about looks or social media trends. The reasons are practical:
SA manufacturers like Edgeout, Trailpod, and Metalian are doing genuinely original work. Rotomoulded plastic bodies, zero-wood composites, stainless steel monocoques. These designs get covered by international press regularly, and for good reason.
A few more names that keep coming up:
If you own a Jimny and you are curious about teardrops, the overlap between these communities is growing. Here is where to look:
The annual Suzuki Jimny Gathering (September, Outeniqua Mountains) is worth putting on the calendar. Trail days, camping, and hundreds of Jimnys in one place. If you want to see what people are actually towing and how their setups work on the trail, that is where to go.
Teardrop campers are cheaper than full-size caravans, but R80,000 to R290,000 is still real money. Renting one first makes sense. Spend a weekend with it. Tow it behind your Jimny. See if the kitchen layout works for how you cook. Find out whether you prefer a teardrop or an open trailer like a Moremi.
On Kampi, there are over 365 campers and trailers listed by private owners across South Africa. Compact teardrops, off-road trailers, full-size caravans. Over 5,600 completed trips on the platform, with insurance, secure payments, and verified listings handled for you.
Want something lightweight specifically? Check campers you can tow without an EB licence. Planning a bigger trip? Run through the 4x4 camper trip checklist before you leave.
A Jimny and a compact trailer. No massive tow vehicle needed. No EB licence hassle. No seven-figure caravan payment. Just a proper bed, a kitchen at the back, and whatever road you feel like taking.
Browse teardrop campers and compact trailers on Kampi
Got a teardrop or off-road trailer collecting dust between trips? List it on Kampi and let it earn while you are not using it. Here is how the numbers work.
Yes. The Jimny's tow rating is 1,300 kg braked. Most teardrops come in well under that, and the Code B eligible ones (under 750 kg) are a perfect match.
Gidget, Donkey, and several smaller locally-built teardrops qualify. Check the listed GVM on each Kampi listing.
Two adults inside most units, with add-on tents sleeping a further two kids outside. Four is a realistic maximum.
Filter by Code B eligible or by GVM under 750 kg on the Kampi search page.