Seriously though, I eliminated anything from the big three, choosing to peruse independent builders, then looked for ground clearance, heavy capacity (axles, frame, suspension), relatively high NCCC, and just more weight. Any trailer that qualifies as light weight, does so by using cheap and thus usually fragile materials, I don’t care what it weights because I can tow 18,000lbs from the factory hitch and no 25’ trailer will be close to that. These are about half and that means they didn’t sacrifice quality for weight savings. Dual pane windows are an example, as well as solid surface counters, and bigger holding and fresh water tanks.
Outdoor Rv has a lighter weight category too, but thats not what I’m looking for. They don’t have a lot of outside storage but I’d be towing it with a pick-up that doesn’t have a 5th wheel hitch taking up a lot of room. And they are built in Central Oregon, far from the trappings of Elkhart, with actually using the RV for its intended purpose in mind, not mass production, weight savings, and cheap materials. They have aluminum frame walls, a “four season” build design, and what they call a custom chassis which I think deserves a look.
This is all based on the idea of a rather radical down-size/camping style change. I’m paying too much to the DMV, too much for insurance, and too much for fuel and maintenance. By eliminating the coach and toad from the fleet, the savings are almost $3000/year with them just sitting. More of course if I use them. Also the older I get the more work it is to operate the coach. I never thought I’d say that, but there it is. I’d miss the quality of the coach and the laundry and big kitchen, but I know that a change like this will involve compromises.
Theres a dealer near me (Yuba City) so I can go over there and take a first hand look. I might be completely turned off when I see them, but I’ll never know until I do. And it’s near the John Deere dealership so it wont be a wasted trip.
Blessings
