What kind of camper do you have?

We've decided on the Geo Pro 19FD, plan to buy one soon. The new Geo Pro's are more off grid ready than most. 2021's come standard with 190 watt solar panel, 1000 watt inverter, 12v fridge and TV, lifted 3 inches ( Whats the biggest tire I can put on it without rubbing?) I was hopping for 37's.

 

We have the Travel Lite Falcon 23RB
Weighs about 3500# loaded.
It's a perfect size for my wife and I.
We've pulled it to Florida the last 4 years in a row.
Just got back last week.

 

The Caravel is still a good sized camper. Unless the 4 cyl Tacoma is geared very low I would never attempt to to something that big with it.

Are you guys aware of how much planned obsolescence is involved in the camper industry. It's sickening. Most campers do not pair well with the quality of Toyota.

 

I would say a 2015 rpod 179.

 

Close, but this is a 2017. The very last of the green models.

 

Picking this up in just about two weeks. Ordered last August for a December delivery but had to push it back to March 2021. Luckily we got in just before the big COVID rush - their production dates now extend into Summer of 2022! Got these production photos a few days ago. Escape 19.

 

Great choice. There is no planned obsolescence with this one boys. These pair so well with the reputation of toyota. Resell will be so good on that trailer. Some of these box trailers are loosing $10k in the first few years. Ouch. You'll be able to hand this one down to your grandchildren and they can go camp without that upfront investment. High five.

 

Yep, that’s precisely why we got it! We weren’t sure how much we would enjoy trailer camping so we originally purchased a NoBo 16.5 about two years ago since it was on the less expensive side. Once we realized how much we loved camping in a small trailer, I regretted cheaping out knowing how much value the thing lost instantly.

“Luckily” COVID made trailers a hot commodity and I was able to quickly sell it for our pay off value which was $5000 higher than it would have been worth in literally any other point in history.

This is basically the same size but about 100 times higher quality plus dual axle plus larger bathroom plus full queen size bed (I was touching both walls head and toes in the NoBo sleeping).

And yeah, it’ll basically hold its value and last for eternity with minimal maintenance relative to most campers.

We’re pumped! Excited to see how the Tacoma handles this one compared to the NoBo since it’s a bit more aerodynamic and has the dual axles.

 

Awesome, we are on a parallel trailering path. I am so thankful we got into this before covid hit. We picked up a small lightly used forest river. We have people lined up to look at it this weekend so I expect it to gone in short order. I have some family history with aluminum trailers so that is the route we have gone.

I appreciate well made products that can stand up to time. That is why I drive a Toyota. I wave at every aluminum AND fiberglass trailer I pass. I think things like this can change the financial trajectory of a family. When that old toyota truck gets paid off and the owner says well there is nothing wrong with it and just keeps driving it. Maybe the kid gets old enough to drive and gets the truck. It might have 230k on it but it still runs great and probably has another easy 100k in it. No car payment through HS or college and well into a career before it might be at the end of life.

 

How would you compare these to an airstream quality-wise? I get that it will probably be less maintenance over the long haul, but I’m debating between the two.

 

To be honest, I only know one Airstream owner but they've just had the Basecamp and are getting the new, larger Basecamp in May and from what they've told me, they're just as bad as everyone else in regards to quality and customer service, but they're much nicer than the cheaper options. I don't know if that's true of the $100k+ ones, but I can't imagine spending a mortgage on a trailer in general. Plus I've seen one with hail damage and....yikes.

Even the regular Basecamp is more expensive than the Escape. If you're looking to spend Airstream money but don't want to deal with the dealership network/megacorp subsidiary quality problems, Oliver trailers are the fiberglass equivalent but they are super heavy and some people think they're too "sterile" looking on the inside. Again, I would never spend that money anyway and I'd have to buy a full size pickup (at least) to tow one, so I can't speak to them personally. Bigfoot is also another nice fiberglass brand but I don't even know how you purchase those things as they rarely seem to show up for sale anywhere.

I know there's at least a handful of Airstream owners on here, so they'll probably be happy to chime in and correct me on the quality comments, etc.

Benefit of Escape is it's direct-to-consumer and you order it how you want it and they even allow a little customization that's not listed on their build sheets if it's reasonable, and their customer support afterwards seems to be top notch.

 

I can talk about it a little bit. As far as I am aware all fiberglass and aluminum trailers have steel frames so rust can be an issue. The Oliver is the exception to this and in my opinion is the best quality travel trailer made. That is a 4 season camper and there are some drawbacks with that. Most of these trailers will have torsion axles. This is a great option and is a true independent suspension. The ride and handling is impressively smooth compared to leaf springs. Airstream pioneered this in the late 50's in Africa. By the early 60's all Airstreams had these axles and that is still true today. These axles have about a 40-50 year life expectancy. They are easy to replace and available.


I am not super familiar with where all the fiberglass job week points are.I do have some general knowledge of boat repair. Fiberglass is super repairable and impervious to water. As far as I know the fiberglass provides all the structure so even with a rotten floor it will stay structural sound.The sun is the main enemy. If the gelcoat is not cared for the sun will eat through it and eventually weaken the fiberglass. That is pretty extreme. There are a lot of little fiberglass trailers from the 70s and 80s that are still going strong minus a tired axle.



I wont get into the Basecamp or the defunct Nest to much because it is made by the Airstream company but it is not made like an Airstream, that doesn't mean it is a bad product.


The traditional Airstream construction that most can picture is straight out of the airline industry. An aluminum skin, salt is the only real enemy here and the modern clear coat does a good job of fending that off. If your aluminum is bare, mine is the sun will never bother it. On the inside there are aluminum ribs (studs) and then inside of the studs is another layer of aluminum for the interior skin. In the empty space there is fiberglass insulation. Water can do basically no harm here. Often if there is a leak it will stay in the wall hit a drip tray and make it's way out. The weak point of every Airtstream. The floor ties the body to the frame and the body is part of the structural strength. With out boring you to death think of the Airstream as a whole as a slightly springy suspension tube.

The weakest link in all of this is the marine grade plywood floor found in every airstream up until sometime in 2020. If they get wet, and stay wet for month, years maybe the floor starts to rot. if it is small it can be patched. If not the body has to come off the frame. I have seen a professional get it done in one weekend. That is not typical though. At some point in 2020 all normal Airstreams were switched over to a new floor from the tractor trailer industry. It is strong and impervious to water. This has been the single biggest improvement Airstream has made in the last 60 years. I suspect that is part of why it will take 2 years to get a new one right now. With all that said there are plenty of 60 year old Airstreams that are still camping like the day they were new. If I were to rate these trailers by quality I would put Oliver at a 10. The average steel framed fiberglass job at a 9 and the Airstream at an 8. If I were to rate probably 90% of the other trailers out there they would be in the 123 range. Go look at 25 year old travel trailers that have been parked outside that whole time. Most are trash heaps by then or quickly becoming so. The quality is so good on Aluminum and Fiberglass trailers that I don't think I would put a whole lot a weight on quality between the two.

What the (older) Airstream lacks in quality they make up for in windows, style and history. I found a picture of some hail damage on my trailer. It also has a big dent near the window. Time has left it's mark, but that doesn't bother me. [/CODE]



https://youtu.be/3qRqFfUwhZo?t=237

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVtA0dyAQBY

 

3700 dry!? Wow. That is hard to believe. Lol.
Show me the sticker!

 

@onesojourner

You seem to have some great knowledge of travel trailer construction and durability.

I'm curious about your opinion of this travel trailer's construction and potential durability? weaknesses? strengths?

Presenting a sleek European-style build including a composite floor and aluminum chassis, all interior panels are Azdel composite and the seamless poured resin fiberglass roof is one piece from bumper to hitch. All models are strapped by a moisture-blocking no-substrate fiberglass sidewall with two-pound fire-retardant block foam insulation that’s impervious to heat. Also has a torsion axle with electric brakes.

• 

 

We called ours a shoilet.

 

Appreciate the insight. Yes, I saw that AS had changed their flooring structure and that put me in a pickle as that means if I want one of those, it's with a new purchase or wait until they start hitting the used market (which they will and command top dollar due to wait lists).

 

I have owned a travel trailer that was built with at least most of those same materials and techniques. The black strip that goes up and around on each side is full of screws with some cheap trim on top. The trim needs to be replaced every 5 years or so or you get leaks. What glue is used and how impervious to water is hard to know. Has this company left water in these walls for 5 years to see what happens to the glue? Weird things can happen to glue in that environment. I would guess they haven't. When I try to look up a used Rove I can't find any. My guess is this is one of those short lived pop up brands I mentioned. If they are one of these rebrands owned by a larger corp, they shut the old brand down every few years and then start a new one. If my friend asked me if they should by a new one I would say no. If they had found a nice used one and they could use it for a couple years to see if travel trailers were for them and then pass it on.

For that kind of money I would definitely look at a fiber glass job. It looks like you can get a new one for about 25k. That is 6k more than the Rove, not chump change. I would also bet that you get at least that at resell.
https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2011-Casita-17-SPIRIT-DELUXE-17-5015918505

 

It would definitely be a tough choice to be in the very slightly used AS market. I am happy for people who are able to buy them new. My budget is more like the "found in a field rodent Noah's Ark" kind of budget. My last AS was traded for a gun before I bought it. Disuse is hard on any RV. Avoid that and stick your head in some cabinets with an ice pick. It isn't to hard to find a good used 10-20 year old AS that will give you many more decades of use. I am thrilled that they got the floor swiched for the most part before the covid orders. Hopefully I will be able to pick up a used 2021 in 20 years or so.

 

This trailer hasn't yet hit the market. It is new for 2021.

My interests lie in an ultra-light trailer which this one does meet at 1600lbs dry with aluminum chassis and be easier for around the nation summer months travel. Also due to the size I can get down forest roads and/or into tight offgrid camping locations. I don't see owning it more than a few years so if it stays sealed up for 5 years, I'm good before a resale.

Once covid gets under control in Europe, my plan is to purchase one of these over there for summer tours through out all the countries west of Ukraine and after that has been accomplished I'll liquidate it. It would work well to have friends fly in for a week or so and tour a bit with me. Off-road is not as prevalent as in the western USA so no need for a Tacoma 4x4 with a travel trailer doing continuous narrow paved mountain passes with hairpin corners.

Built on a MB Sprinter chassis with a bit of German engineering in the build.

(sorry not English)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx-8XF7LSno

 

These days you can use what most use for actual homes prior to purchase or by those appraisers working for mortgage lenders.

https://www.thedrive.com/reviews/29020/best-moisture-meters