New fiberglass trailer? Has anybody seen one of these?

[EJLydic]

[attachment=3251:attachm
ent]

Hi,

I found an add for a new fiberglass trailer in the latest Woodall's RV Buyers Guide. Just wondering if anyone has seen one. Does anyone know if they have dealer closer to the Mississippi River.

EJ

[Suz]

The Little Joe by Weis has come up here from time to time, but I don't believe that any of us have one yet. It is one of the smallest (that I'm aware of) that is currently being made.

A call would probably be in order to find out if they have one closer, but I'm guessing that it's sold close to (if not at) the point of manufacture.

Little Joe

[Mike Watters]

At $3+ a gallon for gas, it's a good time to be launching an ultra light weight trailer.

mkw

[Bill MacDermod]

I'd rather see them build a Tundra that would get 25 mpg.............pulling a 17'er

[Byron Kinnaman]

I'd rather see them build a Tundra that would get 25 mpg.............pulling a 17'er

Not me. I'm of the less is more crowd. I might have bought one of those instead of the 13' Scamp. That said, the 13' is every bit as much as I need. But I wouldn't mind a TV that could handle the 13' and get a whole lot better mileage.

[BOBSMITH]

How about when gas hits $5 a gallon?

[AndyW]

Does that thing have a pop-top? I saw something on I-25 near Castle Rock last night that I didn't recognize. It was shaped sort of like a fiberglass horse trailer, with an oval shaped pop top. It was maybe half the size of my Burro and looked brand new. I couldn't see brand name, but it looked very, very cool (for one person, anyway).

[Frederick L. Simson]

It was shaped sort of like a fiberglass horse trailer, with an [b]oval shaped pop top. It was maybe [b]half the size of my Burro and looked brand new.

That's a pretty fair description of an Eriba Puck. A German aluminum-bodied travel trailer, popular with the vintage VW crowd.

[Frederick L. Simson]

Does that thing have a pop-top?

No, it is solid walled.

[Maggie O.]

Did anyone find the price of the little joe? I see they have a roof rack for a boat (kayak?). Pretty cool.

[BOBSMITH]

Yes, the roof rack is a good addition. The more I look at that trailer, the more I can see what a great shelter it is for taking back into the really rough areas where a regular fiberglass rv cannot go.

[twoclinks]

Hi EJ,

I have checked out the Little Joe at a Denver RV show.
I was not impressed. Very crude rig.
Thought it looked like a molded fiberglass mini horse trailer with beds.
Looked like you could hose it out if you tracked in mud though.
A great deer hunting rig especially if you have drank too much and got sick.
I think you could do better.
Owning a Casita makes me bias. :-)

[Bob Pierce]

Maggie O.

To answer your question about price. I sent off for information on the Little Joe a couple of months ago. The price list is $9,429.00 for the basic trailer. No furnace, air conditioner or refrigerator. I thought it was on the expensive side. You would have to go to Colorado to pick it up or pay even more to have it shipped.

Bob Pierce

[EJLydic]

Maggie O.

To answer your question about price. I sent off for information on the Little Joe a couple of months ago. The price list is $9,429.00 for the basic trailer. No furnace, air conditioner or refrigerator. I thought it was on the expensive side. You would have to go to Colorado to pick it up or pay even more to have it shipped.

Bob Pierce

The price in the Woodall RV mag says approx $7400 for the basic tralier. I agree, $9400 is pricey. I've tried a couple of times this week to contact the company with no response. I don't believe I'll be doing any business with them.

Ed

[EJLydic]

Hi EJ,

I have checked out the Little Joe at a Denver RV show.
I was not impressed. Very crude rig.
Thought it looked like a molded fiberglass mini horse trailer with beds.
Looked like you could hose it out if you tracked in mud though.
A great deer hunting rig especially if you have drank too much and got sick.
I think you could do better.
Owning a Casita makes me bias. :-)

Actually it sounds funny but that's basiclly what I've been looking for. I have tons of camping gear. I wish there was one out there that had a counter/cabinet/sink with say a 5 gal hand pump unit. Wiring for a/c and d/c converter would be nice and a place to store a porta-potti and a dinette or goncho that makes into a bed. I have a Zodi unit for hot water. I guess I'm talking about building something.

Ed

[EJLydic]

Not me. I'm of the less is more crowd. I might have bought one of those instead of the 13' Scamp. That said, the 13' is every bit as much as I need. But I wouldn't mind a TV that could handle the 13' and get a whole lot better mileage.

I'm with you Byron. For a hunting and fishing rig, all I'm looking for is basic shelter.I have all the camping gear, I'm just tired of sleeping in a tent.

Ed

[Maggie O.]

If less suits your purpose it really is more, but, um, I don't like to pay more for less. I was never in the new trailer market tho'. I couldn't see if these had any insulation or lining. If they have similar insulation to the rest, I think they've got something going for them. The roof rack is intriguing. If it's really usable they must have a well supported roof. As to the price...have you been to an rv show lately? It's still less than some pop ups.

[Frederick L. Simson]

The price in the Woodall RV mag says approx $7400 for the basic tralier. I agree, $9400 is pricey.

Ten years ago, (1996) I investigated the then new Lite House, which was the predecessor to this unit. The manufacturer claimed he came up with this design as an alternative for tenters with small cars. The "basic" unit, queen bed, interior lights, 2 burner stove, sink with manual pump faucet, and ice box sold for $6500.

He was running a "special" on a stripped down version at the time. No stove, no sink, no ice box. Just the benches that converted into the queen size bed and the cabinets where the appliances would have gone. Also left out the window across the front, so you got only 2 windows, not 3. $4000.

Both units came with a vinyl floor and reflectix covered with "rat fur" on the walls & ceiling.

He also had an impressive list of "options":
spare tire
table (with folding legs) that could be used outside.
3-way refrigerator
water pump
bag awning
air conditioner
child's hammock
battery & converter
solar panel (glassed into the roof)

I added up the a-la-carte pricing on all the options, and fully equipped it was $10,300.

One thing Little Joe added that Lite House never had was the upper cabinets. And, of course, the roof rack.

[EJLydic]

Ten years ago, (1996) I investigated the then new Lite House, which was the predecessor to this unit. The manufacturer claimed he came up with this design as an alternative for tenters with small cars. The "basic" unit, queen bed, interior lights, 2 burner stove, sink with manual pump faucet, and ice box sold for $6500.

He was running a "special" on a stripped down version at the time. No stove, no sink, no ice box. Just the benches that converted into the queen size bed and the cabinets where the appliances would have gone. Also left out the window across the front, so you got only 2 windows, not 3. $4000.

Both units came with a vinyl floor and reflectix covered with "rat fur" on the walls & ceiling.

He also had an impressive list of "options":
spare tire
table (with folding legs) that could be used outside.
3-way refrigerator
water pump
bag awning
air conditioner
child's hammock
battery & converter
solar panel (glassed into the roof)

I added up the a-la-carte pricing on all the options, and fully equipped it was $10,300.

One thing Little Joe added that Lite House never had was the upper cabinets. And, of course, the roof rack.

From your discription of the Lite House, Little Joe sounds like a pretty good bargain. Thank's for the information. Unfortunatley without a dealer network the Little Joe is going to go by the way of the Lite House.

Ed

[Benita]

I've tried a couple of times this week to contact the company with no response. I don't believe I'll be doing any business with them.

Yours is a common complaint. When you actually do get a sales person, I've heard the guy is really irritated you don't want to buy something bigger.