The quest continues

[Jen'nBarb]

So we were sold on the escape because of it's size etc... but the bed is really small. We have a toyota tacoma and don't even know if the 5th wheel is an aption. I will find out next week.....

that said we went to a trailer dealer during our lunch brake and saw a Bantam Flyer. It was cheaper than the escape and had a big bed....so???? Does anyone know this product? we would like any feedback we can get.

[Roger H]

It's a stickie with tent trailer ends? Looks like a pretty standard travel trailer. I've not seen one in person, so I can't address it's quality.

Hopefully somebody has seen one in person.

Roger

[Jen'nBarb]

The one we saw didn't have the tent trailer ends. It had a wrap around bed/eating area and the rest was pretty standard although it seemed very spacious. Quality is definatly an issue, as is tow-ability/comfort. This one "seemed" boxy and wide.

[BOBSMITH]

My wife and I looked at one. It has decent space. I've also looked at some used ones that had leaks and other issues connected to construction.

Unless I get enough money to buy a powerful tow vehicle and an Airstream, I'm going to stay with a fiberglass rv. You don't run into the same construction/leak problems with fiberglass trailers as with stick built models.

[Brian B-P]

We were very close to buying an R-Vision Trail-Lite Bantam Flier (gotta love those RV names...) before going with the Boler B1700. We actually borrowed a co-worker's van (identical to mine but with the right hitch) to test-tow one. Its kitchen layout was different from the one on the website, either because it was the version without the "hybrid" fold-out tented beds, or because it was a model from about 2004.

This was the lightest reasonable trailer we could find. As conventional travel trailers go, it is unusually low (which I wanted), but otherwise conventionally constructed. Compared to the B1700, it seems wider (which I didn't like; the spec is the same, but the Trail-Lite is full width for the full height), and has a bigger bathroom, but had only one bed (I would prefer to have two available) and was a bit heavier, leaving not enough margin in vehicle capacity. It also had more hitch weight than I wanted.

It towed fine in our short test, but it was months after that before we bought the Boler, so I can't really directly compare the towing experience. All I know about the construction is what I learned by looking in the unfinished spaces such as the storage compartments, but I get the feeling that it won't be in good shape when it is 27 years old (which our Boler is now).