Hi, we are

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Kbnjw

Don’t forget storage! We just went through the same thing and we thought we were set to buy pretty much any small camper since we could tow 5,000 pounds with our Honda Passport. However, our issue became storage. We have a standard garage door that is 8 foot wide and 7 foot high. Our neighborhood does not allow campers to be stored in front of our house, even in our own driveway...

Good point. HOA's often have restrictive rules about RV storage. Off-site storage is another option, of course, but it gets expensive and adds to the hassle of getting ready for a trip.

There are a few smaller molded trailers, mostly vintage, that will fit into a 7' garage. Generally they either ride on a low suspension or have a pop-top. Boler, Trillium, Hunter, and Trailswest are among the possibilities. 2005 and older 13' Scamps without roof A/C will also work. Non-folding units are generally a tight fit, sometimes requiring a wheel swap for garage storage and again adding to the hassle of prepping for a trip.

If you go small and simple, the Meerkat is worth a look. It's a modern, molded take on the classic Eriba Puck. No wet bath option. Garageable, under 1000# dry weight, and towable by CUV's with a 1500# rating.

The short-lived 2019 Hymer Touring GT is a larger, full-featured, pop-top unit with a wet bath that might fit in a standard garage- not sure of the exact height. Unfortunately the company folded (for reasons unrelated to this trailer; the GT was collateral damage). The company that made the shells for Hymer may bring it back under another name, but for now availability is limited.

Beyond that, all of the newer and larger, full-featured molded trailers are a no-go.

Congratulations on your Aliner. As much as I love my Scamp, in your situation I might have made the same choice. Indoor storage goes a long way to preventing the problems that affect non-molded trailers. Molded trailers love it too, since it limits the UV exposure that degrades the glossy gelcoat finish.

[1500]

Originally Posted by Kbnjw

Hi,
Don’t forget storage!
We just went through the same thing and we thought we were set to buy pretty much any small camper since we could tow 5,000 pounds with our Honda Passport. However, our issue became storage. We have a standard garage door that is 8 foot wide and 7 foot high. Our neighborhood does not allow campers to be stored in front of our house, even in our own driveway. The space between us and our neighbors, on our property, was about 10 feet on each side, so an 8 foot wide camper would fill the space. We went to lots of dealers who didn’t seem to hear us and tried to force us into standard campers despite our explaining this. We really wanted a Casita and hope someday we can, if we move. In the meantime, we purchased an Aliner Explorer fiberglass pop up. It was a revelation when we discovered this. Dealers never told us about these, we tripped over their existence here. It’s not quite 8 feet wide and it’s about 5 1/2 feet high folded up so it fits in our garage, but open it’s about 10 feet at the highest point, and with 2 dormers it is quite roomy. It’s 18 feet long, so it has 2 sleeping areas, full wet bath, heat, and AC. And we had to tow it 850 miles home, which was really easy given its low profile. I am not sure your car will carry the exact model we got (GVW 3500) as it may be too heavy, but my point is don’t forget you have to store whatever you buy. And some Aliners fiberglass pop ups are pretty light without the dormers.

Well you are not going to see or have much of a discussion of the Aliners on this forum as they are not a molded fiberglass trailer. This site would call them stickies with a pop top.

[Evirk]

Folks-
We just wanted to again send out a great big thank you to everyone who has responded. The responses have been informative and included plenty to think about.



We managed to visit Hungry Mother rally last week and it was great fun. Everyone was so friendly and accommodating. We lost track of how many RVs we got to tour, but it was around ten! And boy oh boy did we learn a LOT!



We think we have a line on a used Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe which has all the things we decided we wanted after our visit to the rally. We picked up a used Dodge Dakota for a tow vehicle. If all goes well, we might be camper owners by this time next week.


Again, thanks to everyone on this forum and to the fine folks we met at the rally.


Kirk and Eva