Chinese T@B ?

[Tom Trostel]

I saw this posted on another site and thought it might be of interest. Don't think it's fibergalss, but a travel trailer imported from China might shake up the marketplace.....

Tom Trostel

http://www.urvusa.com/index.html

[Suz]

Wow, Tom. What a terrific little unit. That will really put the T@b to shame. Fully self-contained and what an ingenious use of space. Who knows? Perhaps some of the Euro molded fiberglass trailers will now start appearing on the market on this side of the pond.

Check it out.

[DonInChatt]

From the FAQ page:
Q: Is air conditioning available for iCamp Lite?A: No. iCamp Lite is for people to enjoy nature life on the beach, in the mountains, etc. With screened windows on each side, people are more enjoying nature breeze than energy consuming air conditioner.

[Frederick L. Simson]

From the FAQ page:
[b]Q: Is air conditioning available for iCamp Lite?A: No. iCamp Lite is for people to enjoy nature life on the beach, in the mountains, etc. With screened windows on each side, people are more enjoying nature breeze than energy consuming air conditioner.

The [b]Lite is the tent trailer.




The [b]Elite is the solid body that SUZ pictured above, and [b]Does have air conditioning available.

[DonInChatt]

This afternoon I shall be outdoors raking leaves enjoying nature breeze than energy consuming air conditioner.

[Brian B-P]

Although it is the width of the classic 13' egg, and not much longer, it is almost as heavy as my wide-body 17' Boler! Much heavier than a T@B.

From the URVUSA website:

Unloaded Vehicle Weight = [b]2366 LB, GVWR = 2890 LB
Net Cargo Capacity = 524 LB
Hitch Weight - 130 LB

Exterior Length = 14’ , Exterior Width = 6' 8", Exterior Height - 7' 10"
Interior Length = 10'7", Interior Width = 6' 3", Interior Height - 5' 11"

Fresh Water Capacity (gal) = 12, LP Capacity (lbs) = 11

Here's one from the FAQ, confirming the substantial heft:

Q: What kind of hitch should I Use?
A: We recommend using a class 3 hitches for most vehicles

There is really no need for a Class 3 hitch, but it does need at least a Class 2.

The full bathroom is nice, but there isn't enough room to tempt me, given my current requirements, and at that weight for many people it wouldn't be a realistic alternative to a T@B or 13' moulded fiberglass trailer.

I do appreciate the detailed (and apparently to scale) floorplan drawings which the distributor provided, and thank to Tom for letting us know about this unit.

[Palmer M]

That's a neat looking trailer.
My interior is "spacey" enough, though, when I'm on board! Spacious, it's not!
I like the T@Bs, but only if they would offer a bit longer unit with a bath and a bit of aisle space.
Looks like T@B (Thor) should have trademarked that submarine door; the Asians are good at copying!
Y'all might have seen this one, but here's the link again to an interesting trailer from Germany -

http://www.deseo-caravan.de/php/site.php?id=100

If you like the tortured english on the Chinese web site, please check this site out for more...it's pictures of spare tire covers from SUVs in Tokyo...very funny!

http://www.miyazaki-mic.ac.jp/facult...e/SUV/SUV.html

and if you like that,

engrish.com

is not to be missed!


Into the Nature!

P

[Mike Watters]

Submarine door???



Mike

[Byron Kinnaman]

When looking at the pictures I notices that there's four views, front right, front left, real right, real left

I guess the first two are "unreal"?

[Palmer M]

Mike
I guess I meant to say "nautical".
P

[Mike Watters]

Mike
I guess I meant to say "nautical".
P

Sorry if I'm being dim here... I assume you mean the main entry door with the semicircular top? I was under the impression that they were fairly common on European travel trailers. The Chinese one looks to me like a fairly generic copy of a European travel trailer (as the other trailer on their site is a copy of a Euro tent-trailer, the likes of which hasn't been seen here in a long, long time). The T@B is a clone (I'm not sure if they are simply imported or built from imported parts) of a European trailer (I'm spacing on their name).

Much on the T@B reminds me of my French-built Esterel folding trailer. Same windows, same door, same (frankly really cool) hitch with built-in surge brakes and hand-braking system.

Doesn't seem to me that they're copying the T@B so much as they are just the general European aestetic in trailer design. Personally I REALLY like all the internal curvy-ness. Wish they'd use some of that in the North American fiberglass trailers - curvy insides to match curvy outsides.

Mike

[Brian B-P]

To be really nautical, like the waterproof bulkhead doors on submarines or below-decks on ships, the bottom would have to be rounded as well. (Palmer, "submarine door" immediately made sense to me...) Rounding the top only is fairly common, but a complete semi-circle (not smaller rounded corners) is a little unusual.

Thor builds the T@B in the U.S., just as it is built in Europe, but I would just call that one of multiple official assembly locations, not "clone" production. Yes, it's like the Elite, because they are both follow normal current construction practices (particularly for Europe) and European style.

I agree that the iCamp Elite is basically a European-style design; the completeness of equipment (full bath) in a small trailer, the Chinese manufacturer, and the availability in North America (well, the U.S., anyway) are the interesting features.

[DonInChatt]

I really like the look of the Deseo. The colors are great, the light weight fabric zip-up storage compartments are a brilliant idea. The fold-up bunks are nautical. The interior looks like the designers from IKEA did it. I would like to do a re-build and use IKEA products.

The basic model is 5999 euros or US$7684, which is a good price.

[Andrew Gibbens]

To complete the T@b and clones styling issue, the name T@b of the original German trailer is an abbreviation of its parent company's name, Tabbert, who are a major German manufacturer of trailers. From their company history page (in English), here are two photos, one showing the earliest trailer built by Alfred Tabbert and a later one showing a semi-circular door top.





Andrew

[Frederick L. Simson]

If you like the tortured english...

I always get a chuckle or two from the ESL English techinal manuals I have to read, nowadays.

There's The Queen's English
and American English
now add English as a Second Language English

[Mike Watters]

I'd LOVE to see more import trailers over here. That would really shake things up. The RV industry here is mostly dull as dirt with a hundred companies copying each other left and right and MUCH too little real variation and innovation. One thing which bothers me is when companies compete through sameness. The pop-up market is the worst - with minor variations they're all exactly the same. Blech!

Among the trends/features available elsewhere I'd love to see here:

Nicer awnings - take a look at the sort of "add-a-room" type things they typically have on european caravans. They're spectacular! (Kinda like cabin tents that attach to the side of the trailer - except they look more like little cabins and less like tents) Compare that to what we've got here - little more than tarps. ugh!

Pop-Top trailers - Basically like the Compact trailers. They fold-down, but just enough to fit into a traditional garage. Allows MUCH more efficient storage than a conventional pop-up.

(as above) Curves... In brief, bent wood looks pretty, REALLY pretty! It's also remarkably strong, which is handy. The sweeping lines of those interiors easily trump the rectilinear monstrosities.

Tent trailers - Much like the other chinese trailer on the link above. I think Coleman used to have a small one like this - but some of the Euro ones are REALLY elaborate! These would be ideal for someone who really liked tent camping fine - but who's back couldn't handle it anymore.

Mike