CORTES CAMPERS

[Roderick]

Hello All,

My name is Roderick Henry with Cortes Campers in Cleveland, OH. I just got on board with this NEW Molded Fiber Glass Camper Company and they have set a new bar for this market. I came from a motorcycle background and when I saw this new camper I sought out the company specifically to work for them. Even relocating from AZ to OH. I encourage you to visit our website for more details. I have also attached our RV News article for your convenience highlighting our dedication to quality and innovation.

https://www.cortescampers.com/

https://www.mirabelsmagazinecentral....6f&pn=117&pv=d

https://www.qgdigitalpublishing.com/...p=20&ver=html5

Also, being awarded the 2023 "LIGHT WEIGHT TRAVEL TRAILER OF THE YEAR" and the "MUST-SEE RV" for 2024 has caused us to see substantial increase in leads coming from across the United States. We need a local dealer with a couple of CORTES CAMPERS on the ground for retail customers to come see & buy.

I would love to discuss this opportunity further and address any questions you may have. Or, if you are looking to purchase one please reach out as well and we will be happy to help.

rhenry@cortescampers.com

[justa25thTA]

Before we ordered our Casita, we went and looked at a Cortes in person. Some of my comments posted elsewhere:

Got a chance to go and check it out in person this weekend. Man do they need to air it out. Smelled pretty bad. The white floor would be a disaster I believe. It was already marked up a bit. No bathroom door was a show stopper for my wife. Loved the appliances. Looked like the table top was electric, did not try it out. Materials inside seemed top notch. Inside storage isn't as nice as the Casita. No closet door, just two access panels. No outside storage was, of course a big concern. No awning upset the wife as well. I think they did a pretty good job as a first run, if they listen to their customers and make a few changes, I think they could find a market

[jerrybob]

Roderick.....thanks for sharing. Your magazine links don't work......at least for me. Also.....on your website.....there is no pricing information....would be helpful.....how much do these trailers cost.....various option pricing would be helpful.

[thrifty bill]

Links no good.

[CalCop]

Why is there a solo seat and the small table? Makes it difficult to play gin with your partner.
Not much more than a Liberty deluxe at nearly twice the price.

[justa25thTA]

Originally Posted by CalCop

Why is there a solo seat and the small table? Makes it difficult to play gin with your partner.
Not much more than a Liberty deluxe at nearly twice the price.

Agree its weird. What they claim is it gives you somewhere to sit if your partner is still sleeping.

[daveandalice]

Welcome to the forum Roderick, if you use the search function of this forum you can see numerous posts and follow the development of the Cortes Camper that appeared Feb 2021 when Paul Spivak introduced himself and his proposal to this community while bashing the quality of other manufacturers and seeking input from the community on design ideas followed by him posting photos of a Casita trailer being reverse engineered in his his factory with modeling clay, yes some changes were made in the fabrication process but the consensus is it is priced extremely high for a 17' trailer.

We saw the first units roll out with a nice aluminum frame, nice cabinet doors, a bathroom door, bath window and bath vent that changed after a few units to a stamped design steel frame, no bath door, window or vent. The white floor and single seat dinette seemed to be the deal breaker for potential customers.

It was pointed out by a few members in the beginning on this forum that Cortes was entering the market during a pandemic that created a market of buyers willing to pay a large amount of money to get a camper but the supply would surely get caught up after the pandemic was over which is what we are now seeing with many manufacturers lead times reduced greatly and even having units in stock for immediate sale at reduced prices.

One item of interest is Cortes recently introduced a new model called the "16" which leads consumers to think it is a smaller unit than their original "17" where in reality it is the same length trailer with a larger bed area and reduced sizing of the appliances and countertop space. RV manufacturers typically use smaller numbers for smaller (shorter) trailers.

Best wishes in your new adventure

https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...ers-94798.html

https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...ted-99616.html

[DeanCHS1980]

We love our 2005 Casita 17 Freedom Deluxe that we have camped in for 374 nights since buying it used in late 2015. As a hobby, I like to keep up with the RV industry, particularly the molded fiberglass market. We continue to be happy with our Casita, but we talk often at buying a slightly larger egg camper, preferably around 21’ at some point. I see that Cortes has a 22’ under development. Nice. Looks like it will be wider than what would be ideal for us (7’ to 7.5’ would be ideal).

I had the chance to see the exterior of a Cortes 17 a year or two ago in a Walmart parking lot. It was new and being delivered.

In any case, this is the forum for molded fiberglass campers. I look forward to continuing to monitor the egg camper market, including Cortes Campers.

Take care,

Dean

[daveandalice]

Some Casita owners desire a little more room and move up to other brands such as Escape, Bigfoot or Oliver. There are currently ads for the 22' Cortes trailer on RV Trader with the price listed over $90,000 which pushes you well into Oliver territory.

I would never be comfortable pulling a 22' trailer with only one axle.
The single axle 18.5' Oliver Elite uses a 5000lb axle.

The Escape 19 (7'wide and below $50,000) has dual axles, plenty of storage, bathroom door, multiple layouts and numerous factory customization options. I really like the way Escape trailers now have an indentation in the body that the awning cleanly sits in.

A larger trailer may also require a larger tow vehicle to handle it.

Our 2010 Casita Liberty with twin beds suits our needs perfectly.

[computerspook]

Originally Posted by Roderick

Hello All,

My name is Roderick Henry with Cortes Campers in Cleveland, OH. I just got on board with this NEW Molded Fiber Glass Camper Company and they have set a new bar for this market. I came from a motorcycle background and when I saw this new camper I sought out the company specifically to work for them. Even relocating from AZ to OH. I encourage you to visit our website for more details. I have also attached our RV News article for your convenience highlighting our dedication to quality and innovation.

https://www.cortescampers.com/

https://www.mirabelsmagazinecentral....6f&pn=117&pv=d

https://www.qgdigitalpublishing.com/...p=20&ver=html5

Also, being awarded the 2023 "LIGHT WEIGHT TRAVEL TRAILER OF THE YEAR" and the "MUST-SEE RV" for 2024 has caused us to see substantial increase in leads coming from across the United States. We need a local dealer with a couple of CORTES CAMPERS on the ground for retail customers to come see & buy.

I would love to discuss this opportunity further and address any questions you may have. Or, if you are looking to purchase one please reach out as well and we will be happy to help.

rhenry@cortescampers.com

Kind of pricey.


Have to wonder about repairs on the frame. Not an idle worry. Drivers are nuts. I have been rear ended twice and had to repair my scamp. But it was repairable. In pat because the metal frame took most of the hits. And metal is repairable. Also metal you know the damage. I deal with the issue of damaged structural fiberglass with my work and what it comes down to is that you don't know if structural fiberglass is actually damaged in an incident. If it is damaged it is pretty much impossible to repair. And even if it is not a lot of times you have to treat it as damaged. In either case the in general if a fiberglass structural element has been impacted and possibly damaged you almost always have to just dispose of the whole thing. That sounds like with any kind of an accident the whole trailer has to be cut up and sent to the trash dump. Is there a way to deal with this other than complete replacement?


Looking at the floor plans for existing and planned units I don't see like a queen bed. If you follow this forum you will know that is a regular request. Also don't see any outside storage. And that is another issue discussed here a lot

[jgilliam1955]

It is great there are fiberglass campers for everyone now.

[Kevin A]

I still have to say my original opinion of the name of this trailer holds that it is offensive. To have the owner/manufacturer of this trailer company state in the linked magazine review that they named it after Cortes, “who had an innovative way of conquering the Aztecs” just really strikes me wrong. I also think the new 2024 monocoque model with integrated frame is a repair disaster waiting to happen. Just my two cents worth…

[ShelbyM]

Originally Posted by Kevin A

I still have to say my original opinion of the name of this trailer holds that it is offensive. To have the owner/manufacturer of this trailer company state in the linked magazine review that they named it after Cortes, “who had an innovative way of conquering the Aztecs” just really strikes me wrong. I also think the new 2024 monocoque model with integrated frame is a repair disaster waiting to happen. Just my two cents worth…

I certainly agree but I have it from highest authority that we are not permitted to post anything negative about this company. I predict your post will be removed and you will be admonished.

[DeanCHS1980]

Originally Posted by Kevin A

I still have to say my original opinion of the name of this trailer holds that it is offensive. To have the owner/manufacturer of this trailer company state in the linked magazine review that they named it after Cortes, “who had an innovative way of conquering the Aztecs” just really strikes me wrong. I also think the new 2024 monocoque model with integrated frame is a repair disaster waiting to happen. Just my two cents worth…

Kevin,

I appreciate your insights. Thank you for your comment.

Hope to see you in a campground in 2024.

Take care,

Dean

[jgilliam1955]

Originally Posted by Kevin A

I still have to say my original opinion of the name of this trailer holds that it is offensive. To have the owner/manufacturer of this trailer company state in the linked magazine review that they named it after Cortes, “who had an innovative way of conquering the Aztecs” just really strikes me wrong. I also think the new 2024 monocoque model with integrated frame is a repair disaster waiting to happen. Just my two cents worth…

Weren't the Aztecs having human sacrifices? Calm down it is just a name.

[computerspook]

Kind of do have to wonder about the name. Certainly leave all the other political correctness stuff out, and you'll find that I'm not very politically corrected awful lot, but I'm not very sure how that name addresses a good image for a camper or fun peaceful outdoor activity. And I'll leave it at that.

I also say I really am definitely agreeing with you that the integrated frame of a composite material such as fiberglass is just plain a total repair disaster. Fiberglass and other such composite materials have a serious issue with regard to damage. They generally if they experience damage the main result is generally hidden but then fails pretty catastrophically if any other stress is placed on it. Not to make too fine of a point of it but that tourist deep sea sub that failed probably had that exact issue. It probably had experienced some form of damage it was hidden and then when placed under stress that was much less and it should have been able to handle it failed.

Now there's some times are specific repair procedures for composite materials. A lot of times he's also includes specific examination and test procedures. Things like ultrasound an x-ray. And other such non-invasive but extremely detailed examinations. These are sometimes used then like the Aerospace industry. But absent a very detailed repair plan and testing plan materials like fiberglass being used for structural elements such as a frame or a throwaway if they experience any stress which would cause a suspected damage. The website is quite specific that the frame is completely integrated into the entire camper. So unless there is some additional information provided it would sure appear that any kind of an accident even a minor one would require that the entire camper be fully scrapped and replaced.

Certainly both of the accidents I've had and had to repair would have resulted under all the information I could know of a fiberglass/composite frame the complete scrapping of the trailer. Then they were minor accidents. The kind of thing that I would expect the majority of travel trailer would experience regularly. Let's face it one of the advantages as their advertisement points out of fiberglass campers is their longevity and wow a stick-filt camper may not be expected in general the last 10 years, fiberglass trailers last decades and I would think that the kinds of accidents I've had would happen to the majority of trailers at least once a decade. That would mean that the likely lifetime of these campers would be less than 10 years.

[Mr Lynn]

Originally Posted by Kevin A

I still have to say my original opinion of the name of this trailer holds that it is offensive. To have the owner/manufacturer of this trailer company state in the linked magazine review that they named it after Cortes, “who had an innovative way of conquering the Aztecs” just really strikes me wrong. I also think the new 2024 monocoque model with integrated frame is a repair disaster waiting to happen. Just my two cents worth…

Well, there are real, living people named Cortes. Could it be the name of the company owner?

[computerspook]

Originally Posted by Mr Lynn

Well, there are real, living people named Cortes. Could it be the name of the company owner?

If it is the point is that he/she is then still also highly associating themselves with the famous version. And regardless of your feelings on the poltical correct issue here, that famous version really does not seem to bring into mind any image or feeling that would be associated with fun camping or enjoyable outdoor activities.

If this company wants to use that name they might want to put some major effort into a new logo and marketing message. If indeed this is owner/founder/designer based in the name I can then think of several much more effective ways to go with a marketing message.

[Jimmy J]

Poor Roderick. All he did was try and sell a camper, and now his post is lost to shouda's, coulda's, and woulda's. it's a sad day.

[FRED SMAILES]

Originally Posted by Jimmy J

Poor Roderick. All he did was try and sell a camper, and now his post is lost to shouda's, coulda's, and woulda's. it's a sad day.

Same type a stuff happened when Robert introduced the Nest.