Interesting evening with the Little Joe Rep - Fiberglass RV
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Old 01-25-2007, 10:52 PM   #1
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I had an interesting evening. I stopped at a small RV and camping/outdoors show on my way home from work today. There, I had a lengthy conversation with the only sales rep for Little Joe Trailers.

He was very nice and happy to answer all my questions even tho he knew that I personally was not in the market for them.

OK, here is the answer to the burning question for those that are interested.

YES, these are made from the original litehouse molds. The owner managed to aquire them (I did not ask how) and moved them to Henderson Colorado. His shop is right behind 5 star RV, thats why they are currently the only web advertisers. This will change shortly.

They are selling these thru a small dealer network now. Obviously, they hope to get a bigger one, but for now, they are available at several dealers on the west coast. He said he was nation wide, but I only remember the west coast dealers. There are 2 in the NW, one in Medford, Or. one in Vancouver, Wa.

They currently do not have plans to make a larger one, but they do have a new model that has a toilet and shower. It basically shortens the seating area, pushes the kitchen to the center and the shower is a fold down arrangement. He had no pictures.

He DID have many pictures of the factory and various one off models, including a pretty metallic blue one. The floors in all of these now are diamond plate, and they are keeping with the "elegant" concept that the litehouse had..small trailer, fine fit and finish.

The new trailers have different graphics as well, getting rid of the western theme. They are more whispy ribbon things.

He is also the US rep for the 14 foot iCamp Chinese made Fiberglass trailer, tho it isn't molded glass. All the parts, outside and in, are fiberglass.. cabinets, doors, everything inside is fiberglass except the appliances.

These come with only one floor plan, and only 2 colors They will have a dealer network with demo models, but purchase is by order and delivery is 49 days.. from China.

Unfortunately, he is at this show with no product! His delivery truck broke down in the desert and was not able to move these items in. However, they are on ther way to Banning RV and both the Little Joe and the iCamp will be there on Saturday. He was more than happy to allow me to go out and look and take pictures of both (Hey, free advertising LOL!) so..

Saturday, I will do just that. I am actually more excited to see the iCamp, as I may actually want one. At a 15k base price, I am not sure if i want the payments tho
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Old 01-26-2007, 01:39 AM   #2
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I had an interesting evening. I stopped at a small RV and camping/outdoors show on my way home from work today. There, I had a lengthy conversation with the only sales rep for Little Joe Trailers.

He was very nice and happy to answer all my questions even tho he knew that I personally was not in the market for them.
Gina, what was the price for the Little Joe? I didn't see it listed in the link.

Bonnie
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Old 01-26-2007, 05:23 AM   #3
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Gina, please see if you can get the dealer-specific information for Medford and Vancouver. I'd like to go take a look one of these days and Vancouver is within walking distance of me
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Old 01-26-2007, 09:31 AM   #4
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Bonnie,

MSRP on them starts at 9k. Being that they are sold thru dealers, it is negotiable, and may be lower.

Donna, he is sending me more info. I will ask him where the dealers are.

and... here they are. It lists Tualitan, not Vancauver. Odd.

Dealer list

Here is a direct link to the manufacturer of Little Joe. It shows the blue one!

Weis Craft
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Old 01-26-2007, 10:41 AM   #5
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Donna, he is sending me more info. I will ask him where the dealers are.
Here is a direct link to the manufacturer of Little Joe. It shows the blue one!
Thanks Gina, I'll try to find time to check it out in the next 3-4 weeks.

The Blue one looks like a Rubbermaid Tote with wheels
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Old 01-26-2007, 01:56 PM   #6
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New is nice, but I still like what Bill and Pat have done with their Lite House! And, I don;t think they paid $9 grand. That floor will be pretty cold on frosty mornings.
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Old 01-26-2007, 05:07 PM   #7
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Thanks, Gina. When you're talking with the Weis Craft people again, perhaps you could suggest adding basic specifications to their web page, such as dimensions and running gear descriptions (e.g. Torflex axle? tire size?). It doesn't have to be fancy, but it would help people understand if they should be interested.
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Old 01-26-2007, 05:12 PM   #8
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Brian,

Check the dealer links I have posted. All that is on thier pages. Basically taken from thier brochure.

It is a rubber band suspention, yes.

Don, I wouldn't buy one because of the price vs. size, but they have put in expensive cabinets and appliances, making it an "upscale" unit, like the Scamp deluxes etc.

I am sure that contributes to the price. It might be worth it to some.
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Old 01-26-2007, 05:37 PM   #9
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...Check the dealer links I have posted. All that is on thier pages. Basically taken from thier brochure...
Sure, except that the links are incorrect for the first two (Five Star and Rainbow's End), and why would anyone expect to look on dealer sites for more information than the site of the manufacturer itself? Frankly, I'm a little tired of having to work around errors on corporate websites.

Correct links:
Five Star RV <blockquote>Little Joe (at Five Star) - same information as Weis Craft page</blockquote>
Rainbow's End - nothing about Little Joe, only Holiday Rambler

Camper Outlet <blockquote>Little Joe (at Camper Outlet) - this one has [b]actual dimensions! </blockquote>
The "Finnegan's Familyvan" and "Affordable Truck & RV" sites have no evidence of this trailer.

Quote:
...It is a rubber band suspention, yes...
I'll bet the axle manufacturers cringe when people call rubber-sprung torsion axle systems "rubber band" suspension! But thanks for the info.
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Old 01-26-2007, 07:36 PM   #10
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I did not make thier website, and I bet that lil ole me has no influence on what they put on it or how.

You found what you wanted tho.

I am sure the axle manufacturers have heard that term many times and don't bat an eye at it.
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Old 01-26-2007, 07:58 PM   #11
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Wonder why there are no pictures of the curb side? Looks odd with the awning opposite the door.
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Old 01-26-2007, 08:54 PM   #12
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The Blue one looks like a Rubbermaid Tote with wheels
I can't get this image out of my mind! But, it's a great update on the trailer, Gina.
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Old 01-26-2007, 11:28 PM   #13
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Gina, please see if you can get the dealer-specific information for Medford and Vancouver. I'd like to go take a look one of these days and Vancouver is within walking distance of me
I think the Vancouver dealer is on 4th Plain in Orchards. I'll try to swing by there tomorrow and take a look.
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Old 01-27-2007, 06:13 AM   #14
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I think the Vancouver dealer is on 4th Plain in Orchards. I'll try to swing by there tomorrow and take a look.
I followed the dealer link Gina provided...the dealer in our area is in Tualatin:

Camper Outlet
9620 S.W. Tualatin-Sherwood Rd
Tualatin, Oregon 97062
Tel: (503) 692-3366
Fax: (503) 692-3396
www.camperoutlet.com

I have to go south next month, so I may be able to swing by and take a look on my way home.
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Old 01-27-2007, 03:24 PM   #15
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I followed the dealer link Gina provided...the dealer in our area is in Tualatin:
And................at X-RV at the corner of NE 137th and 4th Plain Blvd in Vancouver are 2 Little Joes. Also a fiberglass teardrop (not molded) and a couple of horse trailers. Not a huge operation yet. Phone 888.xrv.torv or 360.719.4214. Even a link: http://www.goxrv.com/

I didn't stop to visit. Little Joes are tiny. Tiny, I say, tiny. I like that they have two battery boxes on the tongue, though.
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Old 01-27-2007, 05:36 PM   #16
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Gina, mega kudoes to you for the updated info on the Little Joe! Curious minds have been wondering for awhile, and now we know -- the Lite House form has been revived, apparently not as destroyed as was reported! I can see a couple differences, such as a smaller front window, wood cabinetry of course, and he's traded a couple roof supports toward the sides of the roof instead of the original center support. As many will comment, this IS a tiny trailer. But to any who denegrate her size, I must stick up for the lil tupperware box on wheels. Her size is exactly the benefit. Towing our Lite House is the most stress-free towing I've ever done...she zips through city traffic with ease & precision, and cuts a corner like a frisky puppy. On narrow country lanes and mountain roads where some full size rigs will fuss and whine in dread fear, our little puny box says, "Yeah, no prob, let's go!!" The bed size is fabulous, and the storeage space is quite adequate. Remember, it's designed for TWO. And Don is right, we didn't pay $9K, but on the other hand, our little girl is 12 yrs old. For anybody with minimal towing capacity, like us with our CRV, it may be worth it. All I can tell ya, our first reaction when we saw her was she's too small but we have no choice...it's about all we can tow. But once we fixed it up, finished the makeover and spent some time with it, it's as if it magically gets bigger when you are actually in it. And in the day of $3-4 gas, we'll still be camping dry and having a blast seeing new places! Now, don't get me wrong, we still look at bigger rigs & maybe some day we'll go bigger...but we love our little Lite House and she loves the road!! So I'd encourage people to be open to this revived egg box. Thanks again, Gina, for the info. And by the way, that iCamp is a cutey, too!

Bill
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Old 01-27-2007, 06:42 PM   #17
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As promised, here are some pictures of the Little Joe that the brochure and web does not provide.

Being that it is very small, there really isn't much more to add from the web, except detail.

It has no ensolite or rat fur, it is painted glass on the interior, similar to Fiberstream. There IS a center roof support, and they hid it nicely by carpeting it and making nice wood ends that box it in on the inside. It is obvious it is a roof support, but they have blended it well for the interior design.

Here is a shot lengthwise. You can get and idea of the length, and more importantly, the nice cabinetry that he has done.
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Old 01-27-2007, 06:50 PM   #18
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Here is a close up of the cabinetry detail.


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All the trim items have some sort of whimsical decoration on them. Tho the trailer is tiny, it is elegantly done for what it has.

The model I looked at was "fully dressed" with heater, 3 way fridge, awning and air.

Here is the fridge set up.
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Fridge is a Dometic, and the stove is a Suburban, with the Wave 3 heater above. I really didn't like the way the heater was intalled. For as nicely done as the rest of the trailer is, it appeared to be a sloppy afterthought.
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Old 01-27-2007, 06:57 PM   #19
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The sink is small, in proportion with the rest of the trailer, but once again, nicely done.


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And for Dan C., The curb side.


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The floor in it seemed out of place, and yes, it's cold. For all the nice wood and simplicity of the thing, this bright shiny diamond plate kinda stuck out like a sore thumb.
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Old 01-27-2007, 07:17 PM   #20
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OK, now for the iCamp.

I liked it so much that I have put in a tenative order for one. I say tenative because I am doing a sit back and thinking of all the pros and cons and what they are worth to me.

It is NOT molded glass, it is panels like the T@B and many may compare it to the T@B and what T@B should have done. The panels are foam molded with a glass exterior and aluminum framing. Stick built, sorta.

I don't know what to say about this guy other than it is well thought out, extremely high quality, and it has just about everything in it one could want or need.

But it is small at 14 ft. It's almost an 11 foot coach with a full bath and ample kitchen. The storage is built in the furniture. Here is an example, a small dresser, short closet and nick knack shelf. (Those shelves are clear glass.)
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