The Element

[Donna D.]

Friend sent me this, thought I'd share. Manufactured in U.S.A.

Not an egg, but no wood in the structure either.

YouTube - GoEvergreenRV's Channel

Element RV - Travel Trailer by EverGreen RV

[Alf S.]

Hi: Donna D...Now I know for sure you're a push over for fender skirts!!! LoL
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Ed Harris]

"Advanced Fulcrum Tracking"
Wait,maybe thats good?

[Donna D.]

Yeow! I just reread my friends e-mail. $53,908 USD MSRP

I could nearly buy TWO Escape 5th wheels for that.

2012 EverGreen Element ET24SW Night Sky Edition

[Ed Harris]

I could only buy 1/4 of one?

[Kevin K]

Nice but out of my price range.

[Terry G]

Sounds like they're going to fight it out with the Airstreams in the higher-priced market. They claim it weighs 3300 pounds but I imagine that's totally stripped and with all the tanks empty. Ah well, there's always someone somewhere who thinks they can build a better trailer. And very few of them succeed.

[honda03842]

The trailer is good looking.

It's surprising that such a large, pricey, trailer has a cartridge toilet and a wet bath. I believe most people with this kind of budget would expect more in a bathroom.

Norm

[Greg H]

Sounds to me like it comes with a payment book.

[KLAUS TIEKENHEINRICH]

that unit will sure be a conversation piece wherever it goes.

[Joy A]

I just saw one like the brown trailer here in Sonora, CA. I went back with my camera and it was gone. It wasn't an element and I can't recall what the name was.

[SherryNPaul]

I toured one at the Tampa RV show. Very impressive. Excellent design and implementation, and no wood.... anywhere. Even the bed platform was a composite material.
The show special price was much, much lower than the posted price.
As far as the marine bath and cassette toilet, very European, and actually practical. Too many trailer designers devote a lot of square footage to space rarely used. I think smaller bathrooms and bigger sleeping/living areas make more sense.
I'm really impressed with Evergreen products, though I was surprised at the price tag on this one. Other models are more mainstream priced.

Sherry

[Matt in SV]

That's a nice website, too. But, I would be a little concerned about a frame that's all bolted and screwed together with slots and grooves and tabs. Give me a good, strong weld any day!

The frame incorporates little to no welding that can crack or separate. Instead, Element frame components are secured with an intricate system of bolts and interlocking groves to provide a stronger, lighter weight chassis.

Regards,

Matt

Interlocking groves???

[Ken C]

trailerlife 2011 Showstoppers article says msrp: $38,995 So out the door would be less than MSRP i would imagne. They sure are pretty. article

[PatandBob]

Came across the postings about the Element by accident. I'd like to add my 2-cents worth about the Element.
Alf S: Fender skirts are no longer offered. They were on the prototype that was at the Tampa RV Show in January, 2011.
Ed Harris: I have no idea what “advanced fulcrum tracking” is either. I'm sure it is a marketing ploy.
Donna D: The $53,908 MSRP for an Element 24 (which is actually 26 feet long) is about right, but that's just an make believe number, just like the “sticker price” on new cars. I tried the link from your 03-06-2011 posting for the ET24SW and it took me no where.
Terry G: The Element is way less expensive than an Airstream. In the December, 2012 edition of TrailerLife Magazine, an Airstream 25FB EB has a MSR of $77,760. Compared to that, an Element is cheap! The Airsteam is also wider and heavier than an Element 26RSL, which has a slideout.
Each Element is weighed before it leaves the factory and the weight is posted on the camper. The newer one are probably a little heavier since they do not offer the composite propane tanks anymore and different options add more weight. On a 26SRL, adding the solid surface countertops over the standard ones add about 350 pounds. I can believe an Element 24 could weigh in at 3,300 pounds and I think you are correct, that would be for a stripped down model.
Honda03842: The cartridge cassette toilet is no longer offered. Again, it was on the prototype hich is now at the Evergreen Factory in Middlebury, Indiana.
Greg H: Yes, a payment does come with the Element.
Klaus: Yes, it is a conversation piece. As everyone may have guessed, my wife and I own an Element 26RSL. We've had people follow us into Wal-Mart parking lots, stop us at rest areas, and almost ran us off the road while they were taking pictures of us going down the road.
Joy A: I think the camper you saw was an Earthbound Dillon. They are available only through special order from the factory. Although there have been rumors that Earthbound was going to close, Earthbound denies it. If you think an Element is expensive, check out the price of an Earthbound unit.
SherryNPaul: The “downside” to the cassette toilet is that they need to be emptied frequently due to the limited capacity of the cassette and the weight when full. We had the opportunity to RV in South Africa a few years ago and that is what the motorhomes we rented used. We'd try to use the toilets in the shower house (ablution block) as much as possible.
Matt in SV: Welds can break as a camper torques going down the road. Just my thought on that. That's why our Casita had stress cracks in the fiberglass.
Ken C: That price sounds like a very basic model. Unfortunately, there are always “add-ons” like a delivery charge, dealer prep, and other nuisances.
We enjoyed our Casita and put on 45,000 miles in the four years we owned it, but it was just time to get away from the crawling over each other in the middle of the night and not having a “real” shower.
Bob

[Pam Garlow]

.....all too big (beautiful, but too big)
If they ain't got a 13footer, then I ain't interested...

[cpaharley2008]

The Element also has a rubber roof with seams that need annual maintenance and cauling/replacement plus a Schwintek slide system on the kitchen sink,stove appliances. I was always told if you get a slide, have it move something made to be moved. I see future issues with appliances with sliding hookups. The Schwintek system was also the one that failed in my 2012 Lance, leaving you dead in the water because there is no mechanical backup. I toured several Elements and really liked it except for the slide and rubber roof issues, thus my Escape is worry free.

[PatandBob]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

The Element also has a rubber roof with seams that need annual maintenance and cauling/replacement plus a Schwintek slide system on the kitchen sink,stove appliances. I was always told if you get a slide, have it move something made to be moved. I see future issues with appliances with sliding hookups. The Schwintek system was also the one that failed in my 2012 Lance, leaving you dead in the water because there is no mechanical backup. I toured several Elements and really liked it except for the slide and rubber roof issues, thus my Escape is worry free.

cpaharley2008,
Sorry to hear you had issues with the Schwintek slide in your Lance. Obviously, somewhere along the line, "something" went wrong. Was it ever determined what the problem was? Improper installation by Lance or a failure of a component in the slide? Yes, it is mechanical and mechanical things do break, whether it is something simple or complex, regardless of how well engineered it is. For whatever reason, sometimes things just fail. This is not the first RV we've owned with a galley slide and so far, we remain problem free.
As far as the roof goes, it is maintenance, just like wheel bearings or tightening loose screws. Would I rather have an all fiberglass roof? Yep, you betcha! It's just something that I'm willing to endure.
I'm sure you recaulk around your vents annually, don't you?
When I first posted my comments, I just wanted to dispel any misconceptions or misinformation concerning the Element, not get into a "mine is better than yours" contest.
We also looked at the 19 foot Escape as well as Bigfoot when we considered replacing our 17 foot Casita. But found we would be facing the same issues in either of those that we had in our Casita.
Bob

[cpaharley2008]

The slide issue was Schwintek's, they had a batch of foreign made motors that failed. In addition, being a first year model, the Lance had no provision to allow access to the motors to allow disengagement. Thus entire slide trim had to be replaced in lieu of a 12" access panel installation process which would have eliminated the replacement. Either way, I was not trying to degrade the Element, merely trying to alert someone with 2 possible weakness, which as you point out can occur with any unit. Again it was #2 on my list and if they had a non slide model and a fiberglass roof, maybe #1. Be safe

[Carol H]

Nice trailer - I like the outdoor kitchen on the side of the trailer seen in the first part of the film.

A GF purchased an Earthbound this spring and it really is a *nice* trailer but as mentioned it to has as a *big* price tag.