Most important features in a molded Fiberglass RV?

[LCT650]

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More Head room...6'4"

[Tomcat58]

Originally Posted by Johnny M

Giving careful consideration to the list below, if there was a new fiberglass rv to come to market which 5 of the following items would be the most important features to you personally if you were purchasing a new molded fiberglass RV? (PLEASE CHOOSE ONLY THE TOP 5 MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU)

(1) An open interior layout/floor plan

(2) A unit geared more towards boondocking (solar ready or solar equipped)

(3) A well insulated unit suitable for 4 season camping without the added weight of an interior hull design.

(4) permanent queen bed(s) instead of a multifunctional bed (table/sofa/murphy bed, etc)

(5) a comfortable dedicated pull out sofa

(6) larger roomier dinette

(7) storage for outside camping gear (tables, chairs, fishing poles, gril, etc) excluding bicycles

(8) a fiberglass roof with no vents to eliminate roof leaks with age

(9) air conditioning

(10) heated tanks and plumbing lines

(11) automatic stabilization/leveling system

(12) A dry bath as opposed to a wetbath

(13) compost or cassette toilet for easy transport away from the trailer/campsite for waste disposal when boondocking

(14) plenty of counterspace with basic kitchen needs - 2 burner propane cooktop, sink, 12 volt high efficiency compressor refrigerator, no oven or microwave

(15) less counterspace more living space

(16) all options included as a standard package rather than as add ons to a base unit

(17) dry weight under 5000 lbs

(18) dry weight under 3500 lbs

(19) overall length 21' or under (tongue to bumper)

(20) priced under $65,000

(21) priced under $45,000



Thank you for taking the time to provide your input, I value your opinions on this topic.

John

I already have everything on my rv except (11) automatic stabilization/leveling system. But I am a truck camper... I also have mini stainless steel wood stove !!!! My 2006 Bigfoot series 3000 is perfect :-)

[Ferris5]

2,3, 7, 12, 13

[TeresaT]

All I wanted was weight under1500 pounds with a bed.
Cassette toilet inside was the only other thing.

[Civilguy]

Giving careful consideration to the list below, if there was a new fiberglass rv to come to market which 5 of the following items would be the most important features to you personally if you were purchasing a new molded fiberglass RV? (PLEASE CHOOSE ONLY THE TOP 5 MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU)

(1) An open interior layout/floor plan

(2) A unit geared more towards boondocking (solar ready or solar equipped) YAY SOLAR

(3) A well insulated unit suitable for 4 season camping without the added weight of an interior hull design.
YAY INSULATED SINGLE HULL TO AVOID COLD, HARD, ACOUSTICALLY LIVELY INTERIOR SHELL

(4) permanent queen bed(s) instead of a multifunctional bed (table/sofa/murphy bed, etc)
YAY MURPHY BED WITH DECENT INNERSPRING MATTRESS FOLDING UP TO REVEAL TRULY COMFORTABLE SEATING. THIS OPTION WOULD PROBABLY FIT BEST BY DELETING THE POP-UP ROOF MENTIONED BELOW, BUT IT'S LIKELY IMPRACTICAL IN ANY EVENT

(5) a comfortable dedicated pull out sofa

(6) larger roomier dinette

(7) storage for outside camping gear (tables, chairs, fishing poles, gril, etc) excluding bicycles
YAY OUTSIDE STORAGE FOR OUTSIDE GEAR.

(8) a fiberglass roof with no vents to eliminate roof leaks with age

(9) air conditioning

(10) heated tanks and plumbing lines

(11) automatic stabilization/leveling system

(12) A dry bath as opposed to a wetbath

(13) compost or cassette toilet for easy transport away from the trailer/campsite for waste disposal when boondocking

(14) plenty of counterspace with basic kitchen needs - 2 burner propane cooktop, sink, 12 volt high efficiency compressor refrigerator, no oven or microwave
YAY EXTRA COUNTER SPACE AND RANGE WITH GAS OVEN

(15) less counterspace more living space

(16) all options included as a standard package rather than as add ons to a base unit

(17) dry weight under 5000 lbs
YAY GROSS WEIGHT LIMITED TO 5,000 LBS

(18) dry weight under 3500 lbs

(19) overall length 21' or under (tongue to bumper)

(20) priced under $65,000

(21) priced under $45,000

(22) YAY POP-UP ROOF TO REDUCE WIND RESISTANCE AND LOWER THE CENTER OF GRAVITY FOR TOWING

I realize I didn't follow the rules, but I thought I'd share some thoughts here, no disrespect intended.

Much of the current market is directed to families who want the maximum number of beds.

We'd like a couple's trailer with the ability to sleep comfortably, truly comfortable seating, a place to play cards, and a nice cooking arrangement.

The Lance 1475 kind of came close for us as it is directed toward this same concept, but we feared the conventional construction here in the rainy northwest.

If you could slip the spare tire underneath and open up the back bumper, that might be nice. We'd like a place to store folding chairs, not bag chairs, as we have found the folding ones to be more comfortable.

Lowering the center of gravity and making it an easier tow with a pop-up roof would be awesome in my book, but I admit it would probably turn many people off.

Thanks for your interest.

Thank you for taking the time to provide your input, I value your opinions on this topic.

John

[Mr Lynn]

Originally Posted by Civilguy

Lowering the center of gravity and making it an easier tow with a pop-up roof would be awesome in my book, but I admit it would probably turn many people off.

Do you know about the TrailManor folding trailers? They're pretty cool.

There's one for sale on the Small Trailers Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Smal...45286/?__cft__[0]=AZWpThF4Ycn85jinXHwkv9heDhkMBrl6Ah_eZObRxnBalZ93b 7b2nHgNO7i_TT9tnzAH3Blc1c8BZZ55d6yzy9mlxW9UXqYUvHf 7_8KsuzQvaAkc_qbhJObPcwAsb64StoYySs76ZmQHAzk-SKY0OHun0Xum-zM-7lKlhqmuly-gGsCX2fT73MRSEHsApIexB1GChoZpChmYnk4JadpPuM_P&__tn __=%2CO%2CP-R

You probably have to be a member to see the page.

The TrailManor website is here: https://trailmanor.com

One person can raise and lower the top part (watch the videos).

My only objection is that you can't stop at random places on a trip and run back to use the bathroom. At least, I think you can't.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by Mr Lynn

Do you know about the TrailManor folding trailers? They're pretty cool.

Thanks for mentioning this. They are pretty cool. I've eyeballed them over the years, and we even had one set up and teardown next to us on a trip to the ocean a year or two back.

While they're nice, I ultimately decided they're not quite what I have in mind as the telescoping motion takes a bit of time and effort to execute the set-up and teardown.

I'm currently ginning for something with a spring-loaded pop-top like those on the Hunter Compact Jr. and the Hymer; up and down in one quick motion. And a solid one-piece door, even if I do have to duck through it.

I don't expect I'll ever see quite what I've got in mind because it keeps changing. But, I do like scheming about something that's a bit easier to haul around.

As the mother-in-law once remarked, men only stop looking when they're dead.

[Mr Lynn]

Mike, I just noticed someone on the Sightings thread listed a 'Chalet' as trailer. I'd never heard the name, so looked it up; turns out it's an A-frame (like the Aliner): https://chaletinc.com

Looks like setup is pretty quick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XDIj5LWhas

FWIW.

[Civilguy]

The A-frame trailers are a category that seem to work well for some folks. There are several brands out there, and they come in various sizes.

For us, though, I find the molded fiberglass shell to be an important element. I haven't found an alternative that I'd be willing to own in our circumstances, which include having the trailer stored outside without a roof overhead.

I even researched cargo trailers at one time, thinking to build out my own custom interior. In the end, I decided they would probably be too prone to leaking.

Funny thing, Escape used to have a lot of poor-quality photos of their trailers posted on their web site. I had been aware of Escape and had looked at them as a potential option for a some years. I had even had one drive right by me one time while I was standing on the shoulder of the road up at Mt. Rainier; the shape of the hull really turned my head. I was excited by the boxy shape, which promised so much more upper cabinet storage and overall space than our Casita.

However, those older low-resolution interior pictures really made the trailers look dark and uninviting inside. It was very off-putting. In fact, it was only a short while before we visited the showroom in July of 2017 that they hired a professional photographer and posted the higher-quality pictures.