Trillium 13' 1982 Tucson $5900

[Larry C Hanson]

Hola,

Here is a 1982 Trillium 13 footer for sale in Tucson, AZ.
No pictures were included in Craigslist posting.

Trillium Camper

Larry H

[David Tilston]

He is kinda lose and dirty with the historical details. Wonder what it looks like.

[Larry C Hanson]

David,
I wonder what it looks like too... I would have to be
mighty fine to warrant that price...
Were the 1500s manufactured until 1982?
Seems like 1979? is the youngest one I have seen.
I still have an eye out for a 5500, my dream trailer.
Larry H

[David Tilston]

The 1300 was produced in 1981 for sure. They may have made some in 1982, but I think that was the year that Trillium folded.
So a 5500 is your dream trailer? Why?

[Larry C Hanson]

Hello David,

Ah, Trilliums... I have loved them since my first one
about 12 years ago, a 1972 13 footer. Let that
one go and missed it so much bought a 1978.

The 5500? Well, I like being able to have a bed
and dinette up at the same time.. Also, the little
bathroom is a big plus. The jalousie windows are
VERY nice.. love having the windows open in rainy weather. I appreciate the headroom... etc.
The retro look is also very appealing... Most eggs
are white and tend to look similar to each other.
Trilliums 'stand out' in my opinion. Maybe the
uniqueness caught my attention.
Some sort of je ne sais quoi?

I notice you own 3 Trills? Are you similarly afflicted?

Larry H

[David Tilston]

Actually, I own four Trilliums. Check out my registry. I have five kids, and each one will get a trailer. I think of them as luggage that you can sleep in. Besides vacation opportunities, they will provide options when things get out of control. Such as when I finally kick the oldest one out. He just graduated from high school, and told me his plan was to sit in my basement and play video games. Bad plan. When I purchased the trailer that I call the Launch Pad, he took his job search a bit more seriously. He is now working as a roofer.
I love the design, and the fibreglass interior of Trilliums. With a door window, and kitchen window, (as yours has) the interior is bright and feels roomy. Also, the jalousie windows have no equal today. Yes, I have the Trillium bug.
I like the way the 5500 looks from the outside, especially the cover for the propane tanks, They have the windows that I like, but I just don't feel the same way about the 5500 as I do about the 4500. They have a plywood interior, and a closet that is smaller then a 1300. If they leak, then the interior rots. While they are much wider then the 1300, or 4500, they still have a bed that stretches across the whole width. They were built in the last days of Trillium. Between 40 and 60 of them were built. I have heard that no two are the same. Some of the pictures I have seen scare me. The P-trap in the bathroom of one that I saw consisted of four 90° fittings, forming a kinda loop. I have seen them with a front gaucho, and a front dinette. When I am at my most unrealistic, I think it would be nice to do one up with a fibreglass interior with the same floor plan as a Bigfoot 17. That would be way too much work, of course. I know that there are owners of 5500's that would disagree with me, and I respect their point of view. For a permanent bed a 4500, front dinette makes sense to me. This would be a trailer suitable for two people only though.
The Trilliums I want for me and my wife are all 4500's. A font dinette, and a front bath, but not the factory front bath. Something more like the front restroom model (FR) on the new 4500's at www.TrilliumRV.com.

[Larry C Hanson]

Hello David,

I appreciate your sharing the 5500 knowledge and taking
the time and effort to write up your insights.

Good luck with your son. I hope you don't have
a continued 'failure to launch.'

Regards,
Larry H

[LeonardS]

David, Larry,

As Trillium lovers/owners, have you seen the workmanship of the currently manufactured Trilliums? Any comments? I took my wife to an RV dealer in Pleasanton CA that have a few new Trilliums in their lot, and she was less than impressed with the fit and finish.

Maybe it was just a dealership issue vs. buying from the factory. But it was a bit disappointing. I told her if we got one we could always just take it back to the factory to have them get it up to spec'. She questioned my thought process...

Were the "original" Trilliums built better?

And if you know of a link to Trillium/Escape/Outback history...I'd love to see it. For example, I didn't know that 82 was the year that Trillium folded. Obviously someone is making them now using the same name, but there has to be some history, someone buying out someone, or inheriting, or something.

[David Tilston]

Leonard, The history of the Trillium brand is long and complex. Most of it is not available. I was shocked when I went looking on Wikipedia, and Google. Nothing.
The current owner of the Trillium brand is Tom Young. I understand that he was an executive at Trillium, when they were made in Markham Ont. He now manufactures trailers under that brand in the US. I have little personal experience, but based on the testimonials of some members of this site, Raz specifically, the quality is not great. I like their front bathroom design better then the original, but I prefer the front dinette on classic Trilliums. The fibreglass shelves on the new 4500's are a step backwards from the aluminum and wood shelves on the classic 4500's.
Before Tom started making Trilliums again, the folks at Trillium / Outback were making, what turned out to be unlicensed Trillium trailers in Calgary. The impression that I have is that Tom took them to court and forced them to remove the logo from their trailers. They still make them though.
Also in this mix is Escape. I think that they were making the fibreglass components for Tom Young at some point. Their 13' trailers bear a striking resemblance to Trilliums, but they have a wood interior. As far as quality goes, Escape have an excellent reputation. I have never stepped into one, so I have no opinion.
1982 is my best guess for the demise of the Markham Ontario Trillium. I see few 1981's and I don't recall ever seeing a 1982. Some claim to have a 1985, or whatever, but when I see pictures, I know they are wrong.

[LeonardS]

David, thanks for the reply.


It is interesting to type "trillium" into the URL and get the outback site in Canada.

To me, the Escape 15 looks a lot like the present day 4500 from Trillium, which suggests a common ancestor at least. I liked the front dinette design enough of the new 4500 on the local dealer's lot, just was taken aback with the fit and finish. Thank you for reassuring me that the Escapes have better quality. It might be worth a trip up north for me to visit them.

[GPJ]

The current owner of the Trillium brand is Tom Young. I understand that he was an executive at Trillium, when they were made in Markham Ont. He now manufactures trailers under that brand in the US.

While Tom Young has registered the Trillium trademark in the US, I don't believe he has any such exclusive rights in Canada (I don't think that anybody has them). Searching the Canadian trade-mark database in connection with trailers shows one registration abandoned (by Ramblin' Industries in Calgary), and one expunged (the original Trillium Industries?).

As an aside, one often finds examples of trade-marks having different owners in different countries and even in different regions. Similarly, with the proliferation of domain names (.ca, .com, .biz, .co.uk, .tv, etc.) it costs a fortune to properly register and protect trade-marks.

[David Tilston]

I would love it if Tom Young would provide the history of the Markham Ontario years of Trillium. In my current obsession of serial numbers on the various years of Trilliums, and their relationship to floor plans, I assume he might have some insider information, or know who would.
I would love it if Tom would provide the history of the Markham Ontario years of Trillium. In my current obsession of serial numbers on the various years of Trilliums, and their realationship to floor plans. A list of 13000 serial numbers vs years would be way too much to hope for, but an idea of what serial number range corispond to what year, That would be nice.
Actually, if Tom were to make a Wikapida page, that would rock. Talk about asking too much.