Hi, I am the CEO to Cortes Campers.

[steve dunham]

The important thing is can I order every option known to man on your trailer and still tow it over the Rocky Mountains with my Geo Metro or in other words will your 20 ft trailer come in under 1000 lbs and actually improve my fuel mileage
My point is you can’t satisfy everyone and I wouldn’t try !

PS ; Do you have a picture of the chair ?

[Raspy]

One of the problems with the Oliver trailers, I think, was putting the bath in the front. A great feature of fiberglass trailers is the streamlined shape, which generally means a tapered front, significantly reduced headroom and limited cabinetry in the bath. At 6'2" I had plenty of headroom everywhere in the Oliver, except the bath, where it was very cramped. In the rear, where the bed is, headroom is not needed, and the rear of the trailer body can be much more square. In the HQ19 they put the bath in the rear, and the headroom is full height all the way back. Over the front bed, the tapered body doesn't restrict needed headroom. Snoozy is the same way. Bed in front, under the taper, and bath in back, with full headroom.

[CortesCampersCEO]

Originally Posted by Raspy

One of the problems with the Oliver trailers, I think, was putting the bath in the front. A great feature of fiberglass trailers is the streamlined shape, which generally means a tapered front, significantly reduced headroom and limited cabinetry in the bath. At 6'2" I had plenty of headroom everywhere in the Oliver, except the bath, where it was very cramped. In the rear, where the bed is, headroom is not needed, and the rear of the trailer body can be much more square. In the HQ19 they put the bath in the rear, and the headroom is full height all the way back. Over the front bed, the tapered body doesn't restrict needed headroom. Snoozy is the same way. Bed in front, under the taper, and bath in back, with full headroom.

Please look at our upcoming 25 footer. We agree with you completely and therefore the bedroom will be up front with your feet at the very front. Our bathroom will be dry bath with the shower being at the tallest point. Please take a look at the side view.

Thanx,
Paul

[Jon in AZ]

From an aerodynamic standpoint, a tapered back makes more sense than a tapered front.

Airstream used to put the bath in the back on a lot of their models, and it makes for a pretty roomy arrangement. But a lot of buyers want living space in the back because of views, which are sometimes better toward the back of a campsite.

Having the bath near the entry door means you don't track through the whole trailer to make a potty stop during the day (especially with kids).

Steve has it right. No matter what you do, you will never please everybody!

[CortesCampersCEO]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

From an aerodynamic standpoint, a tapered back makes more sense than a tapered front.

Airstream used to put the bath in the back on a lot of their models, and it makes for a pretty roomy arrangement. But a lot of buyers want living space in the back because of views, which are sometimes better toward the back of a campsite.

Having the bath near the entry door means you don't track through the whole trailer to make a potty stop during the day (especially with kids).

Steve has it right. No matter what you do, you will never please everybody!

Hi Jon,
Trust me, we're not trying to please everyone, but we are trying to make the lightest and longest lasting camper out there at the least expensive way of doing it that makes the most sense to the most amount of people. Additionally, we are building the camper the way we want them for ourselves. That is why our sister company Intellitronix does so well with ZERO advertising.

Please keep in mind that Airstream with there antiquated manufacturing techniques are very limited by what shape they can form a piece of aluminum into without huge presses like the one the car manufactures own. Composites on the other hand are limited to your imagination and how complex the molds you are willing to use by complex geometries to get the part out of the mold.

[steve dunham]

If you can design & build a trailer where I can spend more time camping / enjoying than I spend making repairs and doing maintenance, you’ve got my interest
We are planning a 3 week trip to Iowa in May and my list of maintenance / repair items I need to do before the trip is three pages long .
It may take awhile but the problems with poor materials that are poorly installed eventually bite you in the A_S

[WaltP]

I've been travelling with fiberglass trailers for over 12 years, in trailers from Casita, Parkliner, Bigfoot, and most recently Escape, typically over 10k miles/year. If I had experienced anything like the level of problems Steve claims, I would have bailed out a long time ago. Why have I changed so many times you may wonder? Each time because I needed more sleeping capacity, or just looking to try a different layout or appliances. Never because of problems with the current trailer or major unhappiness with anything.

Walt

[CortesCampersCEO]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

If you can design & build a trailer where I can spend more time camping / enjoying than I spend making repairs and doing maintenance, you’ve got my interest
We are planning a 3 week trip to Iowa in May and my list of maintenance / repair items I need to do before the trip is three pages long .
It may take awhile but the problems with poor materials that are poorly installed eventually bite you in the A_S

Hi Steve,
People like you are the exact reason we are doing this. Please call me during the week and I will go into much more detail of what we are doing. Also, I would like to hear more of what improvements you would like to see. One gentleman put in a post, he would like to see automotive grade wiring. I can't believe the things I am seeing. No we are not using automotive wiring. We are using Marine wiring which is tin plated copper not just plain copper !

[Raspy]

One of my favorite floor plans has the door immediately behind the wheels. A hanging locker on the left as you enter, and the rest of the rear and far corner, the bath. This bath can be sort of a triangle shape. A large fridge cabinet can be immediately on the right of the door, which sort of forms a hallway/mudroom entry that is easy to sweep out and kick off shoes. A fire extinguisher/dog bowl area might fit under the fridge in front of the wheel well area. This setup makes it easy to pop in to use the bath without tracking sand too far into the trailer. And forms a sort of dressing room area to find a coat before stepping out, or dry off after a shower. A dry bath is really important. This is a very functional arrangement. And dirt is kept far from the bed area. If the trailer is long enough, it can have a fore and aft queen bed, with room on each side, in a trailer that is only about 7', 4" overall width. A dinette seat, just forward of the fridge can house the batteries, directly over the axles. This can be directly vented to the outside if needed. The forward dinette seat, has room under it for the water pump, inverter/charger, solar controller, a small toolbox and spares. The other side of the trailer has a conventional kitchen/stove/oven and cabinets, with an upper vent. Under the bed, a large pass-through storage, and a compartment for a water heater and a forced air heater. There is even room for a shoe locker next to the floor. Outside, in the front, dual propane tanks sit in the conventional location. Ahead of them is the jack, but it sits far enough back from the coupler to allow a tailgate to open. The tires should not stick out beyond the width of the trailer body, or their fenders more than a couple inches. This makes for compact towing with no unneeded width or large fenders to snag. And getting rid of conventional leaf springs would be great. The axle-less design looks very good. If the top of the trailer is nearly flat, it will still shed rain, while making a nice area for solar panels. An opening hatch should be directly over the bed for excellent night ventilation and star gazing while lying down, and far enough forward that it is not a head bumping problem. The spare tire can be mounted on the rear, and a mini-split mounted there too, instead of the conventional AC on the roof. This lowers the overall height, reduces the noise and runs more efficiently. A Maxx-Fan over the bath. Large windows on each side of the bed and next to the dinette, and a smaller one over the stove A front window is also nice, but needs protection from road hazards. The hardware need to be stainless steel like boats have, such as grab rails, and mounting hardware. No plastic sinks or faucets. No cheap plastic mouldings that fall off, no pressboard or glued on picture of wood. Cabinets and drawers need positive locking latches that will not open while driving, and sturdy hinges. All LED lighting with wall switches preferred. Reading lights over the bed and near the dinette. Lots of charging ports and plugs.

[Bill in Pittsburgh]

Originally Posted by WaltP

I've been travelling with fiberglass trailers for over 12 years, in trailers from Casita, Parkliner, Bigfoot, and most recently Escape, typically over 10k miles/year. If I had experienced anything like the level of problems Steve claims, I would have bailed out a long time ago. Why have I changed so many times you may wonder? Each time because I needed more sleeping capacity, or just looking to try a different layout or appliances. Never because of problems with the current trailer or major unhappiness with anything.

Walt

Ditto: Prior to my Snoozy which has only required routine maintenance and very minimal repairs of simple nature I owned a Palomino popup for 31 years. The Palomino had nearly 200 k towing miles with few issues. Most of which were wheel bearing maintenance (8 inch tires) and cables breaking for the top lift.

[CortesCampersCEO]

Originally Posted by Raspy

One of my favorite floor plans has the door immediately behind the wheels. A hanging locker on the left as you enter, and the rest of the rear and far corner, the bath. This bath can be sort of a triangle shape. A large fridge cabinet can be immediately on the right of the door, which sort of forms a hallway/mudroom entry that is easy to sweep out and kick off shoes. A fire extinguisher/dog bowl area might fit under the fridge in front of the wheel well area. This setup makes it easy to pop in to use the bath without tracking sand too far into the trailer. And forms a sort of dressing room area to find a coat before stepping out, or dry off after a shower. A dry bath is really important. This is a very functional arrangement. And dirt is kept far from the bed area. If the trailer is long enough, it can have a fore and aft queen bed, with room on each side, in a trailer that is only about 7', 4" overall width. A dinette seat, just forward of the fridge can house the batteries, directly over the axles. This can be directly vented to the outside if needed. The forward dinette seat, has room under it for the water pump, inverter/charger, solar controller, a small toolbox and spares. The other side of the trailer has a conventional kitchen/stove/oven and cabinets, with an upper vent. Under the bed, a large pass-through storage, and a compartment for a water heater and a forced air heater. There is even room for a shoe locker next to the floor. Outside, in the front, dual propane tanks sit in the conventional location. Ahead of them is the jack, but it sits far enough back from the coupler to allow a tailgate to open. The tires should not stick out beyond the width of the trailer body, or their fenders more than a couple inches. This makes for compact towing with no unneeded width or large fenders to snag. And getting rid of conventional leaf springs would be great. The axle-less design looks very good. If the top of the trailer is nearly flat, it will still shed rain, while making a nice area for solar panels. An opening hatch should be directly over the bed for excellent night ventilation and star gazing while lying down, and far enough forward that it is not a head bumping problem. The spare tire can be mounted on the rear, and a mini-split mounted there too, instead of the conventional AC on the roof. This lowers the overall height, reduces the noise and runs more efficiently. A Maxx-Fan over the bath. Large windows on each side of the bed and next to the dinette, and a smaller one over the stove A front window is also nice, but needs protection from road hazards. The hardware need to be stainless steel like boats have, such as grab rails, and mounting hardware. No plastic sinks or faucets. No cheap plastic mouldings that fall off, no pressboard or glued on picture of wood. Cabinets and drawers need positive locking latches that will not open while driving, and sturdy hinges. All LED lighting with wall switches preferred. Reading lights over the bed and near the dinette. Lots of charging ports and plugs.

Thank you for your input Raspy. We will try to take your advice.
We are also going to offer as an option, a front mounted small generator.
My big question is. Why isn't there any small woodstoves installed, like a Cubic mini?

BTW, please give me your thoughts on the Furrion appliances. Are they any good?



Thanx,
Paul

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by CortesCampersCEO

My big question is. Why isn't there any small woodstoves installed, like a Cubic mini?
Thanx,
Paul

I suggest you use "Search" for previous discussion. Use the Google Site Search box at the bottom of the menu.

[Jim Bennett]

We ask that people be respectful and keep anything political or off topic out of the replies. I deleted a bunch of the off trivial off topic stuff, the stuff that does not make this a better thread, nor this forum any better either. If you wish to learn about the design, add thoughts, or ask questions, go right ahead.

I for one appreciate these new thoughts towards trailer manufacturing and very much look forward to what will come of it. New materials and better furnishings are very much needed in the moulded fibreglass manufacturing community. Sure, there are some great things with many of the makes, but I have yet to see the one that fits all the things I would truly love.

If wood is not to be used, I would certainly like to get away from white interiors. A touch of warm colour is liked by me.

Though I had no plans of ever buying one, I really liked a lot of what Robert Johans built into his Nest. I had chatted with him via messages a bunch about it, including when he was bought out by Airstream.

[Jon in AZ]

Is it my imagination or has the website been substantially revamped since it was first linked a week or so ago?
https://www.cortescampers.com/

[CortesCampersCEO]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Is it my imagination or has the website been substantially revamped since it was first linked a week or so ago?
https://www.cortescampers.com/

Hi Jon,
The website gets substantially revamped on a daily basis!

Yes, our team is here on Sunday working feverishly to get our 25 footer done in time for the big show in Hershey Pa.

Thanx,
Paul

[CortesCampersCEO]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

We ask that people be respectful and keep anything political or off topic out of the replies. I deleted a bunch of the off trivial off topic stuff, the stuff that does not make this a better thread, nor this forum any better either. If you wish to learn about the design, add thoughts, or ask questions, go right ahead.

I for one appreciate these new thoughts towards trailer manufacturing and very much look forward to what will come of it. New materials and better furnishings are very much needed in the moulded fibreglass manufacturing community. Sure, there are some great things with many of the makes, but I have yet to see the one that fits all the things I would truly love.

If wood is not to be used, I would certainly like to get away from white interiors. A touch of warm colour is liked by me.

Though I had no plans of ever buying one, I really liked a lot of what Robert Johans built into his Nest. I had chatted with him via messages a bunch about it, including when he was bought out by Airstream.

Hi Jim,
Thanks for cleaning up the thread. If you ever speak with Robert, pleeease tell him to contact me. I think he was a genius and it's a shame what happened to his Nest.


Thanx again,
Paul

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by CortesCampersCEO

Thank you for your input Raspy. We will try to take your advice.
We are also going to offer as an option, a front mounted small generator.
My big question is. Why isn't there any small woodstoves installed, like a Cubic mini?

BTW, please give me your thoughts on the Furrion appliances. Are they any good?



Thanx,
Paul

I did have a trailer with Furrion electronics and it seemed they were cheap and unreliabale. But I can't say they all are.

In your quest to make a leap forward, I'd like to see quality and efficient modern equipment, instead of the conventional stuff that is readily available and barely adequate. And a battery monitoring system that people can understand without having to take a course on battery management, in order to go on vacation.

I keep using Oliver as an example, but it's because I had one and worked on it quite a bit. I knew it stem to stern and made improvements on the systems in it. They do beautiful bodywork. Have beautiful frames. And they stand behind the trailers absolutely. But they are very conventional in their electrical systems. Old school. Not innovative. That leads to maintenance issues, difficulty understanding how things work, lower efficiency, and a less than a satisfying experience from what might be expected. Those things are your opportunity, more so than convincing people that Oliver's bodies are inferior because the company owns a chopper gun.

Maybe my biggest gripe with conventional electric systems in trailers is the outdated charging systems with separate inverters and switches to isolate them. Automotive fuses placed down by the floor and on and on. A much more sophisticated system is the simple inverter/charger, such as what Victron makes, with a resetable circuit breaker panel. And, of course, lithium batteries with MPPT charge controllers. The inverter/charger is automatic and manages the system. A good example of this is what Black Series does with their electrical panel. Not perfect, but it's beautiful and easy to use.

As far as wood stoves go, I have tried that in a boat, and we heat with wood at home. It is extremely dirty and messy. As a fuel, it takes up a lot of room. And the stove needs a lot of attention to put out consistent heat, while taking up a lot of room to make it safe from starting a fire. Wood heating is for a very limited purist of some sort, and definitely not for the general public that might be interested in buying a trailer. Maybe a sheep herder trailer, but not a modern fiberglass travel trailer. I tried coal too, but it brings its own set of problems. Some Australian caravans use diesel to heat either with hot air or radiant heat in the floor. Either is nice, but the tried and true propane heaters, while being low quality, are hard to beat for convenience and not taking up valuable interior space.

[Bonnie RB]

Paul, Your question asking about Furrion, that the Cortes facebook blog mentions the 17 is coming (in March 2020) and is still coming in (February 2021), that a Thor trailer is shown in the opening title shots of the Cortes window video on the Cortes website, that the window video shows an unfinished interior, that the interior height is not only not known, but apparently isn't published so that we can look it up, lead me to seriously doubt the long term viability of the trailer side project to the boat building sideline of the lighting (grand?)parent company.
I want to give the benefit of doubt to you and to Cortes, but I see too many cautionary signs that have me skeptical.

Hey, I thought Madonna was going to be a one hit wonder so who really cares what I think.

Jon MB

[Jon in AZ]

To add regarding wood heat...

Rules generally prohibit transport of fuel wood due to invasive species, so unless you're burning dimension lumber, you have to source it where you're camping. That often means junk species and small diameter leftovers, along with a lot of work to make it small enough for a camper-sized stove.

I've heated with wood at home for 25 years, and I love it, but the growing scarcity of quality fuelwood and ever encroaching air quality restrictions are making it harder every year.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by CortesCampersCEO

Hi Bill,
I'm also from Pittsburgh

The only reason there no molded fiberglass dealer network is not because of the pricing. Look at our prices vs Oliver. The reason is, there so much demand that why should they share in the profits? We did our homework before we started this and found out that is are NO dealers and there is a HUGE backlog. That's why there is no dealer network.

You're not far from us. You should consider going on our website, filling out the form to become an exclusive territory dealer, sign the NDA and you will be surprised to see how much money you can make on each trailer that you sell. We're right up the road from you!

We already have YouTubers that have an RV channel signing up with us. They're going to make a ton of money by just showcasing our campers on their YouTube channel and then their followers could be customers that go to their new website and after taking the order, we then ship the camper directly to the customer. There is no need for a huge inventory, etc.

We are not doing anything like anyone has done before. We are not only using much higher quality fiberglass, that will make the camper stronger AND much lighter, we are also using Vacuum Infusion to make the fiberglass. That process eliminates so much labor, you will wonder why isn't everyone doing it. The simple answer is, If it's not broke, why fix it?

While I'm on a roll here, I want to address this post. I suspect you are walking into a trap of your own making. And if I may be so blunt, I'm afraid you have not done your homework.

Suggesting that there are no dealer networks because manufacturers don't want to share the profit, is in my opinion false. And suggesting that you are willing to set up dealers by simply having people fill out a form on-line, and that will somehow allow them to make lots of money, is laughable, or sad. Not sure which.

I've closely watched the two different approaches: manufacturers selling directly and manufacturer's selling through dealers. The dealer network is fraught with problems because so many of them do not work on the trailers. They don't want to, they are not able to, or they are too busy to respond properly, or they are frustrated with the factory. And there must be a working parts stream from the factory to the dealers, as well as an infrastructure to manage that stream. Those problems cause severe frustration with buyers, and a possible collapse of the whole house of cards. It means lots of unsatisfied warrantee claims. And that means very bad publicity. And that means your most powerful sales force, your past customers will work against you, instead of for you. So much for "joining the family". I and others, have been working for over a year and a half to try to help one manufacturer to do better. It finally comes down to the egos of the people in charge. If they don't want to, they won't. If they can't admit their shortcomings, they are probably going to fail, regardless of how good the product is or how much they hype it.

Claiming there is lots of money to be made by dealers, who are not qualified, or responsible, is not gonna happen, at least not for long. Take Oliver, again, as an example. People drive all the way to Tennessee to stand in line to buy their trailers and become part of the Oliver family. If someone is out of the area and needs warrantee work, Oliver authorizes it at a reputable RV repair shop. The other side of the coin is with another brand, who has dealers nationwide. Every scam possible is happening with those dealers to get out of responsibility, profit dishonestly, deliberately setting up problems that later need service, arguing with the manufacturer, or lying about when trailers will be available.

By implying that all that is needed is to fill out a form, and you will trust your new business to them, and your reputation, is setting yourself up for failure. Be careful. Please do your research into how the industry works in the real world.