Yet another camper question from me!

[nessz79]

Some of you may remember me as the pesky newbie asking a thousand silly questions about pop-up campers yesterday . Well, we went to the RV show today and we did NOT come back with anything as they really didn't have any travel trailers at all.

Anyway, I've been looking around and came across this:

http://www.aliner.com/design/products_detail.php?prodid=4

Can anyone tell me their experience with something like this? It doesn't say how much it is, but it's super light. Only 2000 lbs gross weight. I think our Buick Rendezvous can tow that much without a special towing package (obviously we'll need a hitch, etc.)...our engine is 3.46L V6. Is that correct?

Anyone have any experience with these?

Thanks very much for your patience! We are still excited!

 

[seabee]

The navy base here rents those out. They have nothing but good stuff to say about them. Actually they had a bunch at the RV show I went to last month. They looked pretty nice. Sorry I can't give you any info from my own use, my mother was going to rent one from the base this summer, but she just bought a hybrid so she won't be towing anything anytime soon.

 

[nessz79]

Thanks!!

 

[YellowXterra]

Those are nice and light, however I could not see more than 2 people making it with one. I know what your gonna say but wait till you get stuck inside it during a storm or a trip that turned into all rain.

 

[LarryJ]

Those are nice and light, however I could not see more than 2 people making it with one. I know what your gonna say but wait till you get stuck inside it during a storm or a trip that turned into all rain.

I was thinking the same thing and while the kids are 5 and 3 now what is going to be the sleeping arrangement in say 5 years.

Larry

 

[fortcampers]

Hi-----I have seen these on the RV shows they have on tv once in awhile. They look really small inside. I'm thinking 2 people would be fine, but not more than that, especially if one person is sick (my dh got really sick on our trip to DW and stayed in the 5th wheel for 2 days) or the weather is bad.

 

[nessz79]

Ok, thanks! We're still debating...we're thinking of just trying tent camping to start.

 

[candied]

I haven't had an experience with one personally, but our neighbor has an older model of what you linked to. They love it, but it is just him and his DW that use the trailer.

When we started looking for trailers for us, my DH was seriously thinking about the Trailmanors - have you checked these out. They fold up and store like a pop up, but expand to as much as 33' in length.

The reason we didn't buy a Trailmanor is because I wanted a bit more storage space and the refrigerator is the size of the dorm fridges you see.

Candace

 

[Escape Artist]

I've seen these in campgrounds, and they are so cute!

But FWIW, I wouldn't want to stay in one for more than a quick overnight. I don't like camping in anything that uses my kitchen table for a bed, and vice versa. My inlaws have a Class B that has a bed/table setup like that, and it's a pain to use. We use our table all the time when we're not eating, for games or reading or surfing the web. I don't want somebody sleeping on it when I want to use it for other things. And I don't want to have to figure out where to put all the bed "stuff" everytime I want to use the table, and have to figure out where to put all the table "stuff" when we want to use the bed. That design is a deal breaker for me.

It's extra challening for us because I'm an early riser and dh likes to sleep in. It might be different for you, but it doesn't sound like fun to me. And if it's not fun, it's not worth it for more than one night. But that's just us...

Sue in Texas

 

[clkelley]

I've seen these in campgrounds, and they are so cute!

But FWIW, I wouldn't want to stay in one for more than a quick overnight. I don't like camping in anything that uses my kitchen table for a bed, and vice versa. My inlaws have a Class B that has a bed/table setup like that, and it's a pain to use. We use our table all the time when we're not eating, for games or reading or surfing the web. I don't want somebody sleeping on it when I want to use it for other things. And I don't want to have to figure out where to put all the bed "stuff" everytime I want to use the table, and have to figure out where to put all the table "stuff" when we want to use the bed. That design is a deal breaker for me.

It's extra challening for us because I'm an early riser and dh likes to sleep in. It might be different for you, but it doesn't sound like fun to me. And if it's not fun, it's not worth it for more than one night. But that's just us...

Sue in Texas

I know what you mean about the table. My T@B has that setup, and I just never use it. The inside is for sleeping, and we bought a folding aluminum table and with my outside kitchen, just cook and eat outside.

 

[KristinU]

We're picking up our new Aliner Scout in 11 days (but who's counting, right?). We're a tent camping family who has come up the ranks from backpacking...so space may be a different consideration for us than folks who are looking for a more "camper-ish" experience. We're also a family of 3 -if we were any bigger a family I think we would have had to really think on the space issue a little more. We also had started out thinking about building a teardrop, so when we found the Aliners they looked huge.

What appeals to us is the hard-side aspect - no more messing with fabric and we'll be able to stretch camping season a lot longer here in New England. The quick up and down was also a big selling point for us. After car camping for the last 7 or so years I just was getting sick of the set-up time involved and I really wanted to either return to minimalist backpacking gear or move up to a little camper that would allow us to get to hiking and camping faster. And the size and weight didn't seem so daunting for us - we've never towed anything before!

There's a Yahoogroup that you might want to join as you research and make your decisions - it is linked from the Aliner site itself and also linked from the Aliner Owner's Club site: www.alinerclub.org

ETA: I just clicked your link and I see that's to the Sport - with a family of four I'd definitely look to the Classic/Scout footprint or bigger. I initially thought Sport Weekender model for us - until I pulled out the measuring tape and masking tape and "prototyped" the bed sizes on the living room floor. My DS won't be 4 forever and we also have a dog that camps with us and likes to sleep with us. Two regular sized beds were a definite for us. We chose the Scout because we still intend to do our cooking outside and plan to camp like we did with our tent - just now with a rolling hard-sided tent for the most part. I can definitely forsee us making the dinette beds into permanent beds...we certainly didn't have dinette tables in our tent! LOL!

Another ETA: Just a tip on the Aliner site - the one for low-speed connection is much more user friendly IMHO. Oh, and also take a look at Chalet campers - another A-frame manufacturer.

 

[ntsammy5]

After car camping for the last 7 or so years I just was getting sick of the set-up time involved and I really wanted to either return to minimalist backpacking gear or move up to a little camper that would allow us to get to hiking and camping faster.

That's my dilema, but I do both --getting a little old for backpacking though, but I've still got a couple of seasons left. I gotta look at these.

 

[ntsammy5]

The navy base here rents those out. .

THANKS. I never thought of that!

 

[juligrl]

My mom really liked the A-liners that we saw at an RV show this past winter. For her purposes (mine too) it would work but then again she'd likely be just her and occassionally my dad staying in it. For me, I have two little kids so something like that would work for now - until they get bigger. The ease of setup and the lightweight are very attractive.

 

[KristinU]

That's my dilema, but I do both --getting a little old for backpacking though, but I've still got a couple of seasons left. I gotta look at these.

Yeah, I can hike and carry gear all day but I need my cushy bed at night these days. My bones are jus getting a wee bit too creaky for that chilly ground underneath me. I tried all sorts of solutions last year - put our old therm-a-rest mats under our aerobed, on top of our aerobed, space blanket under me, extra quilts, etc...still woke up with aching hips. "What a drag it is getting old..."

 

[ntsammy5]

"What a drag it is getting old..."

It beats the alternative though. I had my knee replaced over a year ago in February and was doing some day hiking in July. I was just a short distance from my campsite when I tore some cartilage in my other knee -- the one I'd never had a problem with. I just about had to crawl back. I'm a little reluctant to go alone now -- that stinks.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

..."What a drag it is getting old..."

And Mick Jagger said that BEFORE he was 107 and still performing on stage!!!!

 

[KristinU]

It beats the alternative though. I had my knee replaced over a year ago in February and was doing some day hiking in July. I was just a short distance from my campsite when I tore some cartilage in my other knee -- the one I'd never had a problem with. I just about had to crawl back. I'm a little reluctant to go alone now -- that stinks.

Yeouch! That's no fun at all. But you're so right...it sure beats the alternative! Good thing you were close to your site - what if you would have been 5 miles out on a hike? yikes. Were they able to repair the tear?

 

[KristinU]

And Mick Jagger said that BEFORE he was 107 and still performing on stage!!!!

Yeah, and he doesn't look a day older than 98!

 

[BigDaddyRog]

He does look good for a decaying corpse....and hey.....he still puts on a pretty dang good show, considering he helped build Noah's Ark!!!