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Hiker Trailer Made in Indiana and Colorado.....
200 series camper suggestions? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter tincan45
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Thanks @tincan45 . I've never been on the Oliver forums. I like the brand very much for their cold whether abilities and get a bit excited when I see one on the road.
The perfect trailer is such a tough thing. Wish it was 10ft shorter and 3k lbs lighter under tow, 10 ft longer with multiple slides when parked. Great towing stability and aero on-road for gas mileage, yet durable and high clearance off-road. Enough water and solar/batteries for extended boondocking. All for a low price. I don't believe there's a perfect trailer for all trips. It's really what one prioritizes and is willing to compromise on.
With any trailer, there's going to be maintenance and things to fix. Some more than others. @ckkone is right. Airstreams included, as it uses much of the same components from common RV suppliers like Dometic. Airstreams do leak too, and require leak tests and seal roughly every 5 years or so. I've been on the roof of mine enough times, changing sunroofs and caulking maintenance.
Find the right one for the family and your lifestyle, and it's an awesome thing. I hate hotels no matter how nice (well, almost), because ultimately, it's not my space. My RV is my space, my bed. We can cook and enjoy our own foods on extended trips as I tire of eating out every meal. Greatly appreciate the bathroom, clean and always there, at any stop on the road.
I've tailored mine to fit my uses including boondocking, by lifting it 3" and upsizing tires. I have a compressor which lets me air down my 200-series and the trailer tires to give it a smoother ride over corrugations. In order to air down, one has to air up so I have onboard air on my LX. Then there are things like how to bring along bikes for a family of 4. I welded up a custom hitch for a bike rack, and counterbalanced the added weight at the rear by mounting a generator on the tongue.
It's all a fun hobby if one enjoys it and the style of travel.
The perfect trailer is such a tough thing. Wish it was 10ft shorter and 3k lbs lighter under tow, 10 ft longer with multiple slides when parked. Great towing stability and aero on-road for gas mileage, yet durable and high clearance off-road. Enough water and solar/batteries for extended boondocking. All for a low price. I don't believe there's a perfect trailer for all trips. It's really what one prioritizes and is willing to compromise on.
With any trailer, there's going to be maintenance and things to fix. Some more than others. @ckkone is right. Airstreams included, as it uses much of the same components from common RV suppliers like Dometic. Airstreams do leak too, and require leak tests and seal roughly every 5 years or so. I've been on the roof of mine enough times, changing sunroofs and caulking maintenance.
Find the right one for the family and your lifestyle, and it's an awesome thing. I hate hotels no matter how nice (well, almost), because ultimately, it's not my space. My RV is my space, my bed. We can cook and enjoy our own foods on extended trips as I tire of eating out every meal. Greatly appreciate the bathroom, clean and always there, at any stop on the road.
I've tailored mine to fit my uses including boondocking, by lifting it 3" and upsizing tires. I have a compressor which lets me air down my 200-series and the trailer tires to give it a smoother ride over corrugations. In order to air down, one has to air up so I have onboard air on my LX. Then there are things like how to bring along bikes for a family of 4. I welded up a custom hitch for a bike rack, and counterbalanced the added weight at the rear by mounting a generator on the tongue.
It's all a fun hobby if one enjoys it and the style of travel.
I would recommend renting your choice for the first trip. And I would not buy a trailer without a slide. We have a 25' and a 16'5 for camping and when we replace the "camping" trailer it will be with another single axle with a slide. I am only sharing my experiences but if there are only two of you I would make sure that the bed is accessible from both sides. Its true that quality is a word and not a level of construction and from what I've seen, short of the legendary Airstream, most manufacturers meet the same low standards.
- Thread starter
- #24
100% agree! That's really what I'm working towards. I really don't like most "camp" sites and would prefer to boondock whenever possible. We tried to rent a camper through the usual sites (rvshare and outdoorsy) and decided it wasn't worth the hassle or expense. Finding a quality rig that my wife would appreciate and allow my golden retriever was about the same experience as booking an expensive hotel. ...and, to your point, still not my stuff. We ended up renting a small log cabin instead. Excited to get the LX out in the pecos wilderness next weekend, fall colors should be amazing if we don't miss them completely.
Thank you for all the great responses. I realize we all have specific needs, wants, and budgets. It's great to see what others are doing and it always inspires new ideas.
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Question to the group, from a 200 series owner perspective, I'm curious to hear what your must haves are for a trailer? And for those with two trailers, one for uber glamping and the other for off-road camping, what are the differences or sacrifices you're willing to make to ensure you can still access places that are off the beaten path?
We have a ORV Black Rock 22BHS (4 season rated). Had it for 5 summers now and pull it all over Alaska every weekend with my ‘13 LX. Still very happy with it and would buy the same camper again. Family of 4 (2 teens). We also considered a Lance but the ORV was in stock and we would have had to wait months for a similar Lance.
For us 4 season was a must. Last week hunting up north is was 11F in the AM. Also with more than 1 kid I wouldn’t go without bunks. And the slidenout is extremely nice when the weather is terrable and all of us are inside. We had an airstream before this camper and the internal space is huge comparing the 2. Also airstreams are terrable in the cold. There are a ton of campers up here in AK but almost no airstreams. Our airstream dealer doesn’t stock any of the trailers.
Another piece of advice if you have young kids get a camper slightly larger than you think
For us 4 season was a must. Last week hunting up north is was 11F in the AM. Also with more than 1 kid I wouldn’t go without bunks. And the slidenout is extremely nice when the weather is terrable and all of us are inside. We had an airstream before this camper and the internal space is huge comparing the 2. Also airstreams are terrable in the cold. There are a ton of campers up here in AK but almost no airstreams. Our airstream dealer doesn’t stock any of the trailers.
Another piece of advice if you have young kids get a camper slightly larger than you think
How similar is the Oliver?
Camper/Travel Trailer For Sale | Built to Last Generations
Oliver Travel Trailers is a family owned fiberglass travel trailer manufacturer. Our campers features include: built to last quality, enhanced weather protection, luxury finishes, the latest technology, off-grid/four-season capabilities, and more.
olivertraveltrailers.com
As @GordJ suggests, I would still highly encourage you to rent a unit at some point before committing to buying. I rented a Class A and a 23D Airstream for a couple extended trips. Nothing will help inform your investment more than just spending time in and with one. You may even learn that the lifestyle is not for you as there's things like hitching,
towing, setting up/tearing down camp,
dumping, etc. Hotels can be much easier and cheaper. But they're generally not located where I want to spend time. Renting is a great way to experience everything first hand.
For context, I'm a family of 4, including two growing kids 6 and 9. We love the outdoors, but also like to spend time in the trailer while it is on location.
Trailers get small quick and with a family of 4 with growing kids, I wouldn't do anything less than ~22ft (mine is 28' hitch to bumper, or 25' when measuring the interior space as most TT's manufacturers do). Don't forget to compare width either as every inch add huge volume to the space. Mine AS is at the legal 8.5' width limit. Enough water capacity for me is a must have as that's usually the constraint for boondocking. Power is too, but that can be augmented with batteries/solar/generator. Both of these resources are used differently by different families, so what's enough for me may not be right for someone else. I have 39 gallons of freshwater capacity and that's enough for 3-4 days boondocking with a quick shower every other day for my family of 4. Black and gray tank sizes can also be a constraint. If trends on travel trailers forums are any sign, people generally move up in size. Sometimes quickly, trading in within a year of getting a smaller unit. Others love their small and maneuverable trailers.
I much prefer dry baths, meaning the toilet is not within the wet space of a shower. Many of the smaller trailers combine these spaces into wet baths.
I also tent camp and car camp a lot. For off-roading trips or just me and my daughter, I almost prefer to do it lightweight and easy. I'll car camp if I can with a hatch tent. Often there's sites where I'm at that the car has to be in a parking space away from the site. Tent camping is easy and enjoyable for me too.
Wife won't tent or car camp because of the bathroom situation. So the RV is always with us for those styles of trips.
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I have a Livin Lite Camplite 16TBS that I would not trade for anything. It's just right. All aluminum so good bones. I have to occasionally replace appliances because those are pretty much all the same in most trailers, but the trailer itself is a lifetime (no wood or steel) unit. Even the roof is a solid piece of Al. The size was admittedly a compromise between easy towing underway and enough room for comfortable camping. The slide is what makes the size compromise so easy. The camper is only 16X7 feet in the box for easy towing, but the slide provides plenty of room while camping. King bed, dry bath, decent kitchen, 3-way fridge, comfortable sofa and large tanks were all good selling points. Its light weight and dual axles makes an excellent tow behind my 200, which has an Andersen WDH for sway control and Firestone airbags in the rear springs to smooth out porpoising on our nation's horrible roads. I've taken it in very rough back-country places (in Canada especially) and can say I like the torsion axles for suspension. Sadly, Livin Lite was bought out by Thor and they ended LL production a couple years ago. If you find a used unit, don't be afraid of rust or wood rot because there won't be any.
I’m a fan of the TT-as-a-base exploration method. We went with the Lance 2185 because we wanted triple bunks for the 3 kids but I wanted to keep the entire length to 25’
As the which TT it really depends on your funds and needs. For us the Lance was ideal and we got a great deal on it, but they are more expensive than many of the Indiana-built TTs (but generally better built, I think). I dig Airstream but the lack of slides really makes the interior feel tight.
fwiw I also suggest buying your TT used, as they tend to depreciate like a Range Rover. Our 3 year old Lance was about $15k less than a new one.
As the which TT it really depends on your funds and needs. For us the Lance was ideal and we got a great deal on it, but they are more expensive than many of the Indiana-built TTs (but generally better built, I think). I dig Airstream but the lack of slides really makes the interior feel tight.
fwiw I also suggest buying your TT used, as they tend to depreciate like a Range Rover. Our 3 year old Lance was about $15k less than a new one.
I second the advice about buying used. So many people buy trailers and then stop using them after the first 6 months to a year. There are a lot of good deals in the used market.
However this Safari Condo Alto 21 looks great and made in US factory. Alto F2114 Travel Trailers | Safari Condo
The smaller tear drop shaped ones are cool too.
However this Safari Condo Alto 21 looks great and made in US factory. Alto F2114 Travel Trailers | Safari Condo
The smaller tear drop shaped ones are cool too.
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any idea pricing on the Black series stuff? Impressive website, same HQ17 model i was looking at....otherwise the Dominator tent/trailer also looks niceWe are in the same position right now. We are looking for something less than 24' and </= 6,000 lbs that is geared towards off-grid camping. We don't camp in campgrounds. Typically dispersed/primitive locations that are off the beaten path. So it needs to be geared towards off-road travel and able to go wherever my 200 goes. We're a family of 6. We have narrowed it down to a handful of campers...
Leading the way is the Black Series HQ17. We actually went and looked at them last Saturday in Bozeman. Super nice. They are the closest dealer to us. We're in Idaho Falls. There is a dealer in SLC too. It was really nice. Solid, very well put together, rugged, everything we need. Fit and finish was best we've seen. The way the drawers, cabinets, doors open and close...quality. We've looked at a lot of stuff incl. R-PODs, Jayco, No Boundaries, Winnebago micro-minnie among others. The Black Series Caravans are in a class of their own. It's a true Aussie style caravan.
Another one on my radar is Zone RV. Another Aussie caravan. They are just now entering the US market. They've sent a few over. Haven't seem them in the flesh yet. But I've been communicating with one of their directors down under. They are planning to show themselves at Overland Expo West in May. Plan to check them out then.
We also went down to Salt Lake and toured the Bean trailer factory. Really impressed with their off-road teardrops, specifically the Meaner Bean. The nicest off-road teardrops we have looked at to date. Again, fit and finish were next level compared to other stuff we've looked at. Very nice attention to detail, high quality materials and...a solid one piece fiberglass shell...which is probably one of the main reasons we're only now considering the Bean if we decide to go off-road teardrop with a roof top tent. It's a leak proof design. No caulk and no wood.
So our list is pretty short at this point. With RVs/campers...it's a race to the bottom. That's why our list is so short. We've looked at a lot of stuff out there. However, we'll probably still wait util we go to Expo West.
Touring car,Pop-Up Campers,Expedition trailer,Black Series
The factories and warehouses of Black Series are founded in Australia, China and United States.Black Series integrates camper R&D, manufacturing, and vehicle testing, as key to its camper brand.www.blackseriescamper.com
Bean Trailer: Off-Road Teardrop Trailers Made in the USA
Bean Trailer eliminates the standard RV issue by manufacturing the side walls and roof from a single molded fiberglass shell. This means no more leaky nights and a product guaranteed to last a lifetime. We offer a lifetime warranty on our roofline. Made in Utah, designed for all mountainous terrain.www.beantrailer.com
Zone RV – In a zone of its own
www.zonerv.com.au
Guy
Figure a HQ17 msrp in the neighborhood of $45k. The HQ19 toyhauler that we also looked at is closer to $50k. There’s a reason they’re priced as such. There’s just nothing else like them on the US market.
Check out the Escapod for off road camping. I have used one a few times and they are the bomb for off road/dispersed camping. We have used one up in Copper Basin for the eclipse and down in the Butler Wash area- lots of clearance. Queen bed inside and with a RTT it will comfortable sleep a family of 4. Hot water on demand outside, but no toilet- we just use our river groover!
Chris has a rental fleet as well. Located in Wanship, Utah just outside of Park City. Very well made and thought out.
Chris has a rental fleet as well. Located in Wanship, Utah just outside of Park City. Very well made and thought out.
Teardrop Campers By Escapod
Escapod manufactures class-leading off-road teardrop campers. With a 5-year, industry-leading warranty, you can focus on what matters most.
escapod.us
We looked at the escapod. Compared to Bean trailers in Salt Lake...escapod not even close in terms of quality. Bean trailers much much nicer and way more refined. In addition Bean is a solid piece of insulated fiberglass. No seams and no caulk. Really on another level.
Check out the Escapod for off road camping. I have used one a few times and they are the bomb for off road/dispersed camping. We have used one up in Copper Basin for the eclipse and down in the Butler Wash area- lots of clearance. Queen bed inside and with a RTT it will comfortable sleep a family of 4. Hot water on demand outside, but no toilet- we just use our river groover!
Chris has a rental fleet as well. Located in Wanship, Utah just outside of Park City. Very well made and thought out.
Teardrop Campers By Escapod
Escapod manufactures class-leading off-road teardrop campers. With a 5-year, industry-leading warranty, you can focus on what matters most.escapod.us
If you do get a wet bath, get a teak mat to put over the drain. This helps at night so your feet don't get wet.
Not the best photo, but here is one of my 2018 Oliver Elite II and 2013 LC on the way home back to Minnesota from the 2019 LCDC in Ouray, CO via New Mexico. It’s a nice rig for a couple and a dog or two, but it’d be cramped for much more. It sleeps three with the double twin beds. We got tired of climbing over each other to get in and out of bed in our old RV.
Things we especially like about our Oliver:
I’m actually in the Oliver right now. The two bird dogs are sound asleep on the other bed after a morning ruffed grouse hunt. I’m out bird hunting with the LC/Oliver rig nearly every weekend in the fall. The LC pulls it without issue. I’ve taken it to Moab for spring break, Ouray for the LC event, back home from TN where we bought it, and all over the Dakotas. No issues anywhere with the rig. I’d never buy another sticks and staples RV out of Indiana after having the Oliver.
HTH. Ken.
Things we especially like about our Oliver:
- Fiberglass insulated hull. There is both an inner and outer hull. In-between the hulls there is insulation, all wiring, plumbing, tanks, and heat ducts. Nothing is hanging loose on the outside. Everything is heated.
- 340 watts of solar on the roof and 4 six volt golf cart batteries mean we can skip hookups except if we need to run the AC. The batteries are located directly over the wheels.
- The available Natures Head composting toilet cuts back tremendously on water use.
- Double pane windows keep condensation and noise down.
- Aluminum frame with Michelin LT tires. (Axles, shocks, and galvanized subframe are steel).
- NO WOOD in major assemblies. The drawers and a non structural closet wall are wood. That’s it.
- No slides in order to keep mechanical and water leak issues at a minimum.
I’m actually in the Oliver right now. The two bird dogs are sound asleep on the other bed after a morning ruffed grouse hunt. I’m out bird hunting with the LC/Oliver rig nearly every weekend in the fall. The LC pulls it without issue. I’ve taken it to Moab for spring break, Ouray for the LC event, back home from TN where we bought it, and all over the Dakotas. No issues anywhere with the rig. I’d never buy another sticks and staples RV out of Indiana after having the Oliver.
HTH. Ken.
Cole, how is your trailer for dust ingress? My Keystone is dreadful, we were spending an hour cleaning it out after 4 hours of gravel. It was so bad that the thermostat didn't work until I took the cover off and blew it out. At one point I drove the entire way from Inuvik to the Klondike (700 Kms) so that we wouldn't have to clean it twice and when we had it cleaned up we drove down the asphalt to a place to spend the night. For a while I was laughing at the dust cloud at every bump but when we stopped we found the trailer full of dust again. I thad come up from the belly pan.
I have a reversible fan to install for the front roof vent so I can have positive air pressure inside. This is my last stab or we may have to avoid gravel roads in the future.
pismojim
the Dude abides...
I've started the search for a solid camper for my 200. Something small (19-23ft and less than 6K lbs). I'd like to use it as a base camp when we travel. The only thing stopping my wife from really enjoying our little "adventures" is the lack of facilities. Hotels with a dog is a pain in the rear. The idea of her in a RTT actually made her laugh out loud.I really want a 4 season trailer, so I'm looking at fiberglass. I originally had my eye on the casitas, but then I found Oliver trailers. Holy cow, these are nice! Not to mention, they fit the new "Yacht" theme quite nicely. Even found this thread:
Land Cruiser 200 Towing thread | Oliver Travel Trailers
@TeCKis300 even got an honorable mention.
Any other options out there I need to be aware of?
Sounds familiar. I've been dragging a 2017 Forest River Sonoma around the country, mostly boondock camping. Just two people. The trailer floor plan provides full bath room and full size walk around queen bed. Perfect for two people. Any entertaining is done outside. It's been pretty much perfect for our uses - with a few modifications. Here's some considerations...
First, this new trailer was ($13,995). Cheap with the "modern" gizmos. It's GVWR is 4,400 lbs (3,100lbs dry). Know that everything is cheap Chinese crap built to the minimal level possible with lightweight materials. Accept it and bring tools, duck tape, screws, glue, wires, soldering iron, etc. First thing I did was lift it with a spring over axle conversion. Then replaced "4000 lbs" axle with a legit 6,000lbs axle (with 16-inch wheels and E rated Toyo ATs). Mostly for lift to avoid dragging sewer when "off-road" but also to beef up suspension for miles of dirt roads.
It's been fun to upgrade electrical, batteries, solar, etc. as well as little comforts like storage and other interior customization.
My advice is go small and light as possible. Spend more time outside. Expect things the fail and be prepared to fix them. There's not much mission critical to a trailer, I carry spare spring pack, shackles, bolts, and spare tire and tools. The short trailer (20' hitch to bumper) and single axle for maneuverability.
All in all we're very happy with the TT and the 200 is a great tow rig! And the best part is unhooking the trailer and rallying and wheeling the 200!
Jim
pismojim
the Dude abides...
Gord,
It was the dust from many miles on the Trunk Road in Alberta that pushed me to fix my dust problems. Took a few interior panels off to access the many "through floor" penetrations for plumbing, electrical, etc. to sealing those gaps finally ended the dust. The trailer had a belly pan cover too but coming at it from the top finally ended it.
Cheers,
Jim
