Tent trailer help

[gowyn]

Been following a few other threads about this but thought I'd ask folks opinions on this.

Just came from the local rv show, there they had the Fleetwood Evolution
and also the Fleetwood Element

Liked them both but there's a huge difference in price. $12775CAD for the E2 and $4995 for the Element Neon and the Cobalt was $5995.

Now the Elements only have 10" tires but are basic and sturdy, the E2 has 15" and is loaded.

You folks think it's worth the extra dosh and going with the big boy?

 

[NorCalDoug]

That is a very good question.

The smaller tent trailer option didn't exist (obviously since this is new) when I bought mine a few months ago.

If I had the option of spending half the amount that I did for a little less trailer, I would've jumped at the chance.

Personally, I wouldn've been fine with the Neon, but for only a grand more, I think you get quite a bit with the Cobalt. Plus, if you decide to sell, it might be an easier sell with the Cobalt because it has a little more to offer. On the other hand, the Neon doesn't have a sink, so there won't be any low hanging drains, pipes, etc.

I think you need to figure out what you plan to do with the trailer. Do you need all the options that come with the Evo? Will you need the deck to haul extra gear?

The trailer that I have has some features that I didn't necessarily want, but, as it turns out, they're pretty high on the wife's list of must-haves. The toilet for one. I don't need one in the trailer, but the wife and daughters certainly do appreciate having one handy.

Not knowing much about these new trailers from Fleetwood, I wonder if they'd hold up to use on rough roads. Will 60 miles on dirt roads shake everything apart? How much abuse can these things take?

Can you upgrade the 10" wheels to a larger wheel if you want?

Looking over the brochure again, I think it would've been a better design to have the sleeping platform go out the back rather than the front of the trailer. If it was in the rear portion, you could leave the trailer connected (if you want to). I don't know if it's possible with the way they designed it - doesn't look like it is though.

 

[e9999]

our Fleetwood does not exhibit the highest level of quality. Fairly cheap materials throughout.

This little Neon thing is intriguing. Minimalist approach. Not a bad idea. For instance, we never cook inside our trailer while camping.

 

[NorCalDoug]

I think the question that needs to be answered is if it's best to get an extremely well built off-road trailer once or buy 3 or 4 of these neons for aproximately the same amount of money.

 

[gowyn]

OK my decision has been made.

I'm going to pass on the tent trailer for this year and stick to a trailer and tent.

I really liked the evo, the elements were cool but couldn't get past the 10" tires. They said you couldn't put bigger ones in there but I'm pretty sure you could.

Anyway, I'll post piccies of my trailer (Sankey ex MoD) when it's done,

 

[MrMoMo]

I looked at a cobalt last year, they are sweet! but too small for our needs

Hoping to sell the boat this spring so we can get a trailer!!

 

[Romer]

Not to muddy the water, but for the same price as the well built off roads you could get this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2005...613169079QQcategoryZ50063QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Definitly not off road, but light weight and looks comfy for what it is.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I looked at the Evolution, nice trailer, I thought they were a little proud of it based on the price and looking at the construction.

As far as putting oversize tires on the element, you night ask the dealer about doing a SOA. The place I went to said they do them all the time on tent trailers. Of course around here people would do SOA's on Neons if they had leaf springs.

Or you could just swap the axle out for a Torsion axle with electric brakes and 6 lug on 5.5 hubs.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Not to muddy the water, but for the same price as the well built off roads you could get this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2005-16-5-Jay-Feather-Sport-Jayco-Travel-Trailer-NEW_W0QQitemZ4613169079QQcategoryZ50063QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Definitly not off road, but light weight and looks comfy for what it is.

If you go this far get a real RV. I have a 22' Arctic Fox, it was designed by one of the execs at Northwood who hunted Elk. I take it off road and camp in near zero weather. It is one hell of a trailer.

The entire undercarriage is enclosed, no exposed plumbing to get broken or freeze. The holding tanks are heated to prevent freezing. The walls and floors are rated at R7, ceiling at R18, all the windows are double thermal pane. The structural framing is glued and screwed, as are all the cabinetry. The suspension is SOA from the factory.
Fresh water capicity is 44 Gal
Grey Water cap is 41 gal
Black water cap is 35 gal
There are two 7 Gal LPG tanks
I upgraded the batteries to two 6V high amp hour deep cycle batteries, without charging I cen go a week on them if we don't need forced air heat. I have a Honda Generator if we need to recharge.

We have no problem spending a week or two camping W/O hook ups. With a couple of extra 5 gal jugs of water we could extend that another week. If I didn't have to work (darn that old mortage payment) we could go to Death Valley for a month.