Good point! I suspect for me it's more about the high cost vs benefits and simplicity. No doubt the mosquito factor would likely be improved as well. My back didn't want to take the hard ground anymore which is about the same time I quit backpacking, so pros and cons. 😂
We had an 06 XLE Aliner (similar to the Classic you looked at first, but without the dormers) till we went FT in 2018. We towed it for about 50,000 miles with our little 4-cylinder Chevy Cobalt SS that is now our toad, with 450,000 miles on it. It is super light because it is made with SIPs (structural insulated panels) which essentially is foam board, like Fomular, sandwiched between 2 thin sheets of fiberglass or between an aluminum and a fiberglass sheet, like mine was made. They vacuum bond them together to make very rigid panels for walls, roof and even cabinets, countertops and interior walls, like our shower stall. Ours was the deluxe model with all the bells and whistles, including a couch and dinette that folded out into a king-sized bed, a 3-burner built-in stove, microwave, 3-way fridge/freezer, a wet bath with a built-in cassette toilet, 10-gallon fresh tank, 6-gallon water heater, A/C, an inverter powered TV/DVD player, etc. The toilet and shower make all the difference. It erects in under a minute, plus however long it takes you to back it into a site, unhitch and level it (usually 5-10 minutes.) We really enjoyed it as we didn't need a separate tow vehicle but could pull it with a compact car getting about 24-25mpg when towing. Plus, whenever we were camped, we had a 30+mpg car to tour the area. Ours weighed it at around 1,700lbs loaded with water and ready to camp. We only paid $8,900 for ours, less than one year old and in pristine shape. The plastic was still on the stove, and the shower curtain was still in its sealed bag, indicating that they had never been used. Their resale value is high. I sold it in 2018 for $5,900, so it only cost me $3k to vacation in it for 11 years (plus the cost of tires, bearings and other routine maintenance and repairs.) That Styrofoam SIP construction insulates them very well, allowing a 5,000 btu A/C to keep it cool. Mine was pretty much weather tight with no leaks except for a cracked skylight I had to replace after sitting in the Louisiana sun for 10 years. I don't think I would pay what they are asking for a new one though. Everything seems to have gone up to absurd levels after I retired.
YOU HAVE 450K MILES ON YOUR CHEVY COBALT?! Impressive mileage! I love how light and easy to tow they are, as testified by you as well! Hard to beat 24mpg towing, that's really good, not to mention not needing a larger truck! $8,900 is far more reasonable than ~$30k that we were seeing here in WA, and especially only "losing" $3k, I'm even more impressed!!
My sister in law bought a used Aliner with a rotted floor and the brought it to me to repair. That is how I learned that trailers are a TARP on a trailer with plywood on top. There was hundreds of screws holding everything down to the floor. I made a solid repair and ofcorse when done found another section of bad floor. But in the end I went from a nay sayer to a lover of Aliners. They are really a clever design. They are high where you stand and lowbwhere you sit. Super cozy inside. Just be sure to check for leak damage and don't leave these outside when storing!
They sure are clever! I'm sure you got a much more in-depth appreciation for them considering the work you put in and the fact that you didn't want to just burn it to the ground. 😂
I’m glad you reviewed them. I know that they have some flaws. The classic is the nicest but it’s too long for my garage. Tents are getting harder for me since my knee replacement. I have a hard time kneeling down or crawling. Air mattress loose air and your in the ground. I also need AC which is available. Menopause 🥵is a thing. I feel it’s 2 steps up from a tent. Canvas pop ups are 1 step above. If I can put it up and take it down in 5 minutes or less I will handle the rest. Portable potty and campground facilities. I want to start with my home state of Florida. I think it’s a good starter and HOA camper option. Not worried about bears. Hight of the countertop is not an issue for me I’m only 5ft 2 inches. I can handle the small counter top. I hope to do most of my cooking outside. That’s why I’m going to the Tampa RV show in January so that I can see it in person to make sure this is what I want and also to see if there is anything else out there that might be better for me my car can tow 5000 pounds, it’s a SUV so I’m limited on weight as well as the length in my garage. I like what Emma said almost at the beginning of the video. It’s something that will get you out there with more protection than a tent. Keep your eyes out for the expedition line. It’s a more rugged version of the Aliners that you reviewed and the models have a bathroom set up that is quite interesting. Sadly that line is too long for my garage and a heftier price.
1:31 you guessed 5'5" and its 5'4" closed that's really good. Also, standard 18,000 btu furnace standard? Seems insane. My Prius can tow the smaller one (1700lbs rated). I believe just about any SUV can tow either, most have at least 2.5-3k towing capacity and weigh close to 4k themselves so they are heavier than their tow.
Hey Guys, Great reviews but theyre not for me. Perhaps better than a tent but not much 😂 seemed like a strange place for the fire extinguisher 🤷🏻♂️ one thing for sure and once again a better fan than we have 😂😂
RV Miles put out a video today talking about what people would like to see differently, and specifically what quality improvements need to happen. Honestly, we need to start THERE. Every single RV needs to have a really good fan like that as a minimum for the RVIA certification. 👨⚖️
Not to be rude, but looked into those. Can have seal issues and degradation, can leak when folded down, can have axle and suspension issues, need yearly maintenance, still have gaps and poor insulation that make them less efficient in cold and heat, if they have material tent portions they can tear, and not great in one of the shore winds, if tweaked it's a bear to get down or up. (Yes, I talked to owners of them in the real world, not salespeople lol). That said, some people do fulltime in them.
@@Defianthuman Not the owners I talked to, they mostly used them for recreational trips in the summer (also Rockwood makes hardsided popups, and they have some more positive features, by the way). However if you put "fulltime aliner" in youtube search, it will bring up videos of those who do/have fulltimed in them (Chearp RV Living, Tiny Home Tours, etc have interviews with those folks). Keep in mind they are very easy for some rotten thief to tow away if you do leave them somewhere. I went with a Scamp, yes cost more, but has a better resale value, and will fare better in the winds, etc. and has less of the parts that can fail like the struts and so on. That said, pop up campers tend to lose resale value quite quickly, so you may be able to get a used one at a better price than new. I have two Avions, like the one in my profile picture, one I currently stationary fulltime in, and one that will be remodeled for fulltime travel life. The Scamp will be a temporary on the road travel trailer until my Avion remod is done. (Avions are better than ANY trailer EVER MADE. I may be a teeny weeny bit prejudiced and Avion obsessed lol).
I think it's so interesting watching people use these heavily or even full time in them! Creative folks who like life a little slower, it seems. That's actually how I found Slim Potatohead! I thought if a person would choose to live in something like this, he must be interesting and there's plenty I can learn. A little while later he switched to a Trillium for what seemed like most of my own concerns with the trailers!
As someone that did a lot of tent camping as a kid, it looks better than a tent.
Good point! I suspect for me it's more about the high cost vs benefits and simplicity. No doubt the mosquito factor would likely be improved as well. My back didn't want to take the hard ground anymore which is about the same time I quit backpacking, so pros and cons. 😂
We had an 06 XLE Aliner (similar to the Classic you looked at first, but without the dormers) till we went FT in 2018. We towed it for about 50,000 miles with our little 4-cylinder Chevy Cobalt SS that is now our toad, with 450,000 miles on it. It is super light because it is made with SIPs (structural insulated panels) which essentially is foam board, like Fomular, sandwiched between 2 thin sheets of fiberglass or between an aluminum and a fiberglass sheet, like mine was made. They vacuum bond them together to make very rigid panels for walls, roof and even cabinets, countertops and interior walls, like our shower stall. Ours was the deluxe model with all the bells and whistles, including a couch and dinette that folded out into a king-sized bed, a 3-burner built-in stove, microwave, 3-way fridge/freezer, a wet bath with a built-in cassette toilet, 10-gallon fresh tank, 6-gallon water heater, A/C, an inverter powered TV/DVD player, etc. The toilet and shower make all the difference. It erects in under a minute, plus however long it takes you to back it into a site, unhitch and level it (usually 5-10 minutes.)
We really enjoyed it as we didn't need a separate tow vehicle but could pull it with a compact car getting about 24-25mpg when towing. Plus, whenever we were camped, we had a 30+mpg car to tour the area. Ours weighed it at around 1,700lbs loaded with water and ready to camp. We only paid $8,900 for ours, less than one year old and in pristine shape. The plastic was still on the stove, and the shower curtain was still in its sealed bag, indicating that they had never been used. Their resale value is high. I sold it in 2018 for $5,900, so it only cost me $3k to vacation in it for 11 years (plus the cost of tires, bearings and other routine maintenance and repairs.) That Styrofoam SIP construction insulates them very well, allowing a 5,000 btu A/C to keep it cool. Mine was pretty much weather tight with no leaks except for a cracked skylight I had to replace after sitting in the Louisiana sun for 10 years. I don't think I would pay what they are asking for a new one though. Everything seems to have gone up to absurd levels after I retired.
YOU HAVE 450K MILES ON YOUR CHEVY COBALT?! Impressive mileage! I love how light and easy to tow they are, as testified by you as well! Hard to beat 24mpg towing, that's really good, not to mention not needing a larger truck! $8,900 is far more reasonable than ~$30k that we were seeing here in WA, and especially only "losing" $3k, I'm even more impressed!!
My sister in law bought a used Aliner with a rotted floor and the brought it to me to repair. That is how I learned that trailers are a TARP on a trailer with plywood on top. There was hundreds of screws holding everything down to the floor. I made a solid repair and ofcorse when done found another section of bad floor. But in the end I went from a nay sayer to a lover of Aliners. They are really a clever design. They are high where you stand and lowbwhere you sit. Super cozy inside. Just be sure to check for leak damage and don't leave these outside when storing!
Soft, rotting floors were common in 2005 and before Aliners, so in 2006 they switched to Performax 500 marine grade flooring to solve this issue.
They sure are clever! I'm sure you got a much more in-depth appreciation for them considering the work you put in and the fact that you didn't want to just burn it to the ground. 😂
I’m glad you reviewed them. I know that they have some flaws. The classic is the nicest but it’s too long for my garage. Tents are getting harder for me since my knee replacement. I have a hard time kneeling down or crawling. Air mattress loose air and your in the ground. I also need AC which is available. Menopause 🥵is a thing. I feel it’s 2 steps up from a tent. Canvas pop ups are 1 step above. If I can put it up and take it down in 5 minutes or less I will handle the rest. Portable potty and campground facilities. I want to start with my home state of Florida. I think it’s a good starter and HOA camper option. Not worried about bears. Hight of the countertop is not an issue for me I’m only 5ft 2 inches. I can handle the small counter top. I hope to do most of my cooking outside. That’s why I’m going to the Tampa RV show in January so that I can see it in person to make sure this is what I want and also to see if there is anything else out there that might be better for me my car can tow 5000 pounds, it’s a SUV so I’m limited on weight as well as the length in my garage. I like what Emma said almost at the beginning of the video. It’s something that will get you out there with more protection than a tent.
Keep your eyes out for the expedition line. It’s a more rugged version of the Aliners that you reviewed and the models have a bathroom set up that is quite interesting. Sadly that line is too long for my garage and a heftier price.
1:31 you guessed 5'5" and its 5'4" closed that's really good. Also, standard 18,000 btu furnace standard? Seems insane. My Prius can tow the smaller one (1700lbs rated). I believe just about any SUV can tow either, most have at least 2.5-3k towing capacity and weigh close to 4k themselves so they are heavier than their tow.
Hey Guys, Great reviews but theyre not for me. Perhaps better than a tent but not much 😂 seemed like a strange place for the fire extinguisher 🤷🏻♂️ one thing for sure and once again a better fan than we have 😂😂
RV Miles put out a video today talking about what people would like to see differently, and specifically what quality improvements need to happen. Honestly, we need to start THERE. Every single RV needs to have a really good fan like that as a minimum for the RVIA certification. 👨⚖️
Not to be rude, but looked into those. Can have seal issues and degradation, can leak when folded down, can have axle and suspension issues, need yearly maintenance, still have gaps and poor insulation that make them less efficient in cold and heat, if they have material tent portions they can tear, and not great in one of the shore winds, if tweaked it's a bear to get down or up. (Yes, I talked to owners of them in the real world, not salespeople lol). That said, some people do fulltime in them.
Do they move a lot doing full time? Cause I would totally set this up for a season at a campground, or have it setup at one location for a long time.
@@Defianthuman Not the owners I talked to, they mostly used them for recreational trips in the summer (also Rockwood makes hardsided popups, and they have some more positive features, by the way). However if you put "fulltime aliner" in youtube search, it will bring up videos of those who do/have fulltimed in them (Chearp RV Living, Tiny Home Tours, etc have interviews with those folks). Keep in mind they are very easy for some rotten thief to tow away if you do leave them somewhere. I went with a Scamp, yes cost more, but has a better resale value, and will fare better in the winds, etc. and has less of the parts that can fail like the struts and so on. That said, pop up campers tend to lose resale value quite quickly, so you may be able to get a used one at a better price than new. I have two Avions, like the one in my profile picture, one I currently stationary fulltime in, and one that will be remodeled for fulltime travel life. The Scamp will be a temporary on the road travel trailer until my Avion remod is done. (Avions are better than ANY trailer EVER MADE. I may be a teeny weeny bit prejudiced and Avion obsessed lol).
I think it's so interesting watching people use these heavily or even full time in them! Creative folks who like life a little slower, it seems. That's actually how I found Slim Potatohead! I thought if a person would choose to live in something like this, he must be interesting and there's plenty I can learn. A little while later he switched to a Trillium for what seemed like most of my own concerns with the trailers!
#AvionLife
Not for me but those who like them great
Agreed!
It's NOT bear-proof.... so be careful..