Micro Lite - Cargo Lite

[CW5RLC]

Didn't know where to put this. Functions like a cargo trailer, but sized like a tear drop. Concept looks good and all aluminum. Anyone seen one in person or own one? It intrigues me because I don't need the kitchen. I appreciate the airconditioner for the Florida nights. Probably has the RVIA label. When transporting trikes/recumbents nice to have them inside for the 1000 mile ride. Less wear and tear on bikes. Four foot inside height easier on old body than most tears.

 

[Shadow Catcher]

I have seen a number of Microlite tears. Good concept light weight good quality.

 

[Wimperdink]

I loved my Wazat! but its gone.

 

[coop74]

I am a proud owner of an Cargo Lite xtreme....

first camping trip is this weekend!!!

 

[M C Toyer]

Nice match to the tow vehicle.

Does the trailer taper to the front, i.e., is it narrower there than the rear, or is that just an illusiuon?

M C

 

[crttaz]

Their webpage which I bookmarked for myself

http://www.microlitetrailer.com/index.htm

 

[CW5RLC]

Hey Coop74, looking forward to your impressions of the Cargo Lite. Tough finding one in person to scope out. I see you have the Xtreme. I am still traveling with the Aliner Alite. Love the economy of pulling the low profile and low weight with gas prices going higher and higher, but all I can do in the Alite is stand up and spin in place. Still looking for something just a little larger. Wondering if the Xtreme is it? Photos and your list of specs/options always appreciated.

 

[coop74]

Nice match to the tow vehicle.

Does the trailer taper to the front, i.e., is it narrower there than the rear, or is that just an illusiuon?

M C

I think that is an illusion of the photo. it is the same width front to rear... we had our first camping experience this weekend. A major step up over my motorcycle and tent camping for the last several years...

Now to use it thousands of more times...

 

[coop74]

Hey Coop74, looking forward to your impressions of the Cargo Lite. Tough finding one in person to scope out. I see you have the Xtreme. I am still traveling with the Aliner Alite. Love the economy of pulling the low profile and low weight with gas prices going higher and higher, but all I can do in the Alite is stand up and spin in place. Still looking for something just a little larger. Wondering if the Xtreme is it? Photos and your list of specs/options always appreciated.

My first impressions are very good... The fit and finish is good; It would appear they have taken pride in the workmanship. The only thing i could say bad on construction so far would be that there was some slivers of alum from drilling and screws that were left inside. Very few of them, but enough that i wanted to take some time and sweep carefully because I have stepped on a sliver of alum before and it will go right into flesh. The floor currently is bare alum planking which I hope to add a rug to for foot comfort.

The details like trim, corners, windows doors seem well executed and well thought out. My original plan was for a tear drop from Little Guy but I found this to be a more economical option for my needs of camping and still having a motorcycle handy. It allows me to stay inside on the bench seats if I wanted to or convert to a bed and just sleep inside. My wife does not do tent thing but she enjoyed the camper. Since our boys are gone this will allow me to spend more time with her now.

Mine has a small micro wave, small fridge that runs on propane, 110, or 12 volt, has two burner stove (I would not have ordered one that way as i have a ton of different portable stoves. It is also possible to order with a small sink. I did not want that either and as luck would have it this one was not equipped this way. Mine also came with an awning which is something that is not common but I did want. The dealer I got mine from got 5 from the factory and mine was the only one that was not already spoken for so I lucked out to get it as they had another customer standing in line for it.

The folds down benches have 4 positions. Up and flat against the wall for toy hauling. It has 4 in floor tie downs that appear to be located well and appear substantial. The next position is two benches down and using the small folding table they provide. They face the center and while tight look very workable if it was raining. You could play cards or games or something out of the elements. It is possible to put one or both into a position that gives you a working level wall mounted table/shelf. I am thinking if it was just my wife and I we would put one up and use the opposite as a table in the up position. It would be a longer reach but would allow you to move around with out the portable table taking up space. The last position is folded down as a Near Queen size bed as described on the companies website. They use the two ramps for the base of the bed. It forms a very stable platform that I could not feel any give in. It creates a very comfortable bed and my wife had bought Queen size sheet set which fit pretty well so the size should be close to actual queen size. The have located the bed height to be perfect to use the ramps for. You take the two ramps and make a box to support the platforms in the center and at the wall there is a piano hinge. Configured like this there is a lot of storage area under the bed and more then enough room to use the little galley area inside. The cushions for the benches become the mattress for the bed. My wife and i are both very tall and I played college football so I am not a small guy. I felt the bed was very comfortable but I likely will add a memory foam type topper as we have that kind of bed at home. As is however I had a great night sleep.

The rear hatch, to load the motorcycle folds up. The company has plans to make a screen room for it which I think would be nice. I love to camp at the keys and it would be nice to be able to lay in bed and look out over the water. The hatch is light and will stay up on it own like the ones on a car hatch. The company however provides two expandable poles to hold it up and has two small guy holes to keep the poles in place. I can see where it might be a good idea to guy the down on the poles for windy days. I think it would be possible to fabricate just screen that would allow you to seal the rest of the trailer.

On the outside rear of the fender is two storage boxes that are not water tight but would be weather resistant. One holds the deep cycle battery with room for another maybe two. I would like to add the capacity to use a solar panel so I think I will add another battery in time (one of the reasons I join the forum to gather ideas). The other I store the chocks and little stability jacks I bought. There is room to spare on both sides however. Additionally in the rear near the back is a small compartment below the floor level is a compartment. I currently have nothing inside at this time. I think it will be my spares area in the future as I sort out out what I want and need to carry.

Hope that was not to long and I am open to questions if I did not cover what you wanted to know.

Big Coop

 

[vaddisonme]

I am so glad to see this review . We are heading up to Michigan at the end of next month to pick up our bright orange cargo lite. (Not the extreme, just the 5 x 8 cargo lite.). We drive a Honda CRv and didn't want to risk the heavier tongue weight of the extreme! Ours just has an A/C, and we'll add a microwave, and we added a 2" receiver hitch in case we want to carry the bikes on the back, We thought a lot about a little guy teardrop, but I got scared off by the thought of dryrot, and thought it might be a bit claustrophobic for my 6'5" husband. We were thrilled to find the cargo lite, since it is 97" long inside, has windows in doors and walls, and is the same 48" height the whole length. No squished feet. The downside is that we don't have a cute and organizable kitchen galley! (Guess it is a plastic tub for our kitchen ). But the upside is that our cargo lite can haul plywood or mulch and then get swept out. We also have a back ramp door, which opens the opposite way from the Cargolite Extreme- so we can just roll our bicycles up it and lay them on the mattress, if we decide to transport them that way. The Cargolite folks also did a modification for us without charging us anything... I wanted to set the nose of the trailer 4" down lower, because we have our bed at home on an angle likethat to prevent acid reflux. I asked them if they could add stabilizer jacks to the front to take care of that and they said "yes" for a reasonable cost, but they came up with the idea of mounting the front jack higher up, which they did at no charge Now we can crank it up to level or have it slightly lower. The factory rep sent me photos!!! Now I am thinking of a good name for it, and planning curtains Wish I knew an easy way to post the photos he sent. I am really looking forward to camping in comfort.

 

[vaddisonme]

What are you towing your Extreme with? Does it tow well?

 

[coop74]

What are you towing your Extreme with? Doe sit tow well?

My tow vehicle is my Kia Borrego. Rated to tow 5k lbs. Ideally i need about it an 1 inch lower at the hitch but I have not gotten a drop for the hitch yet as I wanted to see how it sits with a motorcycle inside and puts more weight on the tongue which I think will level it out.

As for towing, it is narrower then my car and i can see around the trailer without fitting special mirrors. The weight of the car is nearly 5k lbs and I cannot hardly tell it is back there. It tracks well and seems very easy to tow. The trailer has marking lights on the side and LED taillights which seem to work very well (i have never seen one in tow to verify) My only source for how well the lights work is when checking prior to pulling out. I do think I will add some additional reflective tape to the rear as I am a big fan of rear ward visibility since i ride motorcycles.

 

[vaddisonme]

I did it! I did it! I posted pictures!!! I haven't actually seen my trailer in person yet, but the dealer, Jim, went and picked it up from the factory and drove it to his place. He sent me these pictures. Two more to come...

 

[vaddisonme]

Two more pictures. and I added smilies. I feel so technologically competent.

 

[coop74]

View attachment 1Two more pictures. and I added smilies. I feel so technologically competent.

So how is it working out, the cargo-lite that is. What is your evaluation of your new toy?

Big Coop

 

[vaddisonme]

Heading up to Michigan this Friday to pick it up, then over to the nnearby state park to camp the first night in the trailer!!!! It's just a short 24 drive....... then over to Cleveland to visit family. Instead of sleeping in my parents attic on the rock hard bed using musty old wool blankets, we'll be parked out in their backyard in the trailer on memory foam with a duvet. Then down to visit friends on a farm in Kentucky, a night at Mammoth Cave National Park,then One night in a state park in little rock Arkansas, then home via Dallas/Fort Worth relatives. many miles in just 9 days. I will for sure let you know how it goes and post some pics. I am curious about if condensation will be an issue... will see!
can't wait!!! The one big problem is how to fit all the camping gear in the CRv on the way up! (After reading all the info on this forum, I had to buy An EZup from the local store.... bright orange to match the cargo lite, and only 49.99. Now how to fit it in the car,,,,

 

[coop74]

Heading up to Michigan this Friday to pick it up, then over to the nnearby state park to camp the first night in the trailer!!!! It's just a short 24 drive....... then over to Cleveland to visit family. Instead of sleeping in my parents attic on the rock hard bed using musty old wool blankets, we'll be parked out in their backyard in the trailer on memory foam with a duvet. Then down to visit friends on a farm in Kentucky, a night at Mammoth Cave National Park,then One night in a state park in little rock Arkansas, then home via Dallas/Fort Worth relatives. many miles in just 9 days. I will for sure let you know how it goes and post some pics. I am curious about if condensation will be an issue... will see!
can't wait!!! The one big problem is how to fit all the camping gear in the CRv on the way up! (After reading all the info on this forum, I had to buy An EZup from the local store.... bright orange to match the cargo lite, and only 49.99. Now how to fit it in the car,,,,

So we are on Pins and needles... how is it?

Big Coop

 

[vaddisonme]

Just picked it up Sunday afternoon in Michigan and camped in it that night at a wonderful state park near
Gun Lake called Yankee Springs (two beautiful lakes, nice beach, very quiet the night we stayed). It was 41 degrees that Night and we were comfortable in the trailer with an extra blanket even with no heater. We had rassled a memory foam pad on top of the 4-piece foam pad, so we were plenty comfortable, There WAS an issue with condensation, even though I cracked the window, since it was so cold outside. I wiped off a few places around the windows, metal channels, etc, since they were a bit drippy. I am thinking that a little dehumidifier would be a good idea for cooler weather camping. The A/C would take care of the humidity in summer months. Besides that, LOVE it!!! It pulled really well with our little CRV and I didn't notice it was there except for a big orange blob in my rear view mirror instead of seeing cars , though the mileage dropped from 33 mpg to 25 mpg or so pulling it at 65-70 mph. We did take off the front spare wheel to reduce the tongue weight, and stored it in our tow vehicle. (I need to figure out how to weight the tongue!). Fit and finish was good, though there was one screw in the inside window trim that hadn't been screwed in, so we grabbed a screwdriver and took care of it. I see a couple of places where I may add a little more urethane sealant or whatever kind of sealant they use on RV's. We are now "camping" for two nights in my parents backyard (temperatures in the 40s again!) and set up under our bright orange EZ-up in case it rains. Heading down to Kentucky, Mammoth Caves, Iittle Rock in a few days. I will post some pictures when we get home. With our one night in the state park, we had three different people come up and ask to see our trailer and tell us how CUTE it is. I can tell that this will be an ongoing...problem? Benefit? Chance to meet people?

 

[vaddisonme]

Went to Home DEpot last night, and, using advice from this forum and amazon, picked up an Eva-dry 16oz. electric dehumidifier and plugged it in inside trailer. Almost no condensation this morning and 6 oz of water in the dehumidifier.

 

[coop74]

Follow up note on my cargo-lite Xtreme...

Had to tighten the lug nuts on the wheels. After 7 separate camping trips.

Here was a shot from my kitchen on the last trip.

have slept down to about 40 degrees and the have discovered the camper is well insulated. Ran the little walmart heater for about 15 minutes before going to bed to heat up the camper. Later in the night I cracked the window a little as our our breathing made it warmer then comfortable with just the vent open a little.

A great investment so far and my wife is loving it.