aliner pop up

[steveo]

Although I am planning to purchase a little guy trailer,I am a bit tempted by the a liner ranger/classic pop up hard side model.just wondering what your thoughts or experiences might be .

[stumphugger]

Hah! I moved up from a Little Guy 5 wide to a Chalet Alpine fold up--which is an A-Liner imitation. The only thing I regret is that the Little Guy was....SO CUTE. I love my chalet. I got it last September, used, and have used it for at least a month since then.

Mine is 15.5 feet long and has a big storage bin on the front. It was in new conditions but is a 2008 model. I was concerned, because you can see daylight at the point where the sides come together, but I just had it in some pretty serious rain on the Oregon Coast, and there were no leaks.

It too, goes where it is towed. It is easier to back up than the Little Guy. Of course, it is heavier, and bigger, and it was hard to get used to not seeing so well behind. I can still see the grill of a bumper riding semi.

The cons? I'm short and the sides are heavy to lift up. I took an ax handle and chiseled a groove in it and I use that as an arm extender.
I know that the Chalet company makes battery powered lifts for them. I have heard that the sides can blow apart in a big wind. I'm not sure how much wind, and I tried to park it so it was facing the way the wind comes from on the coast when I was there. You can't get inside while it is folded up. I found out I can put it up in a big hurry when I saw I had failed to secure the vent down. I had to pull off onto the wide shoulder of a busy highway and put it up to do that, and it was rocking from the wind of the trucks speeding by. There is more storage than a Little Guy has, but less than a regular standee. That's why that tongue box is handy.

They do go up quickly, as advertised. I like the furnace--it lasted 4 nights on battery power and I plugged into my pickup for ten minutes every other day when it was parked and not towed. I have a refrigerator, two burners, a little sink and an outdoor shower. I have a "bunk bed model" which means there is a twin size bed with room for my dog and storage underneath. The dinette turns into a double bed, but I took out the table to give me more room, and lighten things up.

I tow it with a 6 cylinder Ford Ranger. My Chalet is supposed to weigh 1480 pounds dry, but add the 15 gallons of water, propane tanks, etc. to that.

I had tears when my Little Guy was towed away. It was so darn cute. But for going on extended trips in bad weather, I'm glad I upsized.

[JuneBug]

I've looked at these for several years and we went and looked at some new and used at a dealer here in Central Texas called PrincessCraft.
Pros:
relatively light weight
wonderfully spacious feeling inside
the walls easily pop up in perhaps 3 or 4 minutes
solid walls, so quiet inside if you camp in noisy campgrounds
there are off-road options
most owners adore them
The small ones would definitely qualify as a Tiny Trailer!
Cons:
pricey, very, very pricey (even used is not cheap, and older models can have issues with leaks and soft spots in the floors)
Chalet brand is thought to have somewhat better quality than A Liner
the tiny kitchen area is very low--much lower than standard counter height. Although there are hi-wall options, I recall that these are not quite counter height either
zip for storage
can be hard to set up in high wind condition

There is an RV dealer in Oregon with the best prices by far. I'll try to find the link to their Web site when I get home.

PrincessCraft also carries T@B Trailers, but the maximum height inside is only 5'9", so not quite high enough for us. However, T@B now has a floorplan with a tiny bathroom and another floor plan has a galley in back (Clamshell option).
http://tab-rv.com/floorplans/
If the maximum interior height was just a few inches taller, we would seriously consider this as an option.

[pete42]

I have looked at many A-Liner's in the past I liked what I saw.
Chalet makes an A-Liner type they too are nice.

I forget the year but "they" changed the floor material went from a wood product that had the habit of going
soft, the newer ones have a better protected floor and are not prone to the old spongy floor problem.

They do set up and tear down very fast while not absolute needed I believe a prop to hold the sides in place is nice to have if you encounter high winds, most owners use expanding painters poles.

my needs are for a trailer that will allow me to store my mobility scooter inside
so while I like the A-Liners they don't work for me.

pete

[steveo]

Thanks for all the info,the price of the a liners are steep,a new ranger with just the basics is almost 12,000.ouch!

[JuneBug]

Steveo,
CamperOutlet.com
in Oregon has good prices. They carry Chalet and Rockwood (ForestRiver) folding trailers.

[Shadow Catcher]

Friends of ours had an Aliner and quality was very poor, floor rotted plastic cracked, leaked, converter failed, refrigerator never worked.
Any time you think you want a trailer, do a search for as an example, Aliner problems.

[stumphugger]

For some reason, the Rockwoods weigh more. They have their water tanks exposed underneath too.

Another con is for us short people. I have to carry a stepstool so I can reach the vent and fan controls.

I think I lucked out in finding a used one in such good shape. I have the higher walls on mine. That way the fridge has a freezer and I can make ice cubes.

[vaddisonme]

I read a lot about them and saw quite a few u-tube videos before I decided to go with a car-go lite. Frankly, the only Aliner or Chalet our little tow vehicle with a 1500lb tow limit could realistically pull would be the tiniest one, which is just a bed. No kitchen, no water, no nothing, Also, I didn't like the way the A/C sticks out the side, and I read bad things about dealing with all the seals that need replacing or caulking. I also worried that the bugs and critters in our garage would make their way into the unit through the seals and cracks.... scorpions, anyone? But I love the bubble windows of them, and if I had a stronger tow vehicle I would be mighty tempted by an Aliner off-road with high-sides, or a Chalet.

[stumphugger]

I forgot. I do have pictures ready to go.

[JuneBug]

Stumphugger:
Here is a link to a High Wind Kit design that Chalet has come up with:
http://www.chaletrv.com/news/new-a-frame-design
This keeps the roof panels from getting away from you in windy conditions during set up and take down.
Does your model have Wind Pins that do this automatically?

[stumphugger]

Stumphugger:
Here is a link to a High Wind Kit design that Chalet has come up with:
http://www.chaletrv.com/news/new-a-frame-design
This keeps the roof panels from getting away from you in windy conditions during set up and take down.
Does your model have Wind Pins that do this automatically?

Nope it doesn't. I may be camping in the Columbia Gorge, and I thought I just might collapse it during the day while I'm busy elsewhere.
The gorge is famous for windy conditions and is a wind surfing mecca. The Chalet is built in Albany, OR and I do go by there sometimes so I could call and see if they have the kit and if they can install it.

[GlamperGirl]

We joined this forum when we purchase a used little guy 5 wide with the add-on tent. Cute as a button, but MountainBiker (husband) found it difficult crawling in and out for sleeping as his back gives him issues.
We did some further research and then sold it and opted for a used 2006 A-Liner and we both really love it. I agree with someone else who posted that some of the earlier issues of floors rotting, etc have been corrected. We found ours on Kijiji locally. We camped with it for a season and then last summer we changed a few things to make it work better for us (see my album and I posted some stuff on the build section).
I am only 5' 2" and can just reach to put up the sides by myself. I love the fact that it is ready to go in less than a minute and in a pinch you can have things set up without having to unhook from the tow vehicle.
Ours is a simple model I think along the lines of the Classic; no heater and no A/C. There is just the 2 of us and our dog and there is ample room. MountainBiker is happy that he can stand up in it and there's enough room to move around, etc. It has been a great choice for us. We tow with a 2006 V6 Nissan Frontier and have had no issues. I love the fact that because it folds down it still fits in our garage for winter storage and also that there is no canvas.

[GlamperGirl]

You might also consider looking at the Tab line that I think Little Guy is now carrying as part of their lineup. We saw a model of TAB that was called a "clamshell" at a local RV show a couple of weeks ago. It was really sweet - Like the regular TAB design except that the complete kitchen setup was built into a back galley like the traditional teardrops. This leaves you more room in the sleeping area plus since it is taller than the little guy line up, you can stand up inside and move around a bit. Very nice

[canonsue]

When I was first looking at small trailers I thought that I would like one of these. It only took going into one. For me if felt cold and impersonal. I still like the idea, but my Little Guy works better for me. Some day I want to move up to a standie trailer, perhaps an R-pod. I really liked those but they are a bit more costly.

Sue