I have been shopping for a pop up, rigid A frame type of camp trailer. I'm not interested in pop up tent trailers, no security/too flimsy. The two dominant brands seem to be Aliner and Chalet. They appear similar in terms of size, features and cost. Anyone out there have experience with either brand or another recommendation (or know of a deal on one)?

The 15' model I am currently looking at weighs about 1,000 lbs, hitch weight around 150. I'll be towing with my F-150, 4.2 liter V-6, 5 speed so I have plenty of truck. What recommendations do you have for a hitch: type, size, style and what should I expect to pay ? Any other advice for a rookie tow guy. I have driven other peoples rigs and can back and park them no problem but no real ownership experience. These trailers are very light and low profile. My truck has a shell over the bed so I will have lots of additional storage, especially for anything heavy (extra water, toys, ammo etc..) (o;

We plan on doing a lot of camping; me the missus and Millie the wonder dog (greyhound), and eventually some longer distant travel around the lower 48.

I've always wanted one of the Aliners. I've looked and looked at them every time I go by places that sell them.

All I can say is trailers are like gun safes...get one a size bigger than you think you need. That is, if you have the truck to pull it with, which you definitely do.

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Lost it all in a boat accident

I bought a used Aliner about ten years ago, and still use it every season. I bought it mostly because my car was a little Saturn, and the 1000 pound weight worked well.

I can't speak to the Chalet, but I give high praise to the Aliner. Plenty roomy for me, my wife and a dog or two. Nice features, even in a basic model like mine. Heat, Air, Stove top, tinted glass, hard sides... what's not to like.

Of course the best feature is the quick set up time. Even in pouring rain or snow it sets up in about a minute. A minute later the furnace is burning and we're getting warm and toasty. I like the locking dutch door too, and the ample storage.

Last time I looked, my model was going for about $10k. Mine is a 1980. I paid $2500 used. All I've done to it is replace the gas system with the new easy on tanks and regulator.

My only complaint about it is that it is so small I couldn't see it very well in my side rear view mirrors. Mine doesn't have the shower/toilet option but no big deal. Also no water heater, but carries 40 gallons of fresh water.

I don't think you can go wrong with an Aliner. Some of their newer models look like Log Cabins, and are even more convenient and have advanced features my old one lacks. Go for it. (Actually, you have enough truck to pull a bigger unit, but you won't find many BETTER)

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S&WCA #2018

We have lived full time in a motorhome for 11 years. Even though we have 35' and a couple of slides, I have spent alot of time in smaller rigs in the past as a river guide and working construction in a pickup camper. What I have learned is that you want to be outside! This is why we do this thing called camping. So there is no such thing as a rig large enough inside to be comfortable! What you need is a rig that will get you where you want to go and do what you went to do (in all these years we have spent less than 30 days in 'rv parks'). You need protection from sun/wind/rain/neighbors/rules/ect. All this to say an awning, outdoor table/chairs/cooking gear/cooler-refer equipment (so you don't have to go shopping alot). So your 150 with a topper full of 'stuff' can make the A-liner huge. Good luck and write if you have more questions.
Go for it.
Tom Beavert

Been there done that (twice) all I am gonna say is determine how much camping you are really gonna do??. Determine how much money you can really spend on something that depreciates real quick. How comfortable is comfortable to you. Are you a roughing it tent campers or pull in and turn the generator and A/C on kind?

Where can you store it? At home or a storage place?

I've had 2 Coleman type pop ups and a 16' with fridge, ac, bath kitchen etc. Pulled that with a Dodge Dakota Quad Cab with 4.8L engine and "posi track" rear end. Pulled my boat with also. Maybe 8-10 mpg

A place around here sells those A- liners and I have looked them over. They seem very well built and I where to go the pop up route it would be one of those. They even make a 4x4 version with heavy shocks, wheels etc to pull through the woods.

Go to a RV show find out what you like and then try to find a good used one.

Happy Camping

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Still Running Against the Wind

Thanks to one and all for the valuable input. Our tastes run to the simpler side of camping and the A frame pop up is a nice creature comfort upgrade from camping out of the back of the F-150. I doubt these light weight, low profile trailers will hurt my mileage much. When I cruise 75 I get 18 to 19 MPG. I'll be pulling more weight with the trailer and gear but going no more than 60 to 65, less in California. I imagine the reduced speed will just about mitigate the increased load.

All of the systems found in this simple level of camping are very familiar to me as they parallel the systems found in recreational boats. There are lots of other advantages such as the ability to store the trailer in my garage, always having a vehicle for local exploration, reasonable comfort level with minimal expenses to name a few. I will be looking into an awning system, a solar panel and a few other toys but whatever we get, with a little tweaking it should give us all we need. BTW: We are looking just for used. I'll keep you posted as the search continues.

Check out this forum on folding trailers...

RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Folding Trailers

We just rented an A-liner for an 8-day trip to Yellowstone/Grand Tetons. Keep in mind that it's a rental in it's 3rd year of pulling that duty. There were a few small maintenance issues that would've made it nicer (tighten a few things, mainly).

Overall, my wife really liked it. As you said, it sets up in about a minute. We had a couple of days where it poured and we stayed dry inside. A couple of nights, it dipped into the low 30's. Even set at 50 degrees, the heater was good enough it almost drove us out.

Like I said, my gripes were all small problems that could be fixed w/ routine maintenance.

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Where's my dad's America?

In answer to your hitch, a Class 3 hitch similar to what Ford would have put on it is what you need. About $200. 2" receiver, and a drawbar with a 1" mounting hole in it. Your trailer will most likely have a 2" ball. Don't buy the drawbar until you have the trailer, as you need to buy the correct "drop", to get the height correct.

The trailer should sit slightly up in the front, prevents fishtailing.

I always tow with the tow switch on my truck (on the gear shift if you have it) on, it saves the transmission. If you're going to tow a lot, you might consider having a transmission cooler installed. This would have come on the truck with a "towing package."

Biggest hint: maintain those trailer tires!

Have fun.
Munster

CApt Steve - You are probably in for a little bit of an awakening in regards to your tow vehicle. While it is far better than what is today called a full size sedan, that little 4.2 engine lacks the toque to pull almost anything for any distance at all. You'll see this on the uphill runs. As far as fuel economy, the smaller and more fuel efficient the engine, the bigger the hit it takes when towing in regards to fuel economy. I had one Ford Ranger that consistently delivered 25 to 27 mpg highway. When connected to a little utility trailer I have with minimal loads (500 lb garden tractor) the fuel economy was cut in half. And yes , I do know about shifting , not lugging an engine , and basically proper driving techniques. Have a class III commercial driver's license and a life time of truck repair and driving. Your F-150 will give you best performance if you resign yourself to driving much morre conservatively (slower) than the posted speed limits on the highways. Don't mean to rain on your parade but these are the facts of life with light duty trucks. Also think of your fully loaded weight. 40 gL WATER @ 8 lbs per gal, fuel, passengers, and gear. Gross vehicle weight will be greatly increased.

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Lost in Penn's Woods

Tomf52: I think you underestimate my F-150. That 4.2 liter V-6 performs pretty well. The F-150 is rated to tow 5,000 lbs so a trailer that weighs less than 1,000 should not be much of a problem. I see folks pulling these with small 4 bangers without a problem. I have loaded it down with well over 1500 lbs of dead weight a number of times and only saw the mileage fall a couple of MPG. The 1,000 lb trailer won't be anywhere near that sort of a load. I have beefed up the shocks and gone up one size on the tires with good results.

From my boat days I am aware of the weight water and other gear imparts and its affect on performance and will load sparingly. I won't pull anything more than 65 and 60 will be my preferred cruise speed. In California the limit is 55. I will seriously look at adding a few "tow package" goodies like a trany cooler but still have every confidence that my F-150 will get the job done. Thanks for all your input.

Capt Steve - My former neighbor had a F150 with the 4.2 (not sure of the model year) and he also pulled a lightweight tent trailer. I drove this rig to upstate NY from Jersey. The 4.2 leaves much to be desired. If you go slow you will get there. Just be carefull. Is yours an automatic or stick? Contrary to most beliefs, the auto is a better choice as it knows how to downshift and when better than the average driver. Also I think if you check your owner's manual, Ford has a lower trailer weight allowance for the stick model.

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Lost in Penn's Woods

Tom, you are correct sir. Mine is the 5 speed and it does have a slightly lower towing capacity than the auto trans. As I noted I'll be cruising 55 to 60. Being retired we are in no particular hurry when we go camping/exploring. Many of the tent campers come in at two or three thousand pounds will all of their bells and whistles. I suspect your friends rig was in this range. If the four bangers can "get r done" I'll get by with a large V-6. Thanks again.

CP, you're in good shape to do what you want to do. We are long time RV'ers and I can tell you that the one discussion that always takes place is that you need a bigger tow vehicle. I tow a 5th wheel with a gas engine and am always advised to get a diesel. As long as you are within the manufacturer's specifications you will be fine and safe. Welcome to the RV world, it's a lot of fun and the memories are priceless. Keep an RV diary.

AF: Thanks so much. While the RV thing will be new we spent 35 years doing the marine version on our boats. We also have a lot of camping time. There is an old saying in boats: The perfect 30 footer is 34, the perfect 34 is 38 etc., etc.. One of the reasons I am going this route is that I already have the tow vehicle. The F-150 has been thoroughly maintained for 11+ years, has no secrets, very few vices, handles heavy loads well and gives reasonable economy(and will provide plenty of storage for my golf clubs and guns). Anything bigger than the A frame pop up would probably require a larger truck but at 1,000 lbs with all of the amenities we require I think this combo will work. The hunt is half the fun.

When I was a kid, my dad pulled one of these



with one of these.

After a lot of searching, mostly on the internet we found just what we were looking for: A 2006 Aliner DL, Pop up A Frame camp trailer. Less than three thousand miles in excellent condition equipped to the nines! It has AC, propane heater, stove (inside or out), three way frig/freezer, sink/water tank and of course the porta potty (it even has a full cover). It sleeps four but will only need to house me, the missus and da pooch, Millie the Greyhound.

All this for $7K, sounded like a deal to me as they go for about $15k out the door new. I'll be adding a class three hitch to the F-150 n Monday and we will be ready to roll. Thanks guys for all of the good info and encouragement.

Whoa! Very nice, thanks for the pics. Looks like all of your preparation paid off...

Capt Steve,
Looks like a good choice, now just go. Where will you head first?
tb

Nice catch Capt Steve. That's a beautiful unit. Good price too I think. If you get 20+ years of service out of yours, like mine has given, you'll be a "Happy Camper".

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S&WCA #2018

Tom, We are headed up to Mount Lemon for a couple of days next week and plan on doing a full week in the White mountains, east of Phoenix in the middle of September. We can't wait! Thanks again.

Well, we were delayed a couple of weeks but finally got to take the new rig out for a long weekend up to MT. Lemon. First of all the F-150 (4.2L V-6, 5 speed), pulled the trailer without breaking a sweat. Mt. Lemon tops out at 9,300 feet but we stopped at the Rose Canyon campground at 7,500'. The first 5 miles you climb nearly 3,000' and while the temp gauge did climb a bit it stayed out of the red and quickly cooled down as the grade eased. The two lane highway is posted at 35MPH but most folks cruise at 40 to 45 and we had no trouble keeping up with the flow.

When we found the spot we wanted it was a simple matter to back the trailer in close, unhitch and the bride and I just walked it in to a position that the truck would not. Down went the jacks and I switched from DC to propane refrigeration with the push of a button and we were in. The stove can be mounted inside or on the outside of the trailer and that made cooking a pleasure (when we weren't bar b que'n). The propane refrigeration in addition to being silent kept the refrig at 35 degrees and the freezer in the mid twenties.

We are planning a week long trip back up to the White Mountains in mid September. We are so pleased with the Aliner, simple to set up or take down, usually less than a minute, very comfortable and a delight to tow. Yahoo! Here is a shot of Millie and I relaxing.

I have a Jayco tent trailer 1993 model that I need an upgrade. Been looking at the Chalet. Don't have a Aliner dealer close by. Just me alone now so don't need a large rig. Jayco was OK when my wife was along but she passed last year. I drive a 1991 Ford Explorer Sport 4x4 with tow package. 2500 lb. Tows the Jayco without any problems. Anyone know of a used one, either Chalet or Aliner? Let me know.

Hi Capt Steve -
Well, it's been a bit over 3 years since your first camping trip in the A-Frame....
How about an update?
Still have it? Use it? Like it?

We're looking for an RV trailer and I found this thread in a search.

We had a Class C motor home for several years and LOVED the camping, but I'd get it all set-up and leveled and the next morning or afternoon my lovely bride would want to go to somewhere (site seeing, the store, etc) and I'd have to disconnect - go - and get back and set-up AGAIN. A trailer seems like the way to go to us.

So - what do you think? Still F U N ?

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In dog years I'm dead.

To quote Sarah Palin.... "You Betcha!" We kept the A Liner for a year which was time enough to get my bride addicted to the camping thing. Then one day a friend approached me and asked if it was for sale as he had a friend who was looking for a nice A Liner. He looked at it and liked it but decided to look around some more.

I had upgraded my F-150 to an 06 with the 5.4L about 6 months earlier so you know what that meant. (o; We loved the A Liner but wanted a few more amenities, real kitchen, nice bathroom with a shower etc., for the longer trips. I told my bride lets stick it on Craig's list and see if the phone rings. It rang off the hook from all over the country and I sold it for $6,700 in week.

We found this little beauty also on Craig's list for $9,900 as new. This shot was taken at Lost Dutchman State Park at the foot of the Superstition Mountains in Apache junction.



It is a 2008 Fleetwood Pioneer Spirit 18CK, 22' long with a GVWR of 5,600#. It had been used 4 times, the plastic covers were still on the cushions and the stove and oven had never been lit. It has a full galley, bath with shower and sink/vanity, jack knife sofa and the dinette seats 4 and sleeps two with a full double in the rear for us. I get 12.5 towing if I keep my foot out of it and in the last 2.5 years we have put almost 15K miles on it. Two weeks after we bought it we took off for a month to Bryce, Zion, Monument Valley and most of New Mexico.

We have had zero problems and too much fun as it is the perfect size for my bride the pooch and I. We are heading out to points unknown next spring for 4 or 5 months. We will probably just chase the nice weather around the lower 48 until September. We are completely self contained as I picked up two like new Honda 2000 generators along with the extended run take and parallel kit for $1,000 (Score!). These handle the AC and everything else just fine. We have 30 gallons each for fresh, grey and black, two 20# LP cylinders and a pair of deep cycle batteries.

Here is another shot taken at City of Rocks State Park 24 miles north of Deming New Mexico.



Life is good!