We owned an E1 for about five years. For us it served as a comfy, dry, and warm base-camp as we explored the area we found ourselves in. It followed along behind us down many miles of forest roads and two tracks without any problem, though we kept in mind that this was not a rough trail trailer and was not designed to be used in such a manner. In all that time it served us well and probably had close to 6000 miles of travel under it's tires. We have just sold ours as my wife is heading back to school and we won't be able to travel for well over a year. Having the trailer sit idle for so long was not a good option so we reluctantly sold it. Here's my thoughts on these trailers...
The good:
*Set/up tear down/ is just a matter of minutes.
*Plenty of room for gear.
*Nice place to retreat if the weather is nasty or the bugs are bad as the family has room to hang out, play games or cook together. Unlike a RTT.
*Get to meet alot of people as it draws looky loos like moths to a flame.
*Tows very well and tracks nicely.
*Comfortable sleeping areas.
*Great base-camp to explore out from. This was the main use for us. Set-up for a couple of days, explore the area while radiating out from it then move on the the next area. The extra clearance makes it easy to haul down two tracks and dirt forest roads.
The bad:
*Typical RV quality. Not bad but not stellar building techniques or materials. We never had any failures with all we have put it through the last 5 years but we are mindful of it's limits.
*While it is well suited to gravel roads and two tracks it is definitely not a trailer you want to drag down a rock strewn or pot-mocked trail. It's wide and has a big turning radius.
*You'll get to meet people asking about it while your trying to do something else.
*We seldom used the front rack as the trailer itself would hold all the gear we needed for extended trips with ease. Since we have a truck firewood and stuff like that would end up in the bed. Without the front rack the trailer would have been a bit more nimbler and would have been more balanced tongue weight wise.
*When storing the trailer when not in use you'll want to remove the lifting mechanism cover. This is because mice and such will build nests in there when the trailer sits idle. Those nests will wrap around the lift screw and strip out the needle bearings on the lift follow plate. While not a real problem it is a bit of a hassle to remember to do.
*Even the E1 is a long trailer and it is very hard to turn by hand if you find yourself on a road or trail that you cannot travel further along. One must be mindful of where your heading and how your getting turned around if you have to.
So basically comes down to that these trailers make great family base-camps and can handle moderate trails with ease. If your looking for a hardcore, full on boon-docking trailer you probably won't be happy with these. On the other hand your wife and kids will love one. :elkgrin:
Behind the truck…
In use…