Jayco, Starcraft, Fleetwood vs. Adventure Trailer, Kimberly Kamper, etc.

[Pete]

How many here have had experience with the "mainstream" brands of adventure trailers, such as the Starcraft R/T series, Jayco Baja series, and Fleetwood Evolution series?

Looking at those types of trailers, they seem to have more of the functionality when camping that I would like for my family, but I'm concerned that they might not hold up to serious off-roading. I hope I'm wrong here, but is there a big difference in durability, as well as off-road capability of those that I mentioned, as opposed to the Adventure Trailer, or the Kimberly Kamper?

Any first hand experience with any of these would be great. I spoke at length with a guy up near Bishop with an Adventure Trailer that spoke highly of it's off-road capabilities and durability, but it's not really as functional for my family as I would like it to be, so I'm hoping one of the other brands would serve me well for off-road terrain that would require 4WD.

 

[Scott Brady]

I have used / inspected them all, and the defining difference is durability and technical trail capability. After that, it is just figuring out what features you want.

And dont underestimate suspension performance. The Adventure Trailer is in another category in that regard.

There are lots of AT owners here, so I bet you will get some good feedback on that question.

Oh, and welcome to ExPo :1888fbbd:

 

[Brian McVickers]

Hi Pete,
I have never used any of the conventional trailers you listed but I have logged thousands of miles with boat and cargo trailers. I was originally very skeptical of taking a trailer offroad and never thought it would be practical or even safe.

Then I had the chance to use an Adventure Trailer Chaser for a weekend offroad including sand, rocks, tight shelf trails, fast access roads, hill climbs and some other fun technical terrain. I was amazed, and have added an Adventure Trailer to my short list of equipment to obtain!

(end Shameless AT plug!)

 

[Gear]

Another positive plug for the Adventure Trailers Chaser. I am still amazed at how well this trailer tows behind my Jeep. Here's my photo.

If you have any specific questions about the Chaser I would be more than happy to give you my opinion.

 

[VikingVince]

Pete,

You're facing the same dilemma as those of us who would like a "mainstream" motorhome that is offroad capable and durable. Bottom line: There aren't any.
I think the amenities for your family are an important consideration here. Maybe Mario at AT would be willing to improve/upgrade the suspension and tires of a "mainstream" unit or buy a "mainstream" unit from the factory without suspension and tires (saving some $$$) and have Mario do the rest...if he'd be interested in doing that type of thing.

 

[perterra]

I saw one of these on the beach earlier this year. inda nice, loads of ground clearance and a tube frame. Looked like 10/50-15 tires

http://www.starcraftrv.com/starcraft_folding_campers/pano/13RT_full.html

 

[mountainpete]

I have taken a good look at those trailers along with the Evolution and here are my thoughts. (First, I don't own any of these trailers, but I have spent a good amount of time in, around, and under most of the mainstream trailers as my wife liked the idea):

1. The trailer has a solid frame - very robust in comparison to regular pop-up tent trailers.
2. The front cargo platforms are convienient, but really add to the tongue weight of the trailer. With the battery and propane bottles up there, you can get over 200 lbs of tongue weight quite quickly. As a result, you will find that most dealers recommend weight distribution hitches, which means no articulation with the bars on and not a whole lot more with them off.
3. The interiors of those trailers are very spartan in comparison to the other tent trailers. You can buy a standard tent trailer for MUCH cheaper and get WAY more features.
4. Ground clearance is actually pretty good. Can't say much about articulation as I don't have any first hand experience.
5. The closed trailer is quite high for a pop-up. It's wide too making it a challenge for most trails.
6. Huge dealer network for service.
7. Big plus: You can fit a family and play cards at the table when it rains.

So there are a lot of challenges compared to something like an Adventure Trailer or other similar brands. Adv Trailers are designed for off road use, the mainstream ones have been "adapted". They are more targeting the "dirt road" or just a bit off the beaten path camper. There is no question that a trailer that was designed to be off-road will be more durable, reliable and perform better than an adapted trailer.

So we know that you can essentially pull an Adventure Trailer through some of the toughest trails around - that has been proven over and over again. The Evolution, Baja and others are (a) heavier (b) longer (c) wider than the Adventure Trailer - all things that make it perform worse off-road. I know that if I was on a technical trail, I would want my trailer to be as light and narrow as possible. Those trailers are darn heavy! Especially the Evolution.

The remaining question is that for that remote camping spot that you like, do you need something like an Adventure trailer? Even further, do you need something more than a standard tent trailer? As long as you are not flexing it too much, you might be satisfied with a regular tent trailer and you will save a lot of money compared to an "off-road" version. If you need an Adventure Trailer, read some of the reviews on this site and research different vendors until you find the one that suits you the best.

I've been typing too much now, but I hope it helps you in your quest :mixed-smiley-030:

Pete

 

[DUTCH]

Kimberley Kamper

I have a Kimberley Kamper that I just spent a week and a half in Colorado and Utah. It is one heckuva unit. Rather than go on about it, it would be much easier to respond to specific questions and/or concerns.

Sadly, my wife will not convert to camperism, so I'd like to sell it. It's listed in the For Sale forum.

 

[PCRover]

If you are wanting to do any serious off roading then any of the three brands you listed would not be a good choice. Look into an Adverture trailer as it is designed for expedition use, not just traveling some mild dirt roads to a campsite as the others are.

I had some isssues with my military conversion trailer while doing a four day trek across northern Nevada. If I had been towing one of those three brands of trailers it would not have survived the first day.

 

[DUTCH]

If you are wanting to do any serious off roading then any of the three brands you listed would not be a good choice. Look into an Adverture trailer as it is designed for expedition use, not just traveling some mild dirt roads to a campsite as the others are.

I agree. The KimberleyKamper is only suited for mild dirt roads.

 

[Colorado Ron]

Dutch,

I think he was talking about Jayco, Starcraft, and Fleetwood as the three brands, not the KimberlyKamper of AT.

 

[jrsteffes]

I agree. The KimberleyKamper is only suited for mild dirt roads.

Those roads arent to mild!

 

[flywgn]

Pete,

Welcome to ExPo.

Years ago we tried a pop-up (Palomino Colt) tent trailer. The first mod that was required was changing out the pathetic little wheels/tires that came stock. I inverted the springs and went to a 14" wheel.

The trailer lasted a few trips. Finally after the second broken spring shackle and a twisted axle we gave up on it. We returned to our time-proven tent.

After a few years of sleeping on the ground we saw an article about the Komfort ATRV and ultimately purchased one of the 16 they made. We still have it and it's been to the Arctic Circle with us as well as a bunch of canyons and backcountry dirt roads throughout western North America. It's comfortable, has all the amenities (including a Motosat antenna), and is a pleasure when searching out a remote trout stream.

It is not suitable, however, for following us over serious backcountry routes. We now have added an Adventure Trailer (Horizon) to our growing fleet. This is our second safari-type trailer. The first was a Conqueror, built in South Africa and imported for a few years by Safari Trailers, LLC, in California. The Conq was our first venture into a serious backcountry 'convertible' trailer and it convinced us that this was what we wanted. Unfortunately, my wife, Diana, had a serious accident while riding her little gelding and ended up with five broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a torn Achilles tendon. Needless to say, ascending a ladder to the tent on the Conq became problematic for a while. A close friend had been hounding me to sell the Conq to him, so we did...and almost immediately regretted the decision, ergo our recent purchase of 'Harry' Horizon.

We'll keep the ATRV. It's our Base Camp and we like too many things about it to give it up. Harry, on the other hand, will give us many miles of pleasure into spots where BC just can't go.

The Kimberly is bigger than the Adventure by some measure. Neither the Kimberly nor the Adventure will offer the types of amenities to which you allude, so you may have to compromise. I suppose we all do that to a degree.

I do know that you can rent the Starcraft and Jayco, and I believe that Mario at Adventure Trailer is considering rentals as well. Perhaps that might be an avenue to follow in order to get the feel for one.

I can tell you, without reservation, that the Palomino was not...NOT...meant for anything other than smooth pavement, and even there the small wheels (10") needed constant maintenance and gave practically no clearance. There are a couple of companies--such as those mentioned above--that are producing relatively comfortable pop-ups with good clearance and adequate suspension for some off-highway travel. I don't believe, though, that these products have the suspension for miles of corrugated dirt roads or extreme articulation for stream crossings or other types of difficult terrain.

You'll enjoy the search for your trailer. Depending on where you live you might wish to catch one of the Off-Road Expos in SLC, Houston, or Pomona. See http://www.offroadexpo.com/offroadexpo/v42/index.cvn

In addition there are the Sportsmens Expos http://www.sportsexpos.com/

All of these will have various venders with trailers such as you are targeting.

Have fun, and, again, welcome to Expedition Portal.

Allen R

 

[Cruiser99]

Hey Pete,

I had to deal with the problem of Adventure trailer for many years. My goal was a simple and quick camp setup/tear down that would accommodate 4 people (a dog and a cat) with all the normal constraints of off highway driving – light, durable, and not least important, cheap.

Right or wrong and to make long story short, I ended up with buying a Fleetwood Neon, that to my understanding, just came out in 2006. It’s a cheep small (900lb) popup that was intended to sleep 2, without the sink and kitchen they usually come with. It probably will not stay on the market too long because most people think it’s too small.

I have modified it with 15” wheels and tires, extended the drawbar, striped the interior of all the heavy pressed board and added a bunk bed so it’ll sleep 4. I am in the process of changing the suspension to am more compliant system.

I have used it on off road trips 5 or 6 times this year and so far, it working OK.

D.

 

[chet]

can you eloborate on your suspension changes? I have a small older coleman with slipper springs as well and want to chang eit to something softer (smoother?)