2024 Casita 17' Spirit Deluxe

[Tex68w]

I added the Stromberg rack and a generic 30” truck box. Most folks that don’t use the big money Stromberg rack use a 24” box because it fits completely inside the tray. Since my box overhangs the front corners of the tray, I added 1.5” square tube aluminum between it and the tray to lift it up.

My 30 inch box wasn’t much money and holds the chocks, Andersen leveler, orange blocks, EPMS, water hoses/filter, sewer hose supports, stabilizer crank, a handful of 1 pound propane tanks and a few tools.

It is ugly, but I chopped 6” off the rack vertical supports (probably an inch or two too much) to get it lower (and maybe looking slightly better?). I use a soft propane tank cover which I ended up liking better than the hard case because it’s easier to check the switchover indicator.

I do really like carrying absolutely nothing necessary for trailer setup in the truck. It all stays on the trailer all the time all year.

-Mike

The exterior accessible interior space found on the Oliver's and Escapes is a large part of why we would like to upgrade besides the obvious increase in width and length which translates to more interior space. You lose most of the exterior accessible interior storage when you move to the larger fresh water tank as it all but completely blocks that opening from the outside.

Once I've made the electrical cord change I'll be able to store all of the electrical goodies in that space and I'll likely stick the drill for my stabilizers in there as well. This will leave only the wheel chocks, stabilizer pads, and water line accessories stored in the box I carry in the bed. I'd love to be able to carry all of those items within the camper itself but short of storing most of that in the bottom of the closet (which I don't care for) there isn't an option that I like short of the storage container.

I wish they would extend the tongue of the trailer 20-24" and provide a small fiberglass lock box behind the propane tanks like they offer on the Escape trailers. If I had that I would seriously consider keeping the Casita for the long run.

 

[Florida Native]

I get it and it’s all a trade off. We don’t want a giant trailer with slides so we will make do with limited outside storage. Right now, with the front box it works for us. We can even put three folding chairs in the outside compartment with the large water tank.

If/when we go bigger, we’re getting a dry bath, so it’s either Bigfoot or a non-fiberglass (most likely Airstream) for us.

-Mike