They look nice but they start out at 37k
Newbie: Suggestions for well-built off-grid campers with a sitting/table area + temperature control? (under $25k)
- Thread starter TravisLC
- Start date
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
Teardrop + Oztent. Done.
mep1811
Gentleman Adventurer
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
Chalets are supposed to be better quality than Aliner.
chaletinc.com
I sent them a request for more info today. Thinking of selling the teardrop and getting an XL1930.
Chalet A-Frame RV Campers
Chalet Inc. is committed to producing the highest quality recreational vehicles on the market. Our products are hand crafted in the heart of Oregon. We are proud of the work we do and our customer service team stands firmly behind every unit coming out of our Albany factory.
chaletinc.com
Grassland
Well-known member
I'd also second the idea of a modified Casita they have several floor plans
Or an Escape 17A or 17B with frame and suspension upgrades.
You could possibly find a used Casita or even a Scamp and mod it some.
Unfortunately the market is a seller's one at this time, and in five years of looking I've found anything built well is either much smaller or much bigger than I want.
I've been baffled by the lack of a 14' long quality trailer you can stand up in, sleep four, and have the main bed not be the dinette...
If you could find a used small Livin Lite they had some 14-16' enclosed trailers.
Or an Escape 17A or 17B with frame and suspension upgrades.
You could possibly find a used Casita or even a Scamp and mod it some.
Unfortunately the market is a seller's one at this time, and in five years of looking I've found anything built well is either much smaller or much bigger than I want.
I've been baffled by the lack of a 14' long quality trailer you can stand up in, sleep four, and have the main bed not be the dinette...
If you could find a used small Livin Lite they had some 14-16' enclosed trailers.
Tacoma_NKY
New member
I would definitely give InTech a look. The Explore or Discover might suit your needs with some mods. Along with hitting your price point. How Offroad are you going?
Thanks for your suggestions. Interesting you mention Explore or Discover. Those two + the Sol Dawn have moved to the top of my list this last week after going through some of the Intech forum posts on this site. My research so far suggests that Intech is the only company doing affordable, well-built designs for overlanding that have actual space to stand up in + other features I indicate in my original post. Love the Sol Dawn, which is bumping the top of my price range and it doesn't look as capable as the Explore or Discover is so I wrote it off for now.
Luna is cool, but too small. The Discover is a very interesting model, but having never towed before, I'm concerned about how difficult it is to handle. It also seems like it would be more limiting than the Explore, which is what I'm starting to settle on but haven't pulled the trigger yet. Just talked with a local dealer. Love to hear your thoughts if you have any experience with these models.
D
Deleted member 9101
Guest
I'd go with used Castia or Oliver. No sense in spending tens of thousands of dollars to be cramped or have to deal with canvas.
Impossible to find in this market as far my searches have gone
D
Deleted member 9101
Guest
Sounds like you need to take a road trip. ;-)
you have no idea
After about 2 years of looking/debating we bought an Intech Flyer Explore last July. Tow vehicle is a 4runner and we live in western Canada. Got ~25 nights in it last season and we're really happy. I wasnt keen on the canvas tip out but wife thought it was fine and it actually works really well. Gives you lots of room in the trailer and it would be easy to sit on the bed and set up a table and workspace. Two 6'2" people arent likely to fit in the one bed but if you get a model with two tip outs I think you'd have plenty of sleeping space. Set up is literally <1 min outside and another min inside to set the bed up and pull the sleeping bag out. I dont think it would be great for true off roading but gravel and rough "roads" it seems fine so far. I also wouldnt really want to tow anything much bigger/heavier with the 4Runner.
Pnwfullsize
Active member
Based on your criteria, id go for a cricket.
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
I've looked closely at the Cricket; it's built for the Wee People. The sleeping quarters would leave the OP wanting. Plus the coin they want is a bit much for what you get.
The cricket is fine on size for us...probably bigger than we're looking for given our budget, but the problem is the off-road version is $40k. I've got 25k (30k) max if I make some sacrifices the next year.
At this point, we're thinking an OVRLND topper + an Intech Chase or Pursue. The OVRLND has plenty of room for table and chairs and the chase/pursue can function as a tow storage for getting off grid for a couple of weeks at a time during the summer and an insulated heatable shell for shorter winter camping stints. We'd just stick with the OVRLND if we could, but the payload is just too low.
I ************ up when I bought this Chevy Z71 in the fall, but at that time I was thinking I was going to pull and hadn't even considered truck toppers (or "overlanding," which I'm just learning about). If I could go back, I'd get a stronger truck and a 4 wheel camper slide-in with the amenities. But, that ship's sailed and I have be work with and be happy with my reality. Just want to get it right this time so we don't have any regrets and we have a set up that will keep us happy for the next couple of decades.
Part of the problem for us aside from budget is finding a set up that's good for a wide range of trips:
Trips (cold/hot/bugs/dirt roads/off-road)
- Weekend trips locally (cold/hot/bugs/dirt roads/off-road)
- Multi-week trips to boundary waters (cold/hot/bugs/dirt roads)
- Multi-week trips to Rockies (cold/hot/bugs/off-road)
- Multi-week trips to Ozarks/Smokies (hot/bugs/off-road)
- 1-2 month trip to West Coast (cold/hot/bugs/off-road)
- 2 month trip to Alaska (cold/bugs/off-road)