price of Escapade and Hiker Trailers

[rpm4463]

I've started researching my first purchase of a overland camper trailer. I'm interested in the teardrop style with a rooftop tent option to accommodate a family of 4. I'm curious why the company Hiker Trailers and Escapade are considerably cheaper then their competition? Other companies do offer more bells and whistles, but the base prices are still cheaper. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[jd1zzle]

I just ordered an escapade, I think they are actually pretty comparable to the others, the other brands just don’t actually offer a BASE model like these two makers. The base model on these basically has NOTHING included, hiker doesn’t even give you two doors at the base price. We got as many options as escapade offered and came out to around 14k, and once you add on a propex and solar and other things, you are right at the price of other models. What really drew me to escapade was the square drop design that the kitchen doesn’t encroach on the sleeping area which is important as we have a big dog.


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[Uncle Jeffy]

I have a Hiker Mid-range that I picked up last May. I'm no overlanding expert and this is my first trailer, so I don't have a lot to compare it with. Nonetheless, here are my observations:

- Hikers are very simple strong plywood boxes on a decent frames. Perfect for my needs, but not insulated or composite/aluminum construction that may be of more value to others.

- I suspect Hiker makes very little profit on the base trailer, and makes it up on options. I love this business model as most of the other trailers I considered had a lot of base features that were of no interest to me, The Hiker program allowed me to put my money only towards things I wanted. And if I felt I could retrofit later on my own at a lower cost, that was totally do-able.

- Fit and finish is basic. If you are a fanatic for top quality workmanship, you will probably be disappointed. But everything is solid and tight. I'm more interested in durability than fine workmanship, so it was a compromise I am totally on side with. My brother-in-law, who is an amazing woodworker, showed contempt over the pocket screws. I don't give a F if it holds together.

I think my Hiker is an incredible value, because it is aligned with my own value system, and I am absolutely happy with my purchase so far.

 

[rpm4463]

thank you for the feedback.