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02-22-2012, 06:41 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 14
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Anyone have opinions about Aliners or Teardrop campers?
Hey all- I have a TT that I full time in but I have a friend who would like to go out for weekend expeditions alone or bring her rig to hang with me. She is looking at the Aliner Sport with a toilet. Does anyone have any opinions on these products? She would like a dry place to sleep, a cooking area other than a firepit lol, and a toilet indoors would be nice in case rain hits. She has also been looking at Teardrops some although the obvious drawbacks would be no toilet and an outdoor cooking space. Oh and she would be towing with a Honda CRV.
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02-22-2012, 07:06 PM
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#2
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Moderator Emeritus
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Bryan, TX when not traveling.
Posts: 22,948
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Has she considered a Casita?
Casita Travel Trailers - Changes
Ken
__________________
Amateur Radio Operator (KE5DFR)|No Longer Full-Time! - 2023 Cougar 22MLS toted by 2022 F150, 3.5L EcoBoost Tow Max FX4 Lariat Travel with one Standard Schnauzer and one small Timneh African Gray Parrot, retired mechanical engineer
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02-22-2012, 07:29 PM
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#3
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 30
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What TT to buy
The first thing she needs to do is read her car manual and determine what her tow rating is? Then she can find a TT that can be pulled with her vehicle. A-liners are good as my RV dealers sells them. I got to check one out at a campground. Knew an engineer that had one. She might have to get a different tow vehicle if she wants an A-liner. Does she want new or used. She could possibly consider a Class C motorhome.
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02-22-2012, 07:45 PM
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#4
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Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 14
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Casitas look fantastic, and she has considered them. They will be on the extreme upper end of her towing capacity though. The Aliners, especially the smaller ones would fall in nicely. As well as the teardrops which weigh next to nothing. Thanks for the replies guys.
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02-23-2012, 10:22 AM
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#5
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 8
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We have an Aliner Classic and love it. We did the Classic with toilet – etc. would not go camping without it. An Aliner Sport being towed by a Honda CRV, that’s where we spent a lot of time looking and it will be just on the edge for weight, and we didn’t want that so we upgraded to a Honda Pilot and Aliner Classic with off road package.
There is no easy answer but towing at or above the recommended weight is a bad/very bad idea.
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02-23-2012, 11:29 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 122
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one thing I don't like about tear drops is if it is damp out side say a thunder storm, you get your bed all messed up when you get into the tear drop. you are crawling into the bed room and that is all and if you are wet and muddy, so is your bed.
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02-23-2012, 11:41 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,324
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As a teardrop owner it is very much how you set things up. Our teardrop has three tarps that attach to the roof of the trailer and it is a simple matter of leaving your shoes outside in a container and climbing inside. We also have a 14 foot long by 14 foot wide at the widest point tarp at the rear that provides plenty of living space outside free of rain.
http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/image_page.php?album_id=803&image_id=80545
Our tear is large and very well equipped by teardrop standards and because it has an aluminum frame and Filon skin tips the scale at about 1500 pounds.
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02-23-2012, 12:52 PM
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#8
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Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadowcatche
As a teardrop owner it is very much how you set things up. Our teardrop has three tarps that attach to the roof of the trailer and it is a simple matter of leaving your shoes outside in a container and climbing inside. We also have a 14 foot long by 14 foot wide at the widest point tarp at the rear that provides plenty of living space outside free of rain.
http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/image_p...image_id=80545
Our tear is large and very well equipped by teardrop standards and because it has an aluminum frame and Filon skin tips the scale at about 1500 pounds.
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I do agree with an earlier post about messing up the bed and insides. But as a long time backpacker and tent camper, my friend for sure knows u don't wear your shoes inside! Ha. I liked the idea of all of the tarps to add extra shade and rain protection. What brand is your teardrop and how long have u had it? Also do you know if there is a teardrop section on this irv2 forum? I would like to help my friend gather all the info she can.
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02-23-2012, 04:17 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Thor Owners Club Pond Piggies Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: NE. Ohio USA
Posts: 5,973
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The A-liner only weighs 1200lbs dry. They sure pack a lot of stuff into a small space. I would vote for a A-liner over a tear-drop any day. Here is a link to the 11' brochure for A-liner
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02-23-2012, 05:45 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Thor Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Port Charlotte, FL
Posts: 728
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We had a A frame TT. It was called a Chalet and was made in oregon (same people as A-liner). We loved it, but went onto a Motorhome. A A-liner TT is easy to set up and easy to tow. But, we thought afer using it there might be something better. Look at a trail Manor (hi-low type TT). They are lite weight and offer lots of room in a small package. The Hi-Lo TT weigh considerable more than the trail manor models. everyone is making lighter travel trailers today. so, you have lots of things to choose from. A Trail Manor offer the lite weight, but more room and they have pretty good pricing. good luck!
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02-23-2012, 09:56 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Napa, California
Posts: 127
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i think the CRV has a tow capacity of only 1500lbs.
that eliminates all but the Alite, which has a GVWR of 1000lbs. whereas the others have a GVWR of 2000lbs. or more.
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02-24-2012, 12:01 AM
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#12
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 30
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Don,t buy Trail Manor
Respectally submitted.Several people in our Hilo camping club have owned Trail Manors. They reported them to be made with poor quality interiors. They are hard to set up and often leak. They are pricy. Our Rv dealer refuses to take them in on trade.
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02-24-2012, 04:14 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,324
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The best place to find information on teardrops is Teardrops & Tiny Travel Trailers • Index page
It is a long story but we bought the first trailer made by this company and they asked for feed back, it had a single door (crawl over spouse to go to the bathroom) and a limited rear galley. We gave them lots of feed back and teach subsequent model had all of the improvements we suggested. We asked how much to improve ours, make those changes, and they suggested they build us a new one, this is the seventh and last one they built and includes all of the improvements and a galley designed by my wife, all marine LED lights wired for solar and a big tongue box. They went bust before finishing it and the president of the company tried to finish it but a year and a half over due I had to threaten legal (I had found a legal firm ready to take the case in Indiana) action saying I wanted it finished or not. I spent last summer finishing it. We have had two seasons of actually using it, one with #1 and one with #7.
If you google Alinner and or Chalet problems, you will find leaking and poor quality. We have friends who had the floor rot out from a leak they never did find a refrigerator that did not work correctly ever... admittedly he is not particularly handy and I tried to help him fix the problems but they finally sold it and bought another small travel trailer. Chalet moved to use a composite floor the year after they bought theirs which tells me they knew they have a problem and if you connect with the Aline Chalet forum you will find lots and lots of fixing things and in many cases gutting the interior to fix things.
I know the construction and how ours was made as I visited a number of times during its construction and have the plans/construction drawings for the side walls.
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02-24-2012, 07:02 AM
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#14
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Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bikendan
i think the CRV has a tow capacity of only 1500lbs.
that eliminates all but the Alite, which has a GVWR of 1000lbs. whereas the others have a GVWR of 2000lbs. or more.
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Thanks you are correct about the crv towing capacities.
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