[mike]

Saw this at Early Winters CG last week and it looked pretty sweet. I know some of you have or have had an Aliner so I looking for comments. Likes, dislikes, which options are recommended ... etc. We are two people and a dog so looking at the classic with a popup or two, high clearance. No fridge needed. Maybe a stove but I have a portable stove and propane shower. Any comments welcomed. Thanx

[Schroder]

We've had an Aliner for about 5 years but are looking to go to a little more room & comfort and have placed a deposit on a new trailer, which won't come until next winter. The Aliner is a great step up from a tent and a good refuge in bad weather. We have a Classic Off-Road which is a little larger than the one in your photo. It has a queen bed, refrigerator, sink, gas furnace, hot water & a table that seats 3 that can convert to another bed. It has a 2-burner stove that can be used either inside or out and a shower on the outside. It's really lightweight and easy to tow and set up. The biggest drawback we've found is the awkward storage space since everything has to be at floor level to fold up. Dry weight is 1700 pounds with a tongue weight of 200 with the battery and 2 propane tanks on the front. My son towed it once with his Subaru Outback.

I have a truck now and our trips are getting longer so we're getting one of these

[mike]

thanks for the reply Schroder. I think that the one in the photo is the same as yours, see closer view. The off-road higher clearance would be a bonus. Looks like it has the hard dormer. Was wondering if you think the difference between the hard or soft option is worth the premium? What about a dormer over bed? From your photo it looks like you don't have a dormer.

[Schroder]

Yes, that does look like a Classic. We bought ours from a friend who only used it once so we didn't have an option. I'd like to have a hard dormer over the table to give a little more room. I don't think a dormer over the bed would make much difference because the bubble window gives all the room we need. I think a soft dormer would be troublesome and they wouldn't allow them in bear country like Yellowstone or Glacier. On the other hand dormers are another potential leak area. I've become quite proficient with a caulking gun because all of these paneled trailers eventually leak around the seams - another reason we're heading toward a molded fiberglass trailer.

[HikerJohn]

We had a Chalet trailer for about 10 years-- and had a love-hate relationship with the thing. They are cute, great conversation pieces, and comfortable, but the stupid thing was leaky right off the lot. After 3 months we discovered it was delaminating in the walls so it went back to the manufacturer for repairs. Got it back 2 months later rebuilt and it worked okay for a while, but eventually the leaks came back. In a windy rainstorm out at Kalaloch, we found water being driven into the trailer in the corners. The final straw was when the floor started to delaminate and eventually got soft. We kept it, but did a radical change to it-- took a sawzall to the trailer body and the result was a nice, robust hauling trailer for my John Deere tractor. Our replacement trailer was a T@B-- an oversized teardrop that works like a champ. Have had it for over 10 years and no problems! So, I would pass on the Aliner and buy a more solid trailer...

[Schroder]

[HikerJohn]

LOL, I suspect that the size of T@Bs doesn't work for many people (I'm 5'8" and wife is shorter) so we fit, but just barely! I suspect that Aliners might be better than Chalet's, but in my mind, the design is the issue...

[treeswarper]

I had a Chalet. I liked it. It was simple and the high ceiling made it seem very roomy. I had planned to use it for many years. I did replace the bungee cords which were quite worn. It towed well and was light weight. Some people buy them because they can fit them in their garages as required by HOAs. I talked to one guy who practically rebuilt one and could have spent the money on a nice travel trailer, but he has to park his trailer off the street and out of sight as required by the HOA. Now it seems the inconvenient things outweigh the nice. Being short, I had to devise a stick to lift up the roof. I think the new ones now use a lever. Also, I had to carry a step stool to reach the ceiling vent and fan. On the coast, condensation would gather at the peak and drip onto the floor. Storage was limited and I had to carry bins around with cooking gear, fud, etc. I would forget to put my phone and stuff into the pickup and either had to set the trailer back up or crawl to collect the forgotten items. The trailer was not "self contained" as the sink water would drain into a container underneath the trailer so this limited where I could camp during travel. It came with a porta potty. I had planned to keep it for quite a while but an opportunity too good to pass up came and I sold it and bought a fiberglass travel trailer. Go watch Slim Potatohead on youtube to learn everything you wanted to know plus more about aliners. He went the way I did and got a fiberglass travel trailer about a year ago.

Hazard Tree Removal

The lower window was part of the "bunk bed" design. The bunks were cushions on the floor and then a hinged bed above. The Used Dog slept in the lower area and I slept above. There was a dinette in the rear. Note the cargo box on the front. I would want one of those. It holds gear and when dog fud is stored inside, the raccoons on the Oregon Coast will wake you up as they jump on it trying to get it open (they failed) and shake the trailer. Here is what I now have. If I were going to buy a new fiberglass trailer, I'd do like Schroeder and go with the Canadian Escape brand. I bought this one used.

[treeswarper]

Slim Potatohead channel. Slim Videos He uses a lot of pool noodles.