Shadow Cruiser Fifth Wheels

My husband and I have a 1995 Shadow Cruiser, 24 feet long. We pulled it with a 2WD Ford Ranger. With the exception of long, steep uphill pulls, we have done amazingly well. Our fuel consumption dropped from 19 to 16 mpg, but we could live with that. I love the aerodynamic shape of the shadow cruiser fifth wheel, and the fact that it is only 3,740 pounds dry weight. We did eventually go to an F150 Ford pickup, only because we wanted a 4x since we live in Alaska. But then we only got 11-13 mpg. Overall, we love the Shadow Cruiser. We did sleep with our heads below the higher section of the roof. The only water leak that we had was from condensation near the large rear window. The large windows around the dinette table makes it really enjoyable. Since we are no longer using our fifth wheel, we are putting it up for sale. I advocate for the ease of towing a shadow cruiser with a small truck.

We had a 94 24xx and had a blast with it camping in tiny SP etc. 5k fully loaded. Got 9-9.5 with a SB dodge 360ci 3.92 diff. Pulled it great and no slider needed. We still talk about the fun we had in the Co andWy mtns. Downside- tiny bath and bed and nearly no outside storage. I built a more comfy dinette. Craig

They do have a unique look to them. That is part of what is drawing me to them other then how light weight they are. What kind of fuel mileage did you get with your Sonoma? The headroom in the sleeping area does appear to be a little tight but coming from a tent trailer it should be similar. So other then paying attention to leaks and resealing the trailer it does not sound like there are any major issues that I should keep an eye out for.

I had a 1995 Shadow Cruiser 5th wheel that I pulled behind my 1995 Sonoma pickup. I removed the twin beds and the 'nightstand' that separated the beds and installed a king size foam mattress. Not much headroom but really enjoyed the king size bed.

The trailer had some problems. Water leaks from the gray plastic piping/fittings and intrusion on the rear, under the large window, likely from the stop light clusters. And there was a water tank/outlet leak that eventually rotted the floor. If I purchased one now, first thing I would do would be to replace all the piping with PEX, and very carefully reseal all the lights.

But it was a trailer that we camped our way cross country a couple of times and went from AZ deserts in the summer (not pleasant) to 10,000 ft mountains in the Rockies, and had a great time. It was a real attention getter and many people stopped by just to ask, "What is that?"

I have a TrailCruiser made by TrailLight a division of RV indurtries(can you follow all that). 2005 24 ft with dining slide (electric). Dry is 4980 lbs by spec. 7000 lbs fully loaded on a long trip (Gross is over 8,000).

I've seen a few of them around; they are light, and pretty well made. Interior fit, finish and detail work not great; but not bad. We are extremely satisfied with the 5er. We are in it 3 to 4 months a year, and have taken it 35,000 to 40,00 miles without any problems.

Doug

You might want to consider Trail-lite as well. In my opinion, slightly better built than the SC, but also newer and probably more $$. I had a 27 ft unit with single manual slide out, dry was 5000 lbs, pin wt. was 950 lbs and GVWR was 6550 lbs. 100% aluminum underbelly from sidewall to sidewall, 7.5 ft width. Towed with a short bed w/o slider.

You are in luck. I have a 1993R21RD. Fully loaded with two group 31 batteries, 30 gals on water, full propane bottles, food, clothes and other misc. it weighs in at just over 4k If you have any other questions feel free to PM me..