Arctic Fox 22G

bnk190 wrote:
Good luck on your purchase. We have looked at this trailer many times online but never seen in person. Here is WI our dealer is 6+ hrs away in MN and they don't stock this model.

I'm surprised that your dealer doesn't stock the 22G since it's a very popular model. Maybe there isn't enough profit on a small trailer to deliver that distance? My dealer gets one 22G at a time and they are sold within a few weeks after arrival.

Our dealer is in Silver City, NM. We made a road trip out of it. We drove through the Gila Mountains and soaked in the hot springs south of Silver City. They had one 22G on the lot. Based on the floorplan and overall dimensions/weight of the trailer, we were already sold on the 22G, but after seeing it in person, we were very impressed with the overall quality and workmanship. That was back in October. We hate to take a hit on our current travel trailer, but we are ready to move up to an Arctic Fox.

bnk190 wrote:
I wish it had a couch so you weren't trapped at the dinnette all the time. I know they make a murphy bed option but not a fan of that.

The dinette table in the 22G is fairly small, but it doesn't crowd the coach. It's just the two of us, so it will be fine. My wife likes the wide body of the 22G which allows each of us the space to exit the bed on each side. In our current travel trailer, my wife has to crawl over me to exit the bed. ;)

bnk190 wrote:
For us anything bigger our truck can't handle since we have a 1/2 ton.

Our truck can handle bigger, but we do not want bigger. We like to camp in the National Forest and other remote areas. The 22G will fit in many places that larger trailers will not fit. After owning our Jayco for the past 6 years, we also discovered that we can fit in the really nice camping spots along rivers and mountains streams that others can't fit into. And at the end of a long day, there's almost always a camping spot for us in a crowed campground. Having a smaller camper, in my opinion, is more about maneuverability and accessibility.

We looked into the Arctic Fox slide-in campers a few years ago. And while they are a good option, the floor plan for a short-bed truck isn't conducive for us or our Chihuahuas. Plus, we do not want slides. The other problem is that we eventually want to install an auxiliary fuel tank in the bed.

Yup and agreed, shortbed trucks do not have that much floor plan with cabover campers. There are cabovers without slides like the NorthernLite or Bigfoot well made fiberglass exteriors and roof that are essentially a molded camper. But, you would most likely need to look at a long bed truck and perhaps even a dually for the bigger and heavier campers.

Steve Rankin has some excellent pictures and narrative when he and his wife towed a 29 foot Arctic Fox to Alaska and Canada and over 3000 miles of dirt roads. They hold up well. It is a good read for anybody looking to get a solid trailer for some serious off road use as well as normal highwwy stuff. He has participated on these forums in the past. He even has a good narrative and pics of a factory tour watching the trailers being built.

jmtandem wrote:
Have you looked into a cabover truck camper for better maneuverability?

We looked into the Arctic Fox slide-in campers a few years ago. And while they are a good option, the floor plan for a short-bed truck isn't conducive for us or our dogs. Plus, we do not want slides. The other problem is that we eventually want to install an auxiliary fuel tank in the bed.

That's what got us into trouble the fist time. The cost for a larger trailer isn't much more expensive, so we ended up buying a Keystone Sprinter that was a 27' foot box and 30' feet from bumper to hitch. While it was nice and roomy, it also limited (restricted) many places we wanted to go in the backcountry. The 22G is a little bigger than I want, but overall, it's a nice sized trailer.

Have you looked into a cabover truck camper for better maneuverability? Or a 4x4 B van like the SportsMobile? Having owned three cabover campers and one 30 foot TT, if maneuverability is important the cabover is far better. So far I have been able to get the TT into anyplace I want but not much off road stuff.

Good luck on your purchase. We have looked at this trailer many times online but never seen in person. Here is WI our dealer is 6+ hrs away in MN and they don't stock this model.

I wish it had a couch so you weren't trapped at the dinnette all the time. I know they make a murphy bed option but not a fan of that. For us anything bigger our truck can't handle since we have a 1/2 ton.

"And what is the benefit to seeing a electric and plumbing drawing"?

Might come in handy for when you want to run a wire and would be nice to know how they wired it. Or if you ever sell next owner might like it.

We bought used (2013) and several people told us to call and request them. When I called Dave Mann (customer service) about a month ago and he said he'll only send them out to first owners for a limited time period. So don't pass up the chance. That was about a month ago. The same people (AF owners) that said to get them also said they had no problem getting them. So maybe new change with AF? But I would get them if I could, if that's their new policy. Shouldn't cost you anything.

I'm not in love with outdoor showers either.

One thing that I think is stupid (on mine)is the fresh water intake is on the curb side. So if I spill any water filling up FW tank, it's right where patio mat is. Maybe you don't spill any but I usually spill a little bit when filling FW tank. Never dawned on me how handy it was being on street side. Not to mention dragging hose to that side when filling up with at campground before pulling out. Most every place I've been the faucet has been on same side the elec is. Or when boondocking, filling the FW tank by something other than a hose.

Sewer connection fittings won't fit into bumper tube, just a little to small and only one side has the rubber plug for accessing the tube. First time out sewer hose bounced to other side and found that out. But over all, other than figuring out the TV and cd player all is good.

Oh, more stuff...and I wish the clock didn't tic toc so loud at night (easy fix) and wish thermo stat went down lower, I think 50 or 55 is lowest setting. Would be nice as 40 being the lowest, so when we get cold snaps that only last couple days, just turn to 40 versus 50 or 55 in freezing weather when stored in back yard. And ask dealer to show you how to remove the inside plastic light covers. I broke a little plastic tab off one trying to remove it when installing LED's. And to many keys. And have a posting right now about rusting bottom of propane bottles.

OH well, If that's the biggest things I've got to complain about I'm doing pretty good right? All items are basically petty.

And I like the lic fees on 1990's trailer versus a newer one.:B

jmtandem wrote:
No argument nor am I trying to derail your Arctic Fox trailer acquisition. However, you did say you wanted to keep the next trailer for a VERY long time and the statistics are on the side of Airstream for building something that lasts, has no filon sides, no rubber roof, etc.

I think Airstream makes a good unit, and I tried really hard to find the value into buying one. But to be honest, I wasn't impressed with them for the type of RVing that we do. I also joined the Airstream Forum and found that there were just as many problems with the Airstream.

jmtandem wrote:
Since you have a Ram/Cummins you can easily pull more than a 22G trailer. You might look into the larger sizes as they are roomier, spacious with the slides

That's what got us into trouble the fist time. The cost for a larger trailer isn't much more expensive, so we ended up buying a Keystone Sprinter that was a 27' foot box and 30' feet from bumper to hitch. While it was nice and roomy, it also limited (restricted) many places we wanted to go in the backcountry. The 22G is a little bigger than I want, but overall, it's a nice sized trailer.

path1 wrote:

When your ordering I would ask for, no make request a "build up" sheet and "elec and plumbing drawing" before you order.

And what is the benefit to seeing a electric and plumbing drawing?

We haven't ordered yet, but I asked the dealer if the manufacturer could delete the outdoor shower. He said that the trailer would come with an outdoor shower, but he could install a valve in the trailer so water would be isolated from it. I'm not a big fan of outdoor showers since it's usually the first plumbing component that freezes. How many people actually use an outdoor shower? In my 8 years of RVing, we've never used ours.

Heap64 wrote:
If you are willing to drive close to the factory to pick one up, I recommend getting a price on one from Thunder RV. We ordered our 25Y sight unseen and traveled out to pick ours up saving a ton of money over ordering one shipped anywhere near the Midwest. It more than paid for our vacation to Oregon.

To prove your point, the dealer here in New Mexico said that my freight cost would be $2,306. The dealer was very honest and repeated what you said. Knowing that we could make a vacation from a Oregon purchase and pick up, I still feel better about supporting my local dealer even though he's 4 hours driving distance from me. If anything goes wrong, perhaps he would be willing to go the extra mile for me.

dieselenthusiast wrote:

goducks10 wrote:
We have a Fantastic Fan in our NW fox Mountain. It's the one with the remote control. Fantastic fans are an upgrade to the standard tiny fan that usually comes stock. The stock fan has a 12-14" sq opening with a 4-5" fan blade in one corner. They pull/push very little if any air. The Fantastic Fan has the same size opening bit the blade is the full width of the opening. They pull/push huge amounts of air. With the remote control you can operate it from anywhere in the trailer. I set it by me on the nightstand at night. You can control the speed of the fan by what the temp is. So at night I will if needed set it to the desired temp/speed and like a thermostat works once the temp is below the setting the fan automatically shuts off. You can also control the lid with it. And it has a built in rain sensor so if it's starts to rain the lid will shut automatically.
We have the standard FF in the bathroom. Same size as the remote version but with just a 3 sp fan.

IMO a must have for either style. You can set it, open a window somewhere in the trailer and it will pull air throughout the trailer. Works great at night when AC is not an option or it's not quite hot enough to need to run it.

Very interesting. I'm looking at the 2014 customer order sheet and don't see anything about the Fantastic Fan. Here's what I can find:

Standard Feature:
Fan Vent (Bedroom)

Available Option:
Additional Fan Vent - Bathroom (Exhaust only)
Additional Fan Vent - Kitchen (Cannot Have with AC)

Well we have a 2013 so who knows what's changed. Looking at AF trailers and 5ers at the latest RV show they all had Fantastic Fans. some remote, some 3sp. If you go to the NW site for the Fox Mountain and click on the brochure it will tell you the standard interior items. One is a Fantastic Fan with remote/rain sensor. Also in the bath/bedroom standard features it list the FF also.

I can't speak for the AF line, however I would think that they would have the FF in their TT/5er line up as standard equipment since they're a step up from my FM. Something to look into though I suppose.