Manufacturers of Hard-Sided Pop-Ups
It looks like the market for hard-sided pop-ups is growing. I am trying to identify all of the manufacturers but know that sometimes you have something that just sells more or less local so I might m...
Forum Discussion
Cannot speak for the Trailmanors or Hi-Los (Hi-Lo would have been our second choice) so will stick with the A-Frames.
When we were looking for our first RV, it took us two years just to decide on a type, let alone a make and model. In late 2005, we decided on the A-frame. At that time, there was only Chalet and Aliner in the mix. I was not excited about aluminum sided trailers and as at the time, the only real difference between the two was skin and wall height.
During the following winter we went to the "local" Chalet dealer (100 miles away) 4 times before we decided on a high wall Alpine model with the wet bath option along with the off-road kit. It was a 2004 model, new on the lot. We got a great price on it and were very happy.
In 2009 we were at a rally and fell in love with the Chalet XL1935. After a long discussion and search for a used one, we ordered one from the factory. Despite some quality control problems, we love our XL and have no plans to part with it.
I have been involved with the a-frame world for several years now and have seen a lot of bad from all. It seems to go year by year, management changes, weather, who knows. Basically, they are all good products and it eventually comes down to personal likes and dislikes.
Chalet and Aliner have dormer options and higher sidewalls. Chalet has the wet bath option. Aliner has the torsion axle. Forest River runs at a lower cost and has a toy hauler platform.
Best way to go is to do your research and look at as many as you can, especially older units to see how they are holding up.
Good luck.
When we were looking for our first RV, it took us two years just to decide on a type, let alone a make and model. In late 2005, we decided on the A-frame. At that time, there was only Chalet and Aliner in the mix. I was not excited about aluminum sided trailers and as at the time, the only real difference between the two was skin and wall height.
During the following winter we went to the "local" Chalet dealer (100 miles away) 4 times before we decided on a high wall Alpine model with the wet bath option along with the off-road kit. It was a 2004 model, new on the lot. We got a great price on it and were very happy.
In 2009 we were at a rally and fell in love with the Chalet XL1935. After a long discussion and search for a used one, we ordered one from the factory. Despite some quality control problems, we love our XL and have no plans to part with it.
I have been involved with the a-frame world for several years now and have seen a lot of bad from all. It seems to go year by year, management changes, weather, who knows. Basically, they are all good products and it eventually comes down to personal likes and dislikes.
Chalet and Aliner have dormer options and higher sidewalls. Chalet has the wet bath option. Aliner has the torsion axle. Forest River runs at a lower cost and has a toy hauler platform.
Best way to go is to do your research and look at as many as you can, especially older units to see how they are holding up.
Good luck.
