Total Newbie Curious About Aliners
I was tent camping at Molas Lake in Colorado last summer and saw an Aliner in the campground. It caught my eye as the perfect solution for me and my two dogs. I'm looking for something safer than a te...
Forum Discussion
gheicher wrote:
I'm on my third Aliner product in the last 10 years, all pre-owned. The first was a 1994 Classic that we enjoyed but it only had an "ice-box" rather than a fridge. I did have some leaks around the windows that I repaired, then decided to upgrade to a small TT.
I missed the ease of towing, especially with my Subaru, so I purchased a slightly used 2004 Aliner Alite (400 lbs net) for those times I would go camping myself. It would sleep two but with the bed set up for two, it took all the interior space. Was great for solo trips but just didn't go often enough myself to justify keeping the unit.
The next Aliner was a 2004 Classic (995 lbs net) and becoming older and sybaritic, I added an air conditioner and cassette toilet. While I also have a Starcraft AR-ONE 15RB hybrid TT, the Aliner is great for longer trips since towing is easy, I can see over the trailer with my Ford Explorer's rear-view mirror, and the gas mileage is only slightly less than without the trailer.
I know A-Frame campers are not everybody's cup-of-tea, but my opinion is while not the best units for long-term camping, they make great travel trailers with quick set up and no wet fabric to fold after a rain. There are even people out there that full-time in one, e.g., Sandi's Route 66 Trip
Thank you for this input. Yes, it seems the trick is determining what one's needs are. For some an A-frame would never work. Since I'm stepping up from a tent, an Aliner would be a luxury. ;-) My purposes are to have a safe place to crash on my weekend and multi-day hiking excursions. At this point, I still want to keep it simple; that's part of the fun. That could certainly change in the future and why I'm trying to be thoughtful about the bells and whistles. What doesn't work for me now may be exactly what I want in a couple of years. Yet it seems Aliners highly adaptable and can be remodeled to one's tastes and needs.
It too quite like the idea of being able to see over the top of one out the back window of my Jeep or my husband's Subaru... especially going over some of the white-knuckle mountain passes we have.
