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 tent that I can take up dirt and gravel roads and camp in dispersed areas, as well as in established campgrounds. I'd like to be able to lock it up and leave it for the day as I head up to the mountains on day hikes with my pups. As a former backpacker and tent camper, the Aliner seemed like a good fit: small, low profile, with hard sides, and not too many bells and whistles. Can anyone who has owned an Aliner tell me about their experiences with this brand and its products? I'm considering either the Classic or Ranger 12. What are their pluses and minuses?Thanks!

2Groodles wrote: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 tent that I can take up dirt and gravel roads and camp in dispersed areas, as well as in established campgrounds. I'd like to be able to lock it up and leave it for the day as I head up to the mountains on day hikes with my pups. As a former backpacker and tent camper, the Aliner seemed like a good fit: small, low profile, with hard sides, and not too many bells and whistles. Can anyone who has owned an Aliner tell me about their experiences with this brand and its products? I'm considering either the Classic or Ranger 12. What are their pluses and minuses?Thanks!We have a 2004 Aliner Sportliner and have owned it since 2005. Probably not the right people to ask because there's nothing we don't like about it. Until two years ago we had a 19' TT but sold it as more and more we used the "A" instead. I have remodeled the interior on the "A" twice now to make it more user friendly for our needs. In 2006 we took it to Maine and home again, 10,000 miles and three months. It was perfect for the two of us. Originally it had a three burner stove, a furnace, sink and three way fridge. All that's left after the latest remodel is the fridge. We cook and eat outside and one thing we found we needed more of was storage. We heat it with a small Colman propane heater and its plenty warm. It tows great and with my old 2005 Chevy pickup you would not know it was back there.With the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited I feel it but still tows well. They are pricey tho. Well that's my story and I'm stickin to it. We love our "A".

After admiring A-frames for several years, I decided to give one a try and bought a used 2010 Ranger 12 late last summer. I've only had one camping trip (planning another in March) but so far it's been a pleasant experience. I am glad that I bought a 2010 and not an earlier year, because earlier models have a lighter frame and I've read of some problems with frame weakness especially with carrying a bicycle on the rear bumper as I do.The Aliner was a little harder for me to set up than for some guys because I'm only 5'8" and I need to be able to push that panel up high enough. I bought a push pole (actually it's a telescoping pole to set inside a sliding door channel to keep burglars out, but hey it works for this also!) and that helped immensely.I have a porta potti in mine. If I feel like I'm missing the indoor shower too much, I think I'd sell the Aliner and buy a Rockwood A194HW (or its Flagstaff twin). I'm also having to adjust to the lack of a gray water tank, but so far a 2 gallon container positioned under the drain is doing the job. I do like the A-frame well enough otherwise. The angled roof panels created a smaller-volume space compared to my previous trailers, and it's a snap to heat and cool.

rexlion wrote:After admiring A-frames for several years, I decided to give one a try and bought a used 2010 Ranger 12 late last summer. I've only had one camping trip (planning another in March) but so far it's been a pleasant experience. I am glad that I bought a 2010 and not an earlier year, because earlier models have a lighter frame and I've read of some problems with frame weakness especially with carrying a bicycle on the rear bumper as I do.The Aliner was a little harder for me to set up than for some guys because I'm only 5'8" and I need to be able to push that panel up high enough. I bought a push pole (actually it's a telescoping pole to set inside a sliding door channel to keep burglars out, but hey it works for this also!) and that helped immensely.I have a porta potti in mine. If I feel like I'm missing the indoor shower too much, I think I'd sell the Aliner and buy a Rockwood A194HW (or its Flagstaff twin). I'm also having to adjust to the lack of a gray water tank, but so far a 2 gallon container positioned under the drain is doing the job. I do like the A-frame well enough otherwise. The angled roof panels created a smaller-volume space compared to my previous trailers, and it's a snap to heat and cool.Thanks for this feedback. I appreciate it. As a former backpacker I'm not too concerned about a port potti or indoor shower, at this point. I've looked at various Rockwood and Flagstaff models. They're nice too, but not quite as suitable for taking down some of Colorado's unpaved roads as they're wider and heavier, and My Jeep Grand Cherokee is better equipped to pull something lighter. It all seems to be a matter of what one is used to as to how they adapt. For me, just having the hardsides and a mattress will be luxurious!The point about height is an important one. Since I'm 5' 9" I'll take your telescoping pole idea into serious consideration.

Originally it had a three burner stove, a furnace, sink and three way fridge. All that's left after the latest remodel is the fridge. We cook and eat outside and one thing we found we needed more of was storage. We heat it with a small Colman propane heater and its plenty warm. It tows great and with my old 2005 Chevy pickup you would not know it was back there.With the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited I feel it but still tows well. They are pricey tho. Well that's my story and I'm stickin to it. We love our "A".This is so helpful! I'm not actually very interested in all the bells and whistles as the Aliner would simply be a place to cleanup, eat, and crash in between getting out and doing stuff. Yes, they are pricey, and that's why I'm trying to get the impressions of actual owners. Thank you for your thoughts.

2Groodles wrote:Originally it had a three burner stove, a furnace, sink and three way fridge. All that's left after the latest remodel is the fridge. We cook and eat outside and one thing we found we needed more of was storage. We heat it with a small Colman propane heater and its plenty warm. It tows great and with my old 2005 Chevy pickup you would not know it was back there.With the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited I feel it but still tows well. They are pricey tho. Well that's my story and I'm stickin to it. We love our "A".This is so helpful! I'm not actually very interested in all the bells and whistles as the Aliner would simply be a place to cleanup, eat, and crash in between getting out and doing stuff. Yes, they are pricey, and that's why I'm trying to get the impressions of actual owners. Thank you for your thoughts.An added thought about raising the roof. I too am 5'9" and am 75 years young. I have no problem pushing the roof up without assistance.

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IndyCamp
Explorer
Mar 01, 2015
My parents are retired and have been traveling out west and living in their Aliner since 11/1/14.

They have a 2006 (I think) Scout that they bought for 3K or 4K in 2012 on Craigslist and have used it quite a bit with very few problems. It's a pretty cool little camper.

They tow it with a 2000 (I think) Toyota Sienna minivan.

I will shoot them an email and ask them to weigh in on this thread.
2Groodles
Explorer
Mar 01, 2015
IndyCamp wrote:
My parents are retired and have been traveling out west and living in their Aliner since 11/1/14.

They have a 2006 (I think) Scout that they bought for 3K or 4K in 2012 on Craigslist and have used it quite a bit with very few problems. It's a pretty cool little camper.

They tow it with a 2000 (I think) Toyota Sienna minivan.

I will shoot them an email and ask them to weigh in on this thread.

Hey, thanks so much. It's reassuring to hear they haven't had many problems and have spent so much time in their Scout. It sounds like they found a solid one at a good price. If they have any specific thoughts on this this, I'd be interested in hearing them.
gheicher
Explorer
Mar 03, 2015
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
2Groodles
Explorer
Mar 03, 2015
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.

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