67avion wrote:
.... The present trend of ever larger and more expensive TCs is troubling.
Bears repeating. So much is ruined with the "if a little is good, more is better" mentality. It's frustrating for a minimalist. I want to be able to experience - in some small way - "roughing it" when I'm camping: a cheap, light, simple, practical rig. A covered bed, stove, and pot so I can stay dry and warm at the end of the day. It's not "getting away from it all" if I take it all with me, or if I'm piled on top of a bunch of other "campers" in an RV park.
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We have a 2013 Travel Lite 960RX, and I'd buy it again. TL was the only brand we could afford new, the only TCs within a few hundred miles of us, and the only one with a couch option (which was a 'must have' for us). It's a bit mundane, maybe: wood frame/ Al siding, no slides, no solar, manual jacks, no HVAC ductwork, no basement, no accommodations for a generator.... but I wanted minimalist. I just can't see paying double for a TC with a few of those 'luxuries'.
IMO, the quality is OK... I've crawled in, on, and around other makes at RV shows and the TC Warehouse in NH and I've seen similar construction techniques for a lot more money. The fit and finish of the cabinetry is above par - there is no corner trim between my cabinet face frames and the walls and ceilings - they are scribed in to fit. I vaguely recall some marketing brag about the "Amish quality" of their cabinet department.
The couch is amazingly comfortable, spacious, practical, etc. It converts in 2 seconds with one hand and has had 450 lbs worth of dog and human in it with no complaint.
I think Travel Lite's deal is to do a solid entry-level product at an attractive price to get a foothold. I hope the new Illusion line is an addition, and not the abandonment of that philosophy. If it does too well, there will be nothing left for bottom-feeders like me.