General Advice for US Travel Trailers

[PaFruMan]

Hello RV Enthusiasts,

I am from Europe and not a newbie in travel trailer in general (we call them caravan here) but I do not know a lot about US models. Looks like u have much bigger trailers and a greater variety too. Since I can rarely find US manufacturers on the trade shows in my area I try to find some info here. I want to have some general information about the market and the brands.

What are the most sold brands?
What are the low cost brands and the most expensive and prestigious brands?
Who is the technology leader?

Paul

[Bumpyroad]

as I recall Phoenix cruiser makes/made a motorhome for the european market. it was on display in Harrisburg, sitting in an alley between two show buildings, and looked a little strange with those 220 volt outlets.
bumpy

[campigloo]

Where will you be using it? Most of the responses suggest you will have it shipped back to Europe; or will you be using it in U.S.?

[wbwood]

Another thing to consider is using a larger US trailer in Europe campgrounds. Will it fit on a site? Many of the old campgrounds were built during a time when campers were a lot smaller. So the sites were made smaller as well. That could be an issue.

[RoyB]

The US RV's all use 12VDC lights and are suited for basic operations from the 12VDC battery systems but most all of the appliances here would be 120VAC 60HZ for use at Shore Power locations... That would be a big problem for use in EUROPE.

This is a typical 120VAC 60HZ 30AMP Wiring configuration for comparison...


Roy Ken

[PaFruMan]

Thanks for the imput so far. This is y first time using a forum and it works hahah wohoo

@Shadow Catcher: Of course I would have to adapt the TT to EU standards which would mean new lights (no problem) but also an additional break system like this: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremse_(Kraftfahrzeug)#Auflaufbremse
Campers in Europe also drive long distance (when all the Netherlands and Germans go to Greece, Italy and Croatia or we in the centre go to Norway or to France...) so huge TTs for long trips would make sense here too but are hardly available.
This system will be a challenge....btw: i already stayed in Ohio, had friends in New Albany, nice place...

@2012Coleman: At least I consider

@Bumpyroad: Thanks for sharing your experience. In Europe most of the RVs incl. TTs of course are made using a sandwich based on composite materials, foam in-between and Aluminium cover. The most important thing is the weight here. This could cause problems at the registration
@ fla-gypsy: I like the look of the Airstream of course but as u said, unfortunately this design is on the expense of the usability and comfort. I like Florida too, especially the Keys, I was there in early the last time 2012...

@all: I found a Brand called “Aerolite” which belongs to “Dutchmen” which again belongs to “THOR” which is one of the biggest manufacturers I guess…They offer expendable TTs with a lot of space, which is something really rare in Europe.
How heavy is such a beast?
What is the price range? More than a Mio USD? What a recommendable alternatives?

Thanks in advance

[fla-gypsy]

American and European travel trailers are two completely different animals built for different markets. There are several large American RV manufacturers producing many dozens of different brands under an umbrella company. the large consumer market here makes apples to apples comparisons difficult. Every maker has low cost and high cost units and they are not necessarily indicative of build or materials quality but more representative of basic materials/build processes. As in all things it really depends on what a buyer is looking for in an RV that drives a purchase decision. As an example I would never consider an Airstream mentioned by another poster due to lack of storage space, limited floorplan choices, holding tank size, and the over inflated price. I bought a low price point cheapo that was big on running gear, decent on cabinet storage, and short on interior fluff. In my case it was a very good decision. I find reputation and prestige of little value when I am out enjoying the sites in my native Florida.

[Bumpyroad]

My Ascend A171RD reminds me a lot of the small caravans I saw in Europe, mostly italy and Switzerland. the Rpod has a side canvas room that a lot of the units I saw in campgrounds had to expand the living area.
my first cut on a RV concerns the roof material. I prefer fiberglass, some prefer aluminum, I am not fond of TPO and won't own another rubber roofed RV. there are many who claim that fiberglass roofed ones are not that common in the US but that is incorrect, lots of them are available that are similar to the european ones in size/shape that have fiberglass roofing.
bumpy

[2012Coleman]

What are you saying - you want to buy a US made TT?

[Shadow_Catcher]

EU standards for trailers are very different than in the US and few export. Generally I think you can say this leads to a better quality trailer there. Fuel prices and roads and in most places distance, drive the size you are more likely to see there. Many Europeans really have no real clue as to the distances involved i.e. our trip last summer from Ohio to California was thousands of miles. We chose a large teardrop trailer custom made for us, all aluminum frame stress panel construction that tips the scale at 1600# and towed by a Subaru Outback. Most trailers made in the US are 40+ year old construction using wood/stick construction, many of the appliances are years behind their EU counterparts technologically.
I would and did not want most of what is out there in the US, of those that are there are, only two manufacturers I would, Airstream and Forest River. Airstream is old technology but very tried and true and there are a LOT of old ones around. Forest River in some of their models use the technology, aluminum frame and composites that was used in ours.