I went to look at the Livin Lite Camper models today. I was especially interested in the 10.0 model, with hopes that I could downsize from my Toyhauler to a camper within the next year.
When I met the salesman, I inquired about the models and he replied that he only had the short bed models and they were "over there". He then walked away.
First impression from my self-guided tour was that the units are sturdy, with doors and cabinets that latch securely. I liked the aluminum-look interior, which was refreshing from the other contact-paper cabinets in other rigs. The unit felt very stable on the four camper jacks.
There were several things on the 8.0 that I did not like. There was a lid over the water tank storage cabinet that also serves as a step to the bed. This particular unit had a lid that was cut "a little short" and did not cover the entire box. The left side had a gap that went from a 1/4 inch at the front edge to over 1/2 inch at the back edge. You could see down to where the water inlet ran from the outside to the tank. All of the door/cabinet frames look to be constructed on-site, with the technician using a miter saw to take pieces of angled aluminum to make a frame. Some of these miters did not fit neatly and left sharp, exposed edges. The floor in the wet bath had several spots where the floor would flex. After dropping about a 1/4 inch, the flex would bottom out on something and stop. Almost like there is a floor beneath the pan, but it is not quite touching. There was about 5' 10" of headroom in this model.
The exterior siding is not one piece. It is two pieces with the top piece "shingled" over the bottom piece. If you look closely at the brochure pictures you can see the seam. The front cap, where the roof angles down, used the same material as the sides. The piece on this unit looked like it was not cut quite wide enough and it appear that the edge was somewhat exposed and not fitted into the aluminum angle that was used to band the roof and sides together.
The camper jacks look like they used quite a few self-tapping screws to anchor the jacks to the structure. There was evidence that, maybe, two bolts were also in place that appeared to have been through-bolted to the structure.
The mattress was the thinnest thing I have ever seen on a camper.
The Black/Grey tanks are pretty small. On the unit I examined, the tanks ran from one side of the unit to the other, but were not the usual looking tanks that we see on RV's. These looked like six (maybe ๐ inch square tubes. There was room for slightly large tanks, so it appears that they can be improved.
If I was to buy one of these units, the first thing I would do would be to take some Dicor tape and completely seal the roof/side joint that is held in place with tapping screws and angle aluminum. This is the same joint that ran down all of the sides. It looked like there were numerous places for the joint to leak. (I know that it is all aluminum and composite, but I would still like to keep any water out). The small tanks would also require my attention. (The wife likes her black tanks to be more than reasonable).
I would like to see a 10.0 model in person and have not discounted Livin Lite based on today's examination. Like all RV's, they all require a little of our "personal attention" to make them satisfactory.
Bill
