Need info on HiLo trailers

[jimx200]

My wife and I camped next to a HiLo trailer last week in N. California and were very impressed with it. The couple had a 2007 and if memory serves me, I believe it was a 18'? Possibly shorter. They towed it with a Toyota Land Cruiser and said it handled it well do to lower wind resistance and overall weight. We have a 1999 Class C and while we really like it, it's impossible to haul our 15' and 16' hard shell kayaks. We carry 2 high end inflatables and a inflatable paddleboard, but miss the hard shells. Gas mileage on the beast is 10mpg on a good day with the V10 beast. With the HiLo, they had a kayak rack on their HiLo roof and it felt solid. That said, I'm a bit nervous about tapping into any roof. We could carry the kayaks on a suv or pickup which is probably a better alternative.

Love to hear some likes/dislikes from users.

[Redcatcher70]

We purchased a "very little used" 2008 model 19T last summer. We purchased the unit so we could return to the camping lifestyle after health reasons slowed us down several years ago. We use it for local trips in state and just for a few nights, but I would not hesitate making a two or three week trip with it at all.
To me, storage space is a minor problem, but if you travel light, it is o.k. I did not let the thought of mechanical failure of the lift system deter me, it does have a manual override. Raising and lowering takes about 30 seconds, so roadside pit stops are no problem. I never thought about drilling or mounting anything to the roof. The A/C unit, antenna and two vents take up a lot of space on the roof, the bigger units should have more roof footage than the 19 footer.
It tows very well, but I already had a F250 CC, V10 p/u, so did not notice any mpg drop or loss of power while towing...
The new Hi-Lo Mfg. Only has a 18 foot model with two floodplains, and neither have a bathroom/shower, a downer for us.

[2012Coleman]

You may be interested in Trailmanior travel trailers.

[alcaracu]

we have a 17ft. 2004 hi-lo and love it. have owned it for 10 years and have camped from FL to CA and up to new england and all over FL and the southeast without any major problems. they are built like a tank and even if you did have a problem with the hydraulic pump or cables they are generic and could be obtained at auto part and hardware stores. top can be raised in less than a minute and have never had a problem with dust even on some long dusty dirt roads.

[jerseyjim]

I remember Hi-Los....you lost around 6 inches (more?) of interior space because the roof retracts down. That may or may not be important to you.

What was important to me (and the reason i did not buy one) is there is no "fail-safe"...manual way to extend the roof or retract it should either the cable break or the hydraulic motor fail.

The dealer I went to claimed "they never fail". He should speak to the one owner I met some time later at Gettysburg KOA who was using 2x4s to try to muscle he roof up.


FWIW.

[Fireballsocal]

I enjoyed mine for the low wind resistance, the ease of towing and storage, and the amenities. I had a 1996 22' towlight. I grew to dislike the need to set up every time I camped or needed to stop and use facilities. Dust came in through the 2 halves, even though there is a dust seal. Hi-lo went bankrupt and integral parts became hard if not impossible to come by. That is what scared me off and caused me to sell it. While I found mine to be completely reliable, the fear of losing a hydraulic pump or even a pully or cable (They are lifted by cables via a hydraulic pump) stayed with me. Now that hi-lo is back in business, those fears might be nothing to worry about if the company is still using those same parts.

[Lwiddis]

I believe they are only selling the 18 foot model now. Causes me concern about going out of business. No CA dealers that I can find.

[ScottG]

The important thing is to make sure it deploys perfectly. Even minor issues can be very difficult to have repaired.
My brother had a heck of a time just finding someone who knew how to work on it.