Prolite trailer- worth the extra $ ?

Congrats. These Prolite are made not far from where I live and they are really well built.
Also, there is a open house at the factory this coming weekend maybe I go and see them.

Congratulations on the new trailer! I hope you and your wife have many wonderful travels.

Good choice, looked hard at buying one of those for our kid, build quality is not entry level.

BigEyeDuck wrote:
Newbie here. In the same boat. 2005 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab NISMO 4WD.
Rated at 6100# Towing.

I will be looking at the two trailers OP stated in his initial post.

I see you are from Oregon, if the Canadian made Prolite interests you now is a good time to buy as our dollar is the lowest it's been in 12 years. With your US funds you are looking at around 30% discount right off the bat.

Congrats on the new TT, you and your wife will enjoy it and you don't have to worry too much about weight etc. Post up some pics when you get your TT. Cheers!

Thanks for all the reply's I'll try and answer everyone...

eDUBz - yes the last thing I want to do is get a TT and end up wanting a bigger TV, from what I read that is quite common.

Trackrig - I see your point about the narrow profile but these trailers are laid out very well and it dose not feel cramped inside. It's much roomier than the rpod 171 we looked at and that's a bigger unit. Also I'm 5'7" and my wife is 5'.

scbwr - at least half of the use of the TT will be without the wife when I go dirt bike racing, I will be loading the bike/gear/fuel in the truck so that's at least 350 lbs off the payload of the Tacoma right there. As far as off road, I mean gravel roads or fire service roads that take me to the race locations. They are sometimes steep, some potholes but not like I'm going 4X4 with the thing. The one concern is that the leaf springs an u-bolts are pretty close to the ground. Local dealer says they can raise it 3-4" for around $400, might consider doing that.

SoundGuy - I don't expect much difference in fuel consumption but maybe an easier towing experience due to the reduced wind resistance and lighter weight. I'm told owners of Prolights do not use any WDH and I can pick up the unit and move it side to side by hand if needed, might help where I sore it.

Dick_B and Ken56 - we both feel the Prolite has enough room and we are spring/summer campers so 95% of our time is spent outside the camper.

brookside - I feel the Prolite has superior build quality than the Wildwood and yes the roof on the Prolite looks pretty good.

Slate CM - thanks for the link but that sale is in Ontario on the other side of the country. I will drive 1000KM to get a trailer but not 3800!

To everyone saying go with what the wife wants lol, actually she is pretty easy going and says she would be ok with either even though she has her preference.

Thanks again everyone, we are complete rookies and it helps to get some experienced opinions. I'm glad no one has said "just get a full sized diesel".

Today I put a deposit on the new 2015 Prolite in Alberta that is selling for $20995. With the gap in price significantly reduced my mind is set on the Prolite. They had a buyer back out of the deal on it so I think it's good timing for us as we will not find one close to that price again. Now I just need to wait until I will be able to go pick it up, not about to have my first towing experience involve driving through the rocky mountains in the middle of winter! I may also look at the cost of having it shipped to me vs. picking it up.

GDP wrote:
Hello we are about to make a decision on our first TT purchase but the wife an I are at odds as to which unit to buy. TV is a Tacoma access cab 4X4 with towing package so 6500 LB towing capacity 650 LB tongue weight and 1150 payload capacity. The TT's we are looking at are...

Prolite Evasion 16 1890 lbs dry weight 165 hitch weight 7'11" overall height, 6'6" wide and 17'4" long.

Wildwood T175FB 2500-2900 lbs dry GVWR 3925 425 tongue weight 9'11" height, 8'1" wide and 21'7" long.

I want to go with the Prolite due to the lighter weight and smaller profile but she likes the bed configuration in the wildwood as well as the huge bathroom. The wildwood is $17995 and the Prolite is $27770 although I may have found a new 2015 out of province for $20995.

My question is would the smaller profile and weight of the Prolite justify the extra $$ when you factor in fuel savings and overall ease of use? Upgrading the TV is not an option and we will be crossing some serious mountain passes on some camping trips as well as going offraod at times. I would also like to be comfortable towing on long trips down south. Being inexperienced I jut don't want to tow something as bulky are the Wildwood or other "regular" sized TT's.

I would guesstimate (using US numbers) that one would get about 10 mpg with the Wildwood, and 13 mpg with the Prolite. You can do the math to convert to your numbers, fuel price, and number of miles you expect to tow. If you do a lot of traveling, yes it can add up.

I expect that your Tacoma can handle either trailer, although you may have to load the Wildwood carefully to avoid exceeding hitch weight rating of your pickup. I had a similar floor plan 23' Rockwood (another FR product) with a 380 lb (IIRC) dry hitch weight, but the 30 gallon fresh tank was under the bed; I bent a rear spring on my SUV (600 lb rated). So be sure to scale your tongue when loaded for camping.

The larger frontal area will make the drive train work harder and hotter at highway speed. The extra weight will come into play the most when climbing grades. You can do it, but you will be driving more slowly at times if you get the bigger TT.

The bed layout in the Wildwood is considerably better, and you will find yourselves appreciating the ability to exit the bed in the middle of the night without climbing over a partner.

I have owned some 16'-17' TTs as well as the 23' Rockwood I mentioned, and I have enjoyed towing the shorter, lighter TTs more. So I can understand how you feel about that.

I toured that Prolite at the last RV show and I was very impressed.
I'm 6'2" tall and was surprised I was able to move around in it without worry of headroom.
Peeked underneath it and poked around...they seem to be very well built. Full fibreglass roof and really nice appliances/finishes. Plus they're Canadian, eh :)

I'd suggest heading back out to Chilliwack and spend a good hour or more 'living' in it. You'll get a better idea of how you will like it...or not.

Newbie here. In the same boat. 2005 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab NISMO 4WD.
Rated at 6100# Towing.
Upgrading from a 2005 Fleetwood Utah CP which is a huge Popup up.
started looking at the Rpods but started looking bigger for more usable space within.
I love the Lance line and willing to go into that price point but I happened to search on Lance reviews. man there are a lot of venomous reviews about crappy QA and build quality but also a lot of people who love the Lance.
Sigh.

2 adults
1 growing 9 y.o. with the occasional buddy who comes on trips.
1 lazy dog.

Slides = weight. Also would like a bunk house but will settle for a ultralight with a full queen and convert the dinette for the boy.

I will be looking at the two trailers OP stated in his initial post.

Here's a new 2015 Prolite for $19,995.

2015 Prolite Evasion 16

And you can even tow it with a Buick. :B
on Flickr