Questions about Chalet and Aliner folding campers

[JustADrifter]

Hi.. its been a while since i have been to this site.
I am considering buying a Chalet or an Aliner camper and i would LOVE to sit down and and have coffee with anyone in the Phoenix/Scottsdale
area that has owned one and has the time to chat with me.

i'll be here till Sat. morning so if you have time this week... let me know and maybe we can get together.

From here..... i'll be in las Vegas later on and then in New Mexico.

anyway.... i have loads of questions if you have the time to chat over coffee. lol i'd appreciate it.

give me a ring at 406-266-8266 or send me a message here.
thanks
Ann

[slowp]

I have a 2008 Chalet Alpine that I bought used. It has no wires hanging from the bottom. What I like about it is that it has the water tank inside under a seat, where it is somewhat protected from the cold.

It is small. I share it with my chocolate lab. I have the bunk floor plan. After many trips with it, I switched to sleeping on the other end--the dinette and will take the cushions off the "bunk" and use it for counter space.

I've had it in horrendous rain. I live in a very wet part of Washington the State. No leaks. I've pulled it down through rain on the Oregon Coast a few times. No leaks.

If you require storage, that will be a problem. I have the box on the front, which doesn't leak either, and that helps a lot. But I've learned not to put the dogfood in there. I've waked up to raccoons messing with the locks and jumping up and down on the box trying to get into it.

I can barely lift the roof. I use a notched axe handle to lift it with because I am short. They make electric lifts for them now. What amazes me is that everything keeps on working. I did have the back window recalked, before it leaked. I could see that the calking was wearing out. While camping in wetter than even here weather, there was a lot of condensation and occasional drips from the peak of the roof.

I don't have an air conditioner. It has a propane furnace and I carry an electric heater in case I'm able to plug in to power. I have the high wall model with a tiny freezing compartment in the fridge. I like having the ability to make ice cubes. A sink, hot water and outdoor shower are also on it. It came with a Thetford porta potty, which was still wrapped up in plastic.

It tows well--no problems there. I pull it with a 6 cylinder Ford Ranger.

That's it. I ended up with a Chalet because it was in Craig's list at a dealer. The Aliners look good. The Rockwoods weigh more, I think.

Hope that helps.

[RobertRyan]

hessp wrote:
My husband and I owned an Aliner for a short time last year and I posted about our experience:
Link

There are some good posts in this thread pro and con that you may find useful.

AVAN in Australia that started building Aliners under licence(in fact was producing more than Aliner)have now revived Golf Camper Popups in Australia much more conventional.

[beemerphile1]

JustADrifter wrote:
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I looked at a Aliner ranger 15 today. the sales guy told me that the Chalets have wires hanging down underneath...does your heating and air conditioning units work well to warm or cool the trailer....

I have an Aliner rather than a Chalet but the company has been in business for many years. I'm certain that the Chalet works just fine as proven by all their years in business and tens of thousands of units sold.

What you ran into is an unethical salesperson who thinks they can make a sale by bad mouthing the competition. Whatever you buy, get it from a different salesperson. I refuse to put my money into the pocket of unethical sales people.

[lasttruck]

JustADrifter wrote:
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I looked at a Aliner ranger 15 today. the sales guy told me that the Chalets have wires hanging down underneath... is this true?

i just cant imagine that.

Also.... you Chalet owners..... does your heating and air conditioning units work well to warm or cool the trailer ?
i was again told they were not placed well.

thanks

I can't imagine that either. We had noticed that on some newer players to the market. Sounds kind of fishy sales person talk to me.

Ours works extremely well. The Cool Cat is located underneath the sink and at 10.5k btu, it is more than enough. The trailers that have the a/c located underneath a dinette bench are less effective, especially when the dinette is made into a bed.

[avoidcrowds]

I also recommend looking at TrailManors. They are light, open to much larger than an A-frame, and have a low profile when towing. Many used units on the market, in various sizes. Or, many sizes available as new.

Yes, new they are pricey. But, you get lots more room than an A-frame, and they tow much better than a hard-side TT. Used prices are reasonable, especially when you consider what you get for the price.

[JustADrifter]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I looked at a Aliner ranger 15 today. the sales guy told me that the Chalets have wires hanging down underneath... is this true?

i just cant imagine that.

Also.... you Chalet owners..... does your heating and air conditioning units work well to warm or cool the trailer ?
i was again told they were not placed well.

thanks

[lasttruck]

We currently have a Chalet XL1935 (previously a Alpine) and have no plans to change trailers.

Our blog has information and links to Facebook and Yahoo groups with lots of information.

[qtla9111]

Consider a Trailmanor. We had a 3326, 33ft open with king bed and 26ft closed. Towed like dream.

[gheicher]

I have had three Aliner campers in the last 10 years (see Jerry's Campers). They are great "travel trailers" but lack the amenities of non-folding trailers and are a much smaller living space than most pop-ups.

Presently I have a 2004 DL which is the same size as the present "Classic" and it work great for traveling. Rarely do we stay in one place more than two or thee nights. The easy up/down is great for short overnights and the hard sides reduce noise, insulate, and give a little more security.

Adding a cassette toilet has been a real plus. Even on the road I can make a quick pull off, open the camper, and be back on the road in less than five minutes.

The 2004 DL weighs less than 1,000 lbs and towing with a 460 V8 Ford Explorer, I hardly know it is back there (even on the hills of PA and WV).

So it will depend on how much comfort you require. The Class A Motorhome would be great, but I certainly don't want to horse the big thing around through traffic and narrow camping parks.

I love my Aliner ((A-frames) and they certainly have their unique place, but are not for everyone. My second camper is a non-folding hybrid with a real bathroom. So if I'm not going more than 100 miles from home, I usually take it since in my "old age" I'm getting more sybaritic.

[xteacher]

We have a 2012 Aliner Classic, Titanium Edition, and we like it. We'd love to have the larger Expedition instead, for extra room, but right now, it's not financially possible. Aliners tow great behind an SUV or small truck. We don't need a WDH, nor a sway bar to tow ours behind our Pathfinder. We've also towed it behind a 6 cylinder Toyota Rav 4 with no problems (3500 lb. tow capacity with tow package). We had to become creative to create storage, but have found things that work for us.

There's a great group of folks that own a variety of A-frames on Facebook, if you want to check us out! It's a great way to learn about these campers. When on FB, search for: A Frame Campers (Aliner, Chalet, Rockwood/Flagstaff A-Frame). Ask to join the group, and someone will add you.

If you're okay with small spaces, and you spend most of your time outside anyway, you'll be fine in an A-frame camper.

[beemerphile1]

Check out the Aliner Owners Club. They are open to all A-frame owners;
http://alinerownersclub.org/

You could go to the contact page and send an email to the technical director. He is a passionate owner, a decent guy, knows everyone, and can probably help you.
http://alinerownersclub.org/contact/

[hessp]

My husband and I owned an Aliner for a short time last year and I posted about our experience:
Link

There are some good posts in this thread pro and con that you may find useful.

[Shadow_Catcher]

We have friends who had an early Chalet that failed fairly spectacularly because it leaked. The lack of storage space was also a concern and is endemic to the design. Having said that check out various forums which will tend to expose the warts so do a search https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/alinerchaleta-frames/info
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/20207598