Trailers, Campers and RVs… | Page 9 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Trailers, Campers and RVs…

@mimico_polak just to give you some ideas about a custom rig using your dads van as a base, here you go. Each kid can have their own room.

319094547_10160516799687351_4217182192817189593_n.jpg



EDIT:
Just in case anybody wonders, the engine is in the cradle under the man-door on the white trailer. The wheel there is a trailer axle to try to help you avoid getting high-centred and stuck.
 
@mimico_polak just to give you some ideas about a custom rig using your dads van as a base, here you go. Each kid can have their own room.

319094547_10160516799687351_4217182192817189593_n.jpg



EDIT:
Just in case anybody wonders, the engine is in the cradle under the man-door on the white trailer. The wheel there is a trailer axle to try to help you avoid getting high-centred and stuck.
Amazing meth engineering it should have the tweaker gun from the other thread under the seat.

Sent from the future
 
We ended up getting rid of the little Wolf Pup toy hauler and got a bigger trailer with a proper bedroom, bathroom with a shower, a usable kitchen and room for a couple of bikes, or when they’re not in the trailer there’s room for a table with benches.
Took it out to the east coast this past summer and, thanks to the lovely Quebec roads, bent both axles on it. It was all fixed up so here’s hoping we don’t do the same thing next summer!
 
I'm digging this little trailer.
 
Anything around the 16ft would have some room and be towable
 
I bought my Mom a van and a small trailer in the Fall, she wants to do a cross-Canada trip next year. It’s really small but it still has a sink, fridge, microwave, table with bench seating and a good size bed. Dry weight is only 950lbs! It’s called a Prolite 12v.

55bea4f274237e8b218d8f2e2effb55d.jpg
That's a nice looking unit but to me still just a hard tent.

For accommodations I would look at sleeping, eating and feeling like a human being.

Sleeping
If the sofa bed is done right it can be OK. Ours at home gives a decent nights rest. My uncle's let me count the springs. The sofa bed is 70". A six footer will bump the walls unless they sleep curled. It could work but I would want to check it in person before laying out over $30K.

Eating
The trailer has a mini fridge and an inductive hotplate. The inductive hotplate limits pot types but would be easy to switch out. The mini fridge on our boat, in 16 hours, drained the battery to where it wouldn't crank the 5.0 L motor, FWIW. Other batteries are available.

IMO the cooking is limited to soup and sandwich meals. A couple I knew had a bigger trailer with bigger kitchen but he had a heart condition and she was diabetic. They needed time sensitive nourishing meals.

Doing the Trent / Rideau our hot protein tended to be BBQ chicken from grocery stores. Then chicken sandwiches and chicken Caesar salads. I stopped shaving and began plucking.

Human needs
There are 15 gallon tanks for fresh and grey water. No toilet, no bathing facilities, no hot water tank. There doesn't appear to be any place for a porta potty other than the middle of the floor.

One could sponge bathe in the middle of the unit but would have to heat the water on the hotplate. Messy.
5'11" interior height means punching the ceiling the odd time.

I can see the little thing working for weekend events like races or Woodstock 2023 but extended trips, not so much.

Considering the above, a minivan with a full sized mattress and a Coleman stove would, for me, be a better option.
 

1671295085794.png
Considering the age (1999) and price, $2600, I would want to spend an equal amount on tools. Renault chassis?

Listed 21 weeks ago in Markham. Seller on oil rig or piece of junk????

If your car breaks down there's a 95% chance of it being close to home and your support network. With an RV there's a 95% chance you are far from home and support.
 

View attachment 58789
Considering the age (1999) and price, $2600, I would want to spend an equal amount on tools. Renault chassis?

Listed 21 weeks ago in Markham. Seller on oil rig or piece of junk????

If your car breaks down there's a 95% chance of it being close to home and your support network. With an RV there's a 95% chance you are far from home and support.
Basically a mk iv VW with a VR6. Straight piping it produces a hilarious noise for an RV. As with most RV's look for water damage. For the price, I wouldn't have issues with the VW base. Listed 21 weeks ago for not much money is a huge red flag. Picture from a decade ago? Only one picture is a huge red flag. One recently sold on BAT for 44K.

 
We have friends who purchased a 17' Prolite in 2014 and pulled it for years with a minivan with a 3,500 tow limit.

Not certain if this is the same model, but it is similar.


They lived in Mississauga, but moved to BC in 2014. Bought the trailer, sold the house, sent a container to BC with possessions, parked their van and new trailer at a friend's place, went on a 6w trip to Australia to visit family. Returned home to pick up the van and trailer and then drove across Canada to BC over 3 weeks. Once there, they lived in the trailer for months while they cruised around to determine which small town in the Interior of BC they wanted to live in, bought a home and continued to live in the trailer until the house closing and the container with their furniture was delivered. Really, quite an adventure.

Long story, but they love their trailer, still have it and still use it 3 - 4 weeks a season. Key driver for them was high quality of the Prolite trailer and its light weight compared to other trailers the same size. This meant they could use their minivan van vs. needing to purchase an SUV or a truck with a 5,000 lb. tow capacity. The trailer was about $20,000 in 2014 and it's about $35,000 now. They looked at cheaper, smaller, but heavier trailers vs. the Prolite, but they felt that the extra $5,000 - $6,000 for the Prolite (then) was worth it as they saved mega bucks in not needing to purchase a larger tow capacity vehicle.
 
we spent the day looking at trailers out in Niagara way...went to Niagara Trailers in St. David's and looked at 15 trailers (sales rep Darcy was really nice and not pushy at all), then over to Outdoor Travel in Grimsby (Paul is a nice guy as well)...we've decided we don't like the used market...maybe we're too picky, but one had this, one had that, another had this wrong with it...the units we do like are all $35,000 + (aluminum rims, aluminum frame, fiberglass exterior with one piece roofs, torsion axles, heated and enclosed underbelly, solar equipped)...

@nobbie48 I've seen that on FB Marketplace...it's actually listed a few times in different cities but no other pictures are posted and something makes me think it's a scam...

@Katatonic that's a nice set up for your mom...personally, I HAVE to definitely have washroom facilities and more than just a port a pottie...

we had a fun day looking however the search continues... :D
 
That's a nice looking unit but to me still just a hard tent.

For accommodations I would look at sleeping, eating and feeling like a human being.

Sleeping
If the sofa bed is done right it can be OK. Ours at home gives a decent nights rest. My uncle's let me count the springs. The sofa bed is 70". A six footer will bump the walls unless they sleep curled. It could work but I would want to check it in person before laying out over $30K.

Eating
The trailer has a mini fridge and an inductive hotplate. The inductive hotplate limits pot types but would be easy to switch out. The mini fridge on our boat, in 16 hours, drained the battery to where it wouldn't crank the 5.0 L motor, FWIW. Other batteries are available.

IMO the cooking is limited to soup and sandwich meals. A couple I knew had a bigger trailer with bigger kitchen but he had a heart condition and she was diabetic. They needed time sensitive nourishing meals.

Doing the Trent / Rideau our hot protein tended to be BBQ chicken from grocery stores. Then chicken sandwiches and chicken Caesar salads. I stopped shaving and began plucking.

Human needs
There are 15 gallon tanks for fresh and grey water. No toilet, no bathing facilities, no hot water tank. There doesn't appear to be any place for a porta potty other than the middle of the floor.

One could sponge bathe in the middle of the unit but would have to heat the water on the hotplate. Messy.
5'11" interior height means punching the ceiling the odd time.

I can see the little thing working for weekend events like races or Woodstock 2023 but extended trips, not so much.

Considering the above, a minivan with a full sized mattress and a Coleman stove would, for me, be a better option.

I agree 100% with your assessment, but she was the one that picked it out. She was basically looking for a glorified tent, which this is, but she didn’t want the hassle of setting up and taking down a tent at every stop. She’s also pretty short so the interior height isn’t really an issue for her. She plans on staying in provincial parks for the majority of her trip so they will have washroom/showering facilities.
I also got a custom foam mattress made for the bed so she will at least be comfortable at night.
As for sleeping in the van, a friend of hers might be going with her and if she does, the friend will be sleeping in the van.
Mom is also not too comfortable with towing so she wanted a very small, light trailer which this one is.
 
I agree 100% with your assessment, but she was the one that picked it out. She was basically looking for a glorified tent, which this is, but she didn’t want the hassle of setting up and taking down a tent at every stop. She’s also pretty short so the interior height isn’t really an issue for her. She plans on staying in provincial parks for the majority of her trip so they will have washroom/showering facilities.
I also got a custom foam mattress made for the bed so she will at least be comfortable at night.
As for sleeping in the van, a friend of hers might be going with her and if she does, the friend will be sleeping in the van.
Mom is also not too comfortable with towing so she wanted a very small, light trailer which this one is.
If I had a choice of sleeping in a tent on an air mattress or in a hard tent with a proper mattress I'd go for the hard tent as well. The hard wall would also add a degree of security. There's little point in padlocking the zipper of a fabric tent.

Re the security, I went somewhere with a friend in his convertible and went to lock the door as I got out. He said not to. If someone wanted to steal something he'd rather they not slash the top as well.

Van vs micro trailer is the nuisance of trailing vs the nuisance of unpacking the car and setting up a tent in the rain. Of course you can get a soft top pop up and get double the nuisance.

Edit. The trailer would be good for a hassle free power nap.
 
we spent the day looking at trailers out in Niagara way...went to Niagara Trailers in St. David's and looked at 15 trailers (sales rep Darcy was really nice and not pushy at all), then over to Outdoor Travel in Grimsby (Paul is a nice guy as well)...we've decided we don't like the used market...maybe we're too picky, but one had this, one had that, another had this wrong with it...the units we do like are all $35,000 + (aluminum rims, aluminum frame, fiberglass exterior with one piece roofs, torsion axles, heated and enclosed underbelly, solar equipped)...

@nobbie48 I've seen that on FB Marketplace...it's actually listed a few times in different cities but no other pictures are posted and something makes me think it's a scam...

@Katatonic that's a nice set up for your mom...personally, I HAVE to definitely have washroom facilities and more than just a port a pottie...

we had a fun day looking however the search continues... :D
Has anyone any experience with buying in the USA and importing? I think the laws have changed recently but I know of an older boat deal and a trailer deal that saved the buyers tons of cash.
 

Back
Top Bottom