Trailmanor vs. popup

Originally Posted by ragmopp

...These manufacturers are Columbia Northwest (Aliner) and Chalet...Both well made trailers although much smaller than the TM.They are also considerably cheaper than a TM...

I will stand by what I said.

If you are trying to decide between a Fleetwood and a TM a Chalet or Aliner seems rather expensive option. They are really small, but they are light and small.

I was posting from my cell phone and missed your posts. The Chalet 19xx were the closet we considered but the TM was too awesome where space was concerned especially with 4 campers in our family.

The HiLo was not an option for us. The biggest HiLo that will fit in my garage is 17 feet long. As I recall it does not have any permanent bed and it certainly will not sleep 6.

Our TM 2720 has a queen and a double bed. On a rare occasion we convert the table into another bed. Not having to convert a bed every morning into a table is a big deal when i am the one that gets up first and I get up early.

We never found a popup that had a bathroom that was nicer than the TM.

Chalet and Aliner were too small for us.

We like to camp in the Redwood forest in the winter. I would not want the fabric walls of a popup for that situation.

We expect to keep the TM for at least 15 years, so our budget perspective is a little different than most.

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

...The biggest HiLo that will fit in my garage is 17 feet long. As I recall it does not have any permanent bed and it certainly will not sleep 6...We never found a popup that had a bathroom that was nicer than the TM...

You start getting into a bathroom "as nice" around 22 foot. When you get to their 26' the Hi-Los get nice but are very heavy.

One other thing - there has been significant discussion here about oven vs microwave in the TM. In just few campouts I've found our oven to be a significant improvement over what we had in our popup (only a 3 burner range). Few popups will have an oven, and having an over makes a world of difference in what and how you eat while camping. Obviously you can't use a microwave while boondocking!

Ditto most of what's been said, especially what PopBeavers said; with a family of 5 we wanted as much bedspace as we could get, and you can't find that in a HiLo that fits in our garage. Aliners and Chalets are not serious options with this many people.

Popups were a serious consideration, and have lots of bedspace for the $ because, like the TM that we bought, they have beds that slide out on both ends. The one we rented had a bathroom, but the TM's bathroom is just so very much nicer. It was hard to get the kids or the DW to get enthusiastic about the popup bathroom, but there is no hesitation at all in the TM. The TM's shower is actually usable also; vs the marine toilet setup in the popup that was laughable. Also, it rained some in the middle of our popup rental camping trip; not enough to be a problem, but enough to open my eyes as to the impending disaster if it rained when I was trying to take it down. That mild little rain did more for encouraging me to look elsewhere than anything else.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by skiman747

I have never owned either and am comparing the Trailmanor to a Fleetwood popup with the hardsided bath. For those that have owned both what are the pros and cons of each?

Presumably you are looking at the Fleetwood Highlander Niagara. Be aware that this unit has a "wet bathroom" - that is, when you take a shower, the entire bathroom is your shower stall. Everything gets wet, including the toilet, sink, etc, which isn't real handy when you finish your shower and someone else wants to use the bathroom. By contrast, the TM has a "dry bathroom". The shower stall, enclosed by the shower curtain, is its own enclosure, just like in your house. Everything else stays dry.

You pays yer money and you takes yer choice.

Bill