Bama Ed Has A New Camper

[sbnewhampshire1]

Congratulations! Looks great

 

[4077]

Awesome looking trailer! My parents first trailer was an Aliner in 1989 when I was 15. We had a lot if fun traveling in that. ENJOY! How funny that I came on and saw this thread at top on same day that I "got" (not physically) my first trailer! I am so excited too...all ready looking at all our local places for summer weekends with the kiddos. Congrats and good luck!!

 

[4077]

The bike receiver is no longer standard but I had them weld one on and they did a hell of a beefy job. Nice heavy fillets all around.



I was wondering what to do about bikes on a TT...I guess you could have any dealer do this for you ?

 

[loislane]

I can't see the pictures for some reason, but want to add my congrats on the new camper. Sounds like some fun trips are in your future!

 

[thumpersfriend]

Hi there Ed,
Your new camper looks great. I just wondered if you could give me an idea as to how it compares to a pop up. We have a pop up and the cranking up part if becoming tough for my dh. How does it compare to floor space? Do you think it has more storage? One person can put up the top? Thanks for any info and comparisons to a pop up would be appreciated. Enjoy your new camper.

 

[Mmketeer]

Congrats...I like A Frame look of that.

I had to go look one up online after I posted about the bike rack of course. LOL

 

[bama_ed]

I can't see the pictures for some reason, but want to add my congrats on the new camper. Sounds like some fun trips are in your future!

LL,

Sorry, that one was on me. I had to upgrade my Photobucket account. As it updates the pictures should be viewable again.

Bama ED

 

[bama_ed]

Hi there Ed,
Your new camper looks great. I just wondered if you could give me an idea as to how it compares to a pop up. We have a pop up and the cranking up part if becoming tough for my dh. How does it compare to floor space? Do you think it has more storage? One person can put up the top? Thanks for any info and comparisons to a pop up would be appreciated. Enjoy your new camper.

thumper,

well the only popup I can compare the Aliner to is the one I traded in. It had a 12-foot box under the roof with two big bunks on either side. The dinette slid out about 2.5 feet. So it felt spacious. But the ceiling was there (a roof mounted AC). There is a tradeoff, though.

The Aliner (my Expedition model that is) feels "big enough" for two people. It's not a camper with a bunkroom to take the grandkids camping in. It's for 2.5 people at most. But my 14-foot box is big enough and as I said I can sit on the sofa and DW can be at the dinette and we aren't on top of each other. The pointed ceiling makes it feel spacious and not claustrophobic.

An Aliner is storage-challenged. My popup had a big storage box in front and the Aliner does not. I had to empty out the box before I traded in and I realized how much "stuff" was in the box that I used once in a great while. A lot of it I could have done without. I know I need a freshwater hose/filter/regulator, a graywater hose with the donut attachment for the sewer, a couple long extension cords, blue goo and latex gloves for the cassette potty, a clothesline, and a few more odds and ends. An Aliner normally comes with 3 storage compartments (two under the dinette seats and one under the sofa/bed) but as I wrote the Cool Cat heat pump took the place of the one under the sofa/bed. My tow vehicle has plenty of space (a Suburban) if need be. DW and I will try to keep the cupboard under the sink and the cupboard under the microwave for our two clothes/bags. I don't want a lot of stuff on the counters.

This youtube video is from an Aliner dealer in Pennsylvania and it shows how you set one up. One person can put up the top.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Nqaw8kxDXg

If you don't want to raise your arms up over your head, get the "lift assist/high wind" option on the Aliner. There is an aluminum rod screwed into the top of the side of the roof that can swing free like a pendulum. You can use the pole to lift the roof. I hope to roll the camper out this weekend and I'll try to take some more pix and post them in this thread to demonstrate the lift assist.

This is a short 2-minute youtube video that shows how easy it is to set up an Aliner while leaving it attached to the car (good for a quick overnight stop). Of course the Aliner does have 4 crank down sand pads like most popups if you are detaching from the car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib6sU3oIhR0

This video uses the Classic (a 12-foot box). The Expedition like I got is the biggest Aliner makes.

If you want storage, you can choose the full time bed option (not the sofa/bed) which then has hinges installed so you can lift the bed up and put bags/storage underneath it then set it down for the day. But we didn't want a full time bed.

Here is the Aliner website. http://www.aliner.com/campers

So it's a tradeoff but I look forward to the easy setup, the easy overnight quick stay, the 4 season (well maybe not by Michigan standards) capability, and the light weight to maneuver it around my garage and driveway. As I said I'll try to post more pix later this weekend (while watching the Masters - no Tiger this year )

Bama Ed

PS - my advice would be to find a dealer in your area and walk inside an Expedition, a Classic, or a Ranger. That's what I finally did.

 

[thumpersfriend]

Thanks Ed,
That was great info Ed. Sounds like there is a trade off but it would be great for a couple to see the whole USA much easier without the problem of setting up and taking down. I am sure you are going to have whole new experiences with your new camper. It looks awesome. Thanks so much,

 

[RVMH]

When you wish upon a star, Go For:
Happy Trails
Soft Landings
Wonderful Memories

Congratulations!

 

[marybrat]

So neat! I love the look of it. Too small for us right now because the kids have a few years of camping left in them. Enjoy your new trailer!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . Nice looking unit, eh, Ed?
. . . or, rather, "Nice looking unit, A, Ed?"

 

[loislane]

LL,

Sorry, that one was on me. I had to upgrade my Photobucket account. As it updates the pictures should be viewable again.

Bama ED

Yes, was able to see them now. She sure looks sweet and I wish you many fun years camping with her.

 

[KristinU]

I'm WAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY late to this party, but congratulations Bama Ed!!!

As you probably remember, we loved our Aliner. Many happy trails to you!

 

[bama_ed]

I'm WAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY late to this party, but congratulations Bama Ed!!!

As you probably remember, we loved our Aliner. Many happy trails to you!

Well you chimed in better late than never. I wondered what you would say since you were the only I knew of that had or once had an Aliner. I remember you saying you had outgrown your Aliner? Something like that...

We had it out once so far and it went well. And the factory sent me a matching cabinet door for free to cover the white potty so now all the cabinets looked real purty. Headed down to the coast soon.

But Kristin, you didnt have time to warn me about what its like to be an Aliner owner. I went to get a license tag and the good ladies at the courthouse wanted to see all the pictures I had taken, said it was cute, and they all wanted one. Then 5 minutes before I got to the campground for our first overnighter I stopped at the grocery store and parked WAY in back since I was hitched. When I was back at the car loading groceries a pickup pulled up and a lady started asking questions and I ended up popping it up right there in the parking lot for her. Then at the campground the guy across from me in a tent came over Saturday afternoon to chat and poke his head in.

its fun but its like have to be ready for an open house at any time. But thats okay. I'm looking forward to getting out more with it.

Bama Ed

 

[4077]

On the subject of A-liner, I went and found this:

Me in the doorway of our family's (Mom, Dad and me) new A-liner in 1989 when I was 15. Oy, those acid washed jeans and high top White/yellow/black Nikes

 

[Gizerd]

Wow that is so cool. I'd love to hear about how it does during winter season; what temps you are able to get down into comfortably and where you're going.

 

[KristinU]

Well you chimed in better late than never. I wondered what you would say since you were the only I knew of that had or once had an Aliner. I remember you saying you had outgrown your Aliner? Something like that...

We had it out once so far and it went well. And the factory sent me a matching cabinet door for free to cover the white potty so now all the cabinets looked real purty. Headed down to the coast soon.

But Kristin, you didnt have time to warn me about what its like to be an Aliner owner. I went to get a license tag and the good ladies at the courthouse wanted to see all the pictures I had taken, said it was cute, and they all wanted one. Then 5 minutes before I got to the campground for our first overnighter I stopped at the grocery store and parked WAY in back since I was hitched. When I was back at the car loading groceries a pickup pulled up and a lady started asking questions and I ended up popping it up right there in the parking lot for her. Then at the campground the guy across from me in a tent came over Saturday afternoon to chat and poke his head in.

its fun but its like have to be ready for an open house at any time. But thats okay. I'm looking forward to getting out more with it.

Bama Ed

Oh yeah, that. You will never be without people to talk to when you have an Aliner, that's for sure! I'm very social and loved that aspect. I loved doing the dog and pony show setting it up and putting it down for people. DH was a little torn when we went to a looks-like-everyone-else TT. He liked not having the questions, but missed the uniqueness.

And yeah, with a growing boy that brings along friends, we just outgrew the space - especially from a modesty perspective. Ours was a Scout model, so the porta potty was just pulled out into the doorway in the night time...like Uncle Orville says "no privacy A 'tall" in that setup We're now in our behemoth class C, but we love it. We've added a second 4 legged family member, so the space is nice, especially when cruising down the road.

 

[KristinU]

Oh, and I just re-read your earlier posts - Sa-weet deal!!! We bought from Danny and he had the best deal for us at the time...to do better than his prices is great! FWIW, we used a Zodi hot water on demand for showers when we had the A and it was great. But if you're somewhere with shower houses all the time, that's not necessary.

We had a Mariah awning on ours, that we added. We really liked that it basically doubled our space and we set up our camp kitchen there and tossed our chairs under there if rain was coming. We also liked being able to open the door and be sheltered from rain instead of going right into the wetness out the door. But the cons were that it was a bit of a pain to set up and it added weight to the roof so it made it a little harder to shove up the roof. It also needed to be babysat on rainy nights - we would get up and poke it with a broom handle every so often to keep the water from pooling. I think your plan of using the EZ up is a good one!

 

[bama_ed]

On the subject of A-liner, I went and found this:

Me in the doorway of our family's (Mom, Dad and me) new A-liner in 1989 when I was 15. Oy, those acid washed jeans and high top White/yellow/black Nikes

Incredible.

You look like the fashionable teenager of the time. Lord knows I'd NEVER post a picture of my haircut style from that time period.

Bama Ed