In just eight short years, Livin’ Lite RV President Scott Tuttle has not only formed two RV manufacturers, but he’s also created a line of travel trailers that is one of the most structurally sound you will find anywhere in the industry. Livin’ Lite started its life as an “automotive camper” manufacturer. Dealers had their fill of traditional pop-up campers, due to a typical rash of warranty claims often associated with pop-ups. It was because of this somewhat hostile environment Tuttle decided to build a cutting edge tent camper that would be virtually warranty free, could be towed by virtually any small car, and made of all aluminum and composites. The end result was the Quick Silver automotive camper. Nine years after its initial production, its still nearly warranty free.
“In the beginning, most U.S. dealers were not interested in even talking to us, as they said, “We don’t want any more pop-ups”, says Tuttle. “In fact, they pretty much despised the thought of carrying those warranty plagued units ever again. That is why I coined the term “Automotive Camper”, because we were not in any way, shape, or form, a “pop-up” like they used to know. We were completely different. In the early years, most of our production was for Canada, as that market was much more receptive to our concept and understood that there was quite a market in young families who owned cars and minivans.”
Just a year after starting Livin’ Lite, Tuttle was part of a group that started Heartland RV, one of the bigger manufacturers in the industry today. He still had a stake in Livin’ Lite, but had a friend running the business. In 2008, he sold his interest in Heartland to focus his attention on Livin’ Lite. It was at that point when they introduced a travel trailer to their line-up, called the Camp Lite.
Built with the same structural fortitude as the Quick Silver, the Camp Lite boasts a welded aluminum frame, aluminum sidewalls, and aluminum floor decking. The aluminum theme is also present on the inside, with aluminum framed cabinets which are skinned in…you guessed it…aluminum.
The Camp Lite comes in three different lengths, each with several floorplans to choose from. There’s the 11′ CL11…
the 13′ CL13…
and the 16′ CL16…
As is the case with all of the Livin’ Lite lines, they offer several different color options to choose from, including some in metallic. If that’s not enough, they can even customize colors to suit your tastes.
The Camp Lite is one of the most environmentally friendly RVs you are likely to see, boasting of 98% recyclable materials and utilizing composite Azdel wallboard, making the Camp Lite wood-free. It is because of this type of forward-thinking and ingenuity that has earned Livin’ Lite INC. magazine’s Top 500 Fastest Growing Privately Owned Companies list in 2009 and 2010, as well as the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s “Spotlight” award both years as well. According to the IEDC, Livin’ Lite “weathered the RV industry storm and grew from approximately 51 to 77 employees in 2011. With 200 percent revenue growth in 2010, the RV manufacturer expects an 88 percent revenue increase this year due to its new light-weight RV model.”
Says Tuttle, “While other RV manufacturers were struggling and even closing their doors, LIVIN LITE sales EXPLODED! It has been quite a journey for us over these last three years, but we believe that the best is yet to come as we continue to offer the most uniquely built, lightest weight, longest lasting campers in the industry.”
(Images courtesy Livin’ Lite RV)
