Monthly Archives: December 2015

Greenlight Continues Retro Trailer Releases

Back in July, I wrote about the introduction of a diecast Shasta Airflyte by Indianapolis based Greenlight Collectibles. That was in their Hitch & Tow Series 4 lineup which have hit store shelves within the past month.

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Recently Greenlight has introduced the players in the Series 5 lineup, and a Shasta Airflyte is once again featured. This one is a butternut yellow Airflyte towed by a color matching 1967 Ford Custom. According to the Greenlight Collectibles website, the release date for Series 5 is sometime this month, so start looking for these online or at a retailer that carries Greenlight products.

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This doesn’t appear to be the end of Greenlight’s use of the Airflyte. There is a drawing of a 1963 Dodge D-100  pickup hauling a light blue Airflyte, scheduled to be released in Series 6 sometime in early 2016.

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And with that, it appears Hitch & Tow Series 6 will also see the reemergence of an Airstream, which was the retro trailer of choice in Series 1 through 3. The new Airstream will have a new finish on it. The first Airstreams in the series were a polished aluminum and the gold anodized aluminum. Photos released on the Greenlight Collectibles Flickr page show a prototype of an unpolished aluminum Airstream, and a drawing of one hauled by a i968 Chevrolet C-10.

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So there’s the latest on Greenlight Collectibles’ continued honoring of vintage travel trailers. I’ve got three of these myself and for about $10 each, it’s an excellent value, as the quality of these are fantastic. I’ll continue to provide future updates as new releases come out.

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Shasta Flyte Debuts Smaller Floor Plan

Over the next few weeks as holiday schedules permit, I’ll be recapping a few of the new offerings I found at the RVIA trade show in Louisville last week.

Shasta RV debuted a new floor plan for their Flyte brand. The Flyte 185BH is the somewhat more upscale version of the Shasta Oasis 18BH. As with all Flyte floor plans, the 185BH will have a fiberglass exterior and a few extra amenities the Oasis does not offer. Last April I wrote about the Oasis version, both the 18BH (bunkhouse) and the 18FQ in a post here. The 2016 models on the Flyte will have a light brown exterior as opposed to the white sides the Flyte has had, giving it a more contemporary look. The addition of LED awning lights is something new for the Flyte as well.

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Although the entire length from hitch to tail is just over 21′, the 185BH is surprisingly roomy. Despite not having a slide, a small family should be able to camp in the 185BH quite comfortably. The beds include two 30″ x 74″ bunks as well as the standard Shasta 60″ x 74″ queen bed.

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Storage is of no concern. There is ample pass through storage in the front, but interior storage is quite ample for a smaller, weekend trailer like the 185BH. The overhead cabinets are plenty and the kitchen area also includes a pantry and a spacious counter for food prep. DSC_0470

If that weren’t enough, there’s a huge cabinet in the bathroom against the rear wall of the trailer. It seats right behind the foot flush toilet and includes two large cabinet doors that provides storage all the way to the sidewall on the door side of the trailer.

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Aside from the toilet and the storage cabinets, the bathroom also includes a 24″ x 36″ bathtub and an overhead exhaust vent. DSC_0467Overall, I was very pleased with what I saw with the Flyte 185BH. Being a 2016 Shasta Oasis owner, I’m able to use my own trailer as a benchmark, and I believe Shasta has stepped up their game  in regards to fit and finish just in the last 9 months. The Flyte at the Louisville show as well as a couple of Oasis 18BH that I walked through recently at Mount Comfort RV in Greenfield, Indiana have all appeared to have better workmanship than what I’ve seen in my own.

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As for a  few specs, the 185BH Flyte weighs in at 3580 lbs and measures 21’9″ long with a hitch weight of 381 lbs and a cargo carrying capacity of 1101 lbs. The tanks are more than ample for a trailer this size as well: Fresh water is 42 gallons, and the gray and black tanks each are 36 gallons. The LED lit awning measures 12′ long.

Overall, my impressions of the Shasta Flyte 185BH are very favorable. If you’re a storage junky, the Flyte 185BH offers the best storage for this particular floor plan, a floor plan several RV manufacturers use. And the cost is nothing to sneeze at either, as it should retail in the mid-$14,000’s when it hits dealer lots in early 2016. Shasta prides itself on being the RV industry’s value leader, and the Flyte 185BH certainly adds to that reputation.

Not interested in bunks? No worries, the Flyte 185FQ will be out as well, which will be the same floor plan as the Oasis 18FQ discussed in the previous article linked above from April of 2015. NOTE: As of today, December 10, 2015, neither the 185BH nor the 185FQ are listed on the Shasta website. Keep checking their website at http://shastarving.com for updates and floor plans.

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