October 30, 2011 · 5:39 am

Livin’ Lite RV’s Unique Camp Lite Travel Trailer

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)

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October 12, 2011 · 5:28 am

Little Guy Expecting Big Things from T@B

When Dutchmen ceased production of its T@B teardrop trailer in the summer of 2009, it left the existing owners of the unique lightweight trailer concerned. After all, many of its parts weren’t your typical RV parts that could be found on just about every make & model. Many of the parts came from various parts of Europe and came with a hefty price tag. We got a quote on a replacement door when we were T@B owners at the tune of over $1,000. Just one example of the cost of owning a Dutchmen T@B. It’s not publicly known why Dutchmen put the T@B on the chopping block, but speculation had been it just wasn’t a profitable line, mainly due to the cost of putting them together.

However, T@B owners are a resilient group. With over 3,000 members on a Yahoo Group dedicated to the T@B, and its big brother the T@DA, owners forged on and found ways of keeping their extinct trailers together by sharing ideas and finding resources for replacement parts. Rallies were still formed that drew a good number of T@Bs and T@DAs, with the campfire talk often times centering around whether Dutchmen would start building the T@B again. That question was answered in 2010 when Dutchmen answered with a simple “No”. So that would be the end of that, right? Well….no. Enter a teardrop trailer manufacturer from Ohio.

Little Guy Worldwide was formed in 2002 and has quickly become the big guy on the teardrop manufacturing scene, fueled by their popular 5-wide and Silver Shadow line. When Dutchmen discontinued the T@B line, Little Guy seized the opportunity to negotiate with Dutchmen to acquire the rights to build T@Bs, which added a new dimension to their lineup. Little Guy has their trailers built by Pleasant Valley Teardrop Trailers, but both companies are essentially joined at the hip. Recently I was in touch with Little Guy Senior Vice President and CEO of Pleasant Valley Teardrop Trailers, Scott Hubble. When asked when Little guy first decided to pursue the T@B, he tells us, “Following Little Guy moving the production of its trailers from Elkhart, Indiana to Sugarcreek, Ohio, the focus turned to developing a stand-up teardrop model.  Expanding the product lines distributed by Little Guy has always been a goal of ours.  A stand-up teardrop was the most logical fit.  The manufacturing side of our operation – Pleasant Valley Trailers – was poised to begin development and offer something in the same vein as the T@B; however, when it was discovered that Dutchmen’s new executive group decided to drop production of the T@B, Pleasant Valley Trailers seized the opportunity to acquire an established product with a large following and have Little Guy sell it to the masses. Once we knew that T@B was available, we knew it was a perfect fit and an absolute no-brainer, from a sales and marketing standpoint.”  The deal with Dutchmen, completed last winter, included drawings, schematics, marketing material, web site…essentially all the rights Dutchmen previously held relating to the T@B.

2012 Little Guy T@B (photo courtesy Alan McDowell)

Following the building of the initial prototypes in the first half of 2011, production models are currently in full swing with another 100 to be produced by the end of the year. Hubble is projecting production numbers up to 600 units in 2012. “Since this isn’t a new product and sweeping changes haven’t been made to it, the barrier to sales is pretty low and we can be choosey about what dealers we bring on board.  By the same token, the public has been deprived for the past 2 years and are eagerly anticipating the revival of the T@B.” However, their goals don’t stop there. “In our current facility, we could probably produce about 1200 units annually.  This would be where we project being in approximately 18-24 months.” Combined, Dutchmen produced over 4500 T@Bs and T@DAs over a 7 year period.

During their development of the T@B, Little Guy has made strides to correct weaknesses that plagued the Dutchmen version, as well as making standard what were optional features with the Dutchmen T@B:

  • The door handle, door thickness, wheel wells and black trim pieces on the original T@Bs all had failings to one degree or the other.  To address that issue, they moved to a new handle, more substantially weighted door, solid aluminum vs. mesh wheel wells and have employed automotive adhesive to keep the trim adhering to the roof of the camper.
  • In addition to the sink/stove and spare tire, they have made several other features standard, that were formerly optional.  Those items include:  Norcold Fridge, CoolCat 110 AC/Heater, LP Furnace, TV/DVD player, Screen Door, Alloy Rims, Port-a-potty and a 3-Way/Dual Directional Fantastic Fan.
  • In addition, there were a couple of other things that were overhauled – there is a new E-coated, U-channel frame with hydraulic coupler, a diamond plated gravel guard, Amish built interior cabinetry and extra 110 and 12v outlets. Axle weight was also increased to 3500 lbs, creating nearly 2000 lbs of hauling capacity compared to Dutchmen’s axle, which barely gave you 300 lbs. The weight of the trailer tops off just under 1500 lbs.
  • Most of the expensive European parts on the Dutchmen T@Bs will be produced locally, which in turn keeps the cost of the trailer down.

Once the initial wave of production takes hold, there may be additional models of the T@Bs coming back that Dutchmen produced, most notably the T@B Clamshell model. Chris Baum, Little Guy Chief Operating Officer, believes they can overcome the notorious leak problems that plagued the Dutchmen T@B Clamshell, due to Little Guy’s experience in building reliable hatches in their regular line of teardrops over the years.

The return of the T@B to the lightweight travel trailer market should be interesting to watch. Little Guy has been known in recent years as a company that is continually making improvements in their trailers and not sitting still. With that kind of company behind it, the T@B is definitely in good…if not better….hands since being sent out to pasture by Dutchmen.

T@B Website: http://tab-rv.com

Little Guy Website: http://golittleguy.com

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September 26, 2011 · 4:19 am

Deal Struck to Bring Hi-Lo Back to Life

The man who resurrected the Serro Scotty line of small camping trailers five years ago is at it again. Bill Kerola announced last week he has come to an agreement to purchase the intellectual property of the defunct Hi-Lo trailer company, which ceased production in July 2010 after producing its unique telescoping travel trailers for over 50 years. The agreement includes Hi-Lo’s trademark, web site, blueprints, and goodwill of the company from the Snyder family.

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A preliminary time line calls for a new website to be up & running by the end of 2011 with production of prototypes to begin over the winter.  It’s not known whether Hi-Lo will follow the same factory direct path that Serro Scotty has used for the past few years. I’ll post updates on this story as they develop.

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September 15, 2011 · 4:03 am

Cruiser RV Plans Production Increase

Howe, Indiana based Cruiser RV recently announced it’s expanding operations to a new facility in LaGrange, Indiana, which ultimately will create up to 200 additional jobs to a company currently employing 140, according to a report by kpcnews.com. Cruiser currently has the Shadow Cruiser, Fun Finder, and View Finder among their line-up.

 

“This is a very big step for us. We’re a family-owned company and are very conservative in what we do,” said Jeff Fought, president of Cruiser RV.

The company will invest more than $850,000 to lease a 140,000-square-foot LaGrange plant, add machinery for a new production line and make infrastructure improvements.

“We simply were busting at the seams in our current Howe facility and faced making a big decision,” Fought said. “We’ve been a single-plant organization since our inception, but we feel this is the logical next step for us. The LaGrange plant will give us the needed flexibility to expand our current product offering, while reducing our lead time during the peak selling season and improving overall product quality. We’re proud to be expanding in LaGrange County.”

The announcement by Cruiser is more validation the lightweight RV market continues to gain in popularity, as RV owners search for better fuel economy as gas prices increase. And it’s also good news for the entire Elkhart, Indiana area where the recession has hit the area hard.

 

 

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September 11, 2011 · 5:08 am

Serro Scotty Worldwide Reorganizes Lineup

When Bill Kerola brought the Serro Scotty brand back to the market in 2006, he contracted with Pleasant Valley Trailers to construct the 2007 HiLander and Sportsman.

Serro Scotty’s involvement with Pleasant Valley lasted just that first model year before manufacturing duties were moved to the Elkhart, Indiana area with custom horse trailer conversion specialists, Sierra Motor Corp.  The variety of Scottys put out by Sierra was impressive. There was the Tonga, which there were a total of 3 built, forcing the model to be discontinued following the 2009 models,

then the Scotty Pup,

then the Silver Pup,

the 13′ Sportsman,

the Silver Sportsman,

 

and the popular HiLander.

 

All seemed to be going well between Sierra & Serro Scotty until early 2011 when Sierra decided to get out of the travel trailer building business and stick with their bread & butter: horse trailer conversions. This left Kerola to find a new manufacturer, and that he did in Cozy Travler  from Goshen, Indiana. With the change in manufacturers, Serro Scotty also has faced a streamlining in their lineup. Gone are the Silver Series trailers and the Pup. The Sportsman is facing an overhaul in its design, and a new entry level model, the Scotty Lite, was introduced to the public in July 2011 at the Crossroads of America Tearjerkers Rally in Indiana.

The Scotty Lite is built by teardrop trailer manufacturer Trekker Trailers in Central Florida. It boasts a weight of less than 1,000 lbs, meaning it can be towed by many small cars. With its rather spartan amenities, its only options are air conditioning and electric brakes. One decked out will fetch a price of around $9300.

The HiLander (built by Cozy Traveler if you’re keeping score), remains essentially the same, with the exception of a few minor cosmetic changes, both in the interior and exterior. And good news for the consumer, they were able to hold the price for the 2012 models as the 2011 models.

As for the Scotty Sportsman, the Serro Scotty website tells us the new model will be coming out sometime in 2012. So as of now, the only new models being produced are the HiLander and the Lite. The redesigned Sportsman will fit somewhere in between the two in size. And when it comes out, we’ll let you know!

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September 7, 2011 · 3:47 am

A Tale of Two Shastas

Shasta has been synonymous with small, lightweight travel trailers since the 1950’s. With their classic rear wings and distinctive paint designs, Shasta was the top selling small trailer throughout the 50’s & 60’s.

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Fast-forward to 2009. Parent company of Shasta, Coachmen, reintroduced a retro designed Shasta Airflyte 12.

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At 17′ from hitch to tail, the 2009 Airflyte offered a sleek interior with a flash of European flair.

However, the 2009 Shasta Airflyte would be short lived. With just over 100 produced, the plug was pulled on the Airflyte. Sales likely weren’t construed as “brisk”. One big reason was the Airflyte was all electric, no propane. That’s fine if you’re at a campground where there’s always electricity. But it would eliminate the possibility of camping off the grid, or boondocking as it’s often called.  However, the other big reason of its demise is that Coachmen had been absorbed by Forest River, who already had a lightweight, retro-styled trailer in the r-Pod.

And with that, the 2009 Shasta Airflyte was gone as quickly as it came back. Or was it? In the summer of 2011, two 2012 Coachmen Shasta Airflytes showed up on a few online RV classified websites. Both trailers were for sale at Clem’s RV & Trailer Sales in Ellwood City, PA.  When contacted through Facebook, Clem’s wrote back:

“We have the only 2 produced for the 2012 models. They were discontnued as we know after 2009 models. When Coachmen looked in the plant here this summer they realized they had enough product left to build TWO units only and they would be the last 2 ever produced!! We sold 40 of the 2009s and has the oldest Coachmen dealer in the nation we were offered the 2 models.

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So there you have it. Possibly the last two new Shasta Airflytes that you’ll ever see.

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