kknowlton wrote: No, I'm not confusing the two. Our dealer sells HiLos, and we saw one before the inside was set up for camping. There is setup involved. Maybe not with your model, but there is with this one (a large one) - interior walls & such.
Go to Hi-Lo's site and tell me which model needs additional setup inside...there is not one from the smallest 15T to their largest 28C. For the ones with the tipout, you have to tip it out but it is no different from a TT or 5er with a slideout.
the good, great if you need to put them in your garage due to local restrictions.
no doubt less air resistance and lower center of gravity.
the bad. no/limited outside storage. baths/showers suck. the hanging closet is designed wrong IMHO. should be ceiling mounted bar which lowers. limited inside storage.
more stuff to go wrong.
years ago I was at a dealer that handled them and they also had a standard hard side unit that looked exactly the same for a bunch less money. don't know if the same company made them.
FWIW, I much prefer the HiLo to the TrailManor myself. where you have to lay down the closet to close it is not good design IMHO. and having to snap together the bath, sucks. also much more to go wrong. almost as cumbersome as a popup.
bumpy
Bumpyroad wrote: the good, great if you need to put them in your garage due to local restrictions.
no doubt less air resistance and lower center of gravity.
the bad. no/limited outside storage. baths/showers suck. the hanging closet is designed wrong IMHO. should be ceiling mounted bar which lowers. limited inside storage.
more stuff to go wrong.
years ago I was at a dealer that handled them and they also had a standard hard side unit that looked exactly the same for a bunch less money. don't know if the same company made them.
FWIW, I much prefer the HiLo to the TrailManor myself. where you have to lay down the closet to close it is not good design IMHO. and having to snap together the bath, sucks. also much more to go wrong. almost as cumbersome as a popup.
bumpy
Bumpyroad wrote: the good, great if you need to put them in your garage due to local restrictions.
no doubt less air resistance and lower center of gravity.
the bad. no/limited outside storage. baths/showers suck. the hanging closet is designed wrong IMHO. should be ceiling mounted bar which lowers. limited inside storage.
more stuff to go wrong.
years ago I was at a dealer that handled them and they also had a standard hard side unit that looked exactly the same for a bunch less money. don't know if the same company made them.
FWIW, I much prefer the HiLo to the TrailManor myself. where you have to lay down the closet to close it is not good design IMHO. and having to snap together the bath, sucks. also much more to go wrong. almost as cumbersome as a popup.
bumpy
Have you actually owned one of these trailers?
no but I have extensively looked at them and other units over the course of many years considering them, and other RVs. well I considered the Hi-Lo, not the trail manor. the defects in them turned me off.
I also have never had a colonoscopy but from my extensive studies and reading about them, don't want one of them either.
no but I have extensively looked at them and other units over the course of many years considering them, and other RVs. well I considered the Hi-Lo, not the trail manor. the defects in them turned me off.
I also have never had a colonoscopy but from my extensive studies and reading about them, don't want one of them either.
bumpy
Well I have owned three popups over 20 years or so of camping and there is zero comparison with setting up a popup and setting up a TM. If we had to continue to use a popup we would have quit camping probably. I doubt that you went to a TM dealer and got him to let you put up and take down a TM. We did, three times, and my 10 year old could do it (and did the last time). Standing up the wardrobe and erecting the bathroom literally take, maybe, 2 minutes. Adding any sort of automatic equipment to drop the wardrobe would just add weight and complexity. I actually have never heard one complaint on the TM forum about the wardrobe or bathroom setup.
And not having that sort of thing is why a TM is thousands of pounds lighter than a Hilo. Lighter, lower profile means big savings in tow costs. I get 13-14 mpg pulling my TM on the interstate. I doubt most 26 foot TT owners can claim that. I cannot attest to this but I believe that TM has a better bathroom than the Hilo and better than almost all very small TT. The shower is separate from the commode.
As for storage, we emptied out our old 24 foot popup which was packed like a sardine can and moved the stuff to the TM and hardly made a dent in the available storage space. This is not to say that they can match a 5ver with lots of basement storage. But they don't weigh 12,000 pounds either.
Obviously a TM or Hilo needs someone who appreciates the advantages and can deal with the setup. A lot of people would not and are better off in a full TT. They would rather pay for the convenience via the gas mpg hit. With current gas prices a lot of folks may reconsider tho.
And I would not think that either a Hilo or TM would be all that wonderful if you were spending long periods of time camping, months.
I have had two Trailmanors and want another one. We had a new 2720SL, I loved it but not the queen bed. I didn't like crawl over. Then we got a used 3326, that was great. Had everything we wanted. The king bed allows for lots of activities, by that I mean you have room to move around and disturb the other person, room for a small low-profile nightstand and a tv. When I traveled alone in the TM, I often stopped for potty breaks and naps. It only took a couple of minutes and I was sound a sleep.
The Hi-Lo is nice and I know I have said it before, but I prefer the bathroom wall construction in the TM. If they made the Hi-Lo with the same bathroom wall design as the TM, Aliner and Chalet I would get one. So I have seen both TM and Hi-Lo in action and it is still a toss up.
"Well I have owned three popups over 20 years or so of camping and there is zero comparison with setting up a popup and setting up a TM. If we had to continue to use a popup we would have quit camping probably. I doubt that you went to a TM dealer and got him to let you put up and take down a TM. We did, three times, and my 10 year old could do it (and did the last time). Standing up the wardrobe and erecting the bathroom literally take, maybe, 2 minutes. Adding any sort of automatic equipment to drop the wardrobe would just add weight and complexity. I actually have never heard one complaint on the TM forum about the wardrobe or bathroom setup."
for the record, I did go to a dealer and experienced set up/take down of a trail manor. setting up the bathroom was like a rubic's cube,
and the one I was in with every step you took the various parts kept rattling since it was held together with cheap screen door type latches but maybe that has been improved since then. In fairness, the units I was in were resting on the tires/springs and weren't blocked so that might make a difference.
and taking down and setting the wardrobe upright couldn't be good on keeping clothes in place. and no, I am not talking about any automatic equipment to drop the wardrobe on the trailmanor, on the HiLo I think it would be much preferable to have the wardrobe pole suspended from the ceiling and come down rather than that worthless space over the top of it with the mirror about 4 ft away from you.
bumpy
* This post was
edited 06/19/08 09:50am by Bumpyroad *
Bumpyroad wrote: the good, great if you need to put them in your garage due to local restrictions.
no doubt less air resistance and lower center of gravity.
the bad. no/limited outside storage. baths/showers suck. the hanging closet is designed wrong IMHO. should be ceiling mounted bar which lowers. limited inside storage.
more stuff to go wrong.
years ago I was at a dealer that handled them and they also had a standard hard side unit that looked exactly the same for a bunch less money. don't know if the same company made them.
FWIW, I much prefer the HiLo to the TrailManor myself. where you have to lay down the closet to close it is not good design IMHO. and having to snap together the bath, sucks. also much more to go wrong. almost as cumbersome as a popup.
bumpy
Have you actually owned one of these trailers?
no but I have extensively looked at them and other units over the course of many years considering them, and other RVs. well I considered the Hi-Lo, not the trail manor. the defects in them turned me off.
I also have never had a colonoscopy but from my extensive studies and reading about them, don't want one of them either.
bumpy
Funny!
To the OP, as you see there are many opinions. I would recommend on checking the Hi-Lo Yahoo group out if you haven't done so already.
kknowlton wrote: No, I'm not confusing the two. Our dealer sells HiLos, and we saw one before the inside was set up for camping. There is setup involved. Maybe not with your model, but there is with this one (a large one) - interior walls & such.
Sorry, but you ARE confused. There are no interior walls to set up in the HiLo. If pushing a button to raise the top is inconvenient, then I wouldn't recommend getting anything that has slides, because you have to push a button to open them too. There is no reason you can't use the bathroom or take lunch breaks when traveling, we do it all the time. Raise the top, and it's all ready!!!
Also, in response to another post, staying in a HiLo over an extended trip isn't any worse than any other trailer. Members of our HiLo club here in Michigan take theirs on long trips all the time, as we do too. Some members go to florida during the winter and live in theirs during that time.
Another misconception is the weight. They do have two models of HiLo's you can buy. One is the Towlite, which can be towed with smaller vehicles the other is the Classic which is of heavier construction.
I think another confusing factor is what do you compare a HiLo to! Do you compare it to a popup or a full size TT? There are advantages over a popup, however if you compare it to a full size TT then you'll find disadvantages. I personally think a HiLo is in a class all of it's own.
* This post was
edited 06/22/08 07:07am by dfrost *
Bruce & Terry
2003 F250 Lariet CC w/7.3 PSD Fx4 Full gauge pack
1990 27' HiLo (TT with a Vertical Slide)
2 Chi's, Spencer and Lexi
Co-worker loves his Hi Lo but I'm not fond of them myself. Haven't owned one, but the limited living space and heavy weight are a turn off for me.
Besides the models I would likely get are to small for me. The ceiling height is only 5'11". Good for my shorter friends but not for the average guy IMO. The biggest Hi Los have taller ceilings though.
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There are no interior walls to set up in the HiLo. If pushing a button to raise the top is inconvenient, then I wouldn't recommend getting anything that has slides, because you have to push a button to open them too. 
There is no reason you can't use the bathroom or take lunch breaks when traveling, we do it all the time. Raise the top, and it's all ready!!!
