what does 'lite' mean

[albertaangler]

We are in the market for a trailer. Lots of back roads, gravel, forestry camp sites .........................

I've heard a few -'s about lite and also a few +'s.

So anybody got the definitve answer(s)??

[pwall]

Hi.

Welcome to RV-Forums.org!

I had a 'lite' trailer back in 2000....30ft long, sleep 9, no pullouts though. Weighted 4500lbs. Not bad considering the length.
My current trailer is 27ft, has a small slide, but weights 6000lbs empty.

When I hear 'lite' now, I think of the hybrid type trailers that the ends fold out like a tent trailer, but the main shell is 'full size'.
They usually range around 3000-3500 lbs, all depending on length and options of course.
You mentioned back roads, etc, so you may want to look at some of the trailers that are designed for the more off-road usage. They will have higher clearance etc. A house up the street has one in the driveway.

Word of caution though.....be careful how 'lite-weight' you go, especially if you're going to be travelling on roads that are not that great. Many lite-weights will use thinner materials (of course) and may not stand up in time with 'off-road' use.

[cwit]

I think the word lite means less filling when it comes to campers. You would think it would mean a camper that weighs less than a camper of the same size but not always so.

[catmom]

Ours is a "light" (I don't think it has the quickie spelling) and IMO is named that because of its weight relative to size: GVWR is 7500 lbs, on a 34' trailer (total length, hitch ball to spare tire). I suspect many "light/lite" trailers are built using foam-core construction, aluminum framing & lighter-duty axles (our axles are rated 3500 lbs each). As a consequence, the larger "lite" trailers will have a low CCC; ours is only about 820 lbs. That's fine for the two of us, not full-timing, but for a family it could be a problem unless you pack REALLY light. (Pun not intended.)

[Limey]

My fifth wheel is classified as a light fifth wheel (how I hate that word 'lite' - ).

Generally the industry uses this to indicate trailers that weigh less overall than similar sized trailers made with heavier material. Although my trailer bears the name 'Light' I would only classify it as LightER! It is still extremely strong and sturdy - I have no problem taking her anywhere - whether it be a state park or boondocking in the Rockies up long dirt roads - we have taken her everywhere and no problems. One tough cookie

My trailer has an aluminium frame construction, is 29ft long and (catalogue) weights are 8665 GVW; 6400 Dry with 2265 cargo capacity. It has a dry pin of 1040 (loaded I am at 1350).

These numbers were very important to me when shopping for my trailer, as I needed:
a) a pin weight that was within the limits for the truck after I had put all our gear humans and dogs in it and
b) enough available towing weight left over to allow for the additional 2900 lbs of boat and trailer I put behind the fiver when double towing. To me it was all about being safe and getting the right rig to be within all my limits.
(You should see the Excel spreadsheet I built comparing about 15 different trailers with my truck and boat combo, before I decided on which one not only worked but we liked!)

[Mike in Calgary]

Like Catmom and Limey have already alluded to, "Lite" can be a pretty relative term. I have a 2007 Pilgrim Lite 27' travel trailer that came off the lot at around 5300# dry. That's about 400# heavier than a similar sized Jayco JayFlite, but it was lighter than similar sized Pilgrim products. It's a great trailer and it tows very well behind my 1/2 to Silverado, but unfortunately Pilgrim went out of business about a year ago. Look for a solid well built trailer that fits in your weight ranges. Some of the lower end models will fall apart on you if you do a lot of back country camping.

[dodger]

Wife and I looked at some "lite" model truck campers back in 03. They were mostly stripped down, narrower versions of the real thing. Not necessarily cheaper built as much as smaller in overall size. Smaller fridge, 2 burner cooktop, small holding tanks, 1 propane bottle, etc. On the truck campers they narrow them up but I doubt they do that on the trailers. Might pay to check that aspect though. We decided to go for a full size with slide out, then traded up to a bigger full size with bigger slide out. After the new wears off RVs can tend to feel more cramped every day.

[JQSpree]

We were looking for a "lite" trailer (sorry Limey!) to maximize our living space in a trailer that could be pulled by a 1/2 ton. We ended up with KZ Spree Ultra Lite 26', almost 29' overall, with two small , deep slideouts. Dry weight was 5,450 lbs. but we added second battery and a few other things. GVW is 7,000, and it seems to work fine with our Silverado as long as we aren't in a hurry. What I notice is that we besides the aluminum constr, is that we have super thin walls, lots of panalized constr, cabinets are not as thick as heavy as others. But is seems to be built pretty well, and we have done about 15 trips so far with only a couple of issues which KZ has taken care of.

I do get concerned for how well we can make it in cold temps if we are caught that way? We have been down to 25-26 degrees a couple of times for a short period in Yellowstone when we got 10 inches of snow in June, and everthing was ok.

[imollison]

I know 2 years ago when we were shopping for a new unit....we were told that a lite trailer is one that can be easily towed by a quarter ton truck or SUV. That is not the dry or empty weight, it is the weight of the trailer when loaded for a weekend of camping. Generall, this means a trailer that is under 25 feet in length and has some sort of hard wall and soft push outs, and usually with aluminum frame rails. As my wife says, nothing fancy, sort of bare bones type of finish.

[bobnliz]

It's not 'bare bones', but I would consider it light...
We have a 1990 Aljo Aly by Skyline, which we pull with a 1995 F150 PU. It's 16 ft and 2850 lb dry. It's got a pretty low profile, anybody over 5' 7" is too tall. It's fully equipped with a 3 burner stove, fridge, double sink, full bath, and a laundry hamper to boot. We can even pass each other in the aisle. Whoever designed this knew what they were doing, for sure.
There's plenty of storage and a total of nine windows.
We searched Craigslist in three states for almost four months before we found what we wanted. Luckily we only had to drive a couple of hundred miles to get it and it required no major work.
In January we took the rig on its' maiden voyage down to Guaymas/San Carlos, Mexico for two months.
Not long after our arrival at the RV Park in Guaymas there was a freak storm (It was dry season.)and we had the opportunity to find all the little leaks and repair them. The next two weeks were spent fixing whatever things were not quite right with the trailer.
By the time we arrived home we pretty much had it down. Now we want to do some local camping....just waiting for the weather to warm up. Lizzy

[Limey]

Hi Lizzy - welcome to the Forum!

[pwall]

Welcome Lizzy!

[bobnliz]

Thanks, you guys. I'm delighted to have discovered this forum. Guess I should have figured that there would be something like this around.
Martyn ~ I see that you are a Coloradan too. We're down in the Arkansas River Valley. Ever been to Salida? Lizzy

[Limey]

Thanks, you guys. I'm delighted to have discovered this forum. Guess I should have figured that there would be something like this around.
Martyn ~ I see that you are a Coloradan too. We're down in the Arkansas River Valley. Ever been to Salida? Lizzy

Been through Salida several times, but never camped there. We camp at Pueblo a lot - will be there over Memorial weekend, in fact. Camped up at Turquoise Lake, near Leadville, last summer.

Again, welcome to the forum!