Lessen the Load Via Lightweight Travel Trailers

Towing a travel trailer and taming the open road endure as a classic American experience.

A new generation of lightweight trailers invites families with small-to-medium sized vehicles to get in on the action.

“It’s been a growing trend over the last few years,” says Kevin Broom, Director of Media Relations for the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA). “Consumers want these lightweight camping trailers that are easy to tow and give them better fuel efficiency.”

Lightweight, eco-friendly travel trailers have sprouted up in RV showrooms across the nation making “trailering” an option for many more Americans. With the weight taken out of them, these new trailers can be towed by sedans, SUVs, minivans, crossover vehicles, and even some compact cars.

Small, pop-up tent trailers and teardrop-shaped mini-campers have always tipped the lower end of the scale. But now consumers can find full-sized conventional travel trailers that weigh as much as two-thirds less than yesterday’s models.

Two factors account for the change, Broom says: the use of space-age materials and advances in electronic technology.

For years, travel trailers were constructed primarily of steel and wood. Now more and more manufacturers are using composites like polypropylene resin with reinforced fibers.

These composite materials are lightweight and strong, and can be molded into curvy shapes to make a trailer more aerodynamic, Broom said. Technological advances in electronics have enabled travel trailers to become more compact.

“Fifteen years ago, to put a 27-inch TV set into an RV, you’d need three linear feet of cabinetry,” says Broom. “Today, manufacturers can simply hang a 27-inch flat panel TV on the wall. Switching to a flat panel TV eliminates 30 to 50 pounds of weight.”

Shrinkage in the size and weight of electronic components means trailer designers can create spacious living areas inside RVs while decreasing their overall size and weight, says Broom. Designers can also throw in all the comforts of home.

“Increasingly, you’re seeing amenities that used to be available only in higher-end RVs filtering into all levels of RVs,” Broom said. These amenities include air conditioning, refrigerators, stereo systems, flat screen TVs, and DVD players.

Want to know more about travel trailers you can pull with your car? Broom offers the following tips and resources:

• Research styles and think about how you will use the trailer. There’s a wide mix of amenities, style, price and weight that’s right for each buyer and how they plan to use it.
• The RVIA’s consumer website offers a visual primer on the various categories of travel trailers, along with helpful information on affordability, links to campgrounds throughout the land, and where to find RV shows in your area. There’s also a campfire recipe for “Regal S’Mores.” www.GoRVing.com
• Travel trailers are lighter, which means less energy is needed to tow them, which means less money spent on gas.
• Opt for tinted windows to diffuse sunlight and keep cooling costs down.

For a look at RV ownership trends: www.rvia.org/?ESID=trends

Before investing in a travel trailer, check to make sure your car was designed to be a tow vehicle. For example, the owner’s manual for the 2005 Toyota Prius states that the car is not designed for trailer towing. To be safe, always check the vehicle manufacturer recommendations and towing weight restrictions.