Fleetwood Evolution Off Road Pop Up

[Haggis]

On they way back home from a bike ride my wife had me stop to check out this Fleetwood Pop Up. It had a serious frame underneath it, leafsprings with shocks for suspension, 31x10.5x15 tires with 5x4 1/2 BP. This is the E1 series with galley, stove, sink, 12 volt hot water heater, outdoor wash station, and large cargo deck on front. I didn't have my camera so as soon as I get a chance I'll get some more detailed photos and some pricing. We've been thinking about gettin a trailer for campin, but I want something that I can pull on more rugged access roads ( no trail crawlin) without twisting a frame up and she doesn't want just a tent, even rooftops; this might just be the ticket. Does anyone have any experiences with this trailer or any idea how much?

[stevenmd]

A Land Rover buddy of mine has the largest model and it rocks! Pretty tough, VERY comfy inside, everything you would ever want while camping. I don't think it was meant for long offroad trips or anything like that but for going off the beaten path for short trips, I recommend it!

[Haggis]

Thanks Steve for the input, you caused me to have to run up to the dealers today for a recon, wife's orders. Found out the one they have is actually an '05, though it looks brand new to me. It's spotless inside, outside and underneath. I check on some RV sales websites tonight and the price they're wanting for this trailer is a good deal less than the used '05s I was checking out. I think we'll throw an offer at him and see what sticks. Forgot my camera again, but wrangled a couple better ahots of the trailer.

[erod]

thats a nice camper...loks like the one in the photo is missing the porch area in the previous one?

[stevenmd]

Thanks Steve for the input, you caused me to have to run up to the dealers today for a recon, wife's orders.
Glad to help a fellow expeditioner out!:wings: Btw... how many do you plan on sleeping in there?

[offroadchef]

Thanks Steve for the input, you caused me to have to run up to the dealers today for a recon, wife's orders. Found out the one they have is actually an '05, though it looks brand new to me. It's spotless inside, outside and underneath. I check on some RV sales websites tonight and the price they're wanting for this trailer is a good deal less than the used '05s I was checking out. I think we'll throw an offer at him and see what sticks. Forgot my camera again, but wrangled a couple better ahots of the trailer.


here is one on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2004-Starcraft-RT-10-Off-Road-Tent-Trailer_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ50064QQihZ018QQ itemZ280119640206QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

to bad your are not in Cali....

[gearguywb]

I had one of the Starcraft trailers like this, worked very well. We used it in some very bad weather elk hunting in Colorado and it treated us well. Easy to tow and the ground clearance was there so you did not have to worry about it when off road.

[Haggis]

Steve, it's just for the four of us; wife, 2 kids (the minions) and me.

erod, the platform is there, just hidden in the shadow.

[calamaridog]

Saw one on the fwy today being towed by a 4runner. Very good ground clearance for a tent trailer.

[Haggis]

Well, we bought it, got a really good deal on it and the wife is very happy, therefore I'll be very happy. Won't pick it up till weds, too much work I've got to get done; trying to finish a house so I can move on to the next. Ill post some better pics once I get it on the property.

[Haggis]

It rained all day today, so no stain application today. Instead I went and picked up our new tent trailer and brought 'er home. Purposely traveled the back secondary roads and a couple No Winter Maintianence roads (dirt) on the way home to see how it would pull and it pulled real well. No bounce on the washboards and pulled staight in the more rutted sections. Set it up for the kids to crawl in and their real exited. We'll give her a test run in our campspot up on our creek this weekend; cookout, hike and some trout fishing. Here's some photos.

[erod]

very cool! can't wait for more pics! congrats!

[adventureduo]

I like it!

How much does it weigh?

[calamaridog]

I can't wait for your first camping impressions. Very cool.

[kcowyo]

Conratulations on the new purchase, and with spousal approval to boot!! :clapsmile

I've seen a few of the Evolution trailers on the road and in Yellowstone NP recently. There is no mistaking them for another camper in tow. They have mad ground clearence in comparison to regular pop ups. They're a very robust looking set up. They definitely stand out in a crowd.

Hope it serves you and the haggis crew well! :beer:

[jerdog53]

I like it!

How much does it weigh?


This is where I have the most concern about one of these, I have an 05 LJ Ruby and even the smallest unit I believe is too heavy to be towed behind the LJ.

[Haggis]

Thanks guys. This thing didn't sit in the side yard for a single evening and had two guys wanting to know if it was for sale. LOL. jerdog, I backed up my LJ to show you size comparison between the two so you have some idea of the size of the trailer. This the the E1 model, the smallest of the Evolution models. I don't have a trailer hitch on the LJ yet, so I couldn't hook it up for you. Though a hitch and some coil air bags are in the works. The trailer weighs in at 1580#s and can load up to 3500. I wanted a trailer I could haul with both rigs, but having never towed with any of my Jeeps I'm not so sure how the LJ will do. It was to good of a deal to pass up so it will have to do. We'll try it with the LJ and find out if it's got enough *ss to tow it.

[erod]

really cool!

[jerdog53]

Thanks guys. This thing didn't sit in the side yard for a single evening and had two guys wanting to know if it was for sale. LOL. jerdog, I backed up my LJ to show you size comparison between the two so you have some idea of the size of the trailer. This the the E1 model, the smallest of the Evolution models. I don't have a trailer hitch on the LJ yet, so I couldn't hook it up for you. Though a hitch and some coil air bags are in the works. The trailer weighs in at 1580#s and can load up to 3500. I wanted a trailer I could haul with both rigs, but having never towed with any of my Jeeps I'm not so sure how the LJ will do. It was to good of a deal to pass up so it will have to do. We'll try it with the LJ and find out if it's got enough *ss to tow it.

Is your LJ an auto or not? I see that it is not a Ruby so 3:73 gears on stock tire size of 30"? As you will know all that will play a factor, does it have trailer brakes? Once you get 3500# loaded behind that LJ may be hard pressed to stop short without it.

[Haggis]

My LJ is an auto and the previous owner swapped in 4:10s (before he found another Defender 90 to go play with); the tires are 31s for now but I'm not planning on going taller than 32s. I'm not really planning on using the Jeep to tow the trailer, but when I put the lift in I'm going to make provisions for towing mainly for my business (air compressors and what not). The trailer is equiped with electric brakes and I'm going to buy another brake controller for the Jeep. But the Ram will be the primary towing force and it will handle that yurt with aplomb.

[Kermit]

Sweet trailer...I looked at them. I didn't think my Tacoma would pull it very well...being loaded down with gear and dirt bikes.

Can't wait to hear your camp report on it.

[jerdog53]

My LJ is an auto and the previous owner swapped in 4:10s (before he found another Defender 90 to go play with); the tires are 31s for now but I'm not planning on going taller than 32s. I'm not really planning on using the Jeep to tow the trailer, but when I put the lift in I'm going to make provisions for towing mainly for my business (air compressors and what not). The trailer is equiped with electric brakes and I'm going to buy another brake controller for the Jeep. But the Ram will be the primary towing force and it will handle that yurt with aplomb.

Thanks for the response, I am trying to put it in perspective to my Ruby and 4:10 with 31" will level the playing field the only thing is I have the 6 speed which should make it a little better to pull with. Be interesting to here a tow report of that trailer on the back of your LJ looking forward to that.

[ntsqd]

FWIW my impression of late model auto trans' is that they generate more heat than older autos. I would go overkill on trans cooling if planning to tow with one.
Thinking on this topic, I started a thread about it: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6132

[Haggis]

We broke in the trailer this weekend after making the harrowing trek 500 yards up the road to the campsite on our property. The trailer was breeze to set up taking a total of 10 minutes and thats with the kids doing most of the work. Fired up the propane for the fridge and it took about 1.5 hours to go from ambient temp (80*) to chilled. The four stablizers worked very well to level the trailer and it felt very stable as the kids bounced around. The matteress' where very comfortable and the sleeping platforms were rock solid, rear is queen sized, front is full sized. Being it was a clear night temps fell into the 40s so I got up before everyone else and fired up the propane furnace, took about ten or fifteen minutes to make it comfortable and after about 20 minutes total I shut it off cause it was getting to warm. That was the best part, no more "I'm cold, go start a fire." A happy wife is always worth the investment. After dark it was nice to sit at the table and play games with the kids without the bugs chewin on you and not havin to mess with a lantern. There was no condensation in the trailer in the morning.

All and all we are really happy with the Fleetwood, in one night it turned me from a rugged backwoods camper (hemlock lean-to or backpack tent) to a damn candy*ss. I guess I'm gettin old. Wife Loves it and is actually making plan trips before I suggest them so more time in the woods for us. Kids Love it too, so that's icing on the cake. here's a couple of photos; Happy wife in first and camp site in the second.

[Nuclear Redneck]

Nice looking piece of property you have there! And a very happy camper too!

[flywgn]

Congratulations Haggis! Hope you have many happy adventures on the backroads...and that you give us all a chance to go along--vicariously, of course.

Allen R

[jerdog53]

Mark a few questions if you don't mind.......what is the model number or what ever they list it as so I may go to my local dealer and try to view the same unit and you kept talking about price but never did say, a ball park would be good enough.

Thanks Jerry.

[Haggis]

jerdog, this is a Fleetwood Evolution E1. It's the smallest of the Evolution line with a 9.5 ft box, there are 2 other series the E2 (10.5 ft box with shower and toilet) and the E3 (11.5 ft box again with shower and tiolet). The E2 and E3 have larger front load platforms, big enough to load a 4 wheeler. Pricing for the E1 new is between $12,500 and $14,000 depending on your options. On various RV sales websites listing for the 05 model year was between $9800 to $11,000. The one we bought was considerably less than the lowest price we found online. Hope that helps.

[Cruiser]

The LJ should have a 3500# tow capacity,, the shorter TJ's had 2000#. The new JK 2dr is 2k still and the 4dr 3500#.
If you like the offroad popup did you see the element series? They are similar in setup but have smaller trailers, even one with one bed,, the neon,, GVW is like 1500 loaded for that one..
Steve

[offroadchef]

The LJ should have a 3500# tow capacity,, the shorter TJ's had 2000#. The new JK 2dr is 2k still and the 4dr 3500#.
If you like the offroad popup did you see the element series? They are similar in setup but have smaller trailers, even one with one bed,, the neon,, GVW is like 1500 loaded for that one..
Steve


I think I saw a few pics of one here on this site. someone has/had one. I was just going to start a thread on it. Anyone know who it is?

Markus

[jerdog53]

The LJ should have a 3500# tow capacity,, the shorter TJ's had 2000#. The new JK 2dr is 2k still and the 4dr 3500#.
If you like the offroad popup did you see the element series? They are similar in setup but have smaller trailers, even one with one bed,, the neon,, GVW is like 1500 loaded for that one..
Steve




I did look at those and they are light enough for use behind my LJ as far as I am concerned. Now if they would just put some proper running gear underneath, the thing has 10" wheels, and give me a pull out kitchen we would have something.