Last February, in an article on the Top 10 Lightweight Travel Trailers, I noted that "Since slides add weight, the lightweight trailer will likely have none at present" and went on to predict that "as manufacturing methods improve, lightweight travel trailers may soon include at least one slide."
I was right, if a little late.
A July 28, 2011 media release from Lance Camper noted that their 2012 lineup includes "an ultra-lightweight travel trailer with a large slide-out and dry bath towable by vehicles with a 3500 pound capacity." Lance claims that this is an industry first, and I thought, "Yes, my prediction was accurate."
Actually, at the time I made that prediction, I was two years late. Despite what Lance said in their release, that trailer has been out for two years.
Lance Lightweight Trailer Model 1685
The model to which the media release refers is the 1685, one of five trailers under 5000 lbs dry weight in the 2012 Lance lightweight trailer product line. The 2012 specs don't seem to be different from when the model was first introduced in 2010.
Features:
- "Super-slideout" 54"x78" U-shaped dinette
- Overhead storage bins throughout cabin
- Truly ultralight - only 3450 pounds dry weight
- Three wardrobe closets
- Under-bed storage accessible from either inside or outside the coach
- Pass-through exterior storage
- Sleeps up to five (2 in bed, 2 in dinette, one in bunk over bed)
Specifications:
- Overall length: 20 ft 9 in.
- Dry weight: 3450 pounds
- Floor weight: 16 ft 3 in.
- Dry hitch weight: 345 lb
- GVWR: 5400 lb
Weighing in at 3450 lbs dry weight with no options and a GVWR of 5400 lbs, surely this trailer will overload a 3500 lb tow vehicle. It won't take much in the way of clothing and gear to top that. Maybe 5000 lbs tow capacity would be more suitable. Still, a good-sized SUV or light truck should haul it.
The 1685 Lance Lightweight Travel Trailer Reviewed
This model was reviewed by Woodalls in their June 2010 issue of Camping Life. Reviewer Stuart Borden wrote that the Lance 1685 floor plan is "designed to take advantage of every inch of coach space" and gives "a surprising sense of volume...it feels a lot longer than sixteen feet."
My wife glanced at the floorplan and wondered if the fridge were accessible with the slide in. Sure doesn't look like it. That means a little planning in the morning to fill the cooler with snacks and drinks (or running the slide out during lunch break). But it does appear that the toilet is accessible while the slide is in, so the kids won't have to hang on until the next gas stop.
So, lightweight trailers with slides. An idea whose idea has come...two years ago.
Thomas Alan Gray - Tom has been writing for over 30 years; curiosity leads him to dig into a wide variety of topics.
Join the Conversation