The days of pulling a heavy travel trailer behind the family luxo-barge are well behind us. Today’s vehicles are smaller, lighter, and more fuel efficient, which limits their towing capacity. The popular trend towards minivans and lighter SUVs limits how much weight you can safely tow, and many RV owners find themselves upgrading to a larger fullsize truck to be able to handle most RVs. A number of RV manufacturers have responded by offering lightweight RVs. However, these construction techniques often result in a less-durable unit.
Livin’ Lite has a different approach and produces lightweight RVs that are durable and well built. They use aluminum and composite materials in their construction. The entire frame is built with structural aluminum tubing instead of steel. Interior floors feature aluminum decking and the interior cabinetry is built with environmentally friendly composite materials. The end result is an RV that is both lightweight and strong. Eliminating wood and replacing it with composite material reduces weight and eliminates any potential for rotting or swelling from moisture content. Lightweight structural aluminum is used extensively in the frame, decking, roof trusses, and wall framing. The zero use of steel eliminates any potential for rust and contributes to longevity on top of reducing weight. Livin’ Lite offers a wide range of towable RVs, from the Quicksilver Automotive Campers to the Axxess Toy Haulers.
| Jeep campers can be ordered in any matching Jeep color and are built for off-road travel with matching Jeep tires and wheels.
Automotive Campers
Automotive campers were originally known as pop-up campers, although the industry is getting away from that designation because earlier pop-up campers were inexpensive, low-quality units, and required lots of repairs. Livin’ Lite’s Quicksilver Automotive Campers no longer have the rotting wood and rusting steel issues common to those earlier pop-up campers. An aluminum framework combines strength with light weight and allows them to be towed by fuel-efficient cars and minivans. Wood is replaced by Azdel composites, ABS plastic, and aluminum facing. These modern, lightweight campers can be towed behind most any vehicle and are built to last for generations. In fact, the Quicksilver 2.0 is designed specifically for towing behind motorcycles and expands to a 14-foot tent.
| Quicksilver truck campers are available in multiple sizes to fit a pickup truck.
Truck Campers and Lightweight Hard-Sided Campers
Livin’ Lite’s Camplite series moves into the hard-sided category. Once again, there is no wood in these campers. Camplite truck campers are equipped with aluminum-framed cabinets and bed and dinette framing. Cabinets are covered with Azdel composite material with a soft wood look that is resistant to moisture. The Aluma-Plank floor deck cannot rot or sag and the sidewalls are aluminum skinned. Weights vary from a 1,100-pound short box unit or an 11ft.-6in. unit weighing 2,595 pounds. Each camper has 6ft.-8in. of headroom and is available in a choice of six sizes and floor plans.
Camplite’s towables are built with the same construction as the truck campers. Recyclable materials, such as Azdel, and aluminum allow lightweight campers ranging from 11 to 21 feet long with dry weights between 1,800 and 3,250 pounds. Lightweight Euro-style windows, wood-grained Azdel cabinetry, chocolate-granite-toned countertops, and aluminum-mag wheels are standard on every unit. Exterior aluminum skins are available in a selection of pre-finished colors and an off-road package is also available.
| The lightweight Quicksilver VRV toy haulers are capable of hauling all your toys behind your existing tow vehicle.
Quicksilver VRV
The Quicksilver VRV is the toy hauler of the family. Like its smaller siblings, everything is constructed with recyclable materials, such as aluminum and various composites. The aluminum frame is covered with an Aluma-Plank aluminum deck and the same basic no-wood construction is used in the walls and interior of the RV. This makes it possible to hose mud out of the toy-hauler garage without any fear of rotting or swollen wood. Units range from a 2,300-pound, 6- by 15-foot floor plan to a 4,850-pound 8.5- by 26-foot floor plan. The Quicksilver VRV is all about flexibility and one popular feature is tip-out bunks. These bunks tip out of the garage area to provide a soft-sided sleeping area that allows full use of the garage space. HappiJac beds can also be installed to provide convertible sofa beds for interior sleeping. An electric motor can raise the bed to the ceiling so it’s out of the way when using the rear area as a garage. A pull-down rear screen keeps the bugs out of the garage area, while a large awning provides a shady patio area.
Custom features, such as overhead helmet racks or cabinets, plus an off-road package are available. E-Track flooring lets you use any number of standard tie-down fixtures to allow safe transport of your toys during travel while Lizardskin spray-on floor insulation is another option. Exterior colors range from grays and black to bright orange or yellow. A camo package applies this theme to exterior tents and trim. Diamond-plate aluminum trim protects the front of the RV from stone chips. The end result is a toy hauler built to last and light enough to be towed by a large number of vehicles, bringing toy hauler RVs into a price range more potential RV buyers can afford.
