7 of my favorite high-quality travel trailers without slides

Today’s RV review is different. We’ll look at seven high-quality travel trailers without slides. In reading your comments, which I am always grateful for, many of you have asked for my thoughts about high-quality trailers without slide rooms. I do hear you. 

All of these are RVs that we’ve looked at before over the years, and I’ve provided links to my full reviews of the trailers. All of these are also brands or models that I would consider for my own RVing adventure. Sure, there are a lot of RVs that don’t have slide rooms, but this is a list of ones that I think are high quality and have a good interior layout as well. 

Another “must” on my list is a walk-around queen bed (or better). Now, some of these are also available with twins, which is another nifty option, but the RVs I listed here had to have a queen at least. 

Unfortunately, since all of these are high-quality models, none of them is particularly inexpensive. But ya’ get what ya’ pay for, and if you buy the best, you’ll only cry once.

Notice that I didn’t put an Airstream on this list, and that was deliberate. I think the people who buy Airstreams want Airstreams; but if you’re comparison shopping, Airstream carries such a price premium that they’re tough to justify logically. Plus, I have yet to find an Airstream with a bathroom that’s worth a darn. 

Also, I put these in order of my personal favorite, saving the one I like best for last. 

Escape 23

$65,999 • 24’7” long • 4,600 pounds

By nature of being first on the list, this is my least favorite in the list, but know that I considered these when I was last shopping. 

I love the fiberglass shell of this trailer as well as the aluminum frame and torsion axle suspension. I’m also a big fan of the dual-pane windows with integrated shades and screens. 

The trailer also comes with 400 watts of solar as well as two 100-amp-hour lithium batteries.

I know some of you are going to be super excited about this—these even still come with a propane-electric fridge. I think this is one of the last trailers on the market with this.

But what got this in this position on the list is that this features a wet bath. That means the toilet is in the same enclosure as the shower. 

Escape sells directly, so they also offer a fair amount of flexibility and options, including two different main themes to the interior—one a maple and the other a white. I also saw models with a three-burner stove and 21” oven, models with just two burner stoves and a microwave, models with a convection air fryer microwave, models with queen and king beds, as well as twins. So the amount of flexibility you have in customizing an Escape trailer is significant. 

Another big plus—I have yet to speak with an owner of an Escape trailer that’s anything less than thrilled with it, and that speaks volumes. 

I did look at this trailer’s smaller sibling in this article about the Escape 21C. 

Arctic Fox North Fork 22G

$59,685 • 23’10” long • 4,936 pounds

Don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard of Northwood’s Arctic Fox brand. They’re a company in the Pacific Northwest that has an incredible reputation for building first-rate towable RVs. The Arctic Fox North Fork 22G is the smallest in the Arctic Fox line and the only one without a slide room. There are also a few smaller models under the company’s Nash brand, but this one retains the walk-around bed. 

This trailer has the same floor plan as the first trailer I bought new, but has a permanent 60” x 74 1/2” bed rather than a Murphy bed. 

Northwood builds its own frames for its trailers and has a reputation for exceptional winter-readiness. Among the unusual features in this model is the availability of a built-in generator. They also use shocks at each wheel along with Road Armor™ dampening components. These are just solid trailers. 

It’s been a while since we gave one of these our full review, but you can see that review here. 

inTech O-V-R Navigate

$64,400 • 27’1” long • 5,900 pounds

I got to tour the inTech facility during Open House and really liked what I saw. I was also surprised that my wife really liked the O-V-R Navigate, as it’s a more industrial feel than I thought she’d like. 

This trailer is built differently than a lot of others in that it’s a welded aluminum cage structure, but also with an aluminum skin. The company also builds its own chassis. I like the way these are built. 

I also like the optional slide-out kitchen in this and the Aucta, and you can even get a drop-down bunk in this model to add sleeping for more people. There’s also an optional onboard generator. 

I have a full review of the inTech O-V-R Navigate here. 

inTech Aucta

$67,515 • 27’1” long • 5,900 pounds

If the O-V-R isn’t your style, perhaps the Aucta will be. It’s built in much the same way as the O-V-R, but is a slightly more traditional design. I recently had a chance to look at the new Aucta Sycamore in this review, but they have smaller and less accommodating models as well, including the very popular Oasis model. 

The Aucta line was called the Terra until Forest River’s lawyers stepped in, but it’s the same product as before the renaming and is a fiberglass-skinned trailer with an aluminum frame and structure. Definitely a high-quality product, although the interiors of these remind me more of a sailboat than an RV just in the overall feel—but that’s not a bad thing. 

Bigfoot 25RQ

$93,170 • 25’6” long • 4,863 pounds

When I first saw the Bigfoot 25RQ, it was in prototype form, but now it’s out in the wild. Bigfoot is another Canadian company that makes fiberglass-shelled trailers (think of Casita) but does so very differently than some of the others.

Of course, Bigfoot’s suspension is a complete departure from most, but the trailer itself is 101” wide—wider than many other brands. This allows them to put the queen-sized bed sideways but also gives the no-slide trailer a more spacious feel. 

Bigfoot’s products, in general, are also very well-suited for camping in more extreme weather, which makes them great for those shoulder-season camping adventures. 

Here’s the full article I wrote about the Bigfoot 25RQ.

Lance 2075

$64,984 • 25’1” long • 4,425 pounds

Lance is a company that is known for the quality of their products and is one of the last RV companies that somehow manages to stay in business in California. But they build a lot of relatively traditional floor plans with slides. This 2075 is the exception with a really well-thought-through floor plan that has an optional outdoor kitchen under the rear dinette and a big flip-up rear window through which you could pass things. 

There are so many things I like about Lance products that are just thoughtful design features. They really demonstrate that the brand has people who actually camp in the design process. 

The company also does some smarter things in the build process, including using high-tech CNC routing for cabinets and walls and such, building wiring harnesses much the way automobile companies do, and more. 

It’s been a while since I’ve looked at this model, but you can find the full review here.

Ember Overland 240TKR

$74,935 • 28’3:” long • 6,765 pounds

This trailer almost didn’t make the list only because it’s sort of a toy hauler, and there are quite a few toy haulers that don’t have a slide room. But it’s really one of the most innovative towable RVs on the market, in my opinion. 

From the ground up, this uses the CURT independent suspension, has a tongue jack that also allows you to lower your tailgate (this is one of the only “bumper pull” RVs I know that has that feature), has been climate tested from 0°-110°F, and so much more. 

But the flexible interior with the Ember Track system that enables you to transform this rig from office to toy hauler to bunk model very easily is a big part of what sets it apart. Another unique feature is the front bed mechanism that can go from twin beds to a king-sized bed. There is just so much about this trailer that reflects the fact that Ember’s decision makers actually go camping and have created an RV that has a bunch of different uses. 

Another thing I liked about this is that Ember has provided a portal for later upgrades like solar or satellite internet on the roof, making these changes much less intrusive and less susceptible to leaks down the road. Again, details. 

I have my full review of the Ember 240TKR here, but know that I also awarded it best new RV at Open House when I saw it. I still stand by that. 

Conclusions

There it is—a list of travel trailers I would consider buying. Note the commonality of no slide and high-quality suspensions. But there are some smaller trailers that could easily end up on this list too, including the Geo Pro G19FD, which is a slightly narrower version of the first new trailer I owned and loved. I also like that that model is available with the Power Package, which is a high-quality solar and lithium system and one that I had put into my own trailer. 

Did I miss something? What do you think of this list? As always, I look forward to your comments and input. 

More about these RV reviews

These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. They are based on information from a single unit and may not reflect your actual experience. Shop your RV and dealership carefully before making a buying decision. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.

Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a lifelong RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. 

You can also check out Tony and Peggy’s RV podcast.

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