Beware the “ultra-lite” RV

I just returned from the 2023 Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa, Florida. Over four days, I toured hundreds of trailers and coaches, from $15,000 pop-ups (Formica counters) to $1,500,000 Prevost bus conversions (Carrara marble counters).

I noticed that one of the RV industry’s favorite misspelled words is “Lite.” As in the Rockwood Ultra Lite, Travel Lite RV, Jayco Jay Feather Ultra Lite, Venture RV Sonic Lite, Wildwood X-Lite, Palomino Real-Lite, Highland Ridge Range Lite, Gulf Stream Ameri-Lite, Coachman Apex Ultra-Lite, Keystone Outback Ultra-Lite, ad nauseam. RV companies get more mileage out of a word than we get out of our RVs! (Ba dum tss).

But this post isn’t an English lesson. It’s a word of caution to all RV shoppers that “Lite” is a slippery sales word, a verbal sticker that can be slapped on any RV regardless of its poundage. If you’re truly looking for an ultra-lite RV, you need to look beyond the brochure.

Allow me to explain. Let us consider the Rockwood 2608BS Ultra Lite Travel Trailer (I promise I won’t make any jokes about the “BS” in the title). This is a 29’8” travel trailer, riding on dual axles, with two slide-outs, two entry doors, glass slider windows, and a 5/8” plywood subfloor. It tips the scales at 6,836 lbs. dry weight. Does that sound “ultra-lite” to you? I bet your tow vehicle wouldn’t agree! “Lite” is a relative term.

Now, I’m not taking a shot across the bow of Rockwood or Forest River or any particular RV manufacturer. The 2680BS is just an example that you can’t trust the appellation; you need to know the anatomy.

The relationship between lite and low-cost

First things first: I would caution you against combining “lite” with “affordable,” both of which devolve into euphemisms when mixed together. Good lightweight things aren’t cheap. There are only two ways to squeeze weight out of something inexpensive: Make it smaller, or make it shoddy. This is where you get into the world of non-walkable roofs and slap-it-together stick ‘n’ tin construction. Walk inside, and you’ll notice all the walls sound hollow, and there aren’t enough shelves in the cabinets. The interior feels like a cave because there aren’t enough windows. The bathroom has a $5 plastic wrap curtain instead of a frosted glass shower door. And was the chassis twisting when you drove over that speed bump, or were the towing mirrors just dirty?

The truth is that high-end RVs often weigh more than low-end RVs, even though they use composite materials, simply because they include more furniture, use a stronger chassis, and have 4-season construction. Super-lightweight towable RVs may even have aluminum frames, tankless water heaters, and lithium batteries, all of which cost a pretty penny.

How to shop for an ultra-lite RV

If you want a high-quality, lightweight RV, look past the name and focus on the design.

1. Shop small

The easiest way to save weight is to go smaller. If you think you need a 28’ trailer, can you get by in a 26’? If yes, have you looked at a 24’? Do you need a 96” wide body, or can you get by with a 90” narrow width? Are you willing to downsize to a single-axle trailer? Would you consider a Murphy bed or a shared master bathroom? Every slide-out, every foot adds on the pounds.

2. Trust composite materials

Most composites used in RV construction are some type of “sandwich panel” made from bonded layers of materials. RV walls are the most common application of composite technology. Nowadays, many manufacturers are also turning to composite floors, which weigh 20-50% less than a comparable OSB or plywood floor. A wood-free composite panel is best, as some of the lauan-foam-lauan sandwich floors of yesteryear have been known to delaminate and rot.

3. Look for the Azdel Onboard sticker

Azdel weighs less than lauan plywood, and if it’s been used in the walls, roof, and interior of your RV, it can save several hundred pounds. More on that here.

4. Inspect the furniture

Cheap furniture made of particleboard or MDF is always heavy, and most anything wrapped, like Formica countertops, will be made with those offending materials. Instead, look for real plywood, or even better, Lite Ply, an imported plywood with an all-poplar veneer core weighing 40% less than regular plywood. Also look for honeycomb cabinet slab door construction, a technique borrowed from the boating industry.

5. Pinch the windows

Traditional RV slider windows are made of 1/8” single-pane glass. Euro-style acrylic windows cost significantly more, but they’re made with dual plastic panes, so they weigh less and insulate better.

What’s worth sacrificing for weight savings?

If you’re hunting for an ultra-lite RV camper, we’ve just barely scratched the surface of design possibilities! Here are some examples:

• You can pick a TPO roof, which weighs less than EPDM (and doesn’t chalk).
• You can switch to lithium batteries, which weigh about half as much as lead-acid batteries.
• You can replace your rooftop air conditioner and save 20-30 lbs.
• You can replace drawer fronts with bungee cords.
• You can replace all the cabinet door handles with finger holes.
• You can cut your toothbrush in half.

And the list goes on.

But don’t make weight savings a fetish. There are some places the extra weight is worth it. Personally, I don’t believe in non-walkable roofs, even if 1/4” plywood does weigh less than 3/8”. I’ll splurge on solid surface countertops any day. And I love fold-down RV steps, even if they do weigh more than traditional collapsible steps.

I leave you with a tip: Every RV has a sticker on the driver’s door jamb or the front curb-side wall that tells you the dry weight of the unit. That’s where you can get the actual weight as it was delivered from the factory (brochures or salespeople may not include the weight of forced factory options). That’s also where you can judge cargo capacity, but that’s another story!

##RVT1089