Today’s RV review is of the 2022 ProLite Evasion travel trailer. As someone who spends time with both vintage and modern RVs, this almost reminds me more of something in the vintage world than something really modern. The reason I write that is because of the interior features, which are less like a little house and more like a camper.
A camper
In the vintage world it seems that every possible space is a convertible space. Having looked at a lot of vintage trailers in my quest to get one myself, this floor plan isn’t horribly different from some of the older rigs I’ve seen.
Like those simpler trailers, this one also is really light. When I was showing off our own 1970 Aristocrat Land Liner, the assumption is that it’s really heavy, when it actually isn’t. And neither are these.
In fact, ProLite hangs its corporate hat on trailers that are towable by vehicles other than full-sized pickups. While I always want all campers to be cognizant of tongue weights and capabilities of their two vehicles, this one weighs in at just under 2,000 pounds with a tongue weight of 195 pounds. Now that’s a dry weight, but it’s still pretty light.
The company also states that this trailer will sleep five campers, although I’d think that at least one of those adventurers should be a junior adventurer.
How it works
When you walk into the ProLite Evasion, there’s a bench at the back and a four-person dinette up front. The kitchen is on the camp side, a wet bath on the road side. Unlike a lot of newer trailers, there are a good number of windows there on the camp side.
When it’s sleepy time, you have a number of options—depending on how many occupants there are.
You can convert that front dinette into a two-person bed. The bench at the back can be a single bed or fold out to be a bed for two. Lastly, and this is what reminds me of a vintage trailer, the cabinets over the bed have a front face that folds down and there’s your fifth bed.
There are two cabinet doors in the face of this fold-down front and ProLite provides a filler panel for the backside of each of these so the kiddo up in the bed doesn’t feel the interior of those cabinet doors—or come crashing down in an unpleasant surprise in the middle of the night.
Though, how funny would it be if your junior camper had a big sense of humor and opened the cabinet door in the night and peered down on you with some smarty pants quip?
The windshield on the ProLite Evasion is a good thing
Like most vintage RVs, the ProLite Evasion also does not have a slide room. There is a windshield which would normally make me unhappy, but this one has a cover that flips up like in our old Aristocrat. I don’t understand why this has become a thing of the past because it’s really a thing of beauty. And common sense.
There’s also no air conditioner, no oven and not a lot of frills in the ProLite Evasion. Well, it has a two-burner stove, a sink and a gas-electric refrigerator and, truthfully, what more do you want?
What I’m not fond of in the ProLite Evasion
Oh, it also has a bathroom with a wet bath, but this brings me to the things I’m not fond of.
I would rather see the entire interior of the wet bath constructed of a plastic material like your typical RV shower, and like I’ve seen in just about every Class B motorhome. But this one uses the same wall board as the rest of the trailer. I can see this going badly in short order with the younger travelers not being fully in control of a shower curtain.
“How many times have I told you to draw the shower curtain before you take a shower?”
“Sorry, Daddy. I forgot.”
Bleh.
But you could go to your local building supply and get a bunch of FRP (fiberglass reinforced panels) and do what ProLite should have done in the first place. And, really, who doesn’t modify the heck out of an RV after you get your hands on it? I know I’ve done that with our new trailer.
Also, the cabinets and cushions are absolutely entry-level. But then, maybe that’s what makes this so light.
In conclusion
No slides. Sleeps five. You can tow it with some vehicles that you might have thought you couldn’t use for towing. Not bad.
Essentially, this is sort of a camping starter kit but not a bad one. Lots and lots of my friends camp in similar trailers that were built a long time ago. This offers the modern build and a few features I have had to add to my own vintage trailer, such as a high-performance ceiling fan.
As mentioned, air conditioning is not standard on these. This might not come as a surprise considering that they’re built up in Canada, where it’s a bit cooler. And they are wired for AC, so you could have one dropped onto it if you want.
I actually know a few people whom I am going to show this review to as it fits the model they’ve been looking for.
More from Tony
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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. He also works closely with a number of RV manufacturers to get an inside look at how things are done and is a brand ambassador for Rockwood Mini Lite with his wife, Peggy.
You can also check out his RV podcast with Peggy.
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. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. 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.
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This has the identical layout to my 1976 Serro Scotty HiLander! 😁
Except it’s missing some storage. Mine has about 4-6 extra storage cubbies (which come in very handy).
Mine cost $3500 and will require another 2-3k in upgrades and repairs, but I’ll know it’s done properly and well.
Expensive for a cheap travel trailer.
Agree. I would take the Braxton Creek Bushwacker + 15DS over this small TT any day. Slightly lighter, a proper dry bath, microwave, AC, torsion axle suspension, all at a considerably lower MSRP. But the 15DS is designed to sleep only two, not five.
This would definitely be out for me, at 79 the sleeping arrangements of dinette cushions for a mattress are out. My first TT 24.5’ bunkhouse that slept 9 used the front dinette and rear dinette cushions for mattresses, that was 44 years ago. I barely stood it then. Lol. By the time you get it the way you need it, it would weigh 3000 lbs.
This would make a great one person camper. More than that? Not for me.
That would be a nice “first RV” or for someone that needs to pull with a smaller Pick up or SUV. However, at my age (68), I can’t handle that “east/west” bed and the “wet bath”.