Today’s RV review is of the TrailManor 2518KD travel trailer. TrailManor’s products are very unique in a lot of ways but most notably for the fact that they can raise and lower pretty easily. The company’s trailers actually solve a number of issues for owners—they tow much more easily than traditional travel trailers and they have provisions to fit into most garages.
When the trailer is fully deployed, you get a lot of the same functionality and space as you would in a traditional travel trailer. But the magic is that the tops of the trailer fold into the bottom of the trailer. This is both one of the best features and the biggest challenge of these unique rigs.
How difficult is it to convert a TrailManor trailer?
The tops of the TrailManor trailers are counter-weighted, not with gas struts but with spring bars. As the tops move up they also move out, thereby lengthening the interior space and making the whole thing much larger. The seals are also well-designed, such that you can open or close them in the rain without flooding the interior.
The lift mechanism also carries a lifetime warranty.
The smallest model, which starts life at about 18’ in length, expands to 25’ in length when open.
Once the top is up and the entry door latched into place, there are a few more steps to getting ready for adventure. You pop up the walls in the bathroom and secure the underside of the bed.
There are optional overhead cabinets for the kitchen as well as a closet near the bed. The overhead cabinet needs to be hung on a set of hooks. I can imagine this gets heavy if you’re not judicious about what you pack in there. The closet is interesting because it slides along the bed and then folds down so the wall that faces the front of the trailer is now the floor of the cabinet.
What’s inside a TrailManor 2518KD trailer
Looking at the 2518KD, you walk into a dinette on the right and ahead of you is the kitchen featuring a three-burner stove. There’s a small two-way, bar-sized fridge under the counter that the stove shares. It’s almost weird to see a propane fridge nowadays.
Behind you is the kitchen sink and ahead, on the road side, is a full dry bath. Not bad for such a lightweight trailer. Getting to that bathroom is part of your set-up process. It might be more difficult if you’ve had a lot of coffee on the road and just have to get to the potty before anything else. But it’s really an easy thing. Walls flip up on either side of the bath and, again, there’s a Dutch door much like the trailer’s entry door.
Opposite the bathroom is where that hanging closet would go if you choose that option. You’ll have to set that up, as well, before you get to the bathroom. But, essentially, all that’s involved is picking it up by its handle and sliding it over the countertop.
There is some cabinet space below the counter. The company brags that the counters, walls and even the floor are constructed of a laminate material that saves on weight but provides terrific durability.
TrailManor construction
Once you’ve got everything opened up, you’ll find that these trailers offer essentially much of what you’d expect in a travel trailer that weighs twice as much, if not more. Part of the reason TrailManor trailers are light is how they’re built.
Typically laminated trailers (those with smooth skins) are made with a series of aluminum ribs. Between those ribs is closed-cell foam insulation. The interior and exterior wall surfaces are often Luan, a wood pulp-type product. On the outer wall is a fiberglass skin and on the inner wall is a wallboard.
TrailManor walls are different. They’re a sheet of aluminum on the outside and inside laminated to a single sheet of closed-cell foam insulation.
Typically, the aluminum ribs in a trailer’s walls are a thermal disaster offering very little insulation. So, even though the walls might be thick, those aluminum ribs allow a lot of thermal loss. These walls are lighter and stronger, and also offer better insulation. But, it’s a more expensive process.
These also feature a torsion axle suspension, which is my preference.
Something I also noticed was that TrailManor welds a piece of diamond plate around the gate valves and holding tank connection so that road debris doesn’t damage the plumbing. Also, all the tanks are above the frame in a storage bay.
TrailManor history
The company’s history is as interesting as the trailers themselves. William J. Hulsey had a Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering and more than a quarter-century of experience in developing high-tech products. Hulsey wanted to have a trailer to tow behind his Chevrolet station wagon that was light and easy to tow but still offered all the features of a travel trailer.
After a decade of testing and refinement along with a lot of interest in campgrounds, the TrailManor was born. It went for more than two decades before landing in the hands of the current owners, a Hutterite Colony in South Dakota, where the trailers are built today.
Conclusions
Why would you want the TrailManor 2518KD? They’re all hard-sided, unlike most pop-up tent trailers. They fit into a garage, and can actually be towed by mid-size SUVs and pickups with plenty of safety margin. You actually do get all the features of a real travel trailer in a size that’s easily manageable.
Something truly unique about this larger TrailManor offering is that the tongue of the trailer can actually fold up for storage. So, if this is too long for your garage, that problem may be solved with a couple of pins.
The downside is just the fact that there are no quick stops for lunch. Even though the trailers set up in under two minutes it’s still something you have to do, although it’s not the worst thing in the world. But you will have to open the top to access the fridge to stock it for the weekend and there are no roadside potty breaks without the top being up.
Also, since the counters have to fit into the lower section of this trailer when it’s folded, they’re probably lower than the counters in most homes or other RVs.
But for people who travel part-time and want something you don’t need a semi-truck to pull that also won’t cause a tremendous decrease in fuel mileage while pulling, a TrailManor trailer might make a tremendous amount of sense. Plus, even if you get over the cool factor of putting the trailer up and down, you’re always going to be the center of attention at any campground when you do this—and there’s just something cool about that.
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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. 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.
Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a life long 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 his wife, Peggy.
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How do you make that bed? I guess you just toss up a couple sleeping bags eh. Storage is in short supply as well. Many years ago we watched a couple set up one of these for a one night stay at Miller’s rest stop just north of Tonopah, NV. It only had one popup though. We marveled at how easy it was. We got a tour and it was kind of neat, though sparse in creature comforts. But, as the guy in the video mentioned, there is an almost cult-like following for these.
Oh, that question is easy to answer, Tommy: https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-superbag-solution-rv-bedding/
Somehow Tony, I knew you would mention this option. 😀
Thank you, Tony! 🙂 This is quite something!?! The light weight and dry bath are extremely enticing. The MSRP is a bit daunting, as is the fresh water tank volume. Thanks again, have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
The biggest downside for me, due to food allergies that mean I can’t eat in restaurants, is the small fridge.
We have our 12 volt cooler in the back seat of our truck along with a Dometic Hydration Jug so we always access healthy snacks and have cool water. Though, once we get into the baked goods capital of our world (Indiana) all bets are off.
Thank you for sharing my video for your blog! I do new trailer everyday on YouTube at TYLER TALKS TRAVEL TRAILERS! Go check it out😃