Two More Fiberglass Trailers at Dealers Now

[Eggscape]

The problem with the internet is you hear about stuff that is not ready for the North American market…or maybe the North American market is not ready for it.

It took a while but the nuCamp’s Barefoot is finally here from the overseas design. Looks interesting for someone wanting most everything in a small package. Some different tech not available from Escape and the bed appears to be a decent size at 5ft 9 wide and 6ft long…which is one thing I measure all campers by.
https://youtu.be/OY8GN0mTWpU

And the interesting Barefoot story!
https://youtu.be/tTf0jODg91U



Also the Cortes Camper is showing up at dealers with a familiar looking shell. Some different ideas but is a no go for me at over $80,000 Canadian and only a 4 foot wide bed! Maybe a great trailer for a single person with its one seat table.
https://youtu.be/jdDsJ4IYdfU

https://youtu.be/jUlJcKRds3o

Neither one focused on roof top solar which could be a miss for some.

[Iowa Dave]

Think we will stick with the 21 classic. Fits us like a good King Saddlery roping glove.
http://www.kingropes.com/
Iowa Dave

[jerryc]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Think we will stick with the 21 classic. Fits us like a good King Saddlery roping glove.
King?s Saddlery, King Ropes | Sheridan, Wyoming
Iowa Dave

Once spent hours in King Saddlery. Though I was raised a country boy on the farm, I had no idea of all the things they carried in their store. Thanks for the memory. Merry Christmas....

[Mike G]

Roof solar panel is one of my must-have items.

[Bobbie54]

The Barefoot has some attractions but seems much less roomy than a 17b. Also- WHY make it 8 foot 1" when 7 foot 9 would put it in an 8 foot garage door? We aren't talking major changes there. A personal peeve but I wish for the smaller trailers manufacturers would think about storage in a garage.

What I like: I like the Cassette toilet except that if you still have to empty gray water you might as well be emptying black. And while the little cart is great you still have to lift and pour to dump the Cassette which would be >40 lbs full. In other words- no point being that big.

I like the thoughtfulness of things like USB outlets and the storage, too.

On first glance I like the foldable faucet- but it works best for someone like me who rarely cooks in the trailer and doesn't do dishes in there. Otherwise it seems like it doesn't do a lot for you.

I like the implication that more colors might be available. I can see this trailer competing with an Escape 17b mainly because it would be available to see at a dealer's nearer someone's home.

And agreed on lack of solar.

[cpaharley2008]

The gray tank can be emptied at a lot more places than the black tank, just about anywhere.....

[Eggscape]

I don’t know if many people think of this but you can use the cassette tank outside to drain some of your grey water into, then wheel it away as well.

[Centex]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

And the interesting Barefoot story!
https://youtu.be/tTf0jODg91U

Interesting indeed, thanks for that link

Nifty trailer, IMO. Nope, like the other teardrops in the nuCamp line not intended to compete with the 'fixed bed' 17B or similar, aimed at a different camping style entirely IMO. I can imagine the Barefoot developing a dedicated following in the US if the price is right.

The Cortes strikes me as much less interesting .... there's only so many variations that can be useful on the Casita (distinct from E17) theme, that's a hard niche in which to distinguish oneself meaningfully, IMO. I suppose those in that market can find nuances among the choices which are meaningful to them, that one may struggle to survive though it may make it in the Canadian market.

IMO having more molded fiberglass choices is good for everyone!

[Viajante]

The exterior dimension of the nuCamp was given as 16’7”. Assuming 4’ of storage box/coupler length the actual cabin size is about the same as a 15B. The Alde heating system is in floor radiant operating on propane. How efficient is that vs an Escape forced air? The refrigerator is thermoelectric cooler, which is an inefficient electricity hog with limited cooling capacity. Great windows. Overall a nice looking well laid out trailer but with limited off grid use without modifications.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Viajante

The Alde heating system is in floor radiant operating on propane. How efficient is that vs an Escape forced air?

The Alde should be very efficient and quiet with even heating if the radiant loop is laid out properly. The Cortez has an exterior mounted Propex HS2211 furnace (only 6824 BTU input). Could probably use a little more capacity for colder temps and I only can see one outlet in the pictures on their website. Maybe I’m missing some. Maximum of 3 are recommended by Propex on that unit.

[rubicon327]

The Cortez looks well constructed with double wall. They have eliminated large wall penetrations for furnace (underfloor mount Propex), hot water heater (on-demand Suburban) and refrigerator (DC compressor). Love the acrylic windows. It seems like a Casita with some Oliver DNA. A couple of pet peeves though especially considering the price. No permanent bed, no bathroom door, no bath window, recirculating range hood, single seat dinette, no outside shower and batteries on tongue (makes lithium conversion more difficult in colder climates). That Dometic A/C is going to be ridiculously loud especially with all the hard interior surfaces. Also note these originally sat on an aluminum frame that has since been changed to steel.

[SageRpod]

Something I have noticed in my recent efforts to sell our Rpod is that the Barefoot will definitely appeal to those folks with small TVs and are concerned about the frontal area of the trailer. We've had half a dozen folks look at our Rpod 179 and only one, had an appropriate TV (IMHO a Tacoma). All others had small SUVs, which although technically could pull it, would be overtaxed in just about any real world situation. We even had folks with a Kia Soul look at it!

[JeffreyG]

Nice to see more options on the market.

Out of the gate, these don't appeal to me. We picked the Escape 19 specifically because we wanted a permanent queen, a dinette, a full size fridge, and a bath. Not surprisingly, these smaller trailer (just like all the smaller ones from ETI, Scamp, Oliver, and Casita) don't have that complete feature set.

That said, comparing these I think I like the NuCamp a little better. It feels brighter and more open. It's also very light. OTOH, there is no full height fridge, which is a huge miss for the way I camp. Again, there's a reason the Escape 19 was the right size for me, and the 17 was not. Everything I've ever seen at 17' is missing something big for me.

The front half of the Cortez seems claustrophobic without any windows. One really critical stat I'm not seeing on the NuCamp is a price. Both trailers have no counter space at the galley if the sink and stove are both in use.

The Cortez is a lot of money. I know Escapes have been going up of late, but I got my Escape 19 with a lot of options for $36k, and I just could not see my way to a trailer without the permanent bed etc. asking $60k. Phew, that's a lot. It also needs a window in the bathroom.

I looked at the 'future' Cortez 22' trailer, and for being that big it still doesn't bring what I want in the layout and I have to imagine it will be even more expensive than the 17'. I'm not sure why the interior space is not better used on that design.