Top 3 Reasons Not to Buy a AFrame Camper!

These are my top three reasons to not buy a AFrame camper. I really liked the idea of the camper, but it was just too much hassle to deal with.

[janlonie]

I have a 2017 same model as you. My hubby and I have lived in for 4 years and I am sitting in it now. You forgot to mention they come with a portable or cassette toilet. Also it is a 3 way fridge so runs on 110v electric, 12 volt or propane. We have added solar because they are also Zamp ready. We also put in a 1000 watt inverter. As far as leaks we are just starting to experience a few but it does spend most of its time in the sunshine state and all caulk will suffer from UV and other weather conditions. This camper has gone from northern Minnesota to Florida to Arizona. I love it.

[gotigrsgo]

I have an A Frame and absolutely love it. You should have done more research before making your initial investment. Why would you tell people not to buy a particular type of camper because it does not have a bathroom? Most people know that it does not have one and make an informed decision when making their purchase. There are A Frame campers with wet baths inside, just an FYI. I hate that you had such a negative experience, Hope you have better luck with your next option! Happy Camping!!!

[toolmomco.]

It depends on your Camper I bought a Chalet it has a bathroom and doesn’t leak its also a 2006. You might have not used the right caulking. Don’t let one video detour you from buying a Aframe Camper. Because they actually hold their Value. And if you can’t sell it well it might be where you live. I live in the Pacific Northwest and they are hard to find used.

[ruthtrips]

Sorry you had a bad experience, I LOVE my 2010 Aliner Sport. No leaks. So easy, fast to set up/take down. Easy to tow. Comfy to sleep in. Good resale value. I live in the PNW. Manufacturers make a huge difference as well as the year it was made. I’m pretty sure any of the older models are going to be better quality than the new models, regardless of the brand. It also matters how precious owners cared for them obviously. I baby mine and store her inside with walls up. Do your research before you make your purchase, I did and it paid off for me 😎🙏🏻🌲⛺️ Happy camping!

[wfwillis]

I have a 2016 Flagstaff A-Frame camper and I love it. Easy to tow and sets up easy.

[midwesta-framer]

Sorry you had such a bad experience with your camper, but I will say you are in the minority of aframe owners. A lot of people love them, are done with either tent/pop up camping or big rig camping. Leaks will happen if you don’t maintain them though, a truth no dealer will mention. The bubble windows are horrible for developing leaks, especially on the forest river aframes as they don’t seal them as good as is needed. I think a lot of people who have issues with the bubbles however are purchasing a camper for the very first time and don’t realize the maintenance involved with the bubble windows. Plopping it on their property in the elements and forgetting about it usually ends poorly with any camper, but especially a folding camper. We garage ours, always intend to do so. No other way I’d own one.

There are many aframe models with bathrooms, full or half. And many with none. The bathroom models have cassette toilets. No black tank to maintain, stinky slinky to mess with, or lines at the pump. We’ve camped all through CoVid using the public bathhouses, no issues. But you have to know which parks to avoid... which ones will likely have a higher volume of tent campers vs rv campers, and how many sites per bathhouse. And avoid holiday weekends. Those are the worst for gross bathrooms, and the camp hosts are usually too busy to keep up. We also have a luggable loo for times when the bathrooms are horrid, but honestly we’ve rarely had need to use it. I’ve tent camped my entire life until our aframe though so I’ve known no other way to camp lol.

All campers lose value, those stored outside with no cover will lose more. Ones that leak, even more. The markup on these aframes at a dealer is ridiculous, especially this past year with demand so high. Better to sell it on your own, recoup what you can. Glad you were able to do so. Hopefully your next camper will work out better for you. Don’t let one bad experience get you down 😊

[jayupstateny]

This is a really good video. I have a 21 foot Jayco and it's a pain to haul around, but I gotta have a bathroom and no cracks for mosquitos or water.

[dngrdnr]

Completely agree about the wet bath being far more important than stove and sink!!!! A portable stove is fine if needed, but a built in stove sink takes up far too much valuable space for those looking for going minimal. When you gotta pot, far better to not have to go find a place. Also table not very important, can set one up outside. Just need a space that has AC with a bed and wet bath.

[ag]

I live in Oregon where it rains a ton, and my Aliner Ranger 12 kills it. I did some winter camping last weekend in an attempt to get a winter steelhead, I didn’t get any fish by my camper did really well. It got down to 35 and it kept me nice and toasty. I pull it easily with my Mazda cx -9. Can’t wait for my costal trip in a few weeks. In Oregon in’s rain or shine:)

[indoorgirlgoescamping]

We bought ours used. Already had eternabond tape around the bubble windows. Has a portapotti. You're right. Not for everyone, but the right choice for us at this time. In a few years we will step up to a motorhome or such.

[margiekinlaw]

We had rockwood A frame. We loved it. But we got a TT now.

[mattggonzz]

"they" don't leak. Yours leaked. Not ALL trailers are created equal.

[tombussard]

I have a 2016 Starcraft Comet A-Frame with a deck on front. I've had it for about 3 years and just started having leaks around the bubbles. I'm going to either replace them or get some threshold strips and commercial window sealer to screw those around the edges, otherwise, I'll pull everything off the roof and seal them up. I've got solar panels and am putting together that system as we speak. I affectionately call my rig "The Weekender" because I have a much larger fifth wheel for any serious long-term lodging needs. One of the things I really like about the weekender is the fact that it's up and ready to catch 40 winks in about 5 minutes. I've just parked in rest areas, gas stations, and other convenient places for a couple hours. Mine is high profile, like my 4X4 Ram 2500 CTD, and is the best for hunting or remote camping excursions. Personally, I don't see any more issues to address in the weekender as I've seen with the fifth wheel.

[karentedmazierski]

Bought ours 4 years ago without a toilet and love it!

[craigwarner]

My 2017 Roockwood HW213 has a 1/2 bath been on numerous trips without a leak. I have been looking at the new ones with the dormer. This is my second one (122) as the first did not have the half bath and when one morning there was bear scat near the camper door, my wife decided that we needed an indoor potty.
I will buy another one in the near future. One with the dormer.

[seeker]

I have a 2017 A-122. We also had leaks around our blister windows right off the bat. Took it to the dealer with no success:( I ended up resealing them my self with a product called Eternabond. I found it in 3/4in width in black. Make sure to get a roller and roll it down good. Eternabond sells a small roller. We love our A frame. We bought a small shower tent for our toilet for night time trips:)

[bethmorano]

I have watched many videos about These campers. Many, many people love them. Yes, you have to maintain. Does your car have a toilet?

[davidjames]

We bought a new A122 in 2010. I kept it in garage for 10 yrs until I had too many toys and had to keep it outside. No leak problems yet but we only have the one roof window. I agree with you on the toilet but we worked around it. We stay at national and Corp of engineers campgrounds at half price and get a spot close to the bath house. Most are very clean. I shopped around and got mine for under 10k. For us it has been great overall

[zzcoool]

Think you got a bad build from the factory. Had mine for years, no leaks, been in rain, hurricane, snow and ice storms. Nicer campers do have toilets and mine doubled in value in last 3 years. But yes I do agree, it's an overglorified tent with AC, heat, microwave, fridge/freezer, sleeps 4, sets up in seconds and tows like a dream. Lol

[laura-ann.]

A couple of other problems with Aframe campers: 1. Hardly any storage space, and the few cabinets that there are, of necessity they are on the floor. So every time you need to get something out of storage, you are down on your hands and knees. Definitely no fun if you are older or mobility impaired at all. 2. Very low countertops. At home, or in any regular RV, the countertops are 30" above the floor, and that's what we are all used to. In pop-up campers of any kind, the countertops are a good 12~12 inches lower, and it's really hard to get used to this. And terrible for anyone over about 5'-4" tall to do food prep and cooking on them. And there's nothing much you can do about these problems; you can't make the countertops and cabinets any higher, or you wouldn't be able to close the pop-up roof. Most of these trailers are marketed to people who have vehicles limited to 2, 500 pounds or less of towing capacity, and a small pop-up is about all they can tow with it.