We recently bought an Aliner Scout, a hard-sided popup camper. We´ve been looking for ways to find tranquil moments, and this turned out to be our solution. Simplicity and convenience are really important to us, and our tow vehicle is a near-vintage Honda Element with a low tow weight limit, so camper weight was also a critical consideration.
Photo of an Aliner Scout triangular pop-up camper in woods
showing a blue rug outside the door, hiking sticks to the left of
the air conditioner, a love seat to the left of the camper, and a
picnic table further left. There´s a fire ring in front of the
picnic table.
This post discusses why we chose the camper we did, and what we considered when making our decision.
We bought an Aliner for a number of reasons: First, we wanted a smaller camper, but we did not want canvas walls and the attendant mess and deterioration that comes with dealing with fabric on a vehicle.
Second, we wanted hard walls because we know that many campsites no longer allow fabric walls, due to concerns about bears and other critters having gotten wise to the food — of all kinds — found within.
Third, we did not want to give up our beloved almost-vintage tow vehicle so we needed a very lightweight trailer. An Aliner can be towed by most modern cars — and more than a few older vehicles, like ours. Giant truck not required.
Four, we wanted to keep friction low, with minimal set-up and tear-down: I cannot stress what a joy this is: The Aliner sets up in two minutes, tops. (Here´s a video posted by Hasspitality showing just how fast and easy it is.)
Photo of the bed side of an Aliner Scout with colorful duvets spread over,
a cabinet and counter to the left, and cabinets, a counter, and a large
picture window to the right. There´s a large bubble window
over the bed at the very back.
Five, we wanted two ´rooms´, and a bed that was always ready to sleep in. Our Scout has a bed big enough for both of us at the back, and table and two couches in the front. No fuss at night, and room enough for both of us in the ´living´ section even in a rain storm!
Photo of the other side of the Aliner Scout, showing a large
table with couches on either side, covered with colorful pillows.
There´s a large window over this dining/relaxing area.
Six, we wanted lots of light, and a feeling of openness. The Aliner excels here, like no other small camper. As a side note, the 8 foot apex means that standing up is easy; the bubble windows at each end make sitting comfortable, too, along with providing a great view.
Photo of a large window in the side of the Aliner, showing a tree
to the left of center, a woodland ground cover, and other trees.
A completely unexpected bonus was waking up to trees: This is what you see, lying in bed, looking up through the rear window:
Photo of the view directly above the Aliner Scout bed,
showing tall trees reaching directly to the sky.
Now we never close the blind above the bed!
Seven, personal contact. We learned that emailing Aliner results in a response by a real person. It may take a day or two (people are busy), but shout-out to Kevin, who is just great!
It mattered to us, too, that Aliner is a small company, producing a limited number of campers each year, with a long track record. They have been loved and coveted by owners for several decades now. This is not a company that just thoughtlessly slaps out an endless quantity of trailers over and over.
All campers tend to be poorly made; Aliner is one of the better constructed, possibly because the design is so unusual. It´s been designed carefully and has benefited from frequent small improvements for years.Even with the ´better constructed´, though, the compromises to keep weight low, etc., still exist. We´re happy to have at least gone with one of the best of the lot.
I did a massive amount of research before we even began looking at specific campers, and I highly recommend this: Camping forums are full of people who have absolutely no idea about what camping with a trailer involves, much less how to choose one that´s best for them.
The hours I spent combing every forum I could find paid off hugely for us, and even though we had no experience towing or using a camper, all that information made our purchase and roll into camping seamless.
One result was that our Scout was even more perfectly suited to us than we´d imagined — that´s a result anyone would want!
Soon to follow: How we use our Aliner, and adaptations we´ve made.
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