We were lucky enough to have a great salesperson to work with when we bought our camper. (That´s not something you´ll probably hear every day!) She was super helpful, and did everything she could to get these newbies on the right track.This post is more of a list than an article (and it´s short on photos!), but it may be helpful, all the same.
The tip our salesperson was most adamant about was this one:
Never Use the Top Lock on the Aliner Door
Our helpful salesperson told us to NEVER use the upper lock on our Aliner door. She claimed that they always fail, which anecdotal evidence seems to validate.
Strange, no? But there´s a lot of evidence all over the internet suggesting that the top lock is not your friend. At least one of us is absent-minded, so I covered the forbidden lock with duct tape.
Photo of the exterior handle of an Aliner Scout, with a key in the lock.
A second keyhole, to the upper left, is covered with black duct tape.
Which, oddly, did not prevent some unthinking person from trying to remove the tape when the Aliner was in the shop getting the a/c removed. (Why, oh why??) But it does keep us out, which turns out to be what matters.
Replacement locks can be had, but why not avoid the whole issue? This has worked a treat, and we´ve had no trouble with either lock as a result.
Brake Controller
Based on huge numbers of reviews, all camper trailer brake controllers seem to be mostly clumsy, no matter how much they cost, but if your Aliner has brakes, you´ll need one. A dealer will try to convince you to install a Buetooth controller because it´s fast and easy to put in and doesn´t require hard-wiring.
You might want to think twice about that. Bluetooth is notoriously finicky, and unless you plan to exclusively camp in urban areas, you are likely to be dealing with frequent dropouts. Brakes are your friends; you probably want to know that you can always rely on them. Hard-wiring is your best bet here, by far; if you are towing, and your trailer is following, your hardwired brake controller will work for you!
The dealer will explain that you can move a Bluetooth controller from one tow vehicle to another easily. This is true, but how often do you plan to change your tow vehicle? Unless that´s going to be an annual event, this isn´t much of an argument.
Sway Bar
Our 2025 Aliner Scout came with one. It´s fantastic; we can´t feel the camper behind us at all. The trailer follows beautifully!
Crucial note, though: You can destroy your hook up if you back up with the sway bar in place. We have a note on the dash of our tow vehicle reminding us that the first thing we do on-site is to Remove The Sway Bar. Arrival fatigue is real; precautions are good.
Coupler Lock
It´s possible to steal anything, but putting an obstacle in the way isn´t a bad idea. We use a lock on the trailer coupler, also, because, why not?
Photo of a sliver and black lock meant
to be fitted over a hitch ball.
We used one like this one at first, but it´s a bit clumsy, heavy, and I was always afraid
I´d break my foot one day by dropping it, since the body falls as soon as it´s unlocked. And the protective key hole cover wouldn´t stay in place, so it was potentially vulnerable to water incursion. (Addressed with our bucket.) Still, if it works for you, it´s probably fine.
We saw a different type at the dealer who covered the hole left by removing our air conditioner, and liked it a lot better. It´s like a collar, and is (theoretically) a lot more difficult to remove by force. And it has no separate parts to drop on feet.
Unfortunately, It´s not available anymore in the USA, but there are others to choose from if you want to add this particular bit of deterrence.
Buckets
Hardware rusts. We put buckets over our crank, ball, and lock, against rain. It´s easy; why not?
Photo of two red plastic buckets bungeed
around a hitch yoke, theoretically (and mostly)
keeping water off the rotating handle and the hitch lock.
We bought our Scout from Sherri Naill at Beckley´s in Thurmont, Maryland. Sherri really listened, and paid attention to what we wanted, instead of trying to sell us more camper than we wanted, or one with features we preferred to decline. That was invaluable!
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