4 Great Stick-and-Tin Trailers for Weekend Warriors
RVs come in all forms with something for everybody, and today we’re looking at 4 affordable travel trailers that are a great choice for weekend warriors. For those looking for great value but also some really usable features here are four ideas in the “stick and tin” build. What is stick and tin? Essentially, they’re aluminum-skinned with wood frame construction and is the most traditional form of RV construction. There’s more about how an RV is built here.
Cherokee Wolf Pup 17SC
23’ 10” L • 4,164 pounds • MSRP $40,360
One of the most popular brands of RV in the industry is Forest River’s Cherokee division. The company is known for adding useful features to their offerings such as inverters and even a back-up camera among other things that belie the more affordable price tag. Specifically, the Wolf Pup 17SC is a couples’ camper and a smaller one at that with a single camp-side slide that has a sofa.
The kitchen spans the rear of the trailer, and there is a dining bar on the camp side under a larger window giving this smaller trailer a more spacious feel. There’s also a bunch of totes under the dining bar, so storage is pretty surprisingly good. Something I really liked about this model is that the bathroom splits the unit in half so if you and your partner are on different sleep schedules you have a decently spacious bathroom to keep sounds from waking someone up.
That bathroom, the entire width of the trailer, also has good space in the shower and for all other functions you might need in there. Lastly, despite being a smaller single-axle trailer this one features a walk-around RV queen-sized bed. I mentioned the inverter and the one included here is smaller but at the side of the bed so it would be able to operate a CPAP.
You can find a full written and video review of the Cherokee Wolf Pup 17SC here.
Grand Design RV Transcend 325BHT
37’ 3” • 8,672 pounds • MSRP $58,035
In the company’s Transcend line, Grand Design has taken a different look at stick-and-tin trailers and is building them differently – and better than most. The company is using a mylar tape on the corners to help eliminate leaks from the start. There are then two layers of PVC foam applied and a final silicone cap seal. Keeping water out in the first place is one of the most important ways to extend the life of any RV.
Grand Design has upped their warranty, boosting their frame warranty on towable RVs to five years. There is also a three-year structural warranty and a one-year base warranty. This is a longer warranty period than most RV companies offer plus it’s transferrable, which is significant.
The better build of the corners along with thicker aluminum on the skin can help a trailer like this last longer with proper care. I was also very happy to see that the plumbing did not feature PEX clamps on flexible hoses, which is very common in the RV industry. Instead, all the fixtures were plumbed with higher-quality components.
We got a chance to spend time with the Grand Design RV Transcend 325BHT, a large bunk model, and like things like the separate rear bunk room and outdoor kitchen. There is also a big main living space, and the parents are at one end of the trailer, and the rest of the sleeping space is at the other providing good separation.
Salem-Wildwood Cruise Lite 25ICE
9’ 10” • 6,178 pounds • $47,757
Someone at Forest River’s Salem and Wildwood twins must have suddenly woken up with an interior designer’s eye as the company is making some of the most stand-out interior designs on their models. In many cases stick-and-tin trailers are the most affordable and really feel that way. In the case of these it’s quite the opposite.
Like all brands, the Salem/Wildwood line is available in a variety of floor plans, and I had a chance to look at the Salem Cruise Lite 25ICE model recently. There was a lot to like here, but two things really stood out. One of those was the VersaLounge, a long couch-like surface and then two opposing benches.
There’s a cushion assembly that can be slotted between the longer couch and one of the benches in various positions, which makes the design modular. You could create a day bed or a couch or dinette seating or just leave the cushion assembly off and create an extra-long bed. If you drop the table down, you can make a bed or just flat surface that spans the entire width of the slide room. Forgive the pun, but it truly is a versatile piece of RV furniture that can accommodate a number of use cases.
There’s also what the company calls the VersaTilt on the bed which raises the head of the bed with a power lift mechanism. This accomplishes two things – it makes the bed a better place for reading things like RVTrader but also increases the open space at the foot of the bed.
Sunset Park Retro Cha Cha 186
23’ • 3,380 pounds • $31,544 (est)
If you’re looking for a camper that won’t get lost in the crowd, Sunset Park’s Retro line of rigs is certainly a way to do so. The company, founded by two brothers in a pole barn, now makes a number of lines of trailers including having taken over the Retro brand. These models offer the look and feel of a vintage trailer but are built with modern amenities like air conditioners, furnaces and polycarbonate windows. Yet many of their floor plans are a nod to the designs that were in production decades ago.
One that I looked at in particular was the Sunset Park Retro Cha Cha 186. This trailer is a single-axle no-slide model that features a jackknife sofa and a dinette. Measuring just 23’ in overall length, there is a surprising amount of kitchen counter space and half a dozen drawers under the east-west bed in the front.
There are currently four offerings in Sunset Park’s Retro line which offer a refreshing look and feel while being more affordable stick-and-tin trailers.
I wrote a full review with video of the Sunset Park Retro Cha Cha 186 here.
Tony Barthel