Shadow Cruiser

[topcat7736]

There's a guy at work who wanted to get lightweight trailer that could be towed with a car......but NOT a popup!  :eek: Wanted hard sides with all the ammenities. Since there's only his wife and him, they didn't need a lot of space inside.

He came in the other day & said he found something & showed me the brochure. The 13' model, fully loaded, comes in at just under $10k! Now, it might not be for everyone, but I thought it was worth a quick look. Shoot, it's only a few hundred pounds more than our Taos!

Shadow Cruiser

[birol]

The 16' model is beautiful ! If I had the money, I would definitely grab one !

There's a guy at work who wanted to get lightweight trailer that could be towed with a car......but NOT a popup!  :eek: Wanted hard sides with all the ammenities. Since there's only his wife and him, they didn't need a lot of space inside.

He came in the other day & said he found something & showed me the brochure. The 13' model, fully loaded, comes in at just under 10k! Now, it might not be for everyone, but I thought it was worth a quick look. Shoot, it's only a few hundred pounds more than our Taos!

Shadow Cruiser

[SactoCampers]

I did a lot of research on the shadow cruiser and there are two message boards dedicated to them. I liked the 16-foot model with the convertible dinette overhead bunk and two side bunks and closely considered it. However, after picking up my hybrid and realizing all of that stuff crammed into the same size trailer, I'm glad I have the expandable bunks at the same weight. Makes it feel more spacious. The Shadow Cruisers are definitely an option for those who don't want to deal with setting up canvas bunk ends. Sun Valley Inc. also makes similar models called the Roadrunners and XTreme Lite. Their website is Sunvalleyinc.com for anybody who is interested. Consensus among Shadow Cruiser owners is that they are better designed and built than the Road Runners, but I haven't seen either to comment. The main moderator of the shadow cruiser message board has a family of five and a big dog, and they all fit in the 16-footer. I think it would be claustrophobic for me, but he's in Colorado where it can get really cold even in the summer, so the hard sides were probably a necessity. He really likes his Shadow Cruiser. The 13-footer has loads of storage space since the entire rear of the trailer is closet space.

[birol]

I agree with you on the lack os space, a Hybrid offers a lot more space inside since beds do not oocpy that space. What I liked is, the one bed did not occupy space in the 16' version, it is a dinette, of course the bunk beds are another story. I like the idea of being able to sleep in a TT at a safe place while travelling without having to spend money at a CG or motel. Few, if any, hybrids of that size give the opportunity to sleep 4 without opening the bunks, which means a CG stop.

I did a lot of research on the shadow cruiser and there are two message boards dedicated to them. I liked the 16-foot model with the convertible dinette overhead bunk and two side bunks and closely considered it. However, after picking up my hybrid and realizing all of that stuff crammed into the same size trailer, I'm glad I have the expandable bunks at the same weight. Makes it feel more spacious. The Shadow Cruisers are definitely an option for those who don't want to deal with setting up canvas bunk ends. Sun Valley Inc. also makes similar models called the Roadrunners and XTreme Lite. Their website is Sunvalleyinc.com for anybody who is interested. Consensus among Shadow Cruiser owners is that they are better designed and built than the Road Runners, but I haven't seen either to comment. The main moderator of the shadow cruiser message board has a family of five and a big dog, and they all fit in the 16-footer. I think it would be claustrophobic for me, but he's in Colorado where it can get really cold even in the summer, so the hard sides were probably a necessity. He really likes his Shadow Cruiser. The 13-footer has loads of storage space since the entire rear of the trailer is closet space.

[SactoCampers]

Few, if any, hybrids of that size give the opportunity to sleep 4 without opening the bunks, which means a CG stop.

That's absolutely true, and the Shadow Cruiser 16 footer can sleep 5! If that's a main criterion for you, then the Shadow Cruiser or Sun Valley Roadrunner are the way to go. Only thing we can do is set up the dinetter as a queen and take the back mattress and put it on the floor to sleep 3, four in a squeeze. The RoadRunner is a bit wider, but also a bit heavier.

[jawilson]

Seems like a novel camper for sure, and they pretty much have a market segment unto themselves. But take a look at the specs -- they're only 7 feet wide. That's really cramped. :eek:

[mike4947]

Been in both the 13 & 16 foot models. in the 13 you have to go outside to change your mind. In either a second rainy day would be cause for homicide.

A nice option for those with agrophobia (fear of open spaces).
 
IMHO it's the "home like camping experiece" that the salepeople pushed, that draws folks to this kind of trailer.  They pushed the fact that everything was just like in your house. Again JMHO but I don't go camping to be in "my house" or in the case of these trailers my closet.

[B-flat]

It sounds like something that would be good for two people who spend most of their time outdoors during the day and just want to have a place to sleep at night or get out of the rain.  It would be perfect for people going to bluegrass festivals who want to be in the action all day and only need a place to sleep and eat.  The cost kinds of throws me off, though.

[SactoCampers]

Seems like a novel camper for sure, and they pretty much have a market segment unto themselves. But take a look at the specs -- they're only 7 feet wide. That's really cramped. :eek:

7-feet wide is the same as my Tracker popup and the Starcraft hybrid I just bought. So one doesn't sacrifice anything, they just don't gain anything. We weren't looking for more space, just more convenience, which is why we purchased our 17-footers. Many manufacturers have gone to 8-foot boxes, but I'm not sure about popups. Interesting thought though, an 8-foot wide popup.

[Gone-Camping]

I looked at a couple of these last year. Though they are small, it did seem like a nice little trailer. If someone wanted a camper and didn't want to deal with canvas, this could be a viable option. For me it's way too small, couldn't carry all my camping stuff unless I bought a bus or something to pull it with!

I don't remember what model I looked at, but the dinette was on the front, and had a bunk above it. The rear wall was all drawers & stuff, had a galley and a bathroom....and it was tiny!

[jawilson]

7-feet wide is the same as my Tracker popup and the Starcraft hybrid I just bought. So one doesn't sacrifice anything, they just don't gain anything.

Can't say we have the same opinion their. 7' wide is just too narrow for me. Being 6' 1" and about 200 lbs probably doesn't help either, but I have noticed that the sacrifices you need to make in order to create a camper that narrow are just not something I would want to accept.

I can see where the 13' unit might be okay with that -- because 8' wide with such a short length might be a little awkward looking -- but the 16' units should have a wider frame.