Need your advice on Hi Lo Campers 2010

Hi there! We are completely new to the camper world... We have a 5 y/o son, and we'd like to start hitting the road a couple of times a year to show him the States. My husband and I are not from camper families, so the most adventurous for us growing up has been cabin camping on both coasts. As an adult, I started to tent camp and have loved it, but my husband is more of a cabin camping guy. I thought a camper is a good compromise.

I've done a lot of research, and it seems like a Hi Lo 19' or 23' is a good fit for us. I like the lower profile in towing that a pop up affords, and I also like that it's a full camper with very little set up unlike the traditional pop up. My main concern is that Hi Lo is out of business since 2010. How to you maintain the Hi Lo? Do you have problems with parts?

We are looking at a used 2010 Hi Lo 23'. It's in excellent condition per seller. Can someone share a link on what to inspect when buying used? Does anyone own at Hi Lo 23' that wouldn't mind sharing their experience with me? Towing, living in it, bathroom, kitchen, maintenance, etc... Thank you in advance for your time and sharing!

christiyen said:

Hi there! We are completely new to the camper world... We have a 5 y/o son, and we'd like to start hitting the road a couple of times a year to show him the States. My husband and I are not from camper families, so the most adventurous for us growing up has been cabin camping on both coasts. As an adult, I started to tent camp and have loved it, but my husband is more of a cabin camping guy. I thought a camper is a good compromise.

I've done a lot of research, and it seems like a Hi Lo 19' or 23' is a good fit for us. I like the lower profile in towing that a pop up affords, and I also like that it's a full camper with very little set up unlike the traditional pop up. My main concern is that Hi Lo is out of business since 2010. How to you maintain the Hi Lo? Do you have problems with parts?

We are looking at a used 2010 Hi Lo 23'. It's in excellent condition per seller. Can someone share a link on what to inspect when buying used? Does anyone own at Hi Lo 23' that wouldn't mind sharing their experience with me? Towing, living in it, bathroom, kitchen, maintenance, etc... Thank you in advance for your time and sharing!

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Welcome to the forum. Hi-Lo specific parts are available through a couple of sources. Many items are standard across the RV world.

Home - JR REPAIR

http://hilotrailerparts.webs.com/

Here's the checklist of the major things to look for.

This was taken from NDgent's post here on the forum. It is a great go-by list. You can do a search of thinking about buying and find his post to read it first hand.

Basically, start with the visual items –
1. Exterior
• Look for water stains and discoloration on inside walls and around ceiling anywhere vents, skylights, windows, etc. exist.
• Push and prod with your hand on the inside walls for soft spots (which could indicate a water leak and a damaged or rotten interior wall).
• Check for bubbles in the wallpaper (a sign of delimitation or water intrusion)
2. Interior cleanliness of the unit-
• Look for water stains and discoloration on inside walls and around ceiling anywhere vents, skylights, windows, etc. exist.
• Push and prod with your hand on the inside walls for soft spots (which could indicate a water leak and a damaged or rotten interior wall).
• Check for bubbles in the wallpaper (a sign of delimitation or water intrusion)
3. Test appliance functions –
• lights
• fans
• refrigerator
• air conditioner
• heater
• water pump
• range hood
• stovetop
• oven (if equipped)
• microwave (if equipped)
• stereo (if equipped)
4. Lift System-
• Does the unit raise and lower properly
• Check the lift system for hydraulic leaks (puddle under the trailer)
• Check the lift cables to see if they are in good shape and not frayed
• Check the seal between the upper and lower body halves for tears or damage
5. fill the tanks to the top and check for leaks
6. Battery
7. Solar Panel (if equipped)

Welcome to the forum.

I have a 1990 25ft. Classic and have had no problem getting parts from my HiLo dealer or J&R in Ohio. Midget repair is also in Ohio. Our forum members are very cost conscience and will search the internet for the best price. Their is a HiLo owners club in Texas. The most important starting point for you is to match your tow vehicle for the trailer wt. What is your tow vehicle? How much wt. can it tow?

Something to add to Sam's post is to get a weight distribution hitch. It will make towing the camper much easier and safer.

I purchased one by Eaz-Lift and it is very nice plus easy to use.

sam said:

I have a 1990 25ft. Classic and have had no problem getting parts from my HiLo dealer or J&R in Ohio. Midget repair is also in Ohio. Our forum members are very cost conscience and will search the internet for the best price. Their is a HiLo owners club in Texas. The most important starting point for you is to match your tow vehicle for the trailer wt. What is your tow vehicle? How much wt. can it tow?

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Thank you for all of your feedback!

RC... That's a long list but a great one!

Sam... We are in a market for a new car, so... I thought we'd find the right camper first then buy the tow vehicle. Ideally, I'd like the camper to be below 5500 lbs GWVR(?) since I'd don't want such a large camper. It would be nice to boondock next to a lake or on the beach. I'll look for the HiLo owners club in Texas. Thanks!

JT... I think this Hi Lo comes with a weight distribution hitch...

Have any of you gone boondocking with your Hi Lo? Do you have solar power? How long should I anticipate the water lasting for 3 people with a 23'? Thanks, again!

Hello, Christy -

We boondock all the time. I just installed two 100W solar panels on the roof of ours, but have not gone camping to test them yet - maybe next month! However, we have a 1000W Honda generator that we used to recharge the batteries in the trailer and it worked fine. I also replaced all the lighting with LEDs to reduce the electrical demand.

In our case fresh water IS the limiting factor. We don't try to be TOO economical, so it lasts us about 3+ days before we have to refill the tank. We use it for drinking and washing and have been out with 5 people at one time (three were in a tent). The number of people doesn't seem to have a huge effect on the water usage for some reason.

If you're camped where there's a toilet, you won't have problems filling the black water tank as long as you use the one at the campground, which we do. But, we find our grey water tank fills about as fast as the fresh water tank empties. So, you need some way to drain it (most campgrounds don't want you to just let it run on the ground). We use it to put out the campfire at night.

I agree totally with Sam's advice about the tow vehicle. You need more than a car, in my opinion. With a 23ft trailer, I would be looking at a truck in the F250 or 2500 class. Your trailer empty weight will be just under 5000# but it will easily go over that when it is loaded for camping. And, you will be taking additional things in your tow vehicle too, which adds to the weight.

It might sound a bit overwhelming, but it's all doable, and, a lot of fun!

- Jack

Welcome to the fourm! We have a 2310 HILO. Going on our 2nd yr of camping with it. Really enjoying it. Have been biomedicine with it,and as the above poster had stated, our water lasts about 3 days. The people here on the forum Have been a lot of help, a great group of people!

Don't forget that next year's Hi-Lo Rally will be held in Houston and hosted by the Texas Hi-Lo Campers.

http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/groups/texas-hilo-campers/

Hi Christiyen - My wife and I are new to camping also. We bought a 22ft. 1990 Hi-Lo last year and have taken three trips in it so far. We really like the camper. It tows easy, but then we are pulling it with a Chevy Silverado 1/2 ton pickup truck with factory towing package. Hi-Lo campers are heavier than others in the same size range because of the added weight of the lift mechanism. I would recommend you seriously consider investing in a full size pickup truck. The guy I bought my camper from towed it with a Dodge Dakota (mid-sized truck) and he felt that it was a bit overwhelmed, even though it had a V8 engine. He now tows a light weight 26 ft. trailer by another manufacturer with the same truck and says that it does much better, even though his new camper is larger than the Hi-Lo. - Rick

Thanks, Rick. You've given me a lot to think about. I was hoping not to have to buy a full size truck... midsized suv. I definitely don't want an undersized towing vehicle and risk ruining the engine...

Hi Christiyen!

We just bought a 2010 2310 Hi-Lo and could not be more in love! We tow with a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi with the FACTORY tow package (7200 lbs.) and weight distribution hitch. Our first trip was 800+ miles across Nevada and back through 9 mountain passes in excess of 6,000 ft elevation. The Jeep handled the trailer beautifully and has a very nice passenger cabin. We did two nights in an RV park and one night boon-docking. The Hi-Lo fit right in both places.

My brother recently bought a camper as well... a 26 ft. Hobbi toy hauler. He towed it to Maryland from Wyoming last month with his Jeep Grand Cherokee (Hemi V8 motor). He said the Jeep had plenty of power, but was physically just too small and light . Every time he passed a large truck he could feel the trailer pull the Jeep... scary sensation. While he was out east he traded the Jeep in on a full size Chevy pickup, and said the trip home to Wyoming was much more pleasant... could hardly tell the trailer was back there.

Glad to hear your trip report.

Glad to hear your maiden voyage went so well for you. It is half the battle when you have a correctly matched up tow vehicle and trailer. Many more great adventures.

That's scary! That's the great thing about the lower towing profile for sure. We had semis passing us in both directions at 70+ mph and felt nothing.

I'm glad to hear of your success towing the Hi-Lo with a Cherokee. The lower height of the trailer must have made the difference. My brother was originally looking for a Hi-Lo to tow with his Cherokee, but bought the Hobbi because he decided to haul a motorcycle when he travels.

Incidentally, I wrote the post about my brother's Cherokee before I saw your post about your experience, so there was no intent on my part to question your story. I'm very sorry if it appeared that way. - Rick

No offense taken Rick I don't blame him for upgrading his tow vehicle. I wouldn't want to tackle a 26' upright trailer with our JGC either (especially with our winds in Nevada). Out of curiosity I recently looked at some of the light duty ("half ton") trucks on CarMax and, surprisingly, many had a lower towing capacity than the Jeep because apparently, even on many trucks, a factory tow package is optional. In my humble opinion it's a must have if towing is ever even a possibility. It's one of the few new car options for which one actually gets their money's worth. And that is my soapbox pronouncement for the day Happy camping!

Just a quick thought, HiLo showers are not for large people. Other than that shortcoming, they are great.

Motobuffy, do you mean large as in "tall" or do you mean large as in "horizontally challenged?" One of the reasons I purchased the 25-foot Hi-Lo with the bathroom across the back was to have a larger shower pan than the TrailManor had. The TrailManor had a shower pan the size of a small kitchen sink! With two "quick dry" shower curtains sewn together and magnets inserted and sewn in the hem of the curtain, the shower is quite easy to use since I am only 5'5" in height. But for very tall people, the shower is a problem; their head would reach into the skylight.

Dee
Summerville, SC

Being tall is the obvious issue, not one I have to deal with. Compared to other camper showers I have used, they are narrower and shorter, due principally to the full plastic enclosure. I'm 5' 9'' and weigh 175. Turning around or bending over to retrieve dropped soap without touching the curtains is next to impossible for me. Not a deal breaker by any means for me, But for someone say 6' 2'' and approaching 250... Just wanting to point this out for the less experienced.