When I was growing up our family tent camped. Then My mother bought a truck camper for my dads 1/2 ton truck. She didn't ask my dad. I now realize that with seven of us in the family we were severely over loaded. Two of us slept in a pup tent. Second trip out to thousands islands my dad stopped at sears and bought camper insurance. Dad was pulling into a curbside park and ripped the corner of the camper out. We finished our trip. Then my dad parked it in the yard and let it rot. Many stopped and wanted to buy it. Moral of the story is don't buy an RV unless both parties are in agreement. I also extensively tent camped with the Girl Scouts. My young body could sleep just about anywhere. We got married in 1982. DH never camped a day in his life. We bought a 1966 Apache popup from his brother for $250.00. We had a 1/2 ton pick up truck. The trailer had 1 inch mattress on each bed end. Thought we died and went to heaven with one electrical outlet in the Apache. The add on screen room was full of broken zippers,but it had a rubber floor. My sister worked at a awning/canvas shop and was able to go in evenings and days off to repair it all with Velcro. It served us well for a number of years. The rubber room still got wet on the floor when it rained hard. This is when I realized it was a good idea to pack everything in plastic bins. I passed this along to my sisters family and they used it for a number of years until the canvas fell apart. It is still used as a utility trailer on their country property. Bought a beautiful Palomino hardside camper with canvas bedends. It was used but the 90 yr. old owner had chest pains setting it up. Certainly an upgrade with cupboards and a built in Ref. We used this for 5or 6 years. DH plumbed in a propane heater. Got tired of setting it up and the dripping condensation on our faces when the heater was used. My sister's family still has it and it is in excellent shape. Then we got the HiLo. Fell in love with the interior colors and layout. It is a breeze to tow with our F250. Still taking care of it so it will last many more years. Joined our HiLove NY HiLo owners club and have made many life long friends and memories.

Started camping in 1987 when the wife said she would like to go camping. I told her no way I was sleeping on the ground in a tent so we bought a 1984 Rockwood popup with a 6 ft box and towed it with a 1987 Mazda pickup with the 2 litre engine. Found a 1999 Aliner in 2001 bought it to get away from wet canvas. Towed the Aliner for many years with a 1990 Toyota pickup V6 which we still own. Two years ago found a deal I couldn't refuse on this site for a 1996 24' Hi-Lo Classic and did some rebuilding to make it usable and we now tow that with a 2006 Toyota Tundra V8. We still have the Aliner but haven't used it since we got the Hi-Lo, of course we haven't been able to use the Hi-Lo much either.

__________________
Cheers
Garyk52
DW Judy

96 24' Hi-Lo Funchaser, (99 Aliner Sofabed Sold 6/9/18)
06 Toyota Tundra SR5 Access Cab 4X4 36,000 miles and counting

Very nice, there's always a joker in the house!

__________________
2016 Toyota tacoma TRD sport
Classic 2693 RD
Luke 1:49

My son and I started tent camping in the late 70’s and when I remarried in the mid 80’s my wife and I continued tent camping until 1995, when we bought a used 16ft 1985 Estrelle hard top, hard side, fold up camper, using a 1994 Toyota 4 Runner as a TV. In the late 90’s I tried to buy a Hi Low, but the dealer would not sell to me since I did not have the proper TV! I am thankful he was so honest about the pending sell. In 2009 we bought a 1999 21T Tow Lite and in January of this year it was replaced with a 2705T Tow Lite. In those 14 years I had never considered anything other than the Estrelle or Hi-Low/ Tow Lite.

Camped many many years in tents or the back of a pickup with a topper. Few years ago I "bought" an older class C Winnebago which my dad wanted but didn't want to tell his wife he was buying so he gave me the money, I "bought it" and titled it and then lent it to him. The t hing rattled and scared me on the highway but it did have a nice old eight track in it. When he passed away we sold it and I bought a slide-in pop-up truck camper and a 97 f150 which was mildly undersized for the camper but I made it work with some upgrades including air-bags. The f-150 was my daily driver. We did one of the nicest trips ever in Colorado one summer where I hit national forest roads and campgrounds and didn't come off them for two weeks-----However the set-up was cramped for gear and I was always worried about the limits of the truck----suspension and brakes. Went back to a large tent and expensive cots but my wife had back and shoulder surgery and the cots were not working for her. Started looking for a vintage Airstream but was always enamored with the hi-lo concept especially after experiencing the high gravity of the C class and truck camper. Hi-lo was much less exspensive and work than a vintage Airstream and we like it A LOT. Nice size- and with the newer truck I forget its back there sometime. I don't think I would like a taller trailer nor a tent camper due to a number of reasons. Rick

__________________
2201 TL

2010 Nissan Titan king cab SE
4x4

hi im mike ! my wife to be and i just bought an 84 fun chaser hi-lo. ive been looking for a couple years for a camper and i couldnt stand the fact id be dragging a roof top over the top of the truck with a standard camper. so we looked for anhi-lo and i got lucky the one i got was set up for three years and it finally came up for sale. so i bought it. i dont think id ever buy a standard camper. hi-los are a very simple yet versital design and i look forward to the outtingwe will have in our first camper.

Hi Mike! Welcome to the forum. If you have questions there are numerous members that have years of experience with Hi Lows and a number of them have completed or in the process of complete restorations on their "babies".

__________________
Fantastic Wife
2005 Toyota Tundra V-8 4.7L
2705T Tow Lite
1999 21T Tow Lite

If I couldn't have a HiLo I wouldn't mind having one of these:

__________________
Greg
2004 4x4 Chevy Tahoe
Former owner of a 2407T

My wife and I have read almost every post here and had lots of laughs. (Beverly Hills or bust) They all brought back memories. We're a little older than most of you, but our comfort needs are still the same. We're not sleeping on the hard ground! We're at the Ponderosa Sun Club in Indiana right now, sitting around the pool having a couple cold ones. I better get the charcoal fired up.....

__________________
Jim in Memphis
Wife of 45 years is Brenda
Recently sold our 1997 24' Classic
2014 Ford F-350 6.7 Diesel Crew Cab

@luckydog671

...then here is a VW upgrade with a HI-LO horizontal twist.




Rick

__________________
2201 TL

2010 Nissan Titan king cab SE
4x4

Very clever- I like it! Is it called an IN-Out?

__________________
Greg
2004 4x4 Chevy Tahoe
Former owner of a 2407T

I used to live 6 months a year in a 1972 VW camper bus. The ultimate camper.
Had several TT during the 80/90's.
Went back to tent camping, but hated to fight the weather. I have done 4 weeks in Florida spring weather in a tent (not fun).

In 2011 I bought a vintage(old) 1985 funchaser. Since then it has traveled Nevada to Florida for a 3 month trip, and this year we did a 2.5 month, western states 8k+ mile trip.
I have repaired all of the funchaser, electrical, appliances, lift system, etc. I feel comfortable in taking my old hi-lo anywhere.

My TV is also old, 1997 toyota t-100 with 214k miles. The toyota while loaded and towing gets 14mpg-17mpg while on flat ground and no wind, down to 11 mpg in mntns or high wind. Tows like its not there.
Reminded me of driving the VW over the mntns. Find the right gear and keep the rpm in a good place. It has pulled everything I have aimed it at.

While traveling this year we were camped in a rv park and I had the oldest trlr in the park, and had the least issues after several discussions with other campers. Parked next to mine was a new 2013 ? with 5 slide outs. His slide outs had more sq footage than my entire trlr. (never did see his TV).

While on our trip this year I did see a Trailmanor(?), in Escalante NP, and a newer Hi-lo on the road in S Dakota.

__________________
2002 ford f350, 7.3 diesel
1985 hi-lo funchaser
kb0nai
kd7ctk