Is the Highway Deluxe “America’s Best Budget Family-Ready Travel Trailer!?” Be the Judge
4 min read
Every once in a while, I encounter a camper that I just can’t help but bring to light. Well, that’s precisely the case with Hiker Trailers’ Highway Deluxe, a little bedroom on wheels that’s causing quite a stir with its price tag.
First and foremost, allow me to point out a thing or two about the minds and hands responsible for the Highway Deluxe (HD): Hiker Trailers. Now, this is a crew we’ve talked about before, and since they’ve been in this industry for over a decade, clearly, they’re doing something right; according to their website, they’ve crafted over 4,000 campers for Americans.
Photo: Hiker Trailers
Well, one of those “done right” things is the HD, so let’s take a trip into a life lived out of one of these babies. All that starts off with you picking up the phone, getting ahold of Hiker, and going through the steps of creating your dream unit. That’s because Hiker creates each camper to a future owner’s tastes—”bespoke” units, they call them.
This means that no two HDs or any other unit from Hiker are alike. Sure, they may look similar, but each one is as unique as the people owning them. Oh, and as an idea, Hiker claims that the average completed unit – the 5×8-footer – typically falls short of the $10,000 mark. While that number is based on data compiled back in 2022, a complete HD should still hover around $10K, give or take a couple hundred, maybe thousands extra.
Let’s say you dropped the $10K, waited for your unit to be completed, and have just hooked it up to your truck or 4×4. Overall, you’ll be towing along a unit with an average build weight of up to 1,300 lbs, and boasting a GVWR of 1,900 lbs. A 2,000 lb leaf-spring suspension with a straight axle sits at the base of the action.
Photo: Hiker Trailers
From there, Hiker builds up the chassis with in-house welded steel, which carries your home on wheels. Oh, that shell you see, like most other teardrop campers, is crafted using a blend of wood, insulation, and aluminum. Waterproofing is also part of the process, and the construction process is one that does require tons of elbow grease; it’s put together by hand.
Now, a standard model doesn’t have a whole lot to it; even the galley includes just a couple of shelves, but it is prepped beyond belief to handle all the gear you need for off-grid trips. This galley hides behind that rear door, which, unlike traditional teardrops—we can say that Hiker doesn’t make teardrops, but they kind of are—opens to the side rather than vertically. One neat trick the galley has up its sleeve is that it has a pass-through to the cabin.
Continuing with the exterior, stand-on fenders, a manual roof vent, and stabilizer jacks are in place, but by the looks of things, we can add a roof rack for kayaks, a cargo bay, or maybe even a roof-top tent. If the latter is possible, then we may just have ourselves what can be considered “America’s best budget Family-ready travel trailer.” Be sure to bounce your ideas with Hiker and go from there; extra cash will clearly be needed.
Photo: Hiker Trailers
But, bringing the family along in an HD is sure to require more gear, and that’s always going to cost extra, especially if you’re looking at the larger appliances the market offers – fridges and cooktops – and let’s not forget about solar power, a must if you’re traveling with a small battery array or plan on boondocking for as long as you can stand your own bodily aromas. With an awning and a tent annex, you can whip up a full-blown campsite just about anywhere you can flat ground.
One thing I noticed about the HD’s product page is that the manufacturer showcases this unit in landscapes ranging from dry and dusty deserts to snow-capped mountains, but you’ll clearly need to look into a heater and AC if you want to have the possibility of camping year-round; by the looks of things, Hiker gives us a solid base to work with.
Regarding the interior, you won’t be able to find many images on the manufacturer’s social media pages, and that makes sense; not everyone wants you to see the inside of their home. However, the few images we did find reveal a raw look with wooden paneling. After all, how much did you expect for $6,000? But, once again, it’s a beautiful canvas upon which to paint your off-grid dreams. Grab your significant other and make some memories.
link
