We're thinking of upgrading from our molded-fiberglass Casita trailer, and are intrigued by the inTech line of 'Sol' campers, particularly the Sol Horizon.

I'm in touch with owners in a Facebook Group, but wondered if anyone here has had experience with inTech products, especially their travel trailers.

/Mr Lynn

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On the river in Saxonville.

Like people here even go outside. Puh-leeze.

Looks very nice and sunny inside! Two possible concerns: sliding windows may need to be closed in the rain, forward slant of front end may be tough on mpg. Sorry to criticize!

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Ammo
Looks very nice and sunny inside! Two possible concerns: sliding windows may need to be closed in the rain, forward slant of front end may be tough on mpg. Sorry to criticize!

No need to apologize: Those are both pertinent observations.

Most comparable campers these days use sliding windows. We would like jalousies, which open out and deflect the rain, but they are hard to find. Some are beginning to adopt 'European-style' awning-type one-piece acrylic windows, but inTech hasn't yet.

I have no idea about mpg. The forward slant is more streamlined than many trailers with essentially flat fronts. I asked if anyone had done comparisons on the FB Group.

/Mr Lynn

Not here, we have a Crossroads Zinger.

Just looking at their home page, unless you are used to living in a NYC efficiency apartment with a toddler there is no way in heck you are going to want 2 adults and a kiddo in a travel trailer that small. That is a made for two trailer, and I hope you are skinny like the models.

We have a 29' TT and it is the two of us, both larger/taller and a 8 year old. It is just the right size, we had one of her friends come with us and it was also comfortable with 2 kids. There is no way I would go smaller though.

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C(-)ris
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/14/2021 03:44PM by C(-)ris.

C(-)ris, it's just the two of us; kids all grown and gone. Our 17' Casita is even smaller, so a modest expansion is all we need. I'd stay in the molded-fiberglass world (no leaks, no delamination), but the larger options are very expensive with long waits. inTech has a reputation for quality, and builds on an all-welded-aluminum chassis and box, which they claim makes for greater structural integrity than the big RV-company products.

We visited a couple who have a Sol Horizon and travel with two teenagers and a dog, who all sleep on the dinette bed.

/Mr Lynn



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/14/2021 04:35PM by mrlynn.

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mrlynn
C(-)ris, it's just the two of us; kids all grown and gone. Our 17' Casita is even smaller, so a modest expansion is all we need. I'd stay in the molded-fiberglass world (no leaks, no delamination), but the larger options are very expensive with long waits. inTech has a reputation for quality, and builds on an all-welded-aluminum chassis and box, which they claim makes for greater structural integrity than the big RV-company products.

We visited a couple who have a Sol Horizon and travel with two teenagers and a dog, who all sleep on the dinette bed.

/Mr Lynn

Sounds like you know exactly what you are looking for. If you are in a warmer year round camping climate, I would go drive around some of the larger campgrounds and see if you can find any of the model you are looking at and talk to the campers. Most people are more than willing to brag about their unit and give some honest feedback.

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C(-)ris
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C(-)ris

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mrlynn
C(-)ris, it's just the two of us; kids all grown and gone. Our 17' Casita is even smaller, so a modest expansion is all we need. I'd stay in the molded-fiberglass world (no leaks, no delamination), but the larger options are very expensive with long waits. inTech has a reputation for quality, and builds on an all-welded-aluminum chassis and box, which they claim makes for greater structural integrity than the big RV-company products.

We visited a couple who have a Sol Horizon and travel with two teenagers and a dog, who all sleep on the dinette bed.

/Mr Lynn

Sounds like you know exactly what you are looking for. If you are in a warmer year round camping climate, I would go drive around some of the larger campgrounds and see if you can find any of the model you are looking at and talk to the campers. Most people are more than willing to brag about their unit and give some honest feedback.

There is also a GIGANTIC world of youtube videos for this kinda stuff. There are lots of people showing their InTech trailers: [www.youtube.com]

That's definitely an upgrade from the Casita size-wise, and a big step up in modernization.

You may remember that we also had a Casita. I liked the overall size, but I ended up feeling somewhat claustrophobic inside of the trailer as it was just a bit tight and only one small door. I also wasn't super happy towing a trailer around some places, and my wife was not comfortable towing at all. We passed the trailer onto my son and we bought a Class B camper van.

I know, a Class B van is even a smaller space than the Casita. But because you can open the sliding door all of the way or open both back doors when you're parked by the lake or ocean, I don't get that feeling of claustrophobia. It's also easy to drive, easy to park and my wife can drive too.

The good things I see about the InTech model you showed is the aluminum frame construction, which theoretically is more long lasting than traditional stick built motorhomes. Will the seams between the panels be as waterproof as the Casita shell is the question. Maybe a InTech specific forum might have that feedback.

I like the big window in front with the dinette, but I wish it were reversed. I want the table with that big window at the back so you can back up to the lake and see that view rather than the back of your truck. But if you disconnect the tow vehicle for a longer stay, that resolves that issue.

If I were going back to a trailer, i would definitely consider that one.

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA

I started RVing with a new, 2010 17' Casita Spirit Deluxe Travel Trailer that I picked up at the factory. It was a GREAT way to get started RVing (and headed right out to the Burning Man event in NV before returning to NY)!

I have not seen an InTech product so, I can't give any advice about it. It looks very similar to the Casita (maybe with a bigger bed). How would it be an upgrade from the Casita you now own?

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hal

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C(-)ris


Sounds like you know exactly what you are looking for. If you are in a warmer year round camping climate, I would go drive around some of the larger campgrounds and see if you can find any of the model you are looking at and talk to the campers. Most people are more than willing to brag about their unit and give some honest feedback.

There is also a GIGANTIC world of youtube videos for this kinda stuff. There are lots of people showing their InTech trailers: [www.youtube.com]

I think I've seen most of the walk-through videos. The Sol line is pretty new (since 2018, I think), so there aren't a lot of real reviews (there are a couple). I know there are some RV types here (like C(-hris), so I just wondered whether any had experience with inTech, a company that was entirely new to me (but not, apparently, in the teardrop, toy-hauler, and car-carrying worlds). A member of the Fiberglass RV Forum recommended the inTech travel trailers to me.

/Mr Lynn



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/14/2021 06:40PM by mrlynn.

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Markintosh
That's definitely an upgrade from the Casita size-wise, and a big step up in modernization.

You may remember that we also had a Casita. I liked the overall size, but I ended up feeling somewhat claustrophobic inside of the trailer as it was just a bit tight and only one small door. I also wasn't super happy towing a trailer around some places, and my wife was not comfortable towing at all. We passed the trailer onto my son and we bought a Class B camper van.

I know, a Class B van is even a smaller space than the Casita. But because you can open the sliding door all of the way or open both back doors when you're parked by the lake or ocean, I don't get that feeling of claustrophobia. It's also easy to drive, easy to park and my wife can drive too.

The good things I see about the InTech model you showed is the aluminum frame construction, which theoretically is more long lasting than traditional stick built motorhomes. Will the seams between the panels be as waterproof as the Casita shell is the question. Maybe a InTech specific forum might have that feedback.

I like the big window in front with the dinette, but I wish it were reversed. I want the table with that big window at the back so you can back up to the lake and see that view rather than the back of your truck. But if you disconnect the tow vehicle for a longer stay, that resolves that issue.

If I were going back to a trailer, i would definitely consider that one.

Mark, towing is a potential issue for us, too. I'm not getting younger, and I'm in charge of towing, so I worry that if I get disabled it would be more than my wife would want to handle. We have also talked about Class B or C motor homes. The Class Bs look too small, as you say, even compared to a Casita, and the Class Cs are serious money for a truck that might end sitting much the time (which can't really be good for them). I guess that's an argument for spending a lot of time on the road, but really, I'm a homebody, and enjoy my home office and my 27" screens.

Anyway, we're back to thinking of updating our trailer, and as I mentioned, molded-fiberglass updates (like Escapes) are in very short supply right now (e.g. Summer 2023 delivery times). So the inTech Sol Horizon looks appealing, and though not cheap, we can make up much of the cost by selling our Casita.

I agree that the big dinette and window might be better in the back, but it is nice by the front (and only) door.

/Mr Lynn

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testcase
I started RVing with a new, 2010 17' Casita Spirit Deluxe Travel Trailer that I picked up at the factory. It was a GREAT way to get started RVing (and headed right out to the Burning Man event in NV before returning to NY)!

I have not seen an InTech product so, I can't give any advice about it. It looks very similar to the Casita (maybe with a bigger bed). How would it be an upgrade from the Casita you now own?

[testcase, I responded, but apparently deleted it by mistake; repeating. . .]

Basically, we want a little more room, and the option of separate beds. The Sol Horizon, like the Casita, has an 'East-West' bed, which means middle-of-the-night crawl-overs, but it has a much bigger dinette/bed combo. The Casita Spirit's dinette is on the side, and is only 24" wide. We widened it with plywood and foam inserts at bed setup to 28", but I find that too narrow as well. The Sol Horizon has a huge, U-shaped dinette, which makes into a 50x80" bed. I could work at the table after my wife's gone to sleep, and then convert it to a bed, and still have lots of room.

The Sol Horizon is only two feet longer than the Casita (19' vs 17' overall), and no wider (7' except for wheels that stick out). inTech makes a larger Terra Oasis, which is the same basic layout, but 26' by 8' wide, has a 'North-South' walk-around bed, dry bath, and even larger dinette. It's pushing 5,000 lbs dry weight, 7,500 GVWR, which our 2013 Ford Expedition could probably tow all right, but it's more of a challenge, and much more expensive (starting at $62k). So at this point, we're thinking the Horizon might be upgrade enough.

PS Interesting that there are (or were) three Casita owners on this Forum: you, me, and (formerly) Markintosh.

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mrlynn
PS Interesting that there are (or were) three Casita owners on this Forum: you, me, and (formerly) Markintosh.

One niche market meets another niche market

I also used to own a Miata and somebody else from here was also on the Miata forum...

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA