Competition for Bambi or Basecamp???

[Road Ruler]

ALTO - Safari Condo

Interesting.. Total weight under 3,000lbs
Aerodynamic, easy tow
Many windows

[Denis4x4]

Looked at a similar unit called a Kombi at a dealer here in Durango. Very high tech and attractive to the eye. Quality looked good at first glance. Big sales pitch was aero-dynamic shape that's easy to pull with a vehicle capable of better than average gas mileage. Nice TV!

[bobfowler]

Any idea of price?

[rhoward]

pretty cool looking. i googled Kombi with no luck.

[Road Ruler]

Bob, I quickly looked online but couldn't find any pricing info. I just sent an email to the company requesting pricing. Will see what comes back.

[Fyrzowt]

A nice upgrade from a tent trailer perhaps, but it would still be a fair weather trailer. It will be interesting to see where the price is related to the T@B or it's bigger sister/brother.
Dave

[urbanfood]

i don't see any competition there. it's kind of ugly. the rear looks like that ugly pontiac van that came out a couple of years ago, can't think of the name at the moment, very boxy rear end. i'd go for the t@b before this thing, BUT i really wouldn't go for either and simply go for an airstream

[InsideOut]

I think it's going for a different market than Bambi or Base Camp...

I'd see it as direct competition for T@B or any tent trailer! I think it's acutally pretty cute (when comparing to a tent trailer) and it looks like it's tall enough to stand up in when opened, unlike the T@B if you are nearing 6'.

Now, whether it can really pulled by that little sports car...that's a whole different issue!

Shari

[crazylev]

Wow.

A tear drop pop-up!!! Has a nice clean euro kinda look. This looks like a really neat thing to get into if you want to go from tent camping to something modest that's enclosed and has some amenities of a regular TT.

It even has a little pooper in the closet. Not sure I would want my tuxedo hanging in there though.

Jonathan

[Cracker]

Is this U.S. made - or a European import? Those small tires would sure rattle things around on poor quality roads. Aside from that, I think that it's a neat looking package - but I seriously doubt any notable achievement in aerodynamics between the open and closed version. In other words, I think that it would be just as aerodynamic, or only marginally different, if built in the "open" configuration. At normal highway speeds I doubt if you would see much difference in fuel usage. Also, it appears that it might fit in the average garage even when open. If not, that could be a significant advantage to the "pop-up" top.

[InsideOut]

It looks like it's a Canadian company ~

Originally Posted by Cracker

I think that it would be just as aerodynamic, or only marginally different, if built in the "open" configuration.

But it would likely add weight as the "windows" would have more than just screen material as it is now. They would have to include glass & additional structural supports...

Shari

[Tim A.]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

It looks like it's a Canadian company ~But it would likely add weight as the "windows" would have more than just screen material as it is now. They would have to include glass & additional structural supports...

Shari :flowers;

If you look closely at the pictures, the side windows, at least, are solid, not screen. They slide down inside when the clamshell is closed, so sealing against leakage when up might be interesting.

[InsideOut]

Hmmm...interesting, I didn't look that closely ~

Shari

[jimmickle]

I found their web site. ALTO - Safari Condo It appears that is european. (no CSA model yet) Nice layout inside. No price on the site tho. Vey light at 1360 # empty. 2002 GVW, so not much room for options and cargo. Just low enough to go in a garage folded w/o A/C.

[05ModPod]

I think that is a really cool set up....very innovative - and love those windows - real architecture in a trailer - what a novel idea

You could even turn the lou into a sauna fat reducing unit -

and the sink and cook top are the innovative European design - that Airstream is now using in their Sport Safari models (if I am not mistaken)

Do that up in Airstream Aluminum and I would buy that over a Base-camp - and for the gas money these days - I would buy it over a sport model - which has serious GVW - issues ( nice price - but buy the time you correct the weight issues there is no savings refering to the Safari sport models that is )

hmmmm don't kid yourself folks - every RV put on the road is competition to the RV market -airstream or no airstream....

But once into Airstreams - it is hard to get out

[crazylev]

First of all I would like to thank you for the interest you have shown towards our products, more specifically towards our latest creation, the Alto. Due to the constant increase of gas prices and the social responsibility of each person to save on non-renewable fossil fuels we wanted to create an ultra light travel trailer with the lowest possible drag ratio. A trailer that met these two criterions could then be towed by a vehicle with a smaller engine. Furthermore, in keeping with our respectful approach to environmental issues, we wanted to choose construction materials that would not only be very light, but also recyclable as much as possible.

The Alto is therefore mostly built of aluminium and honeycomb material. The shape of the latter is mainly made out of recyclable plastic. The honeycomb shape adds rigidity to the structure while remaining extremely light. It also provides insulation because it creates a pocket of air between the exterior and interior walls. The aluminium is used to make the walls, cabinets, the entire chassis and frame, the propane tank and the wheels. We have opted for a "sandwich" construction, where we put our honeycomb material in between two sheets of aluminium.

Lightness was not enough to make the Alto as easy to tow as we wanted our travel trailer to be. Even with its unloaded weight of 1,360 lbs, it had to glide through the air like a plane’s wing to offer as little resistance as possible. Regardless, we still wanted it to offer a highly comfortable interior space. We therefore equipped the Alto with a mobile roof which gives a roomy 82" (2,08m) interior height when the top is opened. The tests that were done in a virtual wind tunnel revealed that when the roof is closed the Alto produces 75% less aerodynamic drag than a conventional 16’ travel trailer. Moreover, with its height of 83"(2,10m) it can be stored easily, as it can fit through a standard 7’ garage door. The roof is opened simply with the touch of a button thanks to two electric cylinders.

The development of the Alto began early in 2006 and the first units should be delivered in the spring of 2008. Road tests have been done over the summer and will continue until Christmas. You will be able to access all the latest news by visiting our website. The Alto that was presented at the Montréal RV Show at the Olympic Stadium on March 8th was a prototype. It is currently the only one of its kind. In the months to come we will refine our production methods, make final decisions on the materials and set up our assembly line. The Alto will be built in a new plant across the street from the one where we have been building our Safari Condo’s for almost 10 years now. During the course of the year we will also add other floor plans and choose the standard color. This past year we have been taking advantage of the enormous public response to improve the product to make sure it better meets your needs and expectations. Between now and next spring a network of dealers should be setting up. In the first few years we will surely concentrate on the Canadian market, but Americans interested in our products should be able to import them fairly easily. The list of dealers will also be available on our website. For a few more months the only place where you will be able to see the Alto is at our plant in Beauce, Québec.

The price of a standard Alto is currently listed at 21,995$ CN. We now have a price list which includes the prices of all the options. I have attached it to my e-mail for you to consult. Please remember that because the Alto is a completely new product it is possible that some changes may be made to the prices in the coming months. On our website you will also find the list of all the available options as well as the weight that they add to the total weight of the standard travel trailer. Finally, right now we only have a basic promo brochure, which is only in French. The info in this brochure is the same as on the website. We will make a full English brochure once we have all our interior plans and we are ready for full production, at the beginning of 2008.

Thank you again for your e-mail. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me again. It will always be my pleasure to answer you.

Best regards,

Dominique Nadeau

Safari Condo
Bureau des Ventes Corporatif / Corporate Sales Office
(866) 836-6664
dominiquepn@bellnet.ca

[urbanfood]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

Hmmm...interesting, I didn't look that closely ~

Shari

i didn't look at it that closely either, i didn't know there were interior pictures.

i have to say the inside does look cool and i'd probably prefer it to the basecamp, although i wouldn't be in line rushing to get the first years model as that's when they start to figure out where all the leaks occur.

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

Now, whether it can really pulled by that little sports car...that's a whole different issue!

Shari

lol... Shari, I think you may be surprised what a properly set up little sports car can tow.

Crazylev... I too got the same reply from the Safari Condo rep, Dominique Nadeau.
I can add that this company had a display at the Toronto RV show a few years ago. We had a good look at their Van conversions and were impressed with the innovative and quality work. We talked at length with the company reps (top guys) and again they came across as true professionals. My buddy was so impressed with the presentation he later bought a Safari Condo conversion van and still has it today. I am not surprised that they have come up with this unique design and would bet it will be in high demand in the near future.

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by Road Ruler

lol... Shari, I think you may be surprised what a properly set up little sports car can tow.

Yeah, maybe...but it kinda defeats the purpose of being a sports car with it so heavy laden, dontcha think? I don't know about you, but I've always wanted to drive a sports car for the speed & handling....neither of which would be acheived towing anything!

Shari

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

Yeah, maybe...but it kinda defeats the purpose of being a sports car with it so heavy laden, dontcha think? I don't know about you, but I've always wanted to drive a sports car for the speed & handling....neither of which would be acheived towing anything!

Shari

I can speak from experience that the sports car "feel" is diminished very little with the bullet in tow.