Travel trailers are, with a very few exceptions, a variation on a theme. It’s a box, usually made of wood and fiberglass, mounted on a wheeled frame of some kind with a tow hitch at the front. It works because they’re relatively simple to design and produce, and are made of affordable materials.
What if there were a different way of doing it, though? LIV Travel Trailers thinks there is. Called the E-Leaf, it was introduced in June, and it involves a whole lot of plastic and some lithium batteries.
Why Plastic?
LIV (Lightweight Innovative Vehicle) Trailers skip the fiberglass and wood in construction and instead use plastic. Plastic honeycomb panels form the body and the structure of the living compartment (even the floor), and LIV says this is better because its ultrasonically plastic-welded seams are impervious to leaks, and because there’s no wood structure, there’s nothing to rot.
The folks at LIV are so confident in the durability and longevity of their trailers that they offer a lifetime warranty. This is good, too, because we’re curious how well the plastic will stand up to years of baking in the sun in someplace like Arizona or Texas.
Building a trailer with honeycomb panels like this also reduces weight, making it easier to tow with a variety of vehicles. The largest trailer that LIV offers, the 26 RBS, has a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 4,990 pounds. That’s easily managed by midsize SUVs like the Kia Telluride or the Subaru Ascent.
The 17-foot 17 FD comes in well under the Subaru Outback’s 3,500-pound towing capacity. Also of note is that LIV keeps the tops of its trailers uncluttered, resulting in a lower overall profile that makes towing easier by reducing aerodynamic drag.
LIV also offers a few models it describes as “off-road” trailers, but this seems more like marketing than anything. They lack real off-road hitches or any independent suspension, which you’d find on trail-ready trailers from ARB or more boutique manufacturers like Patriot Campers.
LIV E-Leaf Fully Electric? Kinda
Last month, LIV launched the E-Leaf, a fully electric trailer. This model uses a pair of 200W roof-mounted solar panels and a 300Ah lithium battery to power a 3,000W inverter. That, in turn, powers appliances like an induction cooktop and an electric fridge, eliminating the need for propane.
A 20-amp DC-to-DC converter allows the E-Leaf to charge from your tow vehicle as you drive, ensuring a topped-up battery when you get to camp.
There’s also a 2,250W generator in case the solar system isn’t producing enough to keep your trailer charged, though that kind of negates the whole “electric trailer” thing. Still, a backup is smart, especially if you’re lacking a cell signal and run into issues. At least it means you wouldn’t have to pull the plug on your trip.
LIV travel trailers start at around $20,000, and that goes up with options. There’s a decent configurator on the LIV website, so poke around and have fun. If you’re looking for a lightweight trailer and live in an area where traditionally built trailers tend to rot, LIV might be a good fit for you.
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