“We build well-constructed campers that are lightweight and affordable” is how Bontrager Outdoors, a division of Bontrager Industries, previously Braxton Creek, describes their mission. The Bontrager Standard 17FD is unquestionably all these three issues, and that makes it one of many nicest finest worth for cash choices on the market.
Perfection in an RV, whether or not a motorhome or a towable of any sort, is relative, assuming you even consider it exists. It’s additionally subjective, so it should imply one thing completely different for a pair with money to burn or the solo adventurer on a funds.
Bontrager Outdoors would not need enterprise from the previous however is gladly embracing the latter. The Standard collection of journey trailers, all of them impressed by the long-lasting teardrop design, is the reinterpreted and reborn previous Bushwacker line that Braxton Creek bought earlier than it was purchased by Bontrager Industries. They all sit proper on the intersection of compact, light-weight, and reasonably priced, however now get the bonus of strong, sturdy development.
The Standard collection contains floorplans for {couples} and households, and all of the 17-series variations provide sleeping for 4 individuals. The Standard 17FD, which is the front-dinette floorplan, additionally has sleeping for 4 and shares some options with its fellow 17-ers, just like the 17BH we checked out some time again.
It’s a really good finest worth for cash camper not as a result of it goals to do all the things however as a result of it goals to get you on the market, maintain you out of the weather, and offer you the very fundamentals so you possibly can keep there for so long as you need – or can handle sources. It additionally goals to give you a product that may stand the take a look at of time and for which you will not should improve your towing automobile with the intention to take pleasure in.
The Standard 17FB is budget-friendly however not in a means that may essentially really feel like an enormous compromise when it comes to high quality or consolation. It’s not excellent by any means, which you’ll see for your self by trying out the video tour on the backside of the web page, however it’s okay as a result of it would not declare to be.
The Standard 17FD is a shocking mixture of neat options and affordability. For occasion, you get a Truma Combi system for heating and water heating, fiberglass with Azdel development, good frameless tinted-glass home windows, that are all options you most likely would not count on on a budget-friendly unit.
At the identical time, you have got true budget-friendly options throughout, like no overhead cupboards, a small and reasonably low-cost sink with an affordable faucet within the kitchen, and the type of cabinetry that is normal for an entry-level unit. Where attainable, the Standard 17FD cuts corners to chop down the general value.
The unit continues to be a pleasant one, although. You’re a single-axle journey trailer with 18 ft (5.5 meters) of whole size and full standing peak inside proper within the center, torsion suspension and good offroad tires for a bit extra grip on unpaved roads. However, that is no true offroader.
Construction focuses on gentle weight and sturdiness, with a one-piece fiberglass roof and vacuum-bonded fiberglass sidewalls with Azdel on a welded aluminum cage that sits on a Norco stamped and huck-bolted metal chassis. Standard spec features a handbook tongue jack and rear heavy-duty helps.
In phrases of storage on the skin, you get three compartments: two on the entrance on both facet and a big pass-through on the again. They provide loads of quantity, which is sweet as a result of that is just about the ONLY cupboard space you have got onboard apart from a handful of cupboards within the kitchen and a single open shelf over the principle mattress.
Inside, you have got a booth-style four-person dinette on the entrance that converts right into a double mattress and a real queen mattress on the rear, which is repair. The kitchen is on the off-side and comes normal with a two-burner gasoline cooktop, a small sink, a surprisingly massive 12V fridge, minimal storage and nil prep area. You do get a counter on high of the fridge however it’s too excessive to work for meal prep, so you’ll have to use the dinette desk as a substitute.
A pleasant shock is the inclusion of a small AC unit beneath the kitchen counter, in addition to an influence fan within the ceiling.
Across the best way from the kitchen is the toilet, which is unquestionably meant for emergencies solely. It’s a moist one with a step-up bathe tray and an elevated plumbed bathroom, and a type of see-through rollable partition screens for a door – and it would not go all the best way to the ceiling.
You can use the bathe solely sitting down on the bathroom, however the bathroom itself appears snug. Still, it beats dashing out in the midst of the night time to make use of the campground services.
Standard options embody the Truma Combi system with a 14,300-BTU furnace and water heater, a display door, flyscreens on all opening home windows and pleated shades, an undermount spare tire, an outside bathe on the off-side, 30-amp shore energy connection, and a photo voltaic port. The trailer carries 26 gallons (98 liters) of freshwater, 18 gallons (68 liters) of grey, and 17 gallons (64 liters) of black water.
The Standard 17FD is available in at 2,180 lbs (989 kg) empty with a hitch weight of 306 lbs (139 kg) and has a payload capability of 1,126 lbs (511 kg).
Prices will range from area to area and supplier to supplier, however as a reference level, a brand new 2026 unit will set you again between $15,000 and $17,000.