We’ve all heard it said that the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. An unfortunate saying, actually — sexism for the sake of a rhyme. After all, this is the twenty-first century. Little girls grow up to love dirt bikes, ATVs, four-wheelers, snowmobiles, dune buggies and race cars, too.  

That said, I suspect there is some feminine influence in the toy hauler revolution — that new, burgeoning segment of the RV market that combines portable garage space with luxurious living quarters. Why should the vehicles get the deluxe accommodations while the people sleep in a tent or a cramped truck camper?  

As you may already know, Holiday Rambler jumped into this market last year with the enthusiasm of a 12-year-old kid attacking a 50-percent grade on his (or her) brand-new dirt bike. From a marketing standpoint, the Next Level line represents new markets for the company and its dealers: people who are often buying their first large RV and buying it as a means to another end — to support activities other than camping. On the other hand, this new kind of towable RV presents new opportunities to the established RVing family — a chance to broaden the scope of their fun. You can take all kinds of toys along, winter and summer, and still enjoy the comforts of a quality travel trailer or fifth wheel.

This new kind of towable RV presents new opportunities to the established RVing family — a chance to broaden the scope of their fun. You can take all kinds of toys along, winter and summer, and still enjoy the comforts of a quality travel trailer or fifth wheel.

One caveat, however: This isn’t your grandparents’ Holiday Rambler, or even yours. The living quarters in a Next Level rig are a bit more Spartan in appearance, with a big emphasis on ruggedness and a macho aesthetic. But there is one aspect of this line that is archetypically Holiday Rambler: the company has done a superb job of finding out what people want and need in a toy hauler and designing a rig with a unique combination of features that make this vehicle work like no other.

Taking The Lead

Brad McKinney, national sales manager for Holiday Rambler towables, walked me around and through a 2006 Next Level SL travel trailer recently and showed me the highlights of what the company has done to qualify this line in pole position in the race for toy hauler superiority.

First, there are now three travel trailer floorplans to complement the fifth wheel lineup. (Next Level rolled out only one travel trailer for its 2005 launch.) The models are 25CK, 28CK and 31CK. Most of the additional length in the larger units is devoted to cargo space, although there are slight increases in the kitchen and bath areas.

Each model features a bedroom forward followed by a bath area and kitchen. The standard configuration for the rear of each model has a fold-down sofa bed on each side with a removable table between them. Of course, when these furniture items are stowed, the whole area aft of the kitchen can be devoted to vehicles and gear. Also, there are optional rear furniture configurations: one sofa bed with a dinette or two barrel chairs opposite.

A Great Concept Made Better

Now for some of the features that make the Next Level SL special. For starters, Next Level features the fully insulated and heated freshwater and holding tanks common to other Holiday Rambler products. That will mean a lot to snowmobilers and other winter sports enthusiasts. Because grownup toys are heavier than the stuff RVers normally take along, Holiday Rambler has made sure the frame and floor construction are up to the task. The electro-coated I-beam frame is bolstered by a web support system that adds considerable strength with minimal weight. The floor structure is welded steel. The floor deck is Structurewood, which comes with a 25-year limited warranty, and it’s topped with a special poly coating. Keep in mind that we’re not worrying here about kids tracking in a little mud, but about the long-term effects of relatively large amounts of water, mud, sand, fuel, oil and cleaning agent spills and

The rear door serves as a loading ramp, so its structure is critical to long life and uninterrupted outdoor fun.

engine heat. This standard floor surface will stand up to it all. The tie-downs are recessed (who wants to trip over tie downs?), with a 1,200-lb. load capacity each and bolted to the frame.

Hidden wheel wells give you use of the full width of the cargo area.

The optional fuel tank (used to power the generator and as fuel storage for your toys) is made of aluminum, so it won’t rust out. And the freshwater tank is supported by steel framing, so it will always stay put.

The rig comes with 5,200-pound Nev-R-Lube axles that are virtually maintenance-free and sealed against damaging water and dirt.

The rear door serves as a loading ramp, so its structure is critical to long life and uninterrupted outdoor fun. The ramp door on Next Level has a load capacity of 2,500 pounds. The outside is electro-coated for superior rust resistance. The ramp surface is a sprayed-on, extremely durable nonskid polyurethane. McKinney said the hinge mechanism is probably the strongest, most durable available, and he pointed out the high-strength steel-coil springs that make the ramp easy to lift and lower.

Inside, Next Level’s designers have provided a huge amount of storage for both personal items and the tools and extra gear that go with off-road motor sports. The gear storage areas are accessible from the outside, and the rear access ports are protected by heavy metal grates on the inside, so the doors aren’t damaged by loose gear shifting about.  

Brilliantly Designed for Working, Playing, Living

The oak cabinetry is Holiday Rambler quality, beautifully finished inside and out. As with all the company’s cabinetry, shock-absorbing spacer balls are used to keep door insert panels quiet and centered. Drawers have positive catches and roller guides. The designers also provided storage netting handy for tools, cleaners and personal items you’d want to locate and grab quickly without hunting for them.

McKinney proved to me and an assembly worker that the fold-up sofa beds work so easily even a sales manager can do it. The sofas are singularly un-RV — the ones I saw were deep-buttoned black leather embossed with the Next Level checkered-flag logo; the overall décor might be described as “gear-head chic.” The diamond-plate metal shield used to protect the walls at floor level even becomes a décor theme — serving also as the kitchen backsplash.

With the queen bed forward and the two sofa beds, the standard travel trailer configuration can sleep four large adults or two plus several kids. If that’s not enough, you can order a power-operated system that causes two double-size bunk beds to drop out of the cargo ceiling area at the touch of a button.

Another great living feature is the Carrier air conditioner. It’s a residential-quality unit with a handheld remote control that, among other things, lets you program the unit to save energy — keeping the temperature higher while you’re out riding and dropping it to the desired level just before your return. The standard windows are mirrored safety glass, which reflects more heat and provides maximum privacy.

Standard appliances include an eight-cubic-foot refrigerator, three-burner range with oven and a microwave. A standard digital AM/FM/CD/DVD unit kicks out your favorite jams through four high-quality speakers indoors and two more outdoors. Options include a built-in color TV, satellite subscription radio and an air compressor for keeping all the tires inflated — nice idea, since between your tow vehicle, the trailer and a couple of ATVs you might have more tires to worry about than a semi.

Lighting is designed with the mechanic in mind. There’s plenty of extra-bright incandescence in the cargo area, including two docking lights at the forward end. Outside there are six docking lights — two on each side and two at the rear.

Other exterior features cater to the off-road enthusiast as well. As noted before, equipment is available to let you fuel up your machines from the gasoline tank that also fuels the optional Onan generator.

There’s even an exterior sprayer you can use to hose down dirty equipment. I can see this generating some tension between the genders when camping in the outback, but since the fresh-water tank holds 100 gallons, there shouldn’t be too much wrangling over whether water should be saved for bikes or bathing. (On an all-male trip, of course, this controversy doesn’t arise.)  

The Difference

An important point McKinney raised is true of all Holiday Rambler products, but possibly even more important in a toy hauler — strong, yet lightweight construction. Next Level features laminated sidewalls with aluminum studs. The weight savings, combined with the axles and tires specified give Next Level trailers exceptional payload ranges.

And finally there’s the matter of value. Said McKinney, “We give the customer dozens of great features they don’t get on most other toy haulers. Nobody offers the whole package we do. And yet we’re not out there at a premium price. This is an extremely cost-competitive product.”

McKinney also mentioned the intangibles unique to a Holiday Rambler product. “Experienced RVers know what Holiday Rambler is, but a lot of Next Level customers are new to the RV market. So we really have to stress to them what our 52 years in this business mean, along with 24/7 toll-free tech support, 24/7 roadside assistance free for one year, plus 350 servicing dealers and three factory service centers.”

You may remember that Holiday Rambler was owned by Harley-Davidson for a few years prior to being acquired by Monaco Coach Corporation. I always thought it would be amusing, sociologically speaking, to have a joint Holiday-Harley owner club rally. Now Holiday Rambler is doing something even better in cross-cultural marketing — bringing its own special kind of quality, value, and user-friendly design and engineering to a broad range of motor sports enthusiasts who’ve never been a traditional part of RV culture. But, hey — today’s desert dirt biker is tomorrow’s Arizona snowbird. And Holiday Rambler will be there to make that experience as good as it gets, too.