Hiker Trailer -- You Get What You Pay For

[@thepilotxproject4035]

It takes a lot of guts, knowledge and character to publicly bad mouth such a popular product. And to back everything up with a video. As an automotive engineer by trade, I feel ashamed of what we are seeing here... Kudos to you, Sir. You actually got less than what you paid for. Shavings are one thing. Rust is another. Bad wiring is unacceptable.

[@MarySue1908]

Thank you so much for posting this. I recently became disabled and was literally about to purchase one with my savings to live in. I would have been relying on the honesty of the company to build a decent product. Thank God I watched this and snapped out of it. I can find a smaller apartment and I will be ok. May God bless you 💜💙💚

[@bobouellette3414]

I am very glad you pointed out there mistakes. Often over looked over the excitement of owning a new camp trailer until you find out the hard way

[@benjamincarter9726]

I am on the verge of ordering the same darn trailer in the same color…now you got me having second thoughts. Love to see some additional videos about how it’s holding up for you. My hope was Hiker would be better quality than mass produced travel trailers which are mostly junk!

[@littlemiamifab]

Like everything in life, you get what you pay for. Hiker is at the lower end. I think Bushwhacker is probably at the LOW end. If you want better info, I would head over the DIY Outdoor Life's channel. He did a Hiker series about a year ago that has some really good info. I think the bones are good. I just wish they paid more attention to detail. And it's not like the attention to detail I'm talking about would cost more. I've only had my Hiker since late June, and it seems to be holding up. It's been sitting outside uncovered all winter, so it will be interesting to see how it comes out of the winter here in Ohio. If you're handy, I think whatever problems you find are reasonably correctible in your driveway. And you save a ton of money by not having to buy a more expensive trailer.

[@benjamincarter9726]

@@littlemiamifabBy the way I really like your attention to detail in this video. Thanks again!

[@Cbockhoff]

The guys experience is not the norm from hiker.

[@NateStanleyTraining]

Man don’t let this expert critic deter you Hiker trailers are absolutely great, and the customer service/customization is amazing. Hiker trailers just doesn’t sound like it’s for this guy! Should have went with one of those $30,000 boxes

[@littlemiamifab]

@@NateStanleyTraining No, I wanted cheap because I was going to do a lot of work myself. I can do it for pennies on the dollar, and all it takes is a little extra attention to detail to make all the difference in the world. The whole process seemed VERY rushed from down payment to pickup at the factory. However, for the rest of y'all, you should probably know what you're getting. I know how to fix their problems and then some. The average person not so much.

[@DHaworth100]

I was just about to buy one. I did my build and everything. This video stopped me dead in my tracks. Hiker needs to do better.

[@tonygulick9289]

Good info. ,I'm in oregon and it's well know that 75% of all travel trailers come out of indiana,one dealer here refuses to purchase unless he has toured those factories,he says he walks out of most of them,terrible conditions,terrible fit and finish inspections out the door.High production for profit,yeah man you get what ya pay for

[@bobburgess7283]

Great disclosure on what you've found. I was on the path to a hiker trailer as well but a friend purchased one which allowed me to inspect. I noticed some of the very same issues with his trailer. We have since dissassembled his trailer and very nearly rewired everything ( wished I had made a video but I'm not that guy). As you dig deeper, under the paneling, etc, it gets worse. I almost bought into the "Made in America" but realized that it is geographically made in America but the quality and craftmanship is from somewhere else.

[@JTjezeb]

We were going to buy one, but this video just changed our mind.

[@gregbrown357]

Haven't read all comments; BUT did you look at this before purchasing?

[@alexodg27]

You can’t go look at them. You have to put in an order and they build it for you. So no you can’t.

[@catherinep7923]

Strange. We bought ours in 2021. The unit was spotless, the factory was spotless, and I don't see any rust on the hardware so far. The trailer is beautiful and tough. I've been in the factory several times and it is always spotless. I do hope you get these items fixed, though. The new front jack has wheels and can be fit onto the current jack space.

[@iwshamrock4908]

Many thanks. Cheap Axx effort. Was considering one. Not now.

[@surfandstreamfisher5749]

this among other reasons is why i'm not going with a Hiker Trailer.

[@l3zfrancais]

Good walkthrough. Thanks for the feedback. It’s crazy that some in the comments are justifying poor workmanship. I’m not handy enough to fix some of these issues so it’s important for me to not run into issues like this. I’ll be continuing my search for a rig with another company.

[@TimCarter-y4p]

Honestly I can’t imagine paying for something unwanted…….. a basic , inspection has been known to be beneficial !

[@jrifter1281]

good info, i was looking to buy one of these this coming year. i think ill stick with my original plan and just build one.

[@Frank-James]

I hope that @Hikertrailers watches these videos. I am still back and forth between them and Runaway Trailer and this video certainly scores points for Runaway.

[@paulk119]

I need to re-emphasize. Did you look at this thing before you brought it home and paid for it?

[@slimshady2447]

We picked our hiker up in October 23' definitely no where near the experience we had or have had . Granted we spent significantly more on our build . The light switch and fuse switch panel are options you choose on the build so thats on you . We have taken our camper out on multiple trips in rain and havent experienced the rust issues you have yet

[@littlemiamifab]

I thought I specified in the options that I would do the electric hookups. Another one of my complaints is the build tool on their website. I found good descriptions of what each option meant to be wanting, and it would have been very helpful to have pictures. They have pictures, just in another section of the website and not necessarily with descriptions of what you're looking at. Hopefully they've improved that since last year. I even visited Hiker and asked what some of the options meant. Apparently, the ones I thought I understood are the ones I should have asked more questions about.

[@slimshady2447]

@@littlemiamifab I decided on basic electrical and did the majority of the work myself . Swapping out fuse panel for a better bigger one and installing batteries and lights etc. I agree the build options could be improved apon I asked tons of questions and did a few virtual walk arounds as we live 9 hours from Indiana . Compared to equivalent squardrops made local to us or available at local RV dealerships the quality of hiker was leaps and bounds better . There is definitely room for improvements though

[@mish-ka7654]

​@@littlemiamifab I agree, no matter what you pay for a product (car, trailer, wooden cabinet) I expect at a minimum a clean product. I was surprised with the following: rust, given this is made to live outdoors unless they advertise (3 season only use?).... the diamond plating (I hope it's clear to buyers that this is not metal), was a lil surprising if it's plastic, the screws that were not finished or too long/short? We are looking at this trailer and at the cost i would not consider this to be a low end...when I did the estimate even removing some key items like electrical, solar, etc. you're still up to $18K USD (+/-$23K CDN). You can have some inexperience / sloppy installers, so i hope this was a one off incident and the staff was either retrained and supervised on their next build. I hope QA /QC has improved since this video. We are still doing research but think we want to buy and try a tear drop trailer before looking into a full RV upon retirement. I hope more customers will share their experience.

[@littlemiamifab]

@@mish-ka7654 Others say my Hiker experience isn't typical. But they seemed rushed during delivery, were admitting extensive use of Chinesium, and wanted to hire me to do electric since I'm only two hours away. Not sure what was going on. A lot of RVs are made in Indiana. When the market is slow, I think you get a better build because they can be choosy with labor. When I bought mine, they were still getting over the Covid rush of people wanting to buy campers.

[@Dante07cid]

I picked up my Hiker in December. I would probably take exception that Hiker is “low end”. I would call it “mid range” for I have seen a lot worse over my time of researching. I do agree with the lack of cleaning prior to picking up. Probably my biggest issue would be the electrical. I too believe they spend very little little time to be neat or planning placement of things. The shore power to cabin was atrocious. They used cheap electric components throughout, used mismatched wire sizes and generally cluttered things in my opinion. There were complaints on line with the fridge box not being waterproof but in my case it was the lack of sealing when they installed the top rack. Overall I love my hiker but I learned a lot and would do a lot of things differently if I was ordering today.

[@Ozoz1544Z]

Different like what!?

[@Dante07cid]

@@Ozoz1544Z I would just have Hiker do the items that need, for ease, to be done in build process or doesn’t really matter. Such as necessary ceiling/wall electrical, galley main wall only, road lights and brakes, roof racks, water tank, etc. I would do everything else myself. Especially the bulk of the wiring, finishing the galley and front interior shelves, plumbing the water tank & instal pump, etc. I repeat. I love my Hiker. Do not plan to get rid of it in any way. I just think I could have done things a bit more to my taste.

[@alanwagers7073]

Bless you Thank you for this video,i would love some info on your battery builds and the box housing. Im not an electrician but I can do basic wiring, also hate those butt splice connectors,and cheap buss bar. The cheap 12volt meter w/usb plugs with low voltage charge. Sad , you get what you pay for ! Please let me know about wiring upgrades. Again thank you

[@chipdr911]

Wow! I would be disappointed with this too. Thanks for the video

[@pahanin2480]

Why didn’t you inspect and pointed out those flaws at the Hiker?

[@stephenodell1417]

I think I am looking around for buying my first trailer. So they said 90 days to build, you would think that it would be cleaned before picking up. That’s messed up not using bolts connecting it to trailer. I would be pissed if I had to fix anything after purchasing.

[@stephenodell1417]

I think I am looking around for buying my first trailer. So they said 90 days to build, you would think that it would be cleaned before picking up. That’s messed up not using bolts connecting it to trailer. I would be pissed if I had to fix anything after purchasing. Just watching your video, I am not buying a Hiker Trailer. I would rather do all my wiring and I have Bluetti batteries and Renogy solar panels 2- 220w light weight solar panels.

[@drouleau]

I was strongly considering Hiker, but now they're off the list. I don't care about the wood chips and what not, but the wiring, cheap materials and the way the box was mounted to the frame are a no-go especially when I have what I want priced out to around $26k+

[@Mr.GoodBeer]

Thank you for the honest review

[@gt2745]

Hiker are good people and the factory tour was nice, but their trailers weren’t as well built nor finished as I would expect for $10k-$15k price tags.

[@TerraFirmaX]

After watching this there is no way in hell I would buy a Hiker. If what you can see is this bad just imagine what you can't see

[@erikthompson1459]

None of the bots that secure the box to the frame have nuts?? What did you do about this? How do I change those bolts?

[@littlemiamifab]

Not that I can tell. They look like they are tapped into the gusset plates in the corners and similar plates in the middle. They are probably more like large machine screws since they thread in. But the steel isn't THAT thick. I haven't looked at them yet, but I think all you have to do to access them is pull back the thin mat protecting the plywood floor inside the cab. You'll probably find recessed heads with a fender washer underneath. Not sure what I'm going to do about it. Probably remove them, drill out the hole to clearance for a proper bolt with locknut on the bottom. But I need to see what's there first. I've been busy rewiring underneath so haven't paid any attention to this. Since you asked, I will have a look in a couple of days when it isn't raining here. I'll try to take video of what's going on and a proposed solution and let you know once it's posted.

[@1408-MS]

You could have went and paid 20-30 thousand for a top of the line but I think you would still have issues to speak of. These are great for the price, you should be thankful you have one. I can’t even afford there cheaper priced one. Go camping, be happy,,,

[@georgedreher2322]

Bought barely used 2018 InTech Pursue utility style camper trailer in 2020 for $10K. All aluminum frame with insulation, roof-top AC/Heat & Maxx Fan, TV/Stereo, Pull-Out Kitchen. No Problems. Weighs 2200 lbs loaded and fits in our garage. Considered Hiker - too much wood in their construction.

[@Frank-James]

Patriot Trailers would certainly disagree that you can buy top of the line for $30K.

[@JohnSmith-tx3ys]

I’m not an electrician, but I’ve done solar installation and I understand dc backup systems. I still might get one of these and fix the issues. Why would I still get one? Well, I do not want to build one. I can replace the screws, I can redo the caulk, I can redo the wiring, etc. the cheapest model is $5k or $6k. That’s all I can afford right now. When I have money, I’ll get a $100k travel trailer.

[@littlemiamifab]

I tend to be super critical, but that was kinda my thinking. I can put up with a lot because the price is right.

[@JohnSmith-tx3ys]

@@littlemiamifab After some thought, I’m just going to buy a used cargo trailer and covert it.

[@eda7875]

Oh man. I am glad I got mine from Colorado before they closed and started making them all in Indiana. That wiring is horrendous. My electrical is waaaaay better than that. That "weatherstripping" hanging out is just there for aesthetics purposes btw. You can cut it. Colorado was taking to long to deliver. I had to wait 15 months for mine... which is nuts. People were pissed. But they took their time making the trailers you know. Indiana is able to push this out like candy. Comes at a price it seems.

[@angusmacdonald5300]

Oh dear. I had another Indiana built trailer and the build quality was terrible. I thought Hiker was better.

[@argospilotsigyn]

If the seller is suggesting that you caulk areas where they cut into the trailer, I guess that's a sign they are aware of water leak problems in their manufacture. That would be extremely frightening as a customer. It sounds like they should have paid you to drive the trailer off the lot. Cheap American company.

[@MrA1582000]

Well I have owned a Hiker for about 18 months. Been round trip coast to coast with it and multiple short trips since. Getting ready to head out again for western adventure. It has been exceptional in all areas….I definitely got more than I paid for. Oh, mine was clean as a whistle when I picked it up. Maybe this guy needs to spend about 40-50 K. more, doubt he would be satisfied .

[@sgt.pepper4274]

I have no doubt in believing what you have said. I've heard it from other Hiker owners. I've also heard from other Hiker owners about the same kind of quality issues being discussed here. But it is possible to get a quality, budget trailer from Hiker. The problem with Hiker is that they are like a box of chocolates: you never know what you're going to get. And for that reason, I won't buy one. p.s. And yes, Hiker is correct about bonding the aluminum to the wood.

[@ralphcardinal2688]

Why did you accept delivery??? Love ours, had it 7 months. camping 15 days so far. Will be doing a lot more in months to come. . Did I say we LOVE our Hiker!!!! future hiker owners .. it's his opinion. You won't regret getting a hiker>

[@TerraFirmaX]

It's not just his opinion, look at the build quality. They can't even properly install the molding trim cap properly. QC was an all time low, cheap hardware not being Stainless Steel. I realize that this is a "budget trailer" but at lease the could clean up after themselves. Next, look at that horrific wiring job

[@drouleau]

@@TerraFirmaX Yep, was gonna buy a Hiker, but definitely not now unless they've magically fixed their processes.

[@TerraFirmaX]

@@drouleau I actually just bought an Off Grid Trailers expedition trailer.

[@drouleau]

@@TerraFirmaX The Meaner Bean has rapidly moved to the top of my list

[@TerraFirmaX]

@@drouleau ​​⁠I really like the Meaner Bean Too.

[@jroddy1]

For anyone looking to buy a Hiker trailer like me, Keep in mind that all the reviews you see on KZbin that seem really nice are all made by content creators and youtubers who are monetized. Most of them were payed by Hiker or given a huge discount on their trailers. The other reviews are from people that just bought them and haven't had them long enough to give a proper review of how they hold up over time. I am not saying they are horrible trailers, but for what you pay for them, there is no reason for Hiker to cut corners on anything. They make a killing off these things. It probably cost them $3-4K to build them and they mark them up 4-5X more. So no excuse for bad work or lazy craftmanship.

[@chingon_grandpa]

You didn't have to takenit off the lot...also, you can build you. After all, you are an expert! 🤦‍♂️

[@twoweary]

Get someone who speaks English to interpret what you are trying to say.

[@audrey3319]

Omgod what a a piece of 💩 trailer is. That's going to be a rotted piece of wood soon. After spending my summer dealing with (different maker) roof leaks (and having been told not.possible to ever get roof leaks), and gutted trailer to address water damage,,,yup, going to make my own next, thank you for well documented and explained video

[@Chris-ez6cj]

Thanks for the heads up, I was about to purchase.

[@NateStanleyTraining]

This really shouldn’t deter you this guy is literally criticizing anything and everything.

[@surfandstreamfisher5749]

@@NateStanleyTraining not really, he's showing low quality components and crappy workmanship. if the stuff you can see isn't done right what about the stuff you can't see.

[@NateStanleyTraining]

@@surfandstreamfisher5749 sure bub, if you’re truly critical of these minor “issues” I’ve got news for you. Back country camping may not be for you. Have a hiker trailer for 3 years now, and it’s been wonderful ZERO issues.

[@NateStanleyTraining]

@@surfandstreamfisher5749 had a hiker trailer for 3 years now, zero problem. Ive never met a true outdoors person who knit picks sh*t like this. Wild. But everyone has something to bitch about these days so I ain’t surprised

[@TerraFirmaX]

@@NateStanleyTraining And what's wrong with that? You need to know what you're getting

[@Bombiedude.]

this is what happens when places cut corners to try and save money the parts easily go to crap

[@williambingham2459]

Wow! Not nitpicking. Just very poor workmanship all around. Off my list now. 😢

[@awsumo6600]

I get the wood chips inside,, that's a pet peeve of mine as well but the easiest fix. There isn't a steel trailer out there that doesn't show rusty/water stains at least somewhere after 8 months. And if the wiring was that important to you, how could you not have checked it out first? A majority of manufacturers use garbage wiring and been for decades.

[@angusmacdonald5300]

I agree, especially since this guy is an electrical expert.

[@brandonmorrison-q3b]

Only thing I see wrong is self tapping screws. If your that picky you Should have just built one your self.

[@ALANScottDICKSON]

Good review on your Hiker. It's too bad the Hiker is not all that it is cracked up to be. But hey with Matt and Wendy Dewitt promoting the guts out of it Hiker is getting a crap load of orders so the volume of money they are making is crazy. Quality is poor and they are slamming out trailers by the dozens. Just look at their warehouse it's full of trailers. The other trailer manufacture Pathway out of Wisconsin makes one that looks identical but just a dad and son operation and no Matt & Wendy promoters. I'm doing what some have mentioned I'm building my own Hiker look a like and will be doing a KZbin channel " How to build a Hiker Trailer" next year. I asked Vintage technologies if their doors were China made and he said no and he didn t supply Hiker either. So to make more profit Hiker must be buying cheap China parts. Keep up the great videos

[@DerekPaddock]

My thoughts are, if you are such an expert on everything on these trailers, why didn't you build your own ?

[@littlemiamifab]

Sometimes I have more time. Sometimes I have more money. On this, I had more money. I've always got 20 projects on my plate. Something has to give sometimes. As I get older, I find that I often have more money than time.

[@TerraFirmaX]

Dumbest comment period. You don't have to be an expert to know when something is poor quality. If you can't see that then you're blind smart ass

[@chingon_grandpa]

This is what nobody invites you..Thanks, Mr Buzzy McBuzzkill.

[@1066toph]

Wow that is straight up junk, Hiker should be embarrassed. Who’s their QC guy?

[@sheanprunier8950]

Honestly, sounds like you're really reaching on this video.. I know you did a walk through upon receiving your trailer were you clearly said nothing or had planned this in advance.. had mine since 21, no issues whatsoever.. you should sell this and go spend double on a similar product 👍🏻

[@kckettridge]

What a mess but that is par for the course for the RV Industry.

[@littlemiamifab]

I live next door to the RV manufacturing capital of the world - Indiana. So I know. I bought it as cheap as I could get it because I was going to do my own additions for pennies on the dollar. It's just kind of laughable that the basics I let them do have me scratching my head. Some people are criticizing me because they say Hiker builds a good trailer. Well, the bones may be good, but the attention to detail leaves a lot to be desired. I refuse to pay double to get that attention to detail. I just expect it at any price point. I expect employees and the company to have pride in workmanship.

[@jackstephens1450]

Do you not own a vacuum?

[@Mudgard]

That’s not the point. Do you expect to take delivery of a new car with dirt all over it?

[@thomaskisicki2139]

Sir you got what you paid for, why didn't you inspect your trailer before you left, apparently you didn't and obviously you didn't do research before you ordered, Some people are just not happy, next time build your own. oh by the way even painted steel will rust, look at your vehicle underneath

[@littlemiamifab]

I inspected it. All the basics were there, and I specified very few additions beyond the basics because I was going to do a lot of the work myself after pickup. I got exactly what I paid for, and I said so. I wasn't going to spend another $15K just to have them vacuum out the inside or do a proper wiring job. I know what I'm doing and can fix or mod anything. The average person? Not so much. This video is for them not me. By the way, the steel starting rusting not more than 2 weeks after pickup. That's a bit ridiculous. When you buy a car or pickup, those frames and unibodies are passivated before priming. I suspect Hiker didn't do any prep on the steel or just basic prep like knock off scale. When you don't passivate, rust starts poking through almost right away. This isn't rocket science.

[@TerraFirmaX]

Another genius comment.

[@drouleau]

@@littlemiamifab Thank you for the video - prior to this, Hiker was near the top of my list. Now they're not on the list.

[@Mudgard]

Hiker’s out for me.

[@josephramone5805]

You could have done the video in 5 minutes! Dude, drink some coffee or some Red Bull.

[@jroddy1]

Hiker forces you to put down a 10% NON-Refundable Deposit, so they know you probably wont back out of the deal and take it anyway. What Dealer was this, so I make sure not to buy mine from them?

[@carloscaprarella7119]

Every one can complain about something. What will you do wood chips how horrible.. 😅

[@Firearms101]

Why not take a Good luck at something you're spending thousands of dollars at the factory. I would never have left there being in that condition. Why?

[@littlemiamifab]

It wasn't in bad condition. It was the condition you'd expect it to be in for $16k. To get high-end workmanship, you have to spend at least $10k more. Know where you want to be on the quality-cost curve and accept it. Like I said in the video, you get what you pay for. I paid less, I got less.

[@Firearms101]

@@littlemiamifab you made a video complaining about various things. Maybe you're a Darren or some kind of pushover but if I spend $4 on something I'm going to make sure that it's not dirty. I blame them and now you as you as a consumer are responsible for keeping people like them in place when they're not putting out a quality product. Shouldn't have mattered if you paid Les that's the whole point.

[@rayray_x2]

This trailer is poorly made get a bean trailer.

[@webbrowne2291]

WHY DO YOU THINK YOUR HEAD NEEDS TO BE IN THE PICTURE?