Aluminum is used to build airplanes, boats, and cars. It is also used to build RV frames albeit not by many RV manufacturers.
The material that is popularly used to build RV frames is wood. Yes, you read that right. Wood is the material used by most RV brands to build recreational vehicles.
However, the use of aluminum to build RV frames in the RV manufacturing industry is increasing.
This is because wood frames are heavy when compared to aluminum frames. Therefore, they cannot be used to make lightweight travel trailers, which are fast becoming a very popular type of recreational vehicle.
Lightweight travel trailers are becoming very popular because in contrast to average travel trailers, they are generally cheaper and they can be towed using standard trucks or SUVs. They also do not affect gas mileage as significantly as average travel trailers do when being towed.
So with lightweight travel trailers becoming more popular, it is only logical that more RV brands are starting to make them and, therefore, the use of aluminum in the industry is increasing.
The use of aluminum instead of wood in the RV manufacturing industry is also increasing because aluminum is stronger and more durable than wood.
Here is a list of ten strong and lightweight aluminum frame travel trailers.
Table of Contents
10 Best Aluminum Frame Travel Trailers
1. Heartland Wilderness 2475BH
- Dry Weight: 5,470 lbs.
- Length: 28.75 ft.
- Height: 11.33 ft.
This is one of the best aluminum framed travel trailers. Like all travel trailers made of aluminum, it is extremely lightweight. This means it does not affect fuel mileage significantly when being towed, unlike heavy travel trailers.
In my opinion, the best thing about this travel trailer is the fact that several exciting floor plans are available. All the floor plans are relatively spacious and comfortable. If you decide to buy this trailer, you will have to choose one-floor plan. Whatever floor plan you choose, you can rest assured that it will make your RV experience quite enjoyable and memorable.
This Heartland travel trailer comes with several features and amenities just like most Heartland recreational vehicles. For example, it comes with a large and fully functional kitchen that has everything you need to prepare food.
You just need to buy food ingredients. It also comes with an exterior compartment that you can open and use as an outdoor bar or as an outdoor food preparation area.
This Heartland travel trailer also comes with a ‘spacious’ bathroom.
I like the fact that this trailer includes several compartments/ storage areas that make it easy to store things away from sight and to keep the trailer looking clean and tidy 24/7.
Lastly, this is one of the most family-friendly aluminum framed travel trailers. This is because it has queen-size bunk beds, which means it can sleep many people comfortably. In fact, this trailer can sleep 8 people comfortably.
Overall, this is the travel trailer you should go for if you want to travel and see the wild with your family.
2. Airstream Flying Cloud Travel Trailer
- Dry Weight: 4,500 lbs.
- Length: 19 ft.
- Height: 10 ft.
Airstream is a renowned RV manufacturer that has been making stylish and durable recreational vehicles for a long time. The company was one of the first companies to use aluminum frames in building recreational vehicles. This is the reason why the company’s RVs are known to be extremely lightweight and durable.
The Airstream Flying Cloud is aluminum-framed like most Airstream trailers. This makes it tough, lightweight, and durable. It also means it can be towed by standard trucks and SUVs, unlike heavy travel trailers that can only be towed using powerful trucks and SUVs.
This aluminum travel trailer is available in a variety of layouts/ floor plans. Of the 19 available layouts, I am sure at least one or two will impress you if the overall design impresses you. Whatever layout you choose, you can be sure it will be very versatile as all Airstream trailers are.
The several different layouts have different features and amenities. However, they all come at least with a spacious and high-quality bed, a decent-sized kitchen, a bathroom, and storage compartments for keeping things orderly.
In addition, all Airstream models come with large panoramic windows that make it possible for owners to view nature and to be one with nature without going outside. So get this model if you want an RV with large panoramic windows and nice views.
In summary, this aluminum frame RV is made by an experienced company and it is available in several layouts and has nice windows.
3. Livin’ Lite Camplite Travel Trailer
- Dry Weight: 3,684 lbs.
- Length: 20 ft.
- Height: 10 ft.
This aluminum framed travel trailer is one of the sleekest and most modern travel trailers ever made! It is a great looking machine that you will love traveling in and living in when away from home.
The vehicle has a UVW (unloaded vehicle weight) of 3,684 pounds. In other words, it is significantly lightweight. In fact, it is lighter than most travel trailers on this list. It is also more compact than most travel trailers on this list. This means that it is easier to tow. It also means that it does not reduce the gas mileage too much.
This travel trailer is all about options. For example, it is available in several color options. The colors include Black, Victory Red, Charcoal Grey, Light Pewter, Silver Frost, and Crystal White. It is also available in several design options including some that have extremely nice interiors and exteriors.
So if you decide to buy this travel trailer you can personalize it and make sure you get it exactly how you want it.
One thing that is special about this travel trailer is the fact that despite its lightweightness, it has an impressive cargo-carrying capacity of 1,706 pounds. This means you can use it to carry plenty of stuff.
So if you want to live full-time in it or to go for a long-term trip using it, you can carry all the things you will need. However, do not just carry things for the sake of it. Remember, the more stuff you carry, the more you reduce the fuel mileage of your towing vehicle. So to spend less on gas, carry only the things you need.
4. Aluma-Lite Travel Trailer
- Dry Weight: 6,160 lbs.
- Length: 10 ft.
- Height: 8.2 ft.
This travel trailer is produced by the Holiday Rambler Company. This company has been making stylish and extremely durable recreational vehicles for a very long time under different brand names. The company is best known for making RVs with great interiors and multiple features and amenities. People who own Holiday Rambler RVs always say they are fully functional and extremely durable.
Aluma-Lite, like most Holiday Rambler RVs, is fully functional and extremely durable.
The travel trailer is made of aluminum materials. This is what makes it durable. It also makes it lightweight and easy to haul.
Aluma-Lite has been produced by the Holiday Rambler Company for many years. This shows that it is extremely popular. Its popularity, according to owners, is because it is quite durable and functional. It is also because it comes with features and amenities that are designed to make it the perfect “motorhome.”
The travel trailer is available in multiple floor plan options. The different options have different layouts and amenities. Therefore, you can totally personalize it if you decide to buy it.
Like most lightweight travel trailers, Aluma-Lite is extremely aerodynamic. It is designed in such a way that it “cuts” through the wind like a high-speed train. Therefore, it is not heavily affected by wind and it is really easy to haul even when relatively strong winds are blowing.
Overall, if you want an RV that is easy to haul and that will last for a long time, you should strongly consider this Holiday Rambler Company product.
5. Forest River Rockwood Signature Ultra-Lite Travel Trailer
- Dry Weight: 8,781 lbs.
- Length: 35 ft.
- Height: 11 ft.
This travel trailer is made by Forest River, a company that started about three decades ago. Forest River is known to make some of the most stylish, lightweight, and compact RVs currently available on the market!
Rockwood Signature Ultra-Lite is one of their lightest travel trailers. This is because they have made its frame and its body using very light but strong aluminum. While this travel trailer is lighter than probably the majority of travel trailers on the market, it is one of the heaviest travel trailers on this list. However, in general terms, it does qualify as lightweight.
The best thing about this recreational vehicle is the fact that it is available in a variety of forms. First of all, you can buy it as a travel trailer or as a fifth-wheel. The travel trailer version is available in 8 different ways (8 layouts), while the fifth-wheel version is available in four different ways (4 layouts).
Before I explain the difference between travel trailers and fifth-wheels, let me tell you more about this particular aluminum travel trailer. It is designed to provide maximum comfort. It is comfortable because it has spacious living spaces and amenities to ensure you stay maximally comfortable while camping or traveling.
The key difference between travel trailers and fifth-wheels is in the design. The general design of fifth-wheels means they can only be towed using trucks, while the general design of travel trailers means they can be directly hitched and towed using trucks and standard SUVs.
Another difference is that fifth-wheels are generally bigger than travel trailers.
As highlighted above, you can purchase this Forest River Rockwood Signature Ultra-Lite travel trailer as a travel trailer or as a fifth-wheel.
One more thing that I must mention about this travel trailer is its cargo-carrying capacity. It can carry 2,394 pounds of cargo. This is a very significant cargo-carrying capacity. It means you can carry plenty of equipment, accessories, food, gas, and water in this travel trailer. So if you want to go off-grid for a while or to visit places far away from big cities and big towns, it is the type of RV you should strongly consider.
In summary, this is an amazing aluminum frame travel trailer that is perfect for long trips or full-time RV living.
6. Grand Design Imagine 2150RB Travel Trailer
- Dry Weight: 5,195 lbs.
- Length: 27 ft.
- Height: 11 ft.
In my opinion, among the well-established RV brands, Grand Design makes some of the most luxurious and robust recreational vehicles in the United States. Most of its RVs are generational. In other words, they are vehicles that last long enough to be passed down generations. If you buy one, it is almost a guarantee that it will last long enough for you to pass it to your son or daughter or someone else and for them to pass it down.
The Grand Design Imagine 2150RB travel trailer is like most Grand Design recreational vehicles in the sense that it is quite luxurious and durable. This is even though it is made of an aluminum frame.
This trailer is very modern and stylish inside. It has got stunning finishes and luxurious features throughout its interior. Even the floor is luxurious. It is luxurious in the same that it is double insulated and, therefore, it maintains the temperature inside the trailer at comfortable levels even when it gets extremely cold outside.
In addition to luxurious features and amenities, this Grand Design travel trailer comes with all the basic amenities. It has a kitchen, a bathroom, and sleeping quarters.
In summary, it is the type of trailer you should go for if you are looking for something lightweight but luxurious and comfortable at the same time.
7. Forest River Sonoma 22RBS Travel Trailer
- Dry Weight: 5,709 lbs.
- Length: 27 ft.
- Height: 11 ft.
Forest River has been making quality and extremely functional recreational vehicles since time immemorial. Some say it is to the RV industry what Apple is to the smartphone industry. In other words, it makes the “iPhones” in the RV industry.
The thing I like the most about this particular aluminum frame travel trailer of theirs is its sophistication – it looks and feels very sophisticated. I also like the fact that several interior designs/ floor plans are available. Some floor plans are cheaper than ones. The cheaper ones are minimalist RVs with only the basics. In contrast, the expensive ones have everything you need in terms of comfort and luxury. They are basically homes on wheels.
Like most Forest River recreational vehicles, all Sonoma 22RBS travel trailers come with all the essentials. These include a kitchen, a bathroom, a dining/ sitting area, and sleeping quarters. In all the versions of this travel trailer, the kitchen is fully functional and well-equipped. In my opinion, it is one of the best kitchens you will ever see fitted inside an RV. This is because it is spacious and it features multiple high-end food preparation appliances.
The dining/ sitting area is also well-designed in all the versions of this Forest River trailer. It is spacious and does not feel restricted.
As I mentioned earlier in this segment, this trailer is aluminum framed. This definitely makes it quite light. However, among the trailers on this list, it is probably one of the heavier ones alongside the Forest River Rockwood Signature Ultra-Lite Travel Trailer.
In brief, this trailer is great for travels looking for a brand-name lightweight travel trailer that is comfortable and durable. It is the kind of trailer that will make your travels totally comfortable and worth it.
8. Forest River Flagstaff MicroLite Travel Trailer
- Dry Weight: 4,816 lbs.
- Length: 22 ft.
- Height: 10 ft.
This is another Forest River travel trailer on this list. It is also aluminum framed. Furthermore, its quality is as good as the quality of the other aluminum frame Forest River recreational vehicles I have listed above.
This Forest River travel trailer is called MicroLite because it is one of the lightest and most compact Forest River recreational vehicles. It weighs less than 5,000 pounds and it is just 22 feet long. But while it is lightweight and compact, it is also very functional and stylish. I have mentioned this because I feel many see “lightweight” and automatically assume some features and amenities have been sacrificed. This is not the case with this trailer. It is lightweight because it has an aluminum body and it has all the essential features everyone expects to find in an RV.
The best thing about it is how unassuming it looks outside in contrast to how sleek and luxurious it looks inside. It is very stylish and has nice finishes. And there are ten-floor plan options available. Depending on your budget, you can get the expensive full-featured floor plan option with all the luxuries and amenities or one of the cheaper minimalist options with fewer luxuries and amenities.
While the floor plans/ interior designs are many, all the Forest River Flagstaff MicroLite travel trailers have essentials/ basics. The basics include a kitchen, a living area, a bathroom, a sleeping area, and storage compartments. Most of the storage drawers/ compartments, the kitchen amenities, and the beds in all the Flagstaff MicroLite Travel Trailers are made of aluminum. So they are very great quality and extremely durable.
Last but not least, this travel trailer has an impressive cargo-carrying capacity of 1,744 pounds.
In summary, what I have been trying to say above is that this is a recreational vehicle that you will be very proud to own and to use.
9. Dutchmen Aerolite
- Dry Weight: 5,665 lbs.
- Length: 28 ft.
- Height: 11 ft.
This is one of the lightest aluminum frame travel trailers. It weighs just 5,665 pounds.
Dutchmen Aerolite is manufactured by Dutchmen – an American RV company that is known for making sleek and state-of-the-art recreational vehicles.
Like most Dutchmen RVs, this recreational vehicle is very stylish, very modern, and very high-tech. When you see it with your own two eyes, you will be stunned by how good it looks both outside and inside.
Ten Dutchmen Aerolite floor plan options are available for sale. All of them can also be customized faster. Some versions are luxurious and extremely comfy, while others are minimalists with only the essentials.
In my opinion, the Dutchmen Aerolite 2423BH model is one of the best floor plan options because it has a private bedroom with a queen bed plus large bunk beds for guests or kids.
10. Tanami Hybrid 10 Off-Road Camper
- Dry Weight: Approx. 1100kg
- Length: 5420 mm
- Height: 2375 mm
This is one of the lightest and most exciting travel trailers made of aluminum.
It is an extremely high-quality camper made by Tanami – an up and coming RV manufacturer that is producing extremely edgy and functional recreational vehicles.
One of the best things about this camper is the fact that it is designed in such a way that it is very easy to tow. You probably will not find a recreational vehicle that can be easily towed by many types of vehicles like this one.
One more thing I must mention about this camper is that it has all the amenities you need for a wonderful short-term or long-term trip.
The Final Note
You now know all the ten best aluminum frame travel trailers. So if you have been looking for one or if you are interested in buying one, you now know the best ones from which to choose. In my opinion, the number 1 travel trailer on this list is probably the very best one. However, all the other aluminum RVs are equally good. Therefore, if you like something other than the first position, do not shy from buying it.
