Feather Micro clone: Highland Ridge Range Lite Air?

[EJH]

Has anyone here looked at, or heard or, Highland Ridge’s Range Lite Air models? They seem to be a clone of the Feather Micro, though in some ways more “no frills” as my wife puts it. I can’t find a ton of information or reviews. This model was new for 2022.

I have a Feather Micro 166FBS on order. Per my dealer (who never seems to have additional information), it was built (off the line) Oct 4th and is waiting for a driver to be assigned. Given the uncertainty in delivery, others’ experience with Jayco sending orders to a different dealer and/or never receiving their trailer months later, as well as our higher purchase price compared to others, we reached out to other dealers recently. The other local dealer suggested I look at a Highland Ridge Range Lite Air 16FBS (in stock). He said it is made by Jayco and is the best single axle trailer that dealer carries. Sure enough, it looks like a clone of the Feather Micro 166FBS.

We are highly considering picking up this Range Lite Air trailer, as it is in stock and my out the door price is $4.5k less than what I would pay for the Jayco Feather Micro.

Here are the differences I have located, along with what information I can find:
Model website: https://www.highlandridgerv.com/rvs/...ite-air/16fbs/
Only YouTube review I can find:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofA-bLty4Uk

Differences:


Negatives:
· Wall are Tuffshell (more traditional fiberglass) not Azdel
· No cup holder tray tables for sofa (most likely I can order the Jayco PN and it will fit)
· Rear ladder may not be as high quality
· 15” vs 16” wheels. Wider, but tires ½ “ less tall.. ST235/75R15'D vs LT225/75R16'E. Unknown tire manufacturer (is it Goodyear or generic?)
· No ottomans that store under bed (most likely I can order the Jayco PN here also)
· Lacks shelf with hooks over toilet (per The YouTube video, but their webpage shows it). Easy to add either way.
· Warranty is 1 year / 3 year instead of 2 year / 3 year (Manufacturer / Structural)

Positives:
· 30 lb LP tanks are standard
· Convection microwave and Thule roof rack are standard
· 100-150 lb higher cargo carrying capacity (presumably due to lack of nerf bars, other differences)
· Fridge is 8 Cu Ft vs 6 Cu Ft gas/electric fridge, Unknown manufacturer, does not look like Furrior which the Jayco uses.
· Dealer will provide two batteries instead of one.

Neutrals:
· Outdoor griddle mount is at the rear of the trailer instead of the middle
· Color scheme is different. Indoor cabinets, walls, exterior graphics.
· Solar charge controller is mounted in the storage rather than the interior wall near the heating thermostat.
· No nerf bars. I actually prefer the look without them, but understand the value as brush guards.
· Stove has 2 burners instead of 3.
· 15,000 BTU A/C vs 14,500 BTU (so close I did not put as positive)
· Storage cabinets are under the the sofa instead of above.
· Cosmetics differences: tank fill, fresh water and outdoor shower are all in one compartment, front nose panel, windows, etc


Any thoughts from people who may be more knowledgeable than me?

[EJH]

I ended up getting this trailer today over the Feather Micro 16FBS due to availability, cost and a better dealership.

Since I posted this thread. I also noticed Jayco makes the same trailer under the Starcraft brand, under the Super Lite Maxx model. The Starcraft and Highland Ridge look 100% identical, which the Feather Micro has the differences noted above (plus a few more I since noticed).

Overall, we were pleased with the purchase experience. We followed the PDI checklist on this site, after our walk through with the dealer service folks. Overall, we spent about 3.0-3.5 hours between the walk through and our own inspections, plus some time to resolve issues. I told both the salesman and service people we planned to do our own inspection. They had no issues.

Here's what we found, and whether we had them fixed, or I will do them later:

• Lower front diamond plate covering was dented/ripped where it attached to one side of the frame. Sounds worse that it is. The dealer service guy noticed this prior to our delivery and already had an order in place for a replacement diamond plate cover.
• Brake wires under the chassis hanging a bit too low. I will zip tie up myself.
• Bathroom door latch does not spring back. Also the door handle lock spins around and does not lock door. Dealer ordered a replacement door knob.
• Fresh fill not filling tank and city water not entering trailer. Highland ridge uses a combined connection for both the fresh fill and city. There is a level to rotate selecting which you want to use. This was the most concerning issue. We thought we might have to leave the trailer for repairs. However, the service tech found some kind of o-ring back-flush prevention device was installed reversed.
• plumbing on inside of the black tank flush was kinked badly. Hose plumbing was straighten out by service tech.
• Deadbolt does not work, does not seem to be lined up with the door jab. Unfortunately, I did not notice this until we got home. The door latch will lock, but not the deadbolt. We will have this corrected when we go back for the new diamond plating in a few months.
• Solar charging or not charging, that is the question? I haven't been able to conclusively determine the solar is charging the batteries. My gut tells me I may have an issue similar to many others with a poor connection in the roof solar input box. I will due more testing next week running down the battery and testing the solar.

Overall, the fit and finish was above our expectations. No issues with poor trim pieces, bad molding, etc.

I plan to check all the screws and re-seal/caulk over the new couple weeks.