RV REVIEW
Small but mighty toy hauler 2015 Keystone Carbon 22
T oyhauler is a description as much as it’s a type of RV. Perhaps a better label would be “base camp” for these mobile garages. Frankly that’s what this type of trailer really is — once you get to where you want to play with your toys it’s going to be where you start and end your adventures. That’s why these units are continuing to grow in popularity and also why they have spread from high-end fifth-wheels to smaller travel trailers that don’t have to cost a bundle. The Keystone Carbon 22 is the second smallest of the Carbon lineup yet it still offers a full rear drop-down ramp with decent transport space inside for two toys. Take your pick: motorcycles, dirt bikes, ATVs, snowmobiles, or even non-motorized vehicles. The first thing I noticed when doing my walk-around was the ground clearance height of the trailer. I estimate it to be around 14-inches clear. When you consider where you might be towing this trailer, the height really starts to make sense. My tow vehicle was the all-new 2015 Ford F-150 and with its
four-wheel drive capability, which needs to be paired with a trailer that will go wherever the truck can go, too. But, there were a number of other design features I noticed that would also help in this goal. For starters the twin axles are almost perfectly centered on the frame meaning the tail droop was minimal. Up front the bottom third of the nose is covered with chrome checker plate—attractive and good stone-chip protection. Around the rest of the trailer that checker plate line is carried along each side in a tough plastic body mould- ing — again for protection. The underbelly of the trailer is fully enclosed too. Of course this does double duty for insula- tion of the tanks and keeping a warm floor for winter trips. Twin propane tanks and the battery are both protected by heavy plastic covers mounted on the A-frame. So these innovations will get you to your riding spot, but chances are that now you’re well off the beaten path, which means dry camping. The Carbon 22 carries 60 gallons of freshwater. The LPG twin tanks are ample to run every-
20 COAST TO COAST SPRING 2015
Made with FlippingBook HTML5