The Travel Lite Falcon GT 24BH is an ultra-cool ultra-light!
With so many young families looking for an affordable entry-level travel trailer that’s suitable for towing behind a mid-size family van, pickup, or SUV, we turned to our friends Rene and Pat Stornebrink at Under The Stars RV in Erin, Ontario, for some suggestions. Under The Stars RV has just celebrated the grand opening of a new location, with expanded parts, service, and sales facilities to serve their growing customer base, and they carry several RV lines focusing on the needs of the young and active RV enthusiasts.
One of the coolest units on the list of family-friendly RVs is the ultralight 2018 Falcon GT 24BH from Travel Lite – a family-owned company that is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2018.
The Falcon GT 24BH is the largest of the fleet of ultralights from Travel Lite, and it is available in a trio of trim levels – the Falcon Fire, the Falcon Eclipse, and the Falcon GT, which we selected for this road test feature. The trailers all sport different interior décor packages – the Fire motif has red neon accent lighting, the Eclipse has a very cool blue interior flair, and the GT has a green accent lighting package. You can turn the accent lights on or off, as you prefer.
There are several very innovative features in this ultralight trailer line. For example, the Travel Lite Falcon GT has a smart electric tongue jack levelling system – it remembers how high you set the jack when hitching and unhitching, making each process a one-touch delight.
We were attracted to the Falcon GT for several reasons. As an ultra-light travel trailer, it tips the scales at just 3,215 pounds unloaded, with a hitch weight of just 345 pounds – this is well within the towing capability of a wide range of pickups, SUVs, and family vans, when suitably equipped with a weight distributing hitch.
Construction
The Travel Lite line is designed and built to be affordable – it utilizes good quality materials, and the construction quality is very good. The trailer carries a full two-year manufacturer’s warranty, and there is an extensive network of dealers throughout North America, including quite a few Canadian dealers, so you are never going to be far from a servicing dealer if you should require a repair or an adjustment.
The Falcon GT package is a premiere décor selection with custom colour coordinated interior neon lights above the slide out and beneath the dinette seats, custom GT stitching on the dinette seat, upgraded booming kicker speakers and stereo, a large 5 cu. ft. refrigerator with separate freezer, and a 32″ indoor/outdoor TV. The Falcon GT package is described by the factory reps as the ultimate “never needing anything else” package.
The Falcon GT comes with twin 20-pound LP tanks, and twin coach batteries, which is unusual for a trailer of this size.
On the Road
One thing you notice when examining the exterior of this trailer is that the unit is just 7’ wide, but the single axle is a wide-track design. This provides a very distinct advantage for highway handling, and this is further enhanced by the use of 18” aluminum wheels with wide Michelin radial tires. We found the ride and handling of the trailer to be excellent – the tongue weight of just 345 pounds is well within the capacity of most family vehicles.
The Travel Lite engineers have taken the roadability of this trailer very seriously – not only are the tires, rims, axles, and electric brakes top quality for a trailer of this size and weight, there is a black diamond plate rock guard to protect the lower portion of the front cap, and similar material is used for the wheel fenders.
In the Campground
Once you arrive at your campsite, it is a very simple process to unhitch, level and stabilize the trailer using the scissor type jacks, and hook up your water, sewer electrical, and entertainment systems. The Falcon GT features several exterior compartments, including a large front pass-through storage compartment, and all of these storage areas are outfitted with lighting and access latches that are well suited to a vehicle of this type and price point.
The RV systems are very well equipped for a vehicle of this size and price range, with twin 20 lb. LP gas bottles, two deep-cycle 12-volt RV coach batteries, and a 40-amp AC/DC converter.
The single-entry door is equipped with a gas strut to hold it open, and there is an illuminated assist handle on the left side of the doorway. We were surprised to see that you could only unfold the entry steps when the door was closed – this may be a safety feature – it certainly makes sense, although we have not seen this on other trailers that we have reviewed recently. The entry steps are also equipped with LED lighting – a very welcome feature!
Our test unit was equipped with a 12-foot awning, very nicely colour coordinated to the exterior gray slate Falcon GT motif.
Entertaining at the campsite is a pleasant experience, with an optional awning to provide shade and marine grade waterproof exterior stereo speakers to channel your favourite tunes. The upgrade exterior speakers have LED lights – another very cool feature that sets this trailer apart from the typical RV in this category.
Comfort and Convenience
While the Falcon GT is a compact model, the use of a dinette slide-out section significantly enhances your interior living space. The floorplan is a clever design – with the dinette slide in the retracted position for travelling, you can easily walk through the trailer, and access the galley, the master bedroom and the bathroom. Touch a switch and in a matter of seconds, the dinette extends, and you can enjoy the full interior comfort of the trailer.
The Falcon GT 24BH sleeps up to six people, with a large master bed, a convertible dinette, and two bunk beds at the rear of the trailer. The floorplan is a bunkhouse style, and the two bunks at the rear of the trailer are certain to be popular with the kids – but we had to try them out, and we are happy to report that the bunks are quite spacious – more than large enough to accommodate an adult in comfort.
Each bunk has a large slider window, a charging station for your USB devices, as well as GFI power outlets. There is a storage compartment built into each bunk, and the lower bunk has two large under mattress storage compartments, an ideal place to stow your clothes and gear.
The dinette converts into a single bed, and the table has two pedestals for greater stability. Cushions are vinyl clad and should be very easy to clean.
Storage compartments under the dinette seats are equipped with both interior and exterior access – a brilliant idea that we very rarely see in an RV design, and the accent lights are placed under the dinette benches, making a very interesting ambiance in the evening.
The trailer has a very efficient 18,000 BTU LP gas furnace, with ducted heat at the base of the dinette and galley. We tested the trailer in sub-zero temperatures, and when we fired up the furnace to take the interior pictures and video, it only took about five minutes for the 24BH to reach a comfortable room temperature.
For your comfort during the warm summer days, the Falcon GT can be equipped with a 13.5M BTU roof air conditioner, our test model had a Dometic low-profile unit that we have seen on many RV models – we did not fire up the air conditioner on this particular unit, as the ambient temperature was already too cold!
The 24BH has a 6-gallon hot water heater, which is plenty of comfort for the interior and exterior showers and the galley sink. The water tank capacities are excellent for a small family, with 31-gallon fresh water tank, 30-gallon grey water tank, and 30-gallon black water tank.
The Travel Lite Falcon GT is equipped with an LP gas detector and a smoke detector, for your safety.
In the Galley
The galley features a molded Granicote fiberglass countertop with stainless steel sink and a two-burner cooktop. Above the range, there is a stainless-steel microwave and a range hood, as well as an overhead cupboard and your RV control and monitor panel.
This bunkhouse model features a very spacious array of cupboards and drawers in the galley, with double sided ball bearing drawer glides – the drawers are hidden behind the tempered glass metal framed cabinet doors.
A large 5 cu. ft. refrigerator is standard, and the radio above the refrigerator has an input for your iPod.
In the Bedroom
The Falcon GT 24 BH is a compact trailer, but it delivers a very comfortable camping experience. A queen size bed at the front of the trailer features an iRelax foam mattress, and when you swivel the LCD TV around from its position in full view of the dinette, you can relax in the bedroom and watch your favourite TV shows or videos.
The Falcon GT 24BH is a compact trailer designed for touring – you would not expect to find a great deal of hanging closet space in a trailer of this size – but the designers at Travel Lite have provided a wardrobe adjacent to the master bedroom – it isn’t large, but it would accommodate your sundresses and outfits that are not suitable for stowing in the folded clothes storage compartments under the beds.
In the Bathroom
The Travel Lite Falcon GT 24BH has a dry bath shower room with a flush toilet. The bathroom is isolated from the main living area of the trailer by an aluminum framed frosted glass door, and there is a shower curtain for additional privacy.
The bathroom has a skylight above the shower, and a very nice vanity mirror with integrated lighting – it is a bright and easily maintained area.
Watch the road test video:
The Bottom Line
The Travel Lite Falcon GT 24BH is a very attractive travel trailer, with a refreshingly moderninterior design, excellent quality components, and a two-year warranty backed by RV dealers throughout Canada and the United States.
If you are looking for a compact, lightweight, aerodynamic trailer that will turn heads everywhere you go, this would be an excellent unit to add to your list.
