Safari Condo Alto F1743 Review
- Outdoors Made Simple
- Dec 14, 2021
- 15 min read
We moved from a pop-up camper (read about that here) to a travel trailer in 2021. We picked up our Safari Condo Alto F1743 Sept 17 after waiting for 14 months for it! This website is what we did with the 14 month wait - well that and camping in our pop-up camper of course.
We are beyond delighted with our Alto! We named her Serenity because she is "shiny" - shout to anyone who gets that reference. We managed to get 4 camping trips in before the winter set in - one of them was so cold that it snowed! In this post we will give an overview of the Alto in general and our specific camper including the features we ordered and what we like and dislike so far.
You can watch a video tour as well:
Jump to the section you want
About the Alto in general
For those of you who are new to the Alto series of campers, these are light weight trailers made in Canada. They use an aluminum exterior and interior and almost no wood anywhere so you don’t have to worry about rot and they are exceptionally lightweight.
They build these to spec per order so you generally can’t find them in a dealership. They have an owner referral program and a very active facebook community - the largest one is called Altoistes - so you can connect with a local owner to tour one in person (that is what we did). They do have a couple of dealers in Canada and depending on where you live you might be required to order from one of those vs. directly from the factory. Regardless, you will make all of your options selections when you put down your deposit but have a chance to change them up to 6 months before your delivery date. There are quite a lot of options including solar and lithium batteries and you can even make requests that are not on the options list and the factory will consider whether they can implement them. Be prepared to watch enviously as others post pictures of their Alto’s on facebook for a long time because the wait pre-COVID was at least 9 months and post-pandemic waits are now pushing into 2 years! They hold their value and if you are lucky enough to find a used one for sale, you will likely pay exactly what the previous owner paid for it. If you want to try before you buy, Durango RV in Colorado has a fleet for rent.
The Alto F1743 has a fixed roof meaning it won’t fit into a standard garage. What you gain by the fixed roof is more storage and an enclosed toilet/shower combo. This model is actually lighter than the raised roof models. There is a dinette that converts to a queen sized bed and a smaller dinette that converts to a single bed. There is a bunk option so with that option, this sleeps 4. It has an interior, enclosed wet bath - a toilet and shower where the entire enclosure becomes the shower.
Alto F1743 Specifications:
GVWR: 2700 lbs Dry Weight: 1765 lbs
Exterior Length: 17'9" Toilet option: Toilet/Shower combo Sleeps: 3-4 Bunk beds: Yes Fits in a standard garage: No Starting Price: $48,169 (CAD)
You can find the full specifications sheet online.
Features we added
There is a long list of features you can add to these campers. For anyone truly interested, here is the feature list at the time we purchased (warning, these change OFTEN and the pricing is higher now so don't use this list if you are actually buying one!).
It is probably easier to say which options we didn’t get! Of the more frequently mentioned options, we didn’t get the caravan mover, the on demand hot water heater, the microwave, the TV, the inverter.
Here is what we added:
All those options add up so our final purchase price was $56,720 CAD. This also includes shipping it to the dealer closest to us, which was in British Columbia. The shipping cost $4,500 CAD.
The why for some of our feature choices
Solar and battery choices
According to the website, these trailers now come standard with lithium self-heated batteries which is awesome. At the time we ordered, they came standard with 1 Group 31 AGM battery. We often camp without hookups (also called dry camping or boondocking this can be in a campground with no electrical or water connections at the site or on forest last with no services etc) so we wanted to have batteries that would last a long time. We ordered 2x lithium batteries with a combined 176 amp hours. Frankly, this was by far the most confusing part of our ordering process and we are by no means experts. Here is a good post on what a lithium battery is and how it compares to lead acid batteries.
When you order a Safari Condo trailer, you can make changes to your order up to 6 months before you pick up the trailer (or beyond but then you pay a fee). When we made our changes, they had added an option for self-heated lithium batteries that were 200 amp hours. We didn't pick that option because it was more than $1,000 CAD more than the original option we had and that was too much for our budget. I believe this is now the only option. Why does it matter? Lithium batteries cannot be charged in sub-freezing temperatures. The batteries we have installed have a circuit that stops them from charging if the temperatures are below freezing so the impact of freezing temperatures is that our batteries don't charge. They will work however, just not as efficiently. While we don't intend to camp in the winter, we have accidentally tested this one time. On our last camping trip of the year, temperatures got to 26 degrees F at night and it snowed! We didn't have any problems with the batteries so we take that as a good sign!
Paired with the batteries, and to enable boondocking, we got solar panels installed on the roof. Safari Condo offered 2 options when we ordered: 200 watts or 400 watts. Here again, we went back and forth over our choices. In the end, we chose 200 watts on the roof over the 400 watts. The reason we did this was because if we need extra solar, we
probably will get a suitcase style solar panel so we can move it to someplace sunny. While having solar mounted panels is highly convenient, if you are parked in the shade, which we often are, you don't get much charging. With a separate set of panels, you can move them to where the sun is and still stay parked in the shade.
Windows and door
If you watch the video, I mention the windows 3 times! Yes this, and the weight, were the major selling features for us. We really didn't want to feel like we were in a confined cave when we are in the camper. We don't spend tons of time inside when we camp but we bought this camper so we could camp in the spring and fall as well as the summer so expect
we will spend more time inside than we might have in the past. Having all the windows makes it feel more like sleeping outside. We added the porthole window on the passenger side and the guillotine door for that reason. The guillotine door was another one we went back and forth on. The standard door has a porthole
window and a sliding screen. The sliding screen sounds fantastic for the summer and I know people generally love it. We thought the bigger window would be better for colder season camping because, again, you get more light in with that window. So far it seems great and we are happy with our choice but I suspect we would have been happy with either door option.
The bathroom window was a relatively new feature when we ordered and one that was added thanks to previous orders making this special request. We got this to help with condensation in the bathroom and so we could hang we clothes in there and have the window open to help them dry.
4.3 cu ft fridge
The fridge that comes standard is a propane fridge, meaning it can be run on gas, or 120 v (plugged in) it is 3.1 cu ft. We wanted the largest fridge we could get, in fact we asked the company 3 times if we could add the larger fridge they have in the larger models and cut down the closet size above it. They said no each time. They have done special modifications like this in the past so we figured it didn't hurt to ask!
After spending some time with our camper, the fridge is a lot bigger than we were expecting. Compared to our pop-up camper it is about twice the size and we could fit a lot in the pop-up fridge. We probably would have been sorry to lose the storage space if they had said yes to the larger fridge request! We are very happy to have gotten the 4.3 cu ft fridge though.
You do lose the ability to power the fridge via propane which if you are camping without hookups a lot - and we do - this did make us a little nervous. However, so far, our battery seems to be more than up to the challenge of powering the fridge and lights so we should be fine with this set up.
Extra bed
The extra bed on the F1743 has framing that pulls out from the wall over the larger queen sized bed. Basically the bed lays across the foot of the larger bed. We have 1 kiddo, he is 8. He sleeps on that extra bed which allows us to pull the curtain down and stay up past his bed time more easily if the weather is bad and we need to be inside. We also really like being able to keep the front table up and not have to mess with taking the bed up and down every day. I suspect that will be less of an issue in the summer but so far we have only done fall camping and we’ve had some cold and rain so it was nice to be able to eat breakfast inside. We plan on taking a friend with us some of the time so that extra bed lets us have room for 1 more as well.
The only downside of the extra bed is that it covers access to the stove when set up and it has 2 large cushions. So you have to take the bed down to use the kitchen area and then you have to contend with the cushions being in the camper. So far we have dealt with this by leaving the large bed made and using the cushions as a back rest for lounging.
Our long term plan is for our son and his friends to sleep outside in a tent when they get older so we see this bed as a shorter term solution.
Memory Foam in the cushions
Memory foam in the cushions is nice but not enough for us to sleep on without a mattress topper (a very common theme). We are still happy we got it because we think it allowed us to get a thinner mattress topper. We bought a latex one online thanks to a recommendation from a local store who was having supply chain issues so couldn’t get one for us in any reasonable timeframe. We got the 2 inch soft topper which one of use is very happy with but the other might wish we had gotten the 3”. Of course this is going to be super personal so hard to say what might work for someone else. You can find the mattress topper we got here here: https://naturallynestled.com/
Bathroom sink
We added the bathroom sink at the last minute and so far are really glad we did. We like being able to brush teeth in the bathroom and it is nice to have a sink when we have stuff on the kitchen counter. We also put a water regulator on our kitchen sink to reduce the flow of water to 15% to save grey tank space (it works great) and having the bathroom sink means we can fill up bins with water more quickly.
Extra Propane Tank
This was another one we added at the last minute. We picked that option because we cook outside with a big gas cook top and so we wanted to have plenty of propane for that. Also, on the West coast the trends look like no wood fires allowed in the summer so having an extra tank allows us to power a propane fire pit. The propane fire pits take a ton of propane! However, when we camped in the very cold, we ran out of propane in one tank in the middle of the night and were really, really thankful we had the extra tank!
Double Jack Wheel
This wheel normally comes with the caravan mover (the caravan mover is a motor attached to the wheels that allows you to move the camper via remote control, it is good for getting into tight spots or turning the camper in a way a car wouldn't allow). We ordered this wheel without the caravan mover because we often camp on dirt or on rough rock and the normal hard wheel that comes with a camper this size can dig into the dirt and make it very difficult to move by hand. This was a good call on our part, it does exactly what we hoped and makes moving the Alto by had much easier.
Features we didn't get
The only think we didn’t get that we wish we had gotten is the driver side exterior light. We’ve already set up in the dark once and having that light would have been very helpful. Don't know why we didn't add that, probably just forgot with all the options.
We debated the caravan mover and are glad we didn’t spend the money. This camper is light! We can get it pretty close to good in most camp spots (not really we, Ben does this very well) and then we just push it into place if it is not quite right. We even pushed it onto leveling blocks by hand once. The caravan mover definitely would make this easier, but If you have 2 people, you can maneuver this by hand without too much trouble.
Ordering and pickup up of our Alto
As mentioned previously, Alto's are made to order. There are a few dealers who sell these but most of them are ordered directly from the factory. Because we live in Portland, we had the option to order either directly from the factory or from a dealership in British Columbia called Getaway RV. The factory is in Quebec Canada, and if you order from them, you go to the factory and pick it up which for us would have been a long trip. We went back and forth on this because it would have been fun to camp our way back through Canada but in the end we decided to order and pick up from BC because we were not sure we would have the time necessary to do a long trip. Given the pandemic, there was a ton of uncertainty about our pickup time so I'm glad we didn't try to go to Quebec. We ended up getting ours 2 months after our original pick up date with only a few weeks notice for the actual pick up time. Our pick up day turned out to be during the second week of school for our son so we wouldn't have been able to get to Quebec easily. However, if I were doing it again without the pandemic, I would be tempted to ship my car to Quebec and drive home through Canada. It probably would have cost about the same as having it shipped and from other's experience pre-pandemic, pickup dates rarely if ever slip so once you have a date set, you can be pretty confident about your trip planning.
Regardless of which way you order, the ordering process is about the same. You put down a $7,000 CAD deposit when you first place your order. This secures your place in line. We ordered ours in July 2020 and were given a first week of August 2021 pick up date at that time. Worth noting, when we first called the sales person, the pick up date we were given was July. At that point we were just trying to get information so we didn't reserve. We called back the 2 days later to reserve and 2 other people had already put down deposits, moving our pick up date. These things are popular!
After you put down your deposit, you have about 2 weeks to decide on all of the features you want to add. Best advice here is to just put down all the features you might want. You can change them later and the prices go up periodically so if you might want something you may as well put it down the first time. During this time, your best bet is to head over to the Altoistes facebook and search for posts about the specific features. Once your features are selected, you are in the waiting zone. Hopefully you have plenty to do to pass the time. Otherwise, campers might become a pandemic fueled obsession (not pointing any fingers here).
At the time we had put down our deposit, we have not actually seen an Alto in person! The boarder to Canada was closed so we couldn't get to the dealership. By posting on the facebook group, we found someone local who was willing to show us their camper even during the pandemic. We are so thankful for their generosity in sharing their experience! Fortunately, that visit reinforced our decision to buy the Alto.
If you want to make more changes to the features you've selected before the Alto is built, you can do that up to 6 months before your delivery date. This ensures that you won't accrue an additional fee and they have not actually started building your camper. Via Getaway, the sales person called us to remind us about this before the deadline. If you order from the factory directly they may not do this so be sure to mark your calendar. At that point, we made a ton of changes to our features because we had 6 months to do research (obsessively).
Then you wait another 6 months.....
Because of the pandemic, there were supply chain delays in getting our Alto finished. It was done in July but sat on the lot for a month waiting for a window. Our sales rep did a reasonably good job of communicating those delays to us so we knew things were up in the air. Unfortunately, our Alto was ready right as Safari Condo closed down for their annual 2 weeks closure at in August and they couldn't get a shipping slot for it so it was delayed again due to Pandemic related labor shortages.
We finally got a photo of it being delivered on August 26th to Getaway RV. They need 2 weeks to check it and make sure everything is correct and then you
can pick up the Alto!
Here again, the Pandemic made things different than usual. Normally, you would go to the dealer and they will give you a several hours long walk through of the trailer, explaining all the features and maintenance. Our pick up date was Sept 17 and the boarder between Canada and the US was open to vaccinated US residents with a negative COVID test. We are fully vaccinated however, we were not bringing our son with us for this pick up and we were concerned about possibly getting delayed or stuck and not having him with us. So we chose to have it delivered across the boarder.
Here is the Alto being delivered in a parking lot in Sumac Washington, right on the Canadian/US boarder.
It was pouring down rain during the delivery but we were elated to finally have our family camper!!
For a cross boarder delivery, due to labor laws, they are not allowed to tell you anything about the trailer. The person delivering it just sets up your hitch and hitches it to your car. Everything else, you are on your own. That part has not ended up being that big of a deal, we have figured out most things with the manuals and the awesome advice on facebook.
Unfortunately, despite having the trailer for 3 weeks, Getaway didn't seem to actually check it against our order. We were missing several things we had paid for:
the double jack wheel (no wheel at all was included)
an extra 12V outlet on the interior of the camper
the LPG line to side
the wireless brake controller - meaning the brakes wouldn't work
Obviously, the brake controller was the biggest problem. You are not required by law to have brakes for a trailer in Oregon, and in Washington they are required for a trailer over 3000 lbs. While we were not braking any laws by driving without the brake controller, we were uncomfortable towing without brakes. We were somewhat mollified by the knowledge that because our car is more than twice the weight of the trailer, we should not have significant braking problems. There was no other choice anyway, they couldn't take it back over the boarder, and we had to drive it home. Fortunately, the drive home was fine. We bought the Curt Echo wireless brake controller which you can install yourself once we got home.
4 trips, pros and cons
We only camped 4 times in the Alto before we winterized so our experience with it is not extensive. So far we love it and see very few issues. We've found it to tow easily and be easy to maneuver and fit into camping spots. We sleep comfortably, and love all the amenities. It feels larger inside than we were expecting and despite camping in the rain 3 out of our 4 trips, we've all been comfortable inside when needed and have even cooked a meal or 2 inside. There is a lot of storage and we currently have empty bins that we can use for longer trips. Have we mentioned the windows? They are as awesome as we hoped they would be!
Our issues so far are minor.
Probably the biggest down side (and we knew this going in) is that you have to sleep side to side in the queen sized bed which means that if you have 2 people sleeping in that bed, someone has to climb over the other to get in and out. We did that with our pop-up camper too and while it is kind of annoying it wasn’t a deal breaker for us. If you have a larger tow vehicle, the F2114 does not have this problem.
The outside step is weirdly shallow and that was kind of hard to get used to but we've adjusted and now it seems fine.
The stereo doesn't have speakers outside. Not sure we thought about this at all when we were ordering but once we turned the stereo on we realized the speakers are inside which seems kind of weird because we don't spend much time inside. On the other hand, mounted exterior speakers would add a place for water to get in and wouldn't allow you to control the direction of the sound so that you were minimizing disruption to others.
Wrap up
So that is our Alto! So far we love it and have already planned several longer trips for 2022. Did we miss anything? Put a note in the comments if so!
If you are still debating, you can find a comparison of the F1743 and 6 other campers we considered on our blog here: https://www.outdoorsmadesimple.com/post/comparison-of-7-travel-trailers-the-one-we-chose
Of course you can also find all our research on small, family friendly travel trailers in our membership section.
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