Holiday Rambler is no newcomer to the SURV segment of the RV industry, having already enjoyed much success with its Next Level line of fifth-wheel toy haulers, but the company realized it was still missing out on a big piece of the pie. “Introducing the Black Diamond line allows us to enter the popular and growing travel-trailer segment,” explains Brad McKinney, national sales manager for Holiday Rambler towables. “The other nice thing about these units is that they are light enough to be towed by 3/4-ton pickups as well as many half-tons.”
Starting with a fifth-wheel and following up with a travel trailer isn’t common practice, but in this case, there are some notable benefits. The Black Diamond shares many heavy-duty parts with the bigger Next Level, including a 2,500-pound-rated cargo door with hidden spring hinges and 5,200-pound-rated axles, which bestow the Black Diamond with a net carrying capacity of more than 5,000 pounds, according to the company. Other heavy-duty points of interest include 10-inch I-beam frame rails and 12-inch brakes.
At 30 feet 5 inches overall, the BD-260FQB floorplan is the largest of the three Black Diamond floorplans — but unlike the typical travel trailer, almost the entire length is usable space. “What’s really unique about this product is its front end,” says McKinney. “We designed it with a V-nose, which also slopes down for additional wind-resistance. This allows us to build more onto the A-frame, increasing interior living space without increasing the length of the trailer. We also placed the batteries and three 5-gallon LP-gas cylinders in the nose as well.”
Moving more stuff forward means there’s more room at the back, and in the case of BD-260FQB, there’s a whopping 15 feet of cargo space once the sofa and dinette have been folded up against their respective walls. Even with all this room, there’s still plenty of sleeping space; a standard single bed pulls down from the ceiling at the rear, and there’s a 60 x 74-inch queen bed in the front bedroom. At the center of the trailer is the galley, which features a three-burner cooktop and oven on the curbside, and a 6-cubic-foot refrigerator on the streetside, just aft of the bath area.
Optional features are many, and include 13,500- or 15,000-BTU air-conditioning units, a microwave oven, an AM/FM/CD/DVD player with interior/exterior speakers, a 20-inch LCD television and dual rear electric beds. Outside, choose from an RVQ grill, exterior power sprayer to rinse off your dirty boots, and a 30-gallon fuel cell with pump and 4 kW Onan MicroQuiet generator.
Holiday Rambler/Monaco Coach Corporation, (800) 245-4778, www.holidayrambler.com
