Travel Trailer Review: 2020 Lance 2075
Image Caption:
A) outdoor kitchen B) U-shaped dinette, telescoping table C) wine rack D) 12-volt DC HDTV E) queen bed F) wardrobe G) refrigerator FLOORPLAN: ROB ROY
Relaxing on thick denim-colored leatherette cushions on opposite sides of a U-shaped dinette, drinks in hand, a cheese and apple platter resting on the table and dinner simmering on the stove, my husband, Bill, and I watched the sunset bathe California’s Carrizo Plain in golden hues through large windows from all sides of a Lance 2075 travel trailer. The Euro-style telescoping table turns 360 degrees, so rather than politely saying, “Please pass the snacks,” we simply turned the table like a giant lazy Susan to help ourselves.
Thanks to a 3.0-liter Power Stroke-equipped Ford F-150 tow vehicle, we were camped with nobody else in sight in the 24-foot, 9-inch Lance, one of the newest models in the company’s travel trailer lineup. Outfitted with two optional 190-watt solar panels and dual lithium batteries, the trailer had no need for hookups. Quite a change from previous nights, when we’d stayed at Wine Country RV Resort in Paso Robles, California, a park with every amenity, located just minutes from the Mid-State Fair and plentiful wineries. In both locations, the 2075 was an ideal travel companion.
Party on the patio: With the flexibility of a 7-foot power rear awning and a 16-footer on the side, the Lance 2075 offers plenty of sun protection for a big group. Factor in the outdoor kitchen for on-the-spot cooking, and guests may stay long into the night. Photos by Donya Carlson and Bob Dawson
Inside
Sleeps
A lever releases the wide single-post table so it can be pushed down to form the base for a 40-by-80-inch bed, offering enough sleeping room for two tall and lean adults. Once the dinette’s corner cushions are removed, large cubbies at each end are revealed for stowing bedside items. A little effort and time are involved in setting up the bed, but once guests are supine on the comfy cushions and peering out at the night sky, they may be so content that they overstay their welcome.
There’s no lack of natural light in the bedroom with its walk-around queen bed with a 6½-inch-thick Serta pillow-top mattress and storage underneath. Front and center, at the head of the bed, is Lance’s Euro Thermopane curved acrylic Stargazer window, and 28-by-40-inch windows are on each side. Over the foot of the bed is the hatch, framed with suede like material housing LED lights operated by a switch next to the bed.
Each sleeper gets walk-around room, a hanging wardrobe and drawer, push-button LED reading lights and plenty of tabletop space. At bedtime, slide open the accordion-style shade on the front curved Stargazer window and get lost in the night sky.
With the Stargazer window taking up a good portion of the front wall, we propped up pillows in the corners to lean against while reading in bed when the shade was closed. Because of the curve of the window, we had to lie on our backs to open and close the shades — but what a treat to recline in bed and check out the night sky!
Mood lights, a wardrobe, USB charging stations, and 12-volt DC and 120-volt AC outlets are on both sides of bed. Each sleeper also has access to plenty of bedside tabletop space, at 14-by-40 inches, and a drawer. Tap-button LED reading lights that resemble votive candles swivel 360 degrees. Speakers reside next to the reading lights, and a 24-inch 12-volt DC HDTV on a swiveling bracket is tucked in out of the way and stows flush with shelves and a shallow cabinet.
Galley & Storage
We stowed a 6-quart Instant Pot in the space under one dinette cushion, which could easily swallow up half a dozen more and then some, and a smaller storage area is under the opposite side. Built into the base of the seating are USB charging stations, and 12-volt DC and 120-volt AC outlets, and another set is in the wall next to the 10½-inch-wide shelf that spans the area behind the streetside seating and window.
This large shelf also came in handy for stowing items like a coffee maker, which did not fit on the galley counter that houses a stainless-steel two-burner Euro cooktop and stainless-steel round sink. Countertop space in the kitchen around the sink and cooktop only allow for such things as cups, a bottle of olive oil and a soap dispenser, but with a cutting board over the flush-mounted glass cover, the cooktop converts into an adequate prep area next to the sink.
A full-coverage, dimpled-metal-look backsplash is on the left and back walls. The sink is furnished with a black residential arched faucet with pullout sprayer, and it is large enough to fit a 10-inch skillet for cleaning, but it does not have a cover. Below the galley’s counter are two 28-inch-long, 18-inch-wide soft-close drawers. The deeper bottom drawer easily accommodated large frying pans and rolls of paper towels. Anything that didn’t fit on the counter was swept into these drawers and handily retrieved when needed.
A black-and-stainless-steel High Pointe flatbed microwave oven is fine for heating snacks and frozen foods, but because there is no conventional oven, a convection microwave would be appreciated. Lance explained that, as of this writing, there are no convection microwaves on the market that fit in the allotted overhead space, but they’re working on it. Also, with no combo exhaust hood and light, the darkest place in the entire trailer is the galley’s corner, although the overhead LEDs and accent lighting above the spice shelf (and the big window) provide enough light to work by.
Wine enthusiasts will appreciate the hidden seven-bottle storage cabinet next to a pantry with adjustable shelves. We filled this space quickly — we were spending time in wine country, after all — with not only wine bottles but glass balsamic and olive oil bottles, all of which survived being bounced along 20-something miles of a hard-packed dirt road.
Next to a 10½-inch-wide shelf behind the driver’s side dinette cushions is a built-in wine rack that holds up to seven bottles.
Living Area
Large push-open windows, cabinets, shelves and LEDs back each side of the U-shaped dinette with its telescoping table.
“Royal” is the color name given to the dinette’s denim-looking leatherette cushions with white stitching. The seats have the look of my favorite pair of blue jeans and are almost as comfy. Five-inch-thick cushions with 15-inch-high backs have just the right amount of firmness and fit together nicely to stay tightly in place.
The dinette makes into a 40-by-80-inch bed, accommodating tall folks. Corner pockets, which are hidden behind the cushions when dinette is set up, are wonderful for stowing bedside items.
The quartz-look Euro telescoping table does more than turn 360 degrees; with the release of a lever, it also slides this way and that, and can be locked in place. Need extra room to scooch around to the back of the dinette’s seating? Simply slide the table to one side, set up shop where you’re comfortable, and then slide the table back into place. Or glide the table toward the galley area for additional prep space while making a meal. The tabletop will not move so far as to block entry or exit into the trailer.
The bedroom can be closed off from the living area with a curtain. Deep drawers below the cooktop and sink swallow up a lot of items, as do the interior-lighted Lite Ply cabinets.
Bathroom
The Truma Combi system provides hot water and interior heat and can run on LP-gas, electric or mixed modes, and is so quiet that we had to put our hands by the registers to be sure it was on. While all areas of the trailer warmed up quickly, our favorite was the floor register in the bathroom for toasty toes. Coming in late one cold night after walking through Paso Robles’ amazing Field of Light at Sensorio, a 15-acre walk-through artwork of almost 60,000 solar-powered spheres that change color, we were warm and cozy in less than 10 minutes.
Leaving the powder room’s door open freed up walk space between the living area and bedroom, so one of us could sidestep out of the way. Cooking steam was close to nil with the big window behind the cooktop open and the bathroom’s remote-controlled Fan-Tastic Vent (with rain sensor) in motion.
Speaking of the bath area, the black-and-gray-toned tempered-glass bowl sink looks like something you’d have sitting on a coffee table, and it and the wood-framed mirrored medicine cabinet are the only bathroom components visible from the entry. There was enough space to lean over the sink to wash my face without hitting my head on the mirror. A hand-towel ring is next to the sink, and there’s also a shower-towel bar.
Left: A porcelain toilet is mounted on a raised platform, providing good floor space when standing at the objet d’art tempered-glass bowl sink to wash hands or stepping up into the 19-by-32-inch shower. Right: The sliding showerhead has spray adjustments and a shut-off valve. With the skylight, there’s 6 feet, 2 inches of headroom.
The porcelain toilet, set at 20 inches high on a platform in the corner, leaves a good amount of floor space between the vanity and 19-by-32-inch step-up shower pan. The heavy-plastic shower curtain is secured at the top and bottom, and locks into place, while the curved upper bar allows for extra elbow room. The black plastic adjustable sliding showerhead with shut-off valve matches the rest of the 2075’s fixtures. With the skylight, there’s 6 feet, 2 inches of headroom.
Special Features
A 24-inch Jensen 12-volt DC HDTV on a swiveling bracket can be viewed from every angle while seated at the dinette, and a King antenna is near the dinette in the 6½-foot ceiling. An AM/FM/DVD stereo, speaker and cubby are grouped with the digital control panel for the Truma Combi Comfort Plus heating system, standard on three Lance trailers.
Outside
Rear-mounted outdoor kitchen comes complete with pullout two-burner cooktop and sink with stabilizer legs, a Dometic drawer-type fridge and large shelf. Additionally, there’s bunches of storage below the shelf.
Materials & Construction
The distinctive European-sourced entry door resembles an airplane’s and has pockets that are reachable from the dinette for stowing things like maps and phones. No-fuss opening, closing and locking the door are simplified by flipping a lever up or down. A full-length, side-sliding screen door is another two-thumbs-up feature.
A four-key hook is right inside the entry above a fire extinguisher. The iN-Command system’s panel is located by the entry as well, and controls everything from the electric jacks, awnings and 13,500-Btu air conditioner to the water pump, and the functions can be controlled with a smart device.
Notable Equipment & Features
Several features stand out on this trailer, but we have to focus on the rear outdoor kitchen and the windows. The four-season 2075 has European Thermopane acrylic windows that dominate the Azdel-panel walls and open outward to allow for as much airflow as you can take. It’s easy to control how wide open you set the dual-pane tinted radius windows, which are held open by struts and a twist knob. Accordion-style pull-down screens and pull-up night shades keep bugs out and regulate the amount of natural light. In addition to the curved Lance Stargazer window at the head of the bed, each side of the trailer has at least one window.
Cooking in the great outdoors — Lance-style!
As if all these large windows don’t offer enough potential sunlight and cross-breezes, push-open 24-by-16-inch roof hatches with three height positions reside above the foot of the bed and over the dinette. These hatches have the same sliding screen/shade as the windows, so the amount of sunlight coming in can be controlled as well. With every window and shade buttoned down, it can be dark as night inside on a bright day, a plus for RVers who like to get a little noontime shut-eye.
The 2075 is particularly well-suited for those who like to tailgate — literally — with its rear-mounted outdoor kitchen. Simply slide out the combo two-burner cooktop and sink, hook up the LP-gas and water, and attach the stabilizer legs residing in the large back storage area. A drawer-style Dometic refrigerator is tucked in below a metal shelf that’s wonderful for piling plates and bowls of food for a party.
Lighted exterior compartment with pullout storage tray can stow camp chairs, plus housed above it is an included 4-foot folding table.
Additionally, there’s a 4-foot-long folding table stored in the upper portion of a lighted compartment. This space, with a pullout storage tray for easy access to big items like camping chairs, passes almost all the way through to the other side. On the opposite side is a vented compartment for stowing a generator, a small steel locker, plus another good-sized storage cubby for the 30-amp electric cord, water hoses and lots more. All have magnetic door catches.
Exterior Storage Space
Located at the back of the trailer is a large compartment dedicated to longer and wider sewer hoses that makes them easy to access and lift out. There’s room for a rinsing hose and a wye connector, which is needed for dumping since the black and gray tanks are separated by the dual axles and do not merge into one dump valve. An exterior wash station is provided, and the trailer is prewired for Go Power’s Solar on the Side in addition to the roof’s solar panels.
Operation and Ease of Use
The generous interior space of the curved Euro Lite Ply cabinetry over the dinette is continuous, with no wasted area where they join in the corners. The cabinets open upward on soft-close hinges and have automated interior lights. Accent LEDs light up the shelving below the cabinets, and stop-bars help keep items in place. Radius-corner shelves are deep enough to stow a 10½-inch square game box.
The entry door opens all the way to stay flush against the trailer; just be careful when opening the door if the kitchen window is extended outward, especially if it’s windy, so the two don’t meet. Sturdy Torklift GlowStep Revolution 25-inch manual folding steps have a quick-release lever, locking mechanism and are adjustable so we could deploy the steps on the curb in front of our home when packing up. Safety devices include a lit-up entry-step well and swing-out assist handle.
What We Liked
Numerous push-open windows, comfy and spacious U-shaped dinette, dual awnings, outdoor kitchen
What We’d Like to See
Convection microwave, extra lighting over cooktop, increased cargo-carrying capacity
Final Thoughts
Users will need to be cautious about how much cargo weight they add because the trailer offers only a modest 392 pounds of cargo capacity (with full water and a full optional third LP-gas cylinder) before exceeding its 5,900-pound gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).
And don’t forget to pluck the removable Bluetooth stereo speaker with flashlight off its charging station below the living area’s TV when you head outside; brackets for positioning the speaker are on each side wall below the 16-foot power side awning and 7-foot rear awning that protects the outdoor chef. Both awnings have wind sensors and LED lighting. The 2075 is sure set up to be the soul of a good tailgate party!
We enjoyed the versatility of the Lance 2075 and how much larger it feels inside with the surrounding push-open windows. Whether spending time in an RV resort, boondocking or tailgating, the 2075 should find favor with a wide range of enthusiasts.
Manufacturer’s Specs
2020 Lance 2075
Exterior Length 24′ 9″
Exterior Width 8′ 3/8″
Exterior Height 10′ 2″ (with A/C)
Interior Width 7′ 9 3/4″
Interior Height 6′ 6″
Construction Aluminum-framed substructure, laminated fiberglass exterior walls with Azdel substrate and block-foam insulation, one-piece crowned PVC roof and high-gloss TPO front lower section
Freshwater Cap. 45 gal.
Black-Water Cap. 45 gal.
Gray-Water Cap. 45 gal.
LP-Gas Cap. 10 gal., 14-gal. opt.
Water-Heater Cap. Continuous
Refrigerator 5 cu. ft.
Furnace 14,300 Btu
Air Conditioner 13,500 Btu
Converter 60 amp
Inverter 1,500 watt
Battery Dealer installed (OEM lithium optional)
Tires ST205/75R15
Suspension Rubber torsion
Weight (freshwater, water heater, LP-gas full; no cargo) 5,508 lbs.
Hitch Weight 440 lbs.
GVWR 5,900 lbs.
GAWR (2) 2,900 lbs.
Cargo Carrying Cap. 392 lbs.
Basic Warranty 2 years, 12-year limited roof
www.lancecamper.com/travel-trailers/2075
