談房車的時候，我們在談論什麼? 下篇: 拖掛房車 (雙語ALSO IN ENGLISH)
自行房車說過了，我們來聊房車家族在美國真正的銷量之王，拖掛房車。
拖掛房車自己沒有發動機，需要被牽引車拖著才能跑。對中國人來說匪夷所思，但是在地廣人稀，燃油不貴的美國，很多家庭的第二輛車都是可以加拖掛的皮卡或者某種越野。畢竟人工太貴，有一輛可以拉貨的小車，有些奇形怪狀的東西自己拖走，還是很划算的。美國人民最喜愛的汽車是福特F系列，具有四千公斤以上的牽引能力很適合做房車的牽引車。在美國的公路上和城鎮裡，經常可以看到其貌不揚的小皮卡拖著些身形偉岸的拖掛在路上飛奔，在我看來反科學反人類。美國人倒是一點都不覺得新鮮。
（2016年美國各州最受歡迎的車。美國人的對皮卡和越野車的喜愛不容懷疑。 The most popular vehicle in each state， 2016。 Americans love pickup trucks and SUVs。）
值得注意的是不論哪種拖掛，各項引數，尤其是重量必須符合牽引車的要求。超高超重的拖掛不僅加速牽引車的損耗，更是巨大的安全隱患。這點對房車尤其適用。
（只要拖得動… As long asit is within the towing capacity…）
拖掛房車種類很多，最常見的包括旅行拖車、第五輪、卡車背馱和玩具拖車。
旅行拖車
嫌累的話，各種拖掛房車都可以叫拖車。較真的話，旅行拖車是透過牽引車後掛連結的房車。因為美國人民特別不介意拖著各種妖魔鬼怪到處跑，旅行拖車的種類也特別多，每一種都有它自己的設計特點、價格區間和目標客戶。比如總長三米多的膠囊拖車，是為不想睡帳篷露營者準備的，拉得動床墊淋不到雨，就算不辱使命；要是能吹空調煮開水，已經是奢華。膠囊拖車的新車售價幾千美元，比其他房車都便宜不少，當然和帳篷比還是貴了不只一丟丟。設施齊全的大型旅行拖車可以長達十二三米。因為拖掛房車的高度不受牽引車底盤的限制，可以輕鬆做到三米甚至更高。沒有駕駛室，大中型旅行拖車的居住空間通常比同等長度的自行房車大很多，能輕鬆容納有三四個小孩的家庭。父母的臥室和小孩相對遠離，孩子們也有自己的睡眠和儲物空間。有的旅行拖車還有露臺、第二衛生間和通向外面的後門，非常接近傳統的居家的感覺。除非是國寶級的“風流”，新的旅行拖車價格並不高，四五萬美元就能買到很炫的新車。二手車更是價格便宜量又足，起價小几千美元，就可以買到或許不漏雨的旅行拖車。
膠囊拖車 Tear Drop Camper
大型旅行拖車 Large Travel Trailer
此處插播一條很像廣告又不是廣告的東西，介紹一下美國的國寶級的房車品牌Airstream。中國大陸分銷商給他們定名“清風”，燃鵝我就是更愛“風流”，嘎嘎。這是一個初創於二十世紀三十年代，有近百年曆史的房車生產商。將近一個世紀以來，這個神奇的廠商一直以一種接近偏執的態度，主推同一產品的變體：一顆圓滾滾，亮閃閃的香腸型鋁皮拖車。這種復古又前衛的外觀出自三十年代早期團隊裡一位叫鮑里斯的飛行器設計師之手。他老人家設計的滑翔雞長啥樣，世人早就忘得一乾二淨；倒是這顆長的像巨型跳蛋的拖車，作為唯一一個活過大蕭條和二戰的房車，見證了美國甚至歐洲一個世紀的榮辱興衰。Airstream的拖車全線幾乎都被認為具有收藏價值，至今仍然世界各地的愛好者看作最優雅、最精緻、最耐用的房車。鋁皮小香腸也不全是賣萌，而是真心地輕薄耐用不招風。尤其是在發生碰撞的時候，金屬外殼凹陷吸收衝量，相對來說很難散架和翻車，是安全係數最高的拖車。叫它成人玩具中的戰鬥機，會不會太謙虛。
“風流”拖車 Airstream Trailer
牽拖掛總歸不如單車好開。拖掛房車的設計和跟自行房車相比，有更大的自由，可以提供更大的居住空間。作為“車”，開起來就未必那麼爽了。有些房車生產商為了讓更多已經有皮卡和越野的客戶購買自己的產品，在拖掛房車設計和製造中特別強呼叫最小的重量和最低的成本實現最大的居住空間。高大帥氣的旅行拖車，大多是輕飄飄的大塊頭。不管引數怎麼完美，拖著一個跑在路上，對牽引車的效能，駕駛者的水平和天氣路況的要求都是挺高的。停車倒車和轉彎當然都不是玩笑，顛簸也要小心避免。天氣惡劣時，側風把拖車和牽引車吹到路邊的事故時有發生。如果不巧跌入排水溝，翻車都有可能。和鋼筋鐵骨的汽車不一樣，大多數旅行拖車沒有碰撞後發生形變的能力，通常是一碰就散架。碎一地的不只是拖車，還有你的碗碟、衣櫃、馬桶、節操和繼續生活的慾望。在美國的大部分地區，行駛中的拖車都是嚴禁載人的，原因就是不安全。話雖如此，舉家出遊的美國人並不是越野駕駛的主流，旅行拖車仍然深受季節性出遊的美國高階中產階級家庭喜愛，是美國銷量最大的房車。
路邊碎成渣的拖車 Trailer failed to survive the ride on the bumpy shoulder
第五輪是專門為皮卡牽引設計的拖掛房車。為毛叫第“五”輪不能細想：我自己是沒有見過獨輪的房車。第五輪的前端抬高，透過固定在卡車底盤上的連線件和牽引車相連。這種操作的優勢在於牽引車可以承擔拖車的部分重量，底盤中部牽引也比後牽引給力很多。它的缺點是牽引車需要改裝，裝置加人工成本在兩千美元左右，不是個小數字。而且連線件佔據空間不小，皮卡車床基本就沒剩多少地方了。第五輪的長度最少七米，有可能超過十二米；高度一般都在三米以上。第五輪和牽引車的組合，經常是路上能見到的最長最高的家用車。
牽引車和第五輪 Tow Vehicle and Fifth Wheel
第五輪內飾 Fifth Wheel Interior
第五輪新車起價兩到三萬美元，比較貴的可以達到二十萬美元。二手車的款式和年份都有很多選擇，價格可以低廉到小几千美元。因此第五輪和旅行拖車一樣，都是很多房車營地長期居民的選擇。
卡車背馱嚴格說不是拖掛房車，而是安裝在皮卡上面像貨廂一樣的居住空間。雖然很小，卡車背馱一般都有起居廚衛全套功能，滿足一兩個人的居住需求。安裝了背馱的皮卡仍然可以後掛牽引其他拖車，不管是獨木舟還是燒烤爐，想拖就能拖。皮卡和背馱可以分離，雖然費點事，但是能夠開著小皮卡輕鬆愉快的上山下鄉，對很多熱衷野外探險的人來說是非常有吸引力的。卡車背馱的駕乘體驗和開負重皮卡區別不大，但是安裝了卡車背馱的皮卡重心升高且後移，容易“飄”。新的卡車背馱價格基本在五萬美元以內，二手甚至三五千美元就能買到，非常實惠。卡車背馱的維護和使用的成本也很低，適合已經有皮卡，又精打細算的一兩個旅行者。
卡車背馱外觀 Truck Camper Exterior
卡車背馱內飾 Truck Camper Interior
卡車背馱佈局 Truck Camper Layout
玩具拖車是成人玩具，或者專門為了拖著成人玩具四處跑而設計的拖車。美國城鄉人民都會玩，在愛好上特別捨得花錢，帆船、遊艇、小飛機、大摩托、皮划艇、獨木舟、雪地摩托車、打獵釣魚，包括我們正在聊的“休閒旅行車”大家族，都屬於廣義的成人玩具。玩具拖車能不能當房子住是次要的，好不好玩才是重點。它們的設計功能光怪陸離，裝得下一臺大功率哈雷摩托的拖車是常見的新手玩具。最多見的設計，是拖車的一半住人，另一半是一個小型倉庫，想玩什麼裝什麼。
玩具拖車在我看來是最“美國”的房車。比如有一種玩具拖車叫“釣魚屋”，是專門用來在冰天雪地裡在江河湖海凍實的冰面上釣魚用的。冰釣需要房車取暖保溫特好，又不能熱的底掉；要有軲轆才能拖車到位，還要想方設法避免輪胎接觸冰面防止凍炸。這款房車既是矛盾的集合，又是解決方案的集合，比薛定諤的貓還猜不透。全新的釣魚屋的售價可以超過三萬美元，是不是挺震撼的。為了準確的理解這種產品的目標客戶群體，我特別詢問了美國北方冬天鮮魚的種類、價格和口味，得到的回答是“純屬跑題。玩具就是拿來玩的，拿來玩的，來玩的，玩的；魚好不好吃、買魚還是釣魚划算，都沒關係。”哎嘿還真是你開心就好。
釣魚屋外觀 Fish House exterior
釣魚屋內飾，地面的圓洞是釣魚的孔 Fish House Interior。 The round wholes on the floor are fishing wholes
營地房車
說完各種拖車，有必要提起營地房車。營地房車是可以移動的房屋。它們的設計重點是居住舒適，使用環境主要是在停放地。部分營地房車和近年興起的“微型住宅”基本沒有區別，就是一幢小小的車輪上的住房。營地房車基本都是定製的，價格一般在幾萬美元，不包括停車用地。很有意思的是，近年來營地房車的居住者不再限於長期以來的退休人士和低收入群體，逐漸擴充套件到青年和中產階層，對映著美國社會階層和價值觀的多重變遷。
更像拖車的營地房車 ParkModel That Looks More Like a Trailer
更像住宅的營地房車 Park Model That Looks More Like a House
談房車的時候，我們談論的大致就是這些。因為法律和風俗不同，中國、歐洲、澳大利亞和日本的房車設計和文化都和美國都有差別。美國的房車使用場景豐富，房車車主也覆蓋從好萊塢巨星到比流浪者稍微多出一點支付能力的低收入群體。這個話題打算未來詳細展開。
愛看的話請點關注，未來一段時間計劃在知乎答題寫文章，專聊房車、家和遠方。話說你愛不愛房車其實真無所謂，手指一動，不過是因為你對更大的世界心存好奇。我的目標也不是死磕冷冷的機器和炫耀遙遠的旅程；你我皆凡人，我寫字是為了和在另外一個時空閱讀的你分享人生的精彩與無奈、人性的和諧與悲哀。
錯過了我的開天闢地知乎首答？請戳：
風流成行：在房車內吃飯、睡覺，甚至洗澡，是一種怎麼樣的體驗？
鵝鵝鵝，少俠且慢，走之前記得點贊。
嗯，上面幾句抄襲我自己寫的
談房車的時候，我們在談論什麼？上篇：自行房車 （雙語/ALSO IN ENGLISH）
的結語。如果你沒看過，建議去瞧瞧，99%和本篇不一樣。如果寫的不夠好沒收到贊… … 建議過段時間再來看看我其它的文章和回答，或許有提高？文章和回答不定期新增連結，下一步準備聊房車選購相關的內容，敬請關注。
轉載、約稿請知乎私信風流成行，或者郵件聯絡 [email protected]
。話說拿人家的產品和跳蛋比，Airstream估計就不樂意約我了，蛤？我自己是Airstream的A級自行房車車主，加上這是個有故事的品牌，未來可能會寫一篇。
本文附英文版，平行寫作，不是嚴格的翻譯。
What are we saying when we talk about RVs？ Part 2 Trailers
Instead of a motor home， the best-selling mobile home in the US is a trailer。
Trailers do not have engines and must be pulled by another vehicle in order to go somewhere。 It is hard for Chinese to relate， but in America where land is vast， the population is small and fuel is relatively cheap， many families chose pickup trucks， SUVs or MPVs
as a second family vehicle。 When labor is so expensive， it makes sense to have a work horse type of vehicle to haul your own junk。 As American’s favorite automobile， the Ford F series have tow capacities starting from four thousand kilos， making them perfect for towing many mobile homes。 On country roads and in towns， it is not unusual to see a smallish pickup pulling a massive looking load。 To me， the sight defies physics and challenges common sense， but Americans do not give it a second look。
（Picture： The most popular vehicle in each state， 2016。 Americans love pickup trucks and SUVs。）
There are many types of trailers， the most common of which are travel trailers， fifth wheels， truck campers and toy haulers。
It is worth noting that every aspect about the trailer， especially the weight， must be in according with the capabilities of the tow vehicle。 When a trailer is too big or too heavy， the excess strain could damage the tow vehicle。 It is also extremely unsafe。 This is particularly true when pulling a mobile home。
（Picture： As long as it is within the towing capacity…）
There is a wide variety of trailers， including travel trailers， fifth wheels， truck campers and toy
haulers。
Travel Trailers
For those who do not want to be bothered， all trailers are travel trailers。 However， the term is
usually reserved for the type of RV connected to hitches on tow vehicles。 Since Americans do not seem to mind hauling all kinds of monsters down the roads， there is a wide variety of travel trailers with different designs and prices intended for different customers。 For example， there are three meters’ long teardrop trailers for campers who despise tents。 Capable of containing a mattress and keeping it dry？ Mission accomplished。 Equipped with air conditioners and cook tops？ Fancy！ A new tear drop trailer costs a few thousand dollars， which is significantly less than any other RVs but much， much more than a tent。 A fully equipped large trailer can be twelve or thirteen meters long。 Since there is no pesky size-limiting chassis， trailers can be three meters or taller。 Without a cab， large travel trailers usually have a much bigger living space than a motor home of the same length， and are able to accommodate families with three or four children。 Parents and children are able to live relatively apart from each other。 Children have their own sleeping and storage spaces。 Some travel trailers even have a patio， a second bathroom and a second door leading outside。 It can feel very much like a conventional home。 Unless it is an Airstream， new trailers are relatively inexpensive。 Forty to fifty thousand dollars is usually enough to buy a flashy new one。 Second-hand trailers are plentiful and cost even less。 A few thousands should be enough to get one that may not leak when it’s raining。
（Picture： Tear Drop Camper， Large Trailer and Tow vehicle）
Risking sounding like a commercial while it is not， I would like to introduce Airstream， an iconic US mobile home that is almost a national treasure。 The brand name has been translated into “Fresh Breeze” likely by their Chinese distributor but I prefer “Whimsical”。 This is a company started in the 1930s with almost a hundred years of history of making mobile homes。 For most of its life， Airstream has been obsessed with making just one product： a rounded shiny sausage-shaped aluminum trailer。 Its modern/retro appearance was the brainchild of Bawlus， a member of Airstream’s early design team， who was previously an
aircraft designer。 While the world has long forgotten what this gentleman’s gliders looked like， Airstream being the only mobile home maker survived the Great Depression and World War Two， his design of vibrator-like trailers has lived and witnessed glam and glory as well as pain and sorrow in North America and Europe for nearly a century。 Today almost all trailers by Airstream are considered collectibles。 Their trailers are seen as beautifully made， smartly engineered and insanely durable。 Beyond their good looks， these aluminum sausages are light， strong and aerodynamic。 In case of accidents， Airstream trailer’s metallic casing changes shape thus softens the impact， making it less likely to be knocked over or fall apart： one of the safest trailer there is。 It is hardly exaggerating to call Airstream a bright shining star of the adult toy family。
（Picture： Airstream Trailer）
Pulling any trailer makes driving more challenging。 Compared to mobile homes， travel trailers are designed with less restrictions and offer more living space。 As “vehicles” they are not the easiest to maneuver。 To win the hearts of people who already own pickup trucks， trailer manufacturers constantly attempt to maximize living space with minimum weight and building costs。 Many of the tall and handsome trailers are feather-light despite their sizes。 But no matter how perfect the parameters match， pulling one of those， even on a decent road in good weather， would be a test of the performance of the tow vehicle and skills of the driver。
Parking and turning are no jokes。 Bumpy roads must be avoided。 Gusting side-winds have been known to sweep trailers off roads。 If， unfortunately， the trailer slips into a trench， it does not take much to turn them over。 Unlike automobiles， trailers are not built with all that much metal。 Instead of becoming dented or bent to absorb impacts， trailers usually just break。 The smashed and spilled list could include your home， dishes， closet， toilet， self-worth and will to
live。 This is why it is against the law， in every state， for humans to ride in a travel trailer when it is being towed。 With that said， it is unusual for Americans traveling with families to be into off-road RVing， so for middle-class Americans traveling seasonally， trailers are their favorite。 Travel trailers are the best-selling RVs in America。
（Picture： Trailer failed to survive the ride on the bumpy shoulder）
Fifth Wheels
A fifth wheel is designed to be pulled by pickup trucks。 Why call it “fifth” is mystifying，
since I have not personally seen any RV with just one wheel。 The front of a fifth wheel is raised in order to be connected to a hitch mounted onto the truck’s chassis located in the truck bed。 Such an arrangement allows some of the trailer weight to be carried directly by the tow vehicle and it creates a more secure connection than a rear hitch。 The downside is it takes modification to set up for towing： tow packages and man power put together would cost around 2，000 dollars， hardly chump change。 The tow package mounting mechanism is large， leaving little usable space in the truck bed of the pickup。 Fifth wheels are rarely less than seven meters。 They can be twelve meters or longer and over three meters tall。 The combination of a tow vehicle and fifth wheel is usually the largest family vehicle seen on the roads。
（Pictures： Tow Vehicle and Fifth Wheel； Fifth Wheel Interior）
Cost of a new fifth wheel starts from twenty to thirty thousand。 The luxurious ones can cost up to two hundred thousand。 There are many second-hand fifth wheels of different styles from different years， some of which can be bought for just a few thousand dollars。 For that reason， both fifth wheels and travel trailers are popular with long term residents of RV parks。
Truck Camper
Strictly speaking， truck campers are not trailers but container-like living spaces。 Regardless of their size， truck campers are usually equipped with all living facilities including kitchen and bath to accommodate one or two travelers。 When loaded with a truck camper the truck is still able to tow。 Traveling with canoes or BBQ grills is not a problem。 The camper and truck can be separated with some effort。 While hardly hassle free， to a lot of our-door fanatics it is
definitely worth the work to be able to hit mountain roads with their pickup trucks。 The driving experience varies with and without the camper。 With a camper on the back of a pickup， the center of the vehicle is raised significantly and therefore feels “less grounded” on the road。 A new truck camper rarely cost more than fifty thousand dollars。 A second-handed camper can be as reasonable as two to five thousand。 Truck campers also cost less to maintain and repair。 Single or duo cost contentious travelers who have had a pickup truck love them。
（Picture： Truck Camper Exterior， Truck Camper Interior， Truck Camper Floor Plan）
Toy Hauler
Toy haulers are themselves adult toys， or trailers used to haul adult toys。 Americans know how to have fun and are willing to spend money on their hobbies。 Their toys include but not
restricted to： sail boats， yachts， private airplanes， giant motorcycles， rafts， canoes， snowmobiles， fishing and gaming gear and of course， RVs。 Toy haulers are not necessarily first-class mobile “homes” but they are fun。 Their intended purposes are so diverse， the ones designed to contain a couple of massive Harley bikes are for beginners。 The most popular design for toy hauler is half living facility and half storage space for the toys。
Toy haulers are the most “American” of all mobile homes in my opinion。 For example， there is a kind of toy hauler called “fish house”， which is used for fishing on frozen water。 Since it is ice fishing， a fish house needs to be kept warm inside， but not too hot to melt the ice underneath。 It needs wheels in order to be hauled onto ice， but the wheels must not be touching the ice when parked in position。 A fish house is an assembly of problems， and solutions， slightly less comprehensible than Schrodinger’s cat。 Knowing a brand-new fish house can cost up to a whopping thirty thousand dollars， in order to understand this product and its target customers I did inquire about types， prices and palatability of freshly caught fish during winters in north America。 I was off the point。 “Toys are play things。 Play being the key word。 Whether the fish is that good or it is cheaper to buy or catch your own？ Not related。” Well， whatever makes them happy， I guess。
（Pictures： Fish House Exterior， Fish House Interior。 The holes in the floor are fishing holes）
Park Models
Speaking of trailers， park models are also worth mentioning。 Park models are portable houses。 They are designed for comfortable living while parked in camp sites for a period of
time。 Some park model RVs are essentially the same as “tiny houses” which have been on the rise in recent years。 Interestingly nowadays residents of park model RVs have expanded beyond retirees and the low-income crowd and now include younger middle class types， reflecting changes in class and values of American society。
（Pictures： Park Model That Looks More Like a Trailer； Park Model That Looks More Like a House）
Roughly that is what we are saying when we talk about RVs。 Due to different legal and cultural environments， RVs in China， Europe， Australia and Japan are different from RVs
in America， where mobile homes are widely used for a variety of situations and a diverse group for people including Hollywood superstars and the ones with barely enough money to keep a roof over their heads。 Which is a topic for another time。
