Citation Explore Cuts Up to 398 Pounds Through New Cabinet Construction

The story

General Coach Canada has reduced the weight of its Citation Explore truck campers by replacing conventional cabinet construction with panels built around an XPS insulating foam core and Garnica Ultralight Duraply faces.

The company says the revised cabinetry is used across the Citation Explore 9-6, 10-2 and 10-8. General Coach Canada manufactures the cabinets in-house and retained its existing cabinet-making process while changing the material structure. The new panels combine an insulating foam core with poplar plywood faces and are intended to provide lower mass without changing the basic cabinetry layout or interior finish.

The Citation Explore 9-6 now has a listed base weight of 3,960 pounds, a reduction of 303 pounds. The 10-2 is listed at 4,350 pounds, down 398 pounds, while the 10-8 is listed at 4,290 pounds, a reduction of 391 pounds. The company said the 9-6’s weight falling below 4,000 pounds could make it compatible with more one-ton single-rear-wheel trucks, depending on the specific truck’s payload rating and the camper’s final loaded weight.

General Coach Canada said the weight reduction was prompted by customer feedback about the original Citation Explore models. The company elected to change the cabinet material rather than remove major features or alter the overall product concept.

The new material also provides thermal and acoustic insulation within the cabinet structure. General Coach Canada said it is resistant to moisture, warping, delamination and biological damage, although the company continues to position the Citation Explore as a premium product rather than a lightweight entry-level camper.

The Citation Explore range consists of a 9-6 non-slide wet-bath model, a 10-2 full-wall slide-out wet-bath model and a 10-8 non-slide dry-bath model. General Coach Canada said it is continuing to investigate additional weight-reduction opportunities but did not announce new floor plans with this update.