Hi everyone! If you had your remodel to do over again or you could add one more thing to your little fiberglass RV, what would it be? (besides a bathroom) I'm talking about a 13 foot trailer. As we are remodeling, we would like to do any additions or modifications NOW instead of wishing we had done them while things were in pieces. Thanks, Roger and Bonnie

I bought my trailer used, so I got what I got. BUT, everytime I'm inside a Scamp with overhead cabinets that ring the ceiling...I drool. Mine has none. It would be nice to have that extra storage for light-weight stuff...from an extra box of tissue to socks!

The overhead cabinets can be purchased from Scamp. You'd just have to install them.

Already checked Byron. Mine is the Deluxe model made with Maple. Scamp said they wouldn't guarantee the cabinets would fit properly. Seems the original purchaser had the bed made oversized. Consequently the back cabinets would be some what larger than standard. Good thought tho...might work for others

Donna

I have the cabinets from 4 kitchen remodel jobs in my garage. Among them are the small cabinets that fit above the refridgerator in an apartment. Perhaps I can rework them for you???

Paul

I would have done the front dinette mod earlier.

fridge and a furnace.....

I purchased mine new. I wish I would have have two more lights installed. Location in the bottom of the overhead cabinet at the rear of the trailer, in the corners. That would put them over the dinnet. Or at least had wire run into that cabinet.

I guess if I was starting with a clean slate I'd make sure I had 12volts wired to every corner of the trailer and on sperate circuits.

I have always wondered how a front kitchen might work, with sleeping-dining over the wheel wells and a rear bath.

Or rear kitchen and front bath.

Loren

Roger, I have a 13 foot Boler and I think the first thing I would make sure I had was a 12v self primeing water pump.
Even if I had no hot water (although if I could spare the room I would have one of these too) it would be nice to not have to use the hand-pump to get water,while boondocking. to do dishes, without walking in the rain for a bucket at the steam.
Gerry

As I mentioned in a post in Electric Water Pump, another option is a foot-operated pump. This might be good for people who are trying to minimize power requirements, and is particularly suited to a system with only cold water.

I have had my 1990 13' Scamp 2 days and I have already bought a water pump. Unless I can find a better deal locally in the next few days I am going to order a gas instant water heater off of ebay.
I am running 12v wires to the front and rear overhead cabinets for LED lites.
When I get these 3 jobs done my Egg will be just like I want it. I have been thinking of solar panels, but that is for the future.
John

Thanks everyone for all the great ideas. Some, we had already thought of. We have been working on turning the front bunk into a small dinette this week. It's going a little slow as we have to make everything to fit from scratch. We're moving the driver side seat over towards the door about 5 inches and trimmed that much off the passenger side seat. That gives the person sitting by the stove more room to get into their seat and will add storage behind the seat. We're extending the kitchen countertop into the corner behind the seat for more storage space and making access throught the back of the seat. We picked up a little wall mount folding table at an RV store and it will just fit between the two new bench seats.

The bed will be made up all the time and we are adding a shelf off the kitchen counter over the foot of the bed.

We're adding extra lights front and rear, extra plug-ins and an instant hot water dispenser and electric/12volt water pump. We're replacing the 3 burner stove with a two burner and putting it in sideways, leaving enough room between cooktop and sink for a small utensil drawer.

Adding a small outside cargo door on the driver's side to access the storage compartment under the foot of the bed.

Now--if I could just figure out how to squeeze in a shower and flush toilet

Bonnie and Roger in WA

When we first started this project I did a lot of doodling and the front kitchen idea crossed my mind, but my husband didn't want to doTHAT much body work to the trailer. That would have been a lot of LARGE holes to patch and then figure out where to cut the new ones. Good thought though. Bonnie

You just reminded my of the other thing I wanted to do. I am going to add an outside door into the area under one of the rear seats so I can store the jack handle and assorted wood blocks for the rear stabilizer jacks.

Thank,
John

We just bought a small one with a lock off E-Bay last week. It has to be pretty small to fit the curve of the trailer. I think there were still about 40 available. (Item # 4614813362) It does have a gap around the door opening which will need a seal of some sort. It was $10 plus shipping of $7 I think.

Bonnie

I just thought of something else I wish I had in my trailer...a Fantastic Fan! Gotta add that to my list of stuff I want to add to my '88.

Hi: Which model are you going to get...The one for thin wall construction???Remote control ???or just plain old fan. fan??? In the mean time you will just have to learn the "fan dance" Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

Probably this one: FANTASTIC 4000R Vent, It's not like I'd have to walk 40' to turn the thing on

Thank you Bonnie,
I just ordered one. I will have to mount the red marker light on the door since it will cover that area. You saved me a 50 mile drive to the nearest RV store and probably some money.

Thanks again,
John

When I rebuilt my Gutted-out Compact Junior, my focus was Simplicity, and Cost Effectiveness. From my perspective at that time, it was quite a leap in infrastructure investment to have anything more than a "hard-sided tent".

This whole trailer thing has been such an education for me! Looking back from my present station in life, it amazes me to realize how what I had, at the time I had it, was exactly what I needed! And, I learned as I went, which necessitated making changes along the way. I don't think I would value what I have now as much as I do, if I didn't go through all the "mistakes" along the way.

Nothing (not even diamonds) are forever!

Roger, we recently added that outside door to our Tril, it works real well. And, most make light of the shower we added, but, if you have a small trailer I highly recommend you look into what we did to the Trillium. All of this is shown on our web site in the Trillium album.

2 items everyone fails to think of is Fiberglass awnings over the windows to help keep the rain from the windows & a one pc. countertop that extends to the front wall,thus giving a perfect place for the tv.

You know... If you have a Scamp, adding 12 volt wiring and lights is really easy to do. I bought my trailer and added plenty of 12 volt lights throughout the trailer as well as a porch light...

Wiring is easy, routing the wires is a bit more difficult. Let's cut through rat fur and refletix, pull away from fiberglass run wire. Attempt to reglue refletix and rat fur and not have seam show. Hummmm Me thinks it's pretty hard to do. Even Scamp wouldn't do it after that stuff was glued to the walls. That's why I would like to have had 12Volts run into each overhead cabinet before the rat fur was glued on. Wouldn't have needed to have it connect to anything, just there.

I don't know about the ensolite lined Scamps. I would imagine that you could remove the seam tape, put the wire in the seam, and retape.

I'm sure that if I look at thing long enough I'll figure out a way to run some wire and hide it.

I don't like having something between me and the toilet that I have to climb over. So, in my opinion, a bed in the middle, even if it isn't set up all the time, would be a big pain in the butt.

We are doing something similar to this. We converted the couch to a small dinette. It is now slightly off center towards the door. This made room behind the driver side seat, so we made a storage compartment behind the seat. The top will be counter top height with a lift out lid. The battery will be in the bottom of this compartment, with access through the top AND through the seat compartment. Then there will be a false bottom so it isn't just one deep hole and we will probably use plastic file boxes with top handles for easy lift out storage. The shelf will be wide enough for a small microwave. Now if I could find one with the hinges on the right side it would be easier to use. Bonnie and Roger

Roger has spent the last two weeks totally rewiring and adding outlets and lights. It sounds incredible that we have 5 outlets in a 13 foot trailer. One is outside, one in the closet, as I use a C-pap machine to sleep. It will be on the bottom shelf of the closet and we'll cut a hole for the breathing tube to come through. Another outlet will be in the cabinet under the sink to plug in an instant hot water dispenser. There was already an outlet on the front of the kitchen cabinet and he put one in the back cabinet over the bed. There will be three 12 volt lights and a converter under the refrigerator. We have a couple more blocks to install for a new shelf, then we are ready to start applying the wall covering. R n'B in WA

Great job. All it takes is a little elbow grease and time and viola it is done and really makes a difference in the trailer. I know that it did for me in my trailer. Have a good one. Pat

I just installed one of those locker doors from ebay. Not too hard to do. I put the hinge on the underside so it stays open while I'm in it. There is a gap to fill at each side. I cut some "camper tape" foam to fit. I used rubbber tape and pop rivets.
The only problem is I can't remove the blue felt pen lines I made for sawing. Acetone got most but not all.

Here are some things I have used to remove Sharpie marks in the past. Pam cooking spray, WD-40, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, and aerosol hairspray, have all worked on different surfaces. There is also a product called "Goof Off" that might work. Good luck. Bonnie

We've found that good old isopropol alchol (rubbing alchol) works pretty darn good at removing 'Sharpie" marks.

MEK will eradicate any trace of the sharpie in most cases. Use with caution. It can also harm some surfaces so try on some hidden spot first.

Roger, you don't say what kind of trailer you are working on. It says you have "none".
As for the shower, there are many that have rigged up poles, and shower curtains, on closet pole holders, and made a removable shower in the middle of the floor, with a large plastic storage container for the water, I am sure you are aware of that. I did that, scooted it up to the door, and dumped the water outside. I know, a no no.
But the reason for my posting is to say, that if you have a flush toilet, then you are going to have to fool with sewer hoses, , instead of an old garden hose for the gray water. That is why I took my flush toilet out, and use a porta potti. To each his own !! Penny

A trick I've used many times is to center masking tape so the "cut line" marks were on the tape. The saw or Roto-Zip "blades" cut right through the tape and the tape eliminated the erasure problem. It works on fiberglass, drywall, painted surfaces, plywood and fine finished surfaces.
To prevent scratches caused by the metal foot of the tool, cover the foot with masking tape.
Works for me.
Kurt & Ann K.

I use a wide carpenters pencil, really nothing more than a #2 pencil, only fatter. Nothing that would permanently mark the gel coat. An art gum eraser removes all traces of the lead.

Remember to remove the masking tape off the saw foot after use....a year later it becomes a chore...just ask me! ... ...Benny

Really I was joking about the shower. We very seldom boondock, so there are usually showers available at the camp grounds.

I think somewhere in past posts, it says that we are redoing a 13 foot Lil Bigfoot. It's coming along. The wall covering is done, windows back in, lino on the floor and the upper cabinets are refaced and hanging on the wall. A couple more days and I'll have all the lower units and closet covered with Formica and they will be ready to re-install. There is still plenty to do. Everything has to be reconnected. The new counter top is yet to be designed and the appliances reinstalled. My wife will do the upholstery and curtains.

If i had to do it over again, i'd get "two" U-Hauls, 1 to build the wifes way she wants it and 1 my way ( mine is strickly for fishing), hers is for usless stuff like sleeping and eating...
heheheh .

I just put all my mods to the test.

In the back of my mind when doing most of them, it was a "what if I have to live in this thing?" scene.

Well, I just did for 3 weeks and I really didn't see anything I could change to make a major improvement. I was comfortable, and the layout worked for me with the front dinette mod.

Since I was in a full ammenities park, city water would have been nice, but filling the tank was not that big a deal.

The bed, however, will need some work. It is cozy and comfortable for a couple nites, but it is a bit hard on my old bones for long periods of time. I sleep on an air mattress at home, I am wondering if I could find a place that will custom shape one for the trailer?

Gina,

Years ago - 30 or so - there was a company in California that made a camper/backpacker mattress that was a sewn outer shell with individial compartments running lengthwise. In the compartments you inserted individual bladders that were inflated to your needs. As I remember they sold replacement bladders that were just a roll of plastic tubing of some kind. I don't remember how the ends were sealed or the inflation valves were installed.

We didn't buy them because we were just poor students at the time.

However, if they are still available, it would seem one could be customized for the Scamp. If you ever find a source, or a satisfactory solution, let me know, because we just returned from a 3-weeker in the back roads and back country of So. AZ and noticed the same problem as you. For us it would need to be converted from bed to table each day.

Loren

I was thinking of actually taking my one at home out there, and simply inflating it to see how it filled the curves. There is a natural barrier at the kitchen and closet side to keep it from filling up over there, but I don't know how the curves will effect it.

It's wierd, of all the expensive and high tech bed types there are, I discovered that an air mattress fits my needs best. After a major thoracic surgery, where I could have NO pressure on my right side, I used a single air mattress to sleep on during my recovery. It worked so well, I went to one permanently. It is easier on my back and legs. Go figure!

Gina,

I too have look at using a twin size select comfort I have to make a 'better' bed, when I get my egg -- hopefully soon. I would be interested in your experiment; I figured the foam and bladders would adjust to the shape given. In my case I would have to probably pad the curved side with foam to fill in.

Bonnie

Probably everybody but ME knew this, but I had heard that a queen size mattress would fit in the back of a larger Burro. Let me emphasize FOAM ONLY!! A pillowtop looked like it would fit. It doesn't
I am currently "rounding the corners"with the help of an exacto knife on the fabric and wire cutters on the springs and lots of vocabulary I haven't used for a while. Boy,are those things BUILT!! Christi

I just ordered a 2in foam topper form overstock i was planing to just trim it to fit. i orderd a Ca king Ith e left overs I was going to make dog beds out of. I am hopeing this make the bed more confortable

Hi all,
got here a little late, but need to add my 2 cents. We bought a 3" queen sized memory foam topper with cover from Sam's for $129. I trimmed the corners to fit the 13' burro bed USING THE WIFES ELECTRIC KNIFE , folded the cover under and viola a comfortable bed. We leave the bed made up all the time otherwise it would be a hassle to find a place for the rather bulky topper. We have given it a 2 week test in November and it proved to be very comfortable *(not sure I would have lasted 2 weeks on the cushions alone) an added note we just purchased an 87 scamp 16' with a bathroom on ebay and the topper fits the bed just fine on it as well. we will be selling the burro soon I will post the details and pics then
Happy new year Gerald Rush

Gerald: Lucky you, two trailers. When you make the decision to sell the Burro can I be first in line to make an offer? I am eager! Happy New Year.

Don

Don
sure, I can let you know , I'll be getting pics and descriptions ready after the holidays.
if you want to send me your email address I can give you an advance notice.
regards Gerald Rush

Gerald: I've sent you a PM.

Don

Hi everyone--I've been off line for a while so I am just catching up on the 'mattress' conversation. When we owned our Scamp several years ago, I just hated the cushions to sleep on. I seemed like every night they would scoot apart and I would end up with my butt stuck between the cracks. We finally hit upon the idea of a custom made mattress. In Spokane, WA is an outfit called Northwest Mattress. We took a drawing and measurements to them and they made us an innerspring pillow top mattress that basically looked like a capital 'D' It fit perfectly and was not that expensive if I remember correctly. We slept as comfortably as we did at home. We are going to try the 3" foam that we already have, but if it isn't comfortable, we are making another trip to Spokane. We've spent all this time and money fixing up our little dream--I want to be comfortable. I'm sure that there are other mattress shops that would do the same thing in most larger cities. Roger's other half (Bonnie)