17'Casita Owners-Should I go 4 it?

[Betty L.]

Hi,

Am thinking of upgrading to a 17' Casita. Any comments on how they tow? Ever been in stong winds? Is the air conditioner just too much in small Casita? What do you like and dislike about your baby?
Just drove to Casita in TX to have a look. Sure looked nice.
Appreciate any input you may be willing to offer!!
Thanks
Betty L.

[CarolnJim]

We don't know what tow vehicle you use but we tow with a 2004 Honda Odyssey... It pulls real easy.. We've had our 17' Liberty now since 2001... No complaints at all. Our first Odyssey was a 2000 and we needed a little more power up hill, sold that one and bought the 2004... It has 5 speed and 240 horsepower.... It's great.

Strong winds and passing 18 wheelers haven't been a problem.. The Casita follows right behind .... our air conditioner is perfect for the 17'... It also has a heat strip. We don't have the Casita heater but the heat strip does very well for us.

Love that trailer Odyssey combination.

[Betty L.]

We don't know what tow vehicle you use but we tow with a 2004 Honda Odyssey... It pulls real easy.. We've had our 17' Liberty now since 2001... No complaints at all. Our first Odyssey was a 2000 and we needed a little more power up hill, sold that one and bought the 2004... It has 5 speed and 240 horsepower.... It's great.

Strong winds and passing 18 wheelers haven't been a problem.. The Casita follows right behind .... our air conditioner is perfect for the 17'... It also has a heat strip. We don't have the Casita heater but the heat strip does very well for us.

Love that trailer Odyssey combination.

Hi,
Thanks for the input. I did not know about the heat strip. I will check that out. I guess we will be pulling with a big truck, Silverado, but also own a Nissan crew cab. Glad to hear you have not experienced a problem with wind. One reason I thought the 5th wheel would just be more stable.
Betty L.

[Kurt & Ann K.]

Betty L.,
We own a 2000 17'FD. We may not be the best guage as to towability due to very extensive modifications to cope with unique circumstances.
We utilize a weight distribution hitch and sway control and felt quite in control when we had a trailer tire blow-out in heavy winds in Texas. It is difficult to put a price tag on security and I've no idea what your tow vehicle (tug) will be, but I believe in safety first! Our tug is a V8, 4WD, Toyota Tundra which performs very well. The Tundra/Casita combination work so well together it's almost as if they were built for each other. That is not to say there are not many other combinations which perform quite well also.

Windy conditions appear not to be a problem if your tug does not respond to the wind by itself. By the same token, I'm not sure how good an anchor the Casita will be if you are starting with a tug which tends to wander in the wind.
If you are in the envious postion of contemplating the superior tug, I'd pick the brains of the staff at Casita. They have the knowledge to know which combinations have proven most successful. IMHO, you will not regret following there advice, particularly as regards safety devices.
"Nuestra Casita" has a standard issue Coleman AC unit which does a great job cooling. It's a little noisy in the small space, but quickly becomes a "grey" noise to which one becomes accustomed.

We are very satisfied and enthusiastic with "Nuestra Casita".
Keep us informed as you go through the process of decision making. Most of us have been through it, whether purchasing new, used and sometimes even abused. We enjoy sharing experiences
Kurt & Ann K.

[Mary F]

Hi, Betty. My Casita is a 17 ft. with front A.C. instead of roof air. You lose half the closet with front air (it's like a window unit mounted in the bottom of the closet, with vents on the outside and a drip pan. By the way, this is how all the A.C.s are installed in the 13 ft. and 16 ft. Casitas -- these days, at least). Anyway, we had a 16 ft. before we "upgraded" to the 17, and we really liked having the vent (with installed FanTastic fan) right over the bed - thus we didn't want to give that up for a roof installed A.C.

We have two Ford pickups, and have towed with each: one is a full size (F-150, V-6) and the other is a Ranger (with the largest engine they put in the Rangers: 4.0L, and tow package). I prefer to tow with the F-150 because the ride is smoother and we can stash more stuff in the truck (!) But the Ranger does fine (temp. gauge doesn't waiver), and is easier to park when not connected to the trailer (in other words, we pulled the Casita to New Orleans a couple times and were glad we weren't having to park the big truck as we galavanted about the city).

I will say these trailers are small (even the 17 ft) and not for everyone, but they are great for what they're good for. (Do you want to mostly spend your time outdoors, but with a place to sleep that's dry and off the ground, and with a handy place to stow dishes and some gear, make simple meals, wash up, have a very serviceable refrigerator, and a refuge from the occasional inclement weather?)

Should you go 4 it? Only you can say... but, I did. Twice!

[BOBSMITH]

I can't say anything bad about our Casita! My wife and I love our little 17-foot fiberglass trailer! We go camping in it every chance we get. Everything works as advertised. Our furnace has kept us nice and toasty in sub-freezing weather. We have yet to need the AC, but we've powered it up a number of times just to check it out. It keeps the trailer very comfortable in warm weather. The awning is almost too easy to operate! The refrigerator works great! After our run-in with a big bear at Standing Indian Campground in NC (our last tent-camping trip), we now sleep safe and secure in our hard-sided camper!

We love our Casita!!!

[Mary F]

P.S. Betty, we did get the heater because it runs on propane and 12 v, which means we can be warm when boondocking (with our solar panel) in the mountains in summertime... (If it's very cold we camp with electricity and bring along a cube/ceramic element heater.)

[Mary F]

Oh yeah, one more thing:

<span style="font-family:Century Gothic"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%">Fiberglass Rules!</span></span>

[Eugene]

I have a 17 ft spirit de luxe, 2002 (if I remember) and like it. To not repeat what others have already said, here are a few points, you might want to consider depending your specific situation:

- They seems to have stopped to put the A.C. unit in the front closet by default (on the 17ft), but you can ask to have it there, if it is one thing you would like to have.
I did it and it was no problem.

- if you have kids, you might want to think about carpet versus a linoleum floor.

- if you plan to do a lot of dry camping, there is an option for a bigger water tank and bigger battery.

- if you have the choice, you can have an automatic electric ignition for the water heater, or a manual one, I whish I knew it existed in both versions, I have the manual one.
I think I can upgrade it, I need to inquire about it.

- if you leave in a state that require an emergency break disconnection switch, the factory can install one for you.

- Get just what you need, they are small trailers, the space feel up quickly with options addition...
;-)
You can always add more stuf at a later time.

[Penny Taylor]

<<< if you have the choice, you can have an automatic electric ignition for the water heater, or a manual one, I wish I knew it existed in both versions, I have the manual one.
I think I can upgrade it, I need to inquire about it.>>>

If the new manual water heaters are like the old ones, they do have one option, that you can't do with an automatic ignition one : Old boondockers trick : That is you can leave it on just 'pilot' and still have hot water, thereby saving a lot of propane. There are times when you may want to turn it to 'on', and make the big burner go 'whoosh', but it depends what time of day you use hot water the most.

[Penny Taylor]

<<<They seems to have stopped to put the A.C. unit in the front closet by default (on the 17ft)>>>

When I was at the Casita factory, they told me that they had beefed up the roof of the 17', especially to handle a roof air, as people wanted the extra storage space in the front closet.

[Kurt & Ann K.]

Betty L.,
A few things I didn't cover previously. "Nuestra Casita" has a gas water heater which can be a real pain in the posterior if the wind is blowing toward that side of the TT . It's nearly impossible to light. If I were replacing it, it would be electric also and have ignition for gas inside like our refrigerator. We do not have the furnace option because we use the heat strip that is part of the AC unit, or a cube heater if necessary. We seem to encounter camp sites with hook-ups most often, but the trailer tongue has been lengthened 24" to accomodate a 3000 watt Yamaha generator which has been converted to propane fuel. We can heat her up quite rapidly when cold and she'll hold the heat for a while as we prepare for bed. Otherwise we simply dress warmly which saves on fuel. We have used the AC for days on end, particularly when attending the "Huck Finn Jubilee" in Victorville over the Father's Day week-end. We make it a 4 or 5 day "week-end" because we can't get our fill of Bluegrass music, and the weather is usually HOT!!! We normally have visitors while there because a number of friends also enjoy the country atmosphere, 24 hr. Jam sessions and variety of other entertainment.
Anyone interested can look up "Huck Finn Jubilee" on the internet for details.

Amongst those of us who own Casitas, I guess most would ask---"what's taking so long to place your order?".
Kurt & Ann K.

[Eugene]

The reason of my comment regarding the water heater, was the following:
When it's windy, the flame can turn off, including the pilot light.
Now, imagine a windy day/night in winter, when it is cold, you are already in the shower, somebody has to go out and turn it back on...

Its on days like these, I dream of an electric ignition...
But I think it can be done.
Another option would be to modify the heater door opening with an extra sheet metal/aluminium preventing the wind going inside to strongly. I met somebody that did it, it seems to help.

It is a small problem, I still like a lot this trailer, I just wanted to mention a minor drawback I found using it.

[Donald Stahl]

Betty L,
We bought our Casita new in 2002, ordered about every option we could. Will say this - the electronic ignition for the water heater is a real blessing, never goes out in a windstorm, no pilot light to blow out. Don't leave home without one !

We tow ours with a 2004 Honda Odyssey and never had a problem driving anywhere and at respectable speeds too. I think the vehicles you have will do an admirable job pulling the 17 footer. If you decide to invest in one, ask your sales rep about unadvertised options. Example, the electric tongue lift is one not on the brochure, and well worth having. I think that the upgraded battery is one as well.

Can't think of anything to say that hasn't already been said except that the Casita is the best trailer and the best investment we have made. Heck, we even lived comfortably in it for three months after a forest wildfire destroyed our home. Don

[Patt Weaver]

We got our Casita 17 LD in November last year and have used both the air and the heat and both are super. Having them both in the ceiling uses less space. Also we have the fantastic fan with a Max Air cover and it's terrific. We tow with a '99 Odyssey and have had no problems. The WDH and sway control make it like pulling your shadow.

[Roger L.]

Betty,
why are you asking your question here instead of on casitaclub.com ??
Sounds like your question is really a shameless Casita promotion rather than a sincere inquiry... just my observation.

[CarolnJim]

Hi Roger
My thought is that Betty's questions regarding Casitas are fine to ask here. Maybe she doesn't even know about the Casita Club. This Fiberglass RV site has all fiberglass trailers, including Casitas.. and asking any Casita question here is perfectly OK in my book.

[Kurt & Ann K.]

Betty,
why are you asking your question here instead of on casitaclub.com ??
Sounds like your question is really a shameless Casita promotion rather than a sincere inquiry... just my observation.

Hi Roger
My thought is that Betty's questions regarding Casitas are fine to ask here. Maybe she doesn't even know about the Casita Club. This Fiberglass RV site has all fiberglass trailers, including Casitas.. and asking any Casita question here is perfectly OK in my book.

Roger,
Initially I agreed with you, but on second thought I suspect Betty will receive an unbiased opinion here. On the Casita Club site no one will consider there are any other FGRV's in existence.

Betty,
Whether be accident or design, IMHO you made the wisest choice.
Kurt & Ann K.

[Mary F]

Betty,
why are you asking your question here instead of on casitaclub.com ??
Sounds like your question is really a shameless Casita promotion rather than a sincere inquiry... just my observation.

Roger,
Initially I agreed with you, but on second thought I suspect Betty will receive an unbiased opinion here. On the Casita Club site no one will consider there are any other FGRV's in existence.

Betty,
Whether be accident or design, IMHO you made the wisest choice.
Kurt & Ann K.

It is completely appropriate for Betty to ask her question(s) here! We have many, many Casita owners on this site... some of whom don't (have time to) frequent casitaclub.com. I have no idea why anyone would presume Betty's inquiry to be insincere and/or "shameless," and frankly, I'm distressed by this line of "reasoning."

And, rest assured, Betty L. has no connection to the management of this website.

Betty L., your questions are welcome and encouraged here!

[Donald Stahl]

Roger L,
I think the lady has every right to post what she did, apparently you don't. You make certain assumptions without checking for what facts are available. Did it occur to you that maybe she never even heard of a Casita forum? You could have asked, but you didn't. A 'shameless Casita promotion?' Do you really think the Casita factory personnel are behind this 'inappropriate' inquiry? Why? Nothing has heretofore been stated which gives any indication that this is true. It seems to me that you see something in her post which just doesn't exist. Is that any sort of basis for saying what you did? Don P.S. I also have been a victim of unwarrented comments, so I do tend to get P.O'd when I see it happen to others.