Advantage MLFRV?

[Beeser]

What makes using a molded lightweight fiberglass RV enjoyable to you? Or better put, what makes it more enjoyable than say a larger stick built trailer, 5th wheel or MH? I'll start it off by suggesting that it brings us closer to the outdoors. Often times I'll see people lounging inside their large 5th wheel or MH almost exclusively. I really enjoy the being outside part of our travels and only use the trailer for sleeping or cooking when raining outside. If it was only me a tent would be preferable. What say you?

[Byron Kinnaman]

I came into the RV/Travel Trailer via backpacking and getting old. Living part time in a 13' trailer is quite a bit of luxury compared the tiny backpacking tent. Spending time outside is what it's all about to me. There's so much to see if you're just patient and watch. Look at the wild flowers, watch a bird and listen to his song. The world is filled with marvels.

[MarkyVasquez]

We use our Casita instead of a hotel. This is why we want all the amenities of a hotel in our Casita.
We've had some bad experiences with hotels. We've always used the Marriott, but have gotten lice, found pubic hairs in the blankets and we've had friends bring home bedbugs.
We also like the fact that we can jog through trails and not a treadmill. Another advantage is we get to eat healthy. As a matter of fact we actually lose weight when we travel. We also like the beauty of the parks vs getting staying shut in hotel room.
We also find most Casita owners to be very sociable. We like doing our Tie-Chi and katas in the fresh air, enjoying beautiful scenery. We've been visited by many a Casita owner bearing food and staying for a chat. Of course you can tell by the numbers at the Casita rallies most Casita owners are very social campers, but then most RV people are very friendly.
Once I a while we run into a recluse that lives alone and wants to camp alone. The ones that hate noise, dogs, kids, and especially Boy Scouts. We respect their wishes and more power to them. If you want to be left alone the Casita is the wrong camper to get. Hahaha!!!
The Casita also fits almost anywhere, which is great for shopping, sightseeing, and eating.
Can't forget the great mileage we get towing a Casita! Its actually more economical to tow a Casita than to stay in a hotel.


Happy Camping!
Marky

[emij]

Coming from a tent camping background, a small Scamp seems like a luxury to us as well. We love being outside, but there have been a couple of times when it poured rain and we were cozy and warm inside. Such a difference from when we would be wet and cold in the tent. It's small, and fits into the same off the grid camping spots we loved to visit before. We never have to worry that it will be to big for any place that we want to take it. I'm also super weird about hotels and have a kid who shares my disdain for sleeping where others have gone before This year we will be using our Scamp for out of town Lacrosse tournaments, camping at KOA's (so that we can have electric and showers available) instead of staying in hotels. I am VERY excited about using the Scamp in this way, too!

[OhTom]

I want to use the time we have left to see some of this beautiful country. Seems like you can get to a certain age and either you or your wife can be having some medical problem or spend your time running between Dr.'s. So before that happens, I want to live a little. My bride of 34 years said..."I won't travel without the dog !". We have spent Jan/Feb in Florida for 3 years, driving south from Ohio. The hotels that let you have dogs are often substandard or in a bad neighborhood. So, you start looking at alternatives. And then you discover fiberglass trailers and they just make so much sense, and seem to have such a better built-in durability to their "bones". With a little thought and knowledge, they become your home away from home. You can leave them at the campground and go roam using your tow vehicle. Then return at the end of a day's exploring to your own food, shower and bed. When the time comes, that you can no longer travel, you can sell your rv trailer with a much smaller financial hit, than you would get from a motorcoach or a stick trailer. I really see it as the best of all choices.

[MyronL]

Owning a fiberglass trailer is like being a member of an exclusive club. Though I've never been a "joiner" cannot deny the satisfaction amongst perfect strangers, and instant acceptance this common thread provides. Nothing awkward, no hesitation, meeting on absolute common ground, like dog owners. We trade our stories, compare notes, share lessons learned. That's nice.

[David Tilston]

The main reason I got a fibreglass RV was to get my family of 7, (yes 5 kids) several thousand Km on as little money as possible. Four kids sleep in the trailer, my wife and I and the youngest slept in our travel van. We are down to four kids now, so my wife and I have the van to our selves. Launch Pad, (a 4500) performed flawlessly in its intended purpose. The 21 year old now lives elsewhere, and as a bonus, the trailer was returned.

[LyleB]

As others have done, I have come to RV travel, and my Scamp 13 via long distance backpacking. I step inside the Scamp and wonder, how on earth can I get enough stuff in here to keep things from sliding around. May need to buy some bubble wrap to pack the excess room in all the cabinets and closets! :-)

I'm used to long-term camping (up to 11 months for one trip) being done out of a 4200 cubic inch backpack. Another 2 years I lived out of the back of my S10 pick-up while working in PA, and for 6 months I lived on board a sailing schooner with just my bunk with a small storage compartment beneath it for my belongings. 360 cubic feet will be LUXURY travel in a palace. Will probably take me a while to accumulate enough "stuff" to even come close to filling it up, plus I have an 8 ft capped bed on my F150 tow vehicle.

Looking forward to getting initiated to RV camping, but first another 3 week backpacking trip is in the works starting next week.

Why fiberglass? Like the idea of water tight construction, ease of towing, low profile for less wind resistance, and they are unique and less "gaudy" than 98% of the stick built that I've seen.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by LyleB

...

Why fiberglass? Like the idea of water tight construction,....

No such thing unless maybe you eliminate all the ports, windows, vents, door, etc. But then its not a camper, its a solid fiberglass shell. If you do not thoroughly check for leaks, even in the hardest to reach areas, on a regular basis you will have problems sooner or later.

[hillary]

Well the initial allure was that I could tow one with my minivan (2006 Toyota Sienna with factory towing package, rated for 3500 lbs). Add to that the construction quality, and how they hold their value, and I was sold!

My husband and I got tired of tent camping after we got dogs. It became more work bringing stuff for us and them, and setting up a holding area for them that was more secure than a tent. We were bringing so much stuff to camp it felt exhausting instead of relaxing! Now the stuff lives in the trailer and we have set up and take down routines down. It still takes time, but it's not nearly as long or as much hassle.

There are some ultra lightweight stick built trailers we could have looked into, including the A-Liner style fold up ones, but the quality didn't look nearly as good as fiberglass. They just aren't built as well and don't last as long... We wouldn't have been in the market for a larger stick built trailer because that would have meant a new tow vehicle, and it's hard to fit crated dogs in the passenger compartment in pickups.

As to why we prefer it over a motorhome, we like not having to maintain an extra engine, and to be able to leave the trailer at a campsite while we got off (with the dogs) on adventures. I would dislike being stuck at a campsite OR putting everything away so it was safe to drive a giant motorhome.

A fiberglass trailer is the perfect size to balance inside time (cooking, sleeping, inclement weather avoidance) with outside time. We have loved our Escape 17B and are going to love our Bigfoot 17.5G once we get out in it!

[james kent]

Had a chap with an ALiner camp next to us at a campground and tell us that he didn't like bolers. They weren't very well constructed whereas his was much better. The weather turned for the worse and he mopped the inside all weekend between storms while we were very comfortable in our all fibreglass trailer. Wonder if he still has his?


Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

[bpfick]

In 45 years of traveling and camping and moving about together, we've done about everything and used about every style of tent, pop up, stick built, truck campers, motorhomes, van conversion, you name it.

They're all just a means to an end, getting out there and being gone. That's it.

The FGRV is light, but largely because it is so small. We're not into having a giant vehicle so the smaller, lighter units suit us just fine.

But honestly? For us, since we don't care as much about the unit, per se, as we do about the experience of going, the hard, cold economic return on investment is unmatched. Is this mostly because of the near hysteria of passionate devotees? Created by a niche' market, direct build and buy approach?

We don't know and we don't care. The last thing we wish to do is blow off tens of thousands of dollars in depreciation which is fairly typical of the whole retiree/RV scenario. We see what others do and the bumper stickers proclaiming their goals in spending their money so the kids can't get it. Whatever floats their boat. No thanks. The sale of our last two 13's returned every penny. Pretty dang clear it continues to be a wise choice for us.

They work. They get us out there. They don't cost us a small fortune in depreciation. That's it in a nutshell. We save the romance for each other and the precious times we have together and have no starry eyed romance for the donkey we ride to get there. Sorry.

[The Minimalist]

<---------------
Because it suits my needs.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by The Minimalist

<---------------
Because it suits my needs.

Well, there are a lot of options that are more minimalist. For example, if you were a complete minimalist then I would expect you to sleep in a hammock strung between two trees. I actually like my Scamp precisely because it is not so minimalist. I have a comfy bed, a fairly secure home, a decent kitchen, a serviceable bathroom - all in a package that I can pull around the country with my regular vehicle.

[Glenn Baglo]

Don't you think two trees is a bit extravagant?

[tractors1]

Nothing funner than backpacking with a tube tent and a rope.

For those unfamiliar, a tube tent is a big foldable plastic tube that compacts to the size of a 1 gallon ziploc bag. You thread the rope through it and tie it up to two trees.

An Escape 21 is a bit more comfortable

[The Minimalist]

<---------- Because it suits my needs

Originally Posted by gordon2

Well, there are a lot of options that are more minimalist. For example, if you were a complete minimalist then I would expect you to sleep in a hammock strung between two trees. I actually like my Scamp precisely because it is not so minimalist. I have a comfy bed, a fairly secure home, a decent kitchen, a serviceable bathroom - all in a package that I can pull around the country with my regular vehicle.

Absolutely true, Gordon. I could walk around naked in the rain and sleep in the dirt, but I believe the topic was molded fiberglass trailers.

The folks on this forum display a wide range of requirements and desires as regards their particular trailer. The attitude has always been to each his own.

I camp to travel for one thing, but primarily to get away from all my 'stuff', physical, mental and spiritual. Therefore, "Because it suits my needs".

Actually, our needs, as Laura finds the Little Joe very comfortable for us. We especially like the way the front corners cradle our backs when we sit to read before going to bed.

We tent camped for 30 years or so before we decided to quit getting up off of the ground in the morning. In the Joe we are in the lap of luxury, but the moniker stays.

Regards.