Downside of Scamp 19' 5er?

[cosmo64]

It'll be about a year before my DW and I will be ready to make a purchase on a gently used Scamp 19' 5er with front wetbath. Can anyone who owns one post any regrets they have.

[Dennis mn]

We have camped in our 1999 Scamp 5er since 2004. In that time, the biggest downside is that the food prep area is small, and only allows room for one person to work. It is not a dealbreaker, I cook while Linda sits at the dinette and reads. The one other concern that we have, is that one day, we will have trouble getting into and out of the loft.

[Al and Cindy K]

None here. We’ve owned an 01 front bath deluxe since 2011 and its been great. We had a 02 16’ side bath standard for six years before that. Tow vehicles have been four wheel drive double cab Tacoma’s with auto, six cylinder and tow package.

We typically dry camp and have travelled across most of the US without any problems. We did replace the Catalina awning with the Fiamma that Scamp currently offers as OE. The Dometic fridge was also replaced with a comparable model last year. AC, stove and hot water heater are original. A MaxxAir fan was added above the front bed (great mod). Front bunk cushions were replaced with a quality mattress from Southern Mattress (also recommended).

I don’t see us gong with anything else.

[Paul O.]

Can't think of any downside here either. Being a 5th wheel, you can ignore the threads discussing weight distribution hitches or sway control bars. None of that applies. You need to remind yourself that it is still behind you, regardless of wind or road conditions.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Paul O.

Can't think of any downside here either. Being a 5th wheel, you can ignore the threads discussing weight distribution hitches or sway control bars. None of that applies. You need to remind yourself that it is still behind you, regardless of wind or road conditions.

Except that it is NOT a 5th Wheel. It uses the same coupler and ball as a bumper pull trailer and like a bumper pull, it requires safety chains. The only thing similar to a real 5th wheel is the location of the ball, but to call it a 5th wheel is a misnomer.

[Wayne Collins]

As long as you have use for a pick-up when not towing, or can dedicate the PU to the Scamp. We have stayed with the tow behind trailers as we did not like the idea of climbing up to and down from the loft bed.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by CPW

Except that it is NOT a 5th Wheel. It uses the same coupler and ball as a bumper pull trailer and like a bumper pull, it requires safety chains. The only thing similar to a real 5th wheel is the location of the ball, but to call it a 5th wheel is a misnomer.

Getting the name wrong is a problem!... Since it is small, How about calling it a "duck neck"?
A rose by any other name still works as sweet.

Since it has worked well for decades, the misnomer seems to be the only problem. It is easy to see when the latch is down and locked, but the chains can be hard to reach on the new trucks with the tall boxes.
Of course the latch on a fifth wheel can be as well.

"Real" Fifth wheels work great but are greasy and require more attention and take up more space, and they are heavy if you want them to be removable.
Both are safe and work well when used properly.

[floyd]

I don't have one, but I love the loft bed, which leaves the rest of the trailer to day use without bed conversion, also the private "bedroom" is nice.
I just wish they would make one based on the 13Scamp instead of the 16!
PERFECT!!

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by floyd

I just wish they would make one based on the 13Scamp instead of the 16!
PERFECT!!

Then build one Floyd. Okay so this is still a bumper pull, but isn't it cute!!

[Kkat]

Along the highway I travel to get home (near Molalla) I noticed this sad sight in a fenced area at a mobile home park storage lot. I finally stopped yesterday and got as close as I could without being accused of trespassing and took a quick photo.
I think this is what y'alls are talking about...can anyone recognize the model or year? I have entertained the thought of trying to contact the owner to see if they wanted to sell it, but I don't have a pick-up, and my starter FG camper (13')is in much the same shape waiting for better weather to come so I can work on it...but a person can dream.
I also didn't realize until I saw this thread, that it is indeed a bumper hitch and not a 5th wheel!

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by floyd

Getting the name wrong is a problem!... Since it is small, How about calling it a "duck neck"?
A rose by any other name still works as sweet.

Since it has worked well for decades, the misnomer seems to be the only problem. It is easy to see when the latch is down and locked, but the chains can be hard to reach on the new trucks with the tall boxes.
Of course the latch on a fifth wheel can be as well.

"Real" Fifth wheels work great but are greasy and require more attention and take up more space, and they are heavy if you want them to be removable.
Both are safe and work well when used properly.

Actually, I never use any grease on my “real” 5th wheel because I have a graphite impregnated disc on the kingpin which precludes the necessity for grease, and my real 5th wheel hitch does not weigh much more than the hitch I used when I had my Scamp 19. Additionally, my real 5th wheel hitch separates into 2 pieces so I can easily install and remove it, which I couldn’t do with my Scamp proprietary hitch. I find it easier to hook up a “real” 5th wheel because it only has to be aligned in one plane (side-to-side) rather than two planes (side-to-side AND front to back because you “drive” onto the kingpin rather than having to drop the coupler onto a ball. I also appreciate not having the clanking of safety chains in the bed of the truck.
Yes, it is all about terminology and granted the Scamp 19’s hitch works fine, but the Scamp 19 is NOT a 5th wheel, even though it’s towing characteristics are like those of a 5th wheel......very stable and no sway.

[thrifty bill]

The one pictured above has been greatly modified. The Scamp 5th wheel comes with a goose neck hitch. Many would call it a fifth wheel, as the hitch connects in the bed of the truck, rather than the bumper.

As far as age, its really hard for me to guess on Scamp, as they have been making the same trailers for decades. Windows change. So given the anodized radius slider windows, I would guess towards the newer end age wise.

I'm with Floyd. A fifth wheel based on the 13 foot Scamp would be great.


One big positive with the Scamp fifth wheel is they are a LOT more common than any other molded fiberglass fifth wheel. So it should be easier to find. A lot of the molded FG buyers out there are looking for pull behind trailers that can be towed by their SUV. So the demand is lower too.

[Al and Cindy K]

Originally Posted by Wayne Collins

As long as you have use for a pick-up when not towing, or can dedicate the PU to the Scamp. We have stayed with the tow behind trailers as we did not like the idea of climbing up to and down from the loft bed.

I’m haven’t found anything a car can do that the Tacoma can’t but I’m probably not the best judge of practical transportation. Our other vehicles are a Jeep Wrangler, a Pontiac Solstice (two door, turbo, five speed manual, convertible) and a twenty year old Mitsubishi Montero.

I’m nearing seventy and on the wrong side of 250# but the steps haven’t become a problem yet. We really like the separation the front bath provides plus at 6’4”, I can stand while taking a shower (not possible for me in this side bath).

[half2go]

if anyone see's a 13ft that looks like a fifth wheel please let me know. thanks. Really like that concept.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

The one pictured above has been greatly modified. The Scamp 5th wheel comes with a goose neck hitch. Many would call it a fifth wheel, as the hitch connects in the bed of the truck, rather than the bumper.

As far as age, its really hard for me to guess on Scamp, as they have been making the same trailers for decades. Windows change. So given the anodized radius slider windows, I would guess towards the newer end age wise.

I'm with Floyd. A fifth wheel based on the 13 foot Scamp would be great.


One big positive with the Scamp fifth wheel is they are a LOT more common than any other molded fiberglass fifth wheel. So it should be easier to find. A lot of the molded FG buyers out there are looking for pull behind trailers that can be towed by their SUV. So the demand is lower too.

You miss my point, Bill. A Scamp 19 May connect to a ball in the truck bed, but unless you modify the connection point from a coupler to a kingpin it is NOT and NEVER will be a 5th wheel. Referring to a Scamp 19 as a 5th wheel does not make it a 5th wheel. As I stated earlier, the Scamp 19 is just that, it is not a Scamp “5er.” That is a misnomer, just like referring to a sedan as a pickup......it isn’t a pickup, it’s a sedan even if you remove the trunk lid so that the “cargo” area is open.

[Byron Kinnaman]

the biggest downside for me is the use of the truck. My Dakota is used to haul a lot of the outside stuff used while camping. Chairs, solar panel, radio battery, sun shade, etc. I have a canopy over the bed and a "bed run" inside. The basic rule if it's used inside the trailer that's where it lives. If it's used outside it lives in the truck. Therefore the down side is the loss of the truck bed.

[ROBERT HYSER]

I have a Scamp 19ft 5th wheel a 2005 had it since 2008, pull it with a 2008 Dodge Dakota. My wife and I started with a Scamp 16 ft. but liked the idea of not having to make up the dinette at night. As you get older or I should say more sr. going to the loft gets more tougher each year, 79. So it is for sale you can see my add if interested. Thanks Bob 72seven 8080507,

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Then build one Floyd. Okay so this is still a bumper pull, but isn't it cute!!

Yeah! that is cute!

[Tom 72]

Carl, we get your point. You have sufficiently beaten it to death. There are plenty of good reasons people will continue to call the Scamp a 5th wheel. Life is short.

[Glenn Baglo]

That reminds me of the time I ordered eggs, bacon and hash browns and I was served eggs, bacon and deep-fried potato cubes. When I complained that those cubes were not hash browns, the waitress said, "well, we call them hash browns".
I said, "you can call a hamburger a T-bone, but that doesn't make it a T-bone".
Stayed away from that pub for about six years. Still haven't ordered the "hash browns".