First Long Trip In Scamp

[emij]

We returned Sunday from ten days travelling to Lake Tahoe, CA from Colorado. Our travels took us around 2500 miles through 5 states. It was our first long trip in our new to us Scamp and we could not have been happier. It towed like it wasn't even there and because it is so small, we were able to stay in some lovely, lovely camp sites, away from all the giant RV's.

While I was initially reluctant to give up our tent camping ways, I fell in love with our little Scamp on this trip. Best purchase ever.

I've been having trouble attaching pictures, so I'll see if this works. It should be a photo of us parked at Great Basin National Park in Nevada.

[Timber Wolf]

Great picture and story. Keep them coming!

[emij]

One of my husband's favorite things about the Scamp? With the front and rear curtains open, he can see straight through the camper using the rearview mirror (of course he checks the side mirrors, too). Just another thing that makes it really easy to love this camper!


At DL Bliss Campground at Lake Tahoe, site No. 5. VERY sloping, but we managed to tuck the little Scamp into a spot that needed minimal leveling. Woke up in the middle of the night our first night there to a GIANT black bear (who was actually blond) punching the dumpster about 50 feet away from our campsite. He was trying to no avail to get into it. It was very nice to be inside a hard shell instead of a tent while the bear was venting his frustration!

[gordon2]

Two things..
There have been a few discussions about those topics..

One is a debate that leaving the rock guard off when driving might be a bad idea, but then again, seeing behind the trailer might outweigh that.

Second, it has been reported that if a bear wants to get in the Scamp he will, no problem. One poster even reported a bear getting into a locked vehicle to get a single peanut butter cracker, and totally destroying the inside trying to get back out. Various things like bells and horns are sometimes used to scare the bear off. Of course other precautions are keeping food in air tight containers, leaving no trash around, etc.

I am prepared to face a bear in my camper if I am cornered.. its a last resort but I will not go quietly into that good night.

[Jon in AZ]

I read about that one. In bear country, it's always best to check with rangers or camp hosts about best practices for that area. Obviously in places like Yellowstone there are steel bear boxes and strict rules to follow (I once got a stern warning about an empty dogfood bowl I had neglected to put away). In our area, where smaller nuisance black bears are the main problem, I put food in the vehicle at night, covered so the shape is obscured, as some have learned to recognize an ice chest.

A determined adult bear can break into any vehicle or RV. If it's going to try, I'd rather it be the place where we are not. A car is replaceable.

[emij]

We don't have a rock guard, so I forget that others do So obviously that wouldn't work for everyone then!

We are very bear aware after so many years tent camping. On this trip we didn't keep any food in the camper or cook or eat in it at all. I was reading stories of bears breaking into campers before we left! It just feels a bit more secure, better than a tent that can be ripped through in seconds! Years ago when we camped in a tent at Yosemite, rangers chased bears through our campsite all through the night. THAT was nerve wracking!

[Timber Wolf]

Originally Posted by gordon2

I am prepared to face a bear in my camper if I am cornered.. its a last resort but I will not go quietly into that good night.

That is one of the reasons why I take my dog camping. She is a much lighter sleeper than I. In fact, I might just sleep through the whole affair!

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by emij

We returned Sunday from ten days travelling to Lake Tahoe, CA from Colorado. Our travels took us around 2500 miles through 5 states. It was our first long trip in our new to us Scamp and we could not have been happier. It towed like it wasn't even there and because it is so small, we were able to stay in some lovely, lovely camp sites, away from all the giant RV's.

While I was initially reluctant to give up our tent camping ways, I fell in love with our little Scamp on this trip. Best purchase ever.

I've been having trouble attaching pictures, so I'll see if this works. It should be a photo of us parked at Great Basin National Park in Nevada.

The tone of your post was a pleasure to read.

[Rich G. and Val F.]

Hope you found some great sites.

I, too, tow a 13' with a Highlander. Mine is a 2013 Hybrid and we get 18-22 MPG when towing. Seems like it changes with the headwinds and temp. What kind of mileage do you get?

Hope your future trips are without bears.

[gordon2]

As for bears, you get it.. just didn't want you to have a false sense of security.

Feel free to add a rock guard to your front window if you wish:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ard-65091.html
Two different sizes:
Fiberglass Body Pieces : 18 1/2"x37" Gravel Shield
Fiberglass Body Pieces : 20"x44 1/2" Gravel Shield

I had a 2008 Highlander (base) - good car but it developed a small oil leak at the timing cover. It was such a small leak that I never had an oil spot on my driveway or had to add any oil, but one could see a little oil on the edge of the cover. Toyota told me that the parts were cheap but the only way to replace the gasket was to remove the engine, so the total with labor, etc. would be about $2,000. Hope you don't run into that problem !

[emij]

Originally Posted by honda03842

The tone of your post was a pleasure to read.

That's very kind. Thank you

[emij]

Originally Posted by Rich G. and Val F.

Hope you found some great sites.

I, too, tow a 13' with a Highlander. Mine is a 2013 Hybrid and we get 18-22 MPG when towing. Seems like it changes with the headwinds and temp. What kind of mileage do you get?

Hope your future trips are without bears.

You get much better MPG than us! We got about 17 MPG over the course of our ten days. It must be the hybrid I do think you are right, though, about it changing depending on temps and winds, etc. Driving across Nevada on Hwy 50 up and over 12+ different mountain passes (I stopped counting) actually netted us better MPG than driving across Nevada on the way back on I-80 where it was showing 101 on the dashboard temp moniter and was windy!

[emij]

Originally Posted by gordon2

I had a 2008 Highlander (base) - good car but it developed a small oil leak at the timing cover. It was such a small leak that I never had an oil spot on my driveway or had to add any oil, but one could see a little oil on the edge of the cover. Toyota told me that the parts were cheap but the only way to replace the gasket was to remove the engine, so the total with labor, etc. would be about $2,000. Hope you don't run into that problem !

Yikes! I hope we don't either! Something I will have them look at, just to be sure. Thank you! Ours is a 2011, so hopefully Toyota corrected that in later models? I actually had that happen with my 2005 Outback and it was about $3200 to repair it and some other issues. Thankfully Subaru split the cost with us as it was 2012 and out of warranty when we discovered it.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by emij

You get much better MPG than us! We got about 17 MPG over the course of our ten days. It must be the hybrid I do think you are right, though, about it changing depending on temps and winds, etc. Driving across Nevada on Hwy 50 up and over 12+ different mountain passes (I stopped counting) actually netted us better MPG than driving across Nevada on the way back on I-80 where it was showing 101 on the dashboard temp moniter and was windy!

Wind is public enemy #1 of towing! And we get a lot of it in the inter-mountain West.

On a late spring trip to Monument Valley with the Scamp and 25-40 mph winds from the south, we got 27 mpg headed north and about 12 mpg on the return. We drove about 60 mph going up, but dropped down to 45-50 mph coming back. It made for a long tedious drive. Much of the trip was on two lane highways without shoulders, so there was little margin for error.

Gorgeous country, though, especially as we've had good rains this year.