hey, anybody seen an MPG fiberglass trailer for real?

[bill&sandra]

saw the online stuff, but would like to hear from folks owning one.
Noticed that no awning was offered. hmmmm
What about the dinette? Does it make into a double bed?
Is this the first year for the mpg??? I've always heard--never buy anything out the first year. How is that impacting the mpg sales. Could find no info anywere for all these questions without going through customer service.
I noticed that the weight is much heavier than our little eggs, even the 19 footers.
What's the consensus out there?
Here's the site in case you all are going--what????

MPG Travel Trailer by Heartland RV, The Original RVWholesalers. New RV's & Parts Sales, Wholesale Dealer

lemme know what you all think. Although I can't imagine life without my little 13' Scamp, I do like to keep informed about new stuff.

[Lynn Musgrave]

Originally Posted by bill&sandra

saw the online stuff, but would like to hear from folks owning one.
Noticed that no awning was offered. hmmmm
What about the dinette? Does it make into a double bed?
Is this the first year for the mpg??? I've always heard--never buy anything out the first year. How is that impacting the mpg sales. Could find no info anywere for all these questions without going through customer service.
I noticed that the weight is much heavier than our little eggs, even the 19 footers.
What's the consensus out there?
Here's the site in case you all are going--what????

MPG Travel Trailer by Heartland RV, The Original RVWholesalers. New RV's & Parts Sales, Wholesale Dealer

lemme know what you all think. Although I can't imagine life without my little 13' Scamp, I do like to keep informed about new stuff.

We saw one at Brazos Bend State Park last summer. The family that own it gave us a nice tour. It was their second trip out with it and they loved(they said they down sized from a 26ft something) It looked very nice inside and yes the table did make into a big bed. Theirs had a sofa so they left the bed down all the time. there was lots of cabnet & storage space,nice size bathroom.Very neat inside and out,nice big umbrilo that they said came with theirs(maybe just from dealer) They had a Rav(6cyld) as a TV and said it worked good for them. They said most of the time it was just the 2 of them,but sometimes their 19yr old DD travel with them and they still had plenty of room.

Our DD is looking for a camper for her family( 17 yr.old & 5 yr old +the 2 of them).This is one she plans to take a closer look at. Needless to say she was most impressed with it.

Happy Camping....Lynn

[Mike Magee]

I went to an RV dealer 3 weeks ago and saw several MPG floorplans... the 180, the 181, and the 184. Now let me say first that I've had a slideout before and I just don't care to have one again (personal preference, nothing bad about them) so my interest was mainly in the 180. But it was so tight feeling! I quickly realized it is the midships bathroom that does it. It really cramps the floorplans IMO. In the 180 the bathroom door just barely cleared the kitchen counter opposite it, by about 1/8". That is a pretty narrow space for one person to stand in (while cooking) or walk through... and forget 2 people trying to pass each other.

The 181 with slideout felt better, because it adds (only) about a foot and a half to that aisle.

The 184's front kitchen is kind of nifty and has lots of counter space, but I wish the sofa's table had been freestanding instead of being on two posts into floor sockets.

Fit and finish looked reasonably good. Nice sized fridge, which I liked. I did not care for the color of the cabinets, though. Outside I noticed that if I pressed on the curved back wall/roof area, it gave under my hand... there was nothing under there... not sure if this would ever be a problem, but forget about climbing on it anyway. One thing I could not understand: why did they put a nice window out the front overtop the bed, but no back window overtop the dinette table? I want to enjoy the view while I eat, not while I sleep! I think the 185 might have a window over the dinette, according to the diagrams, but that appears to be the only one.

Overall I was not sanguine about the MPG after seeing it. Your mileage may vary (pun intended).

For a different trailer floorplan I saw recently (and do like very well), look at the Ameri-Lite SuperLite 14RBC Travel Trailers by Gulf Stream, The Original RVWholesalers. New RV's & Parts Sales, Wholesale Dealer (KZ also makes this floorplan, in either aluminum siding or fiberglass-coat laminate walls). It feels open and airy, and I can see out of two side windows opposite the sofa. I think Casita can do one very similar to this, just turned around (bathroom in front).

[SherryNPaul]

I'm sure the Heartland MPG will be at the RV Supershow in Tampa this coming weekend if anyone is nearby. There's dry camping for 5 or 10 dollars a night in the parking lot. We've camped there several times. The show is a lot of fun, and the ticket is good for two days (at least it was in past years.) We have family visiting this year, and won't be attending.
Sherry

[Ray N]

Originally Posted by Michael Gee

my interest was mainly in the 180. But it was so tight feeling! I quickly realized it is the midships bathroom that does it. It really cramps the floorplans IMO. In the 180 the bathroom door just barely cleared the kitchen counter opposite it, by about 1/8". That is a pretty narrow space for one person to stand in (while cooking) or walk through... and forget 2 people trying to pass each other..

This is what my wife didn't care for in the 19' Escape, although I thought the advantage of the two separated sleeping areas made up for the tight center isle and lack of open feeling.

[DonDeutsch]

I prefer molded fiberglass.

[cpaharley2008]

The MPG, like the R-Pod and other fiberglass trailers are not really fiberglass as in true fiberglass like Scamps or Casitas or Egg Camper. They have laminated walls subject to delamination issues. Heartland, Jayco and all the other stick built started to offer this as an alternative to aluminum clad trailers. I owned a T@da which was alumifiber. You have leak issues that will ruin your trailer. They all have seams between joints and this is their weak point. Airstreams also have seams. These seams need to be caulked as our fiberglass eggs do around windows,vents etc. However Eggs are less susceptible to leaks.
Getting back to other issues, these trailers are also heavy and not as aerodynamic as the eggs, the R-Pod forums everyone complains about poor gas mileage pulling a 2800 lb trailer.

[bill&sandra]

thanks, all! Figured nothing could touch our little eggs for dependability and durability! Would be nice to see one, tho.
Will check with our area RV expo folks to see if one is coming.
The weight of the thing was my main concern although we do have a truck that could pull the 180 model.

[SherryNPaul]

We did go to the RV show in Tampa today for a few hours after all. I toured both the MPG models that were exhibited, as well as a trip through the R-pods again for comparison.
The shape of the MPG is a bit less "teardrop" than the R-pod, and gives more headroom (and a guy in one of them was about 6'6" tall) in more of the trailer. I also liked their one-piece molded bathroom insert, though I wonder (afterwards) how you gain access to the plumbing to fix anything later on down the line, with the little triangle sink molded into the corner of the insert...
It's not really molded fiberglass, but it's probably a pretty nice little trailer for the money, at show special prices, anyway.
I still wouldn't trade our egg for one, but the headroom would be nice for taller folks.
Sherry

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by SherryNPaul

We did go to the RV show in Tampa today for a few hours after all. I toured both the MPG models that were exhibited, as well as a trip through the R-pods again for comparison.
The shape of the MPG is a bit less "teardrop" than the R-pod, and gives more headroom (and a guy in one of them was about 6'6" tall) in more of the trailer. I also liked their one-piece molded bathroom insert, though I wonder (afterwards) how you gain access to the plumbing to fix anything later on down the line, with the little triangle sink molded into the corner of the insert...
It's not really molded fiberglass, but it's probably a pretty nice little trailer for the money, at show special prices, anyway.
I still wouldn't trade our egg for one, but the headroom would be nice for taller folks.
Sherry

I don't think I would trade an Oliver either, if I had one!

[Cyndi B.]

Did anyone watch the RV show Sunday. Got in on the tail end but did you see what you could get for $770,000? Holy buckets, it better come with a driver.

[Tom Trostel]

We also watched the HGTV show on the Hershey RV Show. Most of the coverage was about large and pricey RVs. Nothing we are interested in on the whole program.

[Greg H]

Eat the rich!!!

[Cyndi B.]

No kidding. When we lived in Montana last winter our landlord owned the RV dealership. By then the Scamp was already on order and ready for pickup. We had no intention of buying one of those big things anyway but we let her gives us a tour. My husband stood in one and said he'd lived in smaller apartments.

[BAMA & Pachyderm Posse]

there is a dealer here in van buren ,you can see them when you come to RIVER EGG RALLY

[Herb Sutton]

Looks like it could use a few more windows.

[SherryNPaul]

Originally Posted by Cyndi B.

No kidding. When we lived in Montana last winter our landlord owned the RV dealership. By then the Scamp was already on order and ready for pickup. We had no intention of buying one of those big things anyway but we let her gives us a tour. My husband stood in one and said he'd lived in smaller apartments.

In relative terms, I guess the MPG could be "big", (compared to a standard Boler 13 or Scamp 13), but it's also a tiny trailer, not much bigger than my Oliver, and quite likely smaller than your Scamp 19.

I just tried to give the op my first hand impressions from a brief visit to the MPG, in person, in the event that it could be helpful.

Sherry

[cpaharley2008]

One of my observation in re: Heartland and the MPG is poor window placement and the use of slides to make the unit larger. A slide is a complicated piece of machinery considering putting a large hole in your wall and then trying to keep the elements out. In addition the slide involves the kitchen which means flexible joints on propane and plumbing hookups. Now we all know what happens inside our trailers while it is being towed, there is always something coming loose or needs tightening from fixed attachments. I would not want to imagine what happens to flexible attachments over time.

[Matt in SV]

I understand what you mean, Jim, but I think if one is buying a stickie with a somewhat limited life relative to our FG trailers, anyway, it might as well have a slide. It really does open up the floorplan.

The MPG I looked at had the slide opposite the kitchen. It pulled a big sofa back from a little buffet bar thing that made it sort of a tailgater's paradise.

Regards,

Matt

It looked a little like the attached but it was a year ago so some stuff probably changed.

[SherryNPaul]

I, too, am a bit dubious about slides, especially in small trailers. They do open up the space, but in some that I've toured at the shows, it's impossible, or extremely difficult,to get to the bathroom or the bed unless the slide is deployed.
One of the many nice things about our "slide-free" eggs is minimal maintenance, and easy setup. I consider the area under the awning to be our "easy maintenance" slide-out area. I slide out there and sit down... and enjoy the outdoors around me.
Of course, when it's inclement weather, a slide has certain appeal.
Sherry