Need a site that reviews small fiberglass trailers?

[Lonely Road]

Hi,

I would like to buy a small, molded fiberglass trailer. I've heard of companies like Scamp, Casita, and Eggcamper, but the campers themselves are very hard to find, and they're back ordered. So, I'm looking at some others, like Oliver and Parkline; at least the factories are near where I live.

However, I don't want to buy something, and then find out it's a lemon. Does anyone know of a site that reviews fiberglass trailers, molded or otherwise?

I have been using several links for trailer ideas, including this one:

RV Wheel Life » Blog Archive » Molded Fiberglass Trailers, Part 4 — ‘Manufacturers, online resources’

Now, the final step is choosing, but I need reviews. Come to think of it, I'd be glad to hear of reviews from anyone in the forum, if you can just look at the above link. The ones that are near my state are Parkliner, Lil Snoozy, and Oliver. Oliver sounds the best to me, in terms of my health needs.

Comments? I'm looking for something mold proof and free of nasty chemicals.

Thanks in advance,

Margaret

[Ed Harris]

You are kidding right?

This site is only about Fiberglass Trailers.

[Jon in AZ]

Welcome, Margaret!

I don't know of any sites that post reviews of small fiberglass trailers. They are a tiny segment of the overall RV market with limited production. Most of the manufacturers are small, family-owned operations that sell factory-direct and have limited advertising budgets.

I'm sure you'll get some feedback here. Each brand has its proponents and detractors. One way to get a look at many different makes and models, talk to owners, and form your own impressions is to visit one of the many fiberglass egg rallies around the country. Here's a link to the 2016 Rally Map. You can contact event coordinators for advice about scheduling a visit.

If you're thinking of purchasing a used unit, there are some listed for sale in the classified section of this site, and more at Fiberglass-RV-4Sale. Best way to avoid a lemon is to do a thorough inspection, taking along someone with RV experience, and using the Buyers Checklist in the document center on this site.

Best wishes in your quest!

[Donna D.]

Margaret, it sounds like you may be looking for something like a "Consumer Reports" for all-molded-towables? If so, I'm sorry... I don't know of one. If mold is an issue for you and outgassing, I'm thinking you need to find a gently used trailer that's 1-2 years old. They're out there... you will just need to be constantly vigilant on ALL the molded forums, etc.


Best of luck!

[Lonely Road]

Hi all,

Good responses, except I didn't understand the second one.

I see one of you is a casita owner. They are hard to get!

Donna, gently used is a good idea, but the gently used would have to be in a dry climate, whereas I live in a humid one (for now).

Donna, I like your picture,

Margaret

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Ed Harris

You are kidding right?

This site is only about Fiberglass Trailers.

Ditto! Ya beat me to it!

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Lonely Road

The ones that are near my state are Parkliner, Lil Snoozy, and Oliver. Oliver sounds the best to me, in terms of my health needs.

As long as you don't mean financial health!

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Lonely Road

Donna, gently used is a good idea, but the gently used would have to be in a dry climate, whereas I live in a humid one (for now).

Donna, I like your picture,

Margaret

Margaret, I own a 28 year old Scamp and live in the Pacific NorthWET. I can promise you, there's no mold in my trailer. It's not about where the trailer is located as much as maintenance and how the trailer is stored, etc.

BTW: that's not a picture of me, truly.

[steve dunham]

I wish you luck ,finding a trailer that is "mold proof" and "free of chemicals" is a tall order if not an impossible one . Take the time to visit one of the factories in your area and spend sometime examining a fiberglass trailer so you have some idea how they are built. Internet reviews on trailers are often written by unhappy customers and are not necessarily a true reflection of the product..

[Ed Harris]

Originally Posted by Lonely Road

Hi all,

Good responses, except I didn't understand the second one.

I see one of you is a casita owner. They are hard to get!

Donna, gently used is a good idea, but the gently used would have to be in a dry climate, whereas I live in a humid one (for now).

Donna, I like your picture,

Margaret

Margaret,

I Meant you are already here!

There is no other site anywhere with the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience with Fiberglass RVs than right here,I sort of thought the name of the site made that obvious?

Every post is a review of an aspect of someones experience,it is an actual treasure trove of FGRV interest.

I really thought you must be kidding.

[gordon2]

I would agree that a recent, well cared for trailer is your best best. The off gassing last a few months for the most part. Mold can develop most anywhere so keeping it dry is key. Scamps marine headliner (AKA rat fur) is very mold resistant as is the fiberglass used for cabinets, etc. But the floor and carpet are more susceptible to mold if there are leaks. There is a vinyl floor option for Scamps.

I just happen to know of a 7 month old Scamp where the chemical smells are petty much gone, has vinyl floor instead of carpet, and had a few leaks but they were fixed long before any mold could develop. And its in NC is you want to come see it.

The only problem is that is is not for sale < ATTEMPT AT HUMOR.

But if I were to get really ill next week and had to sell it, that would be a good one for you. So that is what I would look for.. a recent make that was babied and now has to be unexpectedly sold. It will be hard to find but they do show up from time to time.

[Mike Magee]

Any of the molded fiberglass trailers currently being produced should serve you well in terms of absence of chemicals and minimal outgassing. And as long as they are maintained properly (be vigilant in watching for and fixing any leaks around openings and in plumbing, and don't close the trailer up for long periods with humidity trapped inside), FG 'eggs' should not give you any mold problems, either.

Non-molded, conventionally constructed trailers have many seams between walls and roof which can sometimes leak invisibly for a time and give rise to mold growth within the wall or ceiling. But our molded trailer bodies are not subject to that sort of thing. This leaves vents, windows, door, and of course the water lines to keep an eye on. If water starts to get in through any of these, it should be visible rather quickly and can be dealt with before causing problems.

Anything produced by human beings can occasionally have a 'lemon'. Just about any of the molded trailers are currently known to have good quality.... but I feel I should point out that there have been some complaints about the way Scamp does the seals around their roof vents, and some owners of nearly new Scamps have had to re-seal their vents. You mention Oliver; they are very highly thought of in terms of quality (I've yet to hear one complaint) and I think you'd be pleased with an Oliver.

[kootenaigirl]

Welcome Margaret,
you are in the right place as we are all passionate about our fiberglass trailers. If you use the google search on the forum you will find lots of comments about the different trailer brands and pros and cons to each.
The Olivers are out of many peoples price range (over $40,000) new and rare on the used market. Scamps and Casitas often come up on the used market but maybe not where you live. You will find they are very popular so you will usually have to jump on a good used find and may have to drive a distance.
Good luck in your search.

[Mitzi Agnew-Giles]

Reviewing trailers are somewhat different from reviewing parks. There are a LOT of trailers out there and each one has a different maintenance history.
I was originally thinking, once I realized after years of trusting that I would be in shape to buy a motorcycle and Aspen motorcycle camper after retirement and then realized no way, that I would get an aluminum frame camper to reduce gross weight. Then I started watching "how to buy a used camper" videos on Utube. As I realized that more and more "stickbuilt" campers incorporated things I plain didn't want, such as slides, and seemed to have poor construction at many of their problems, and the Youtubes scared me away from buying anything at all used- NOT! a handy person- I forgot just how I got steered to the fiberglass forum unless I remembered thinking about a blog or something in the past by a Scamp owner where she enjoyed pulling a 13 foot Scamp cross country. I think I googled Scamps for sale, and got led to the forums here.
I think you should see as many in person as possible. During our time between cats my husband and I discussed a Teardrop camper, and monitoring their sites led me to the large teardrop called the Rpod. On paper it looked perfect. In person I was frustrated by what I felt was a poor use of space and the fact that it might've taken an act of Congress to find one that didn't have a slide. I heard horror stories about towing Casitas and Scamps without stabilizers, which ultimately led me to the Parkliner and the Lilsnoozy, both with aerodynamic design of the camper bottom to do away with air turbulence. Trying to decide the way to address the cat matters, I decided they would just have to travel with us as petsitters are so hard to find aand expensive here. And Our "indoors" cats are used to travelling. They accompany us to the lake retirement cottage, and love it there. Not so enjoyable in the city we spend half of each week in, where they are surrounded on 3 sides by dogs.So, Parkliner might have done okay with 1 cat, but I am thinking of 3-6...Would rather only have my 3, but then this little black cat showed up who I think was thrown from a moving vehicle. Distorted painful shoulders, but so sweet and loving. Ithought about putting bunks in the Parkliner for additional cat space, but it just wasn't working and my husband has a tendency to play "what if" when packing "What IF we NEED a kitchen sink? Better pack an extra just in case"...Looked at Lil Snoozy and the underbed storage with outside and inside egress will carry my few additional supplies- screen room, chairs, tray tables, plastic pink flamingo- and still have LOTS of space left for a 3 ft by 18 inch litter box and 3-4 cat beds. Dear husband has gotten claustrophobic when I used small tents for winter camping, so the additional floor space in the Snoozy will be more comfortable for him. In the end, as the saying goes, you pays your money and you makes your choice- and it's wonderful, just wonderful, or it isn;t, in which case you retrench and start over. At least with a fiberglass, it holds its value enough you won't take a hosing if you want to sell it and start over.
If your health matter is chemical sensitivity you probably will be far better off with a fiberglass than a stickbuilt. Lots of problems with outgassing in the stickbuilt FEMA campers after Katrina and Ike. I have broken down and gotten small ionizers with ultraviolet interior light for the lake cabin and city house, plan to have one for the Snoozy. Just in case.
Hope you have fun in your research.

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by Lonely Road

Hi,

I would like to buy a small, molded fiberglass trailer. I've heard of companies like Scamp, Casita, and Eggcamper, but the campers themselves are very hard to find, and they're back ordered. So, I'm looking at some others, like Oliver and Parkline; at least the factories are near where I live.

However, I don't want to buy something, and then find out it's a lemon. Does anyone know of a site that reviews fiberglass trailers, molded or otherwise?

I have been using several links for trailer ideas, including this one:

RV Wheel Life » Blog Archive » Molded Fiberglass Trailers, Part 4 — ‘Manufacturers, online resources’

Now, the final step is choosing, but I need reviews. Come to think of it, I'd be glad to hear of reviews from anyone in the forum, if you can just look at the above link. The ones that are near my state are Parkliner, Lil Snoozy, and Oliver. Oliver sounds the best to me, in terms of my health needs.

Comments? I'm looking for something mold proof and free of nasty chemicals.

Thanks in advance,

Margaret

A metal trailer shell does not off gas the way fiberglass does

[War Eagle]

Margaret, I'll put a plug in for EggCamper (made in Michigan). Even the interior is mostly fiberglass. Very little wood (just the cabinet doors and table tops), no "rat fur", and the original floor carpeting can easily be removed if you want to install a different flooring. Used EggCampers also are hard to come by, but you do occasionally see one show up in the "Classified" ads on this forum. That's how we found ours. But be prepared to move fast if you find something you like. Most used fiberglass campers sell quickly if priced reasonably. Best of luck.... Dale

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by k corbin

A metal trailer shell does not off gas the way fiberglass does

But all the cabinetry, carpet, fabrics, adhesives and sealants used to complete the interior do, so the advantage may be minimal.

[Darral T.]

Margaret, there IS a "site" for fiberglass camper reviews. I cant believe no one has mentioned it yet!

It's called a RALLY!

[Roger Kimble]

With most all VG trailers are great as long as you open the door in cold weather camping to let it air out and dry out each day, no mold will come, and keep it clean of course, you take care of it and it will take care of you.

[AnnKola]

Margaret,
Where do you live? These lovelies are much rarer on the East Coast.

I saw your other question about towing and would suggest that you check out the GirlCamper podcast and Sisters on the Fly (a group for women who camp/ tow/ enjoy the outdoors). Extremely supportive. I just bought a 2014 Trillium and am learning the ropes. I find that actually *doing* is much less scary than I thought it might be.

If you are anywhere near Maryland I'd be happy to give you the 10-cent tour. Newer Trilliums are harder to find because the company went out of business (like many of these boutique brands). Mine has jalousie windows in all sides which is a great feature.

I had been considering the purchase and rehab of a small stickie but realized pretty quick that I would be way over my head and out if money if I wanted to do it right.

There are lots of helpful folks here! Welcome.