Newbie With Questions

[Patricia D]

My husband and I were lucky enough to come across a great deal on a 13' Scamp six years ago. We had wanted one but at the time were really not in the market to really purchase one but this was to wonderful a deal to pass up. The older couple we got it from were the second owners, The original owners had got it new from the factory and never camped in it. They then sold it to the couple we got it from and they had only used it a few times so it was like new. They had a notebook with everything concerning this trailer in it including the original pictures of all the trailers Scamp offered with the pricing. This one had everything I think that was offered at the time. The air is in the closet and they told us had never been used to their knowledge and also the heater in it had never been used. The lady had even made slipcovers so the sun would not fade the cushions. It had been stored for awhile and not used so they had decided to sell it because of their health. A friend of mine had seen it sitting under a parking cover at a retirement village where his mother was at and told us about it. We got her to find out who owned it and found out it was for sale. They had just decided to sell it. We got it for $3800.00. I think it was God's will for us to have it. We have not used it since we bought it. My husband and I both have had health issues and then we both worked fulltime and had a side business which took all our time but now that has all changed and we are ready to get out and enjoy life. What I am wanting to know and I hope someone on this board can help us out is how to make the bed more comfortable. We are not huge people but not small and we have put the bed up and tried it and it is hard and not very roomy and we were looking to make it more comfortable. I know some people have cut the foam in two pieces to store it easier but what my husband was thinking is he might take out the front bunks and replace with a dinette so we could keep the bed down all the time and then we could put something on it that would be really comfortable and we would not have to worry about storing it. We saw on here where someone had done that and it was so nice. But the other question is how much will it effect the resale value if we were to make this change. I don't see us sellling it because we don't want anything bigger but if we had to sell it would it be harder to sell. We don't need the bunk beds because we have no grandkids and it is only us but if we went to sell it might be harder to sell. My thought is to make it fit for our needs and we would enjoy it more. Neither one of us has ever towed a trailer or backed one up so we are a little scared but we have a friend who has offered to teach us. If anyone can offer any advise it would be appreciated.

[Raz]

Welcome to the forum. I would suggest making the rear dinette a permanent bed with a memory foam topper. We did that in our Trillium and it's quite comfortable. Use the front bed as a couch with tv trays or a home brew table for dining. That way everything is reversible when resale time comes. Good luck, Raz

[broom05]

Welcome Patricia,

My wife and I faced a similar issue with our 13' Burro. We decided to make our dinette/bed into a full time bed. We did not alter our front bunk because we have 3 year old twins... We decided to to this because our habit is to only go camping when it's nice and to be outside as much as possible while camping....we really only sleep and do a little cooking in the trailer.

We removed the cushions and set the table into the bed position. We measured and looked around for a matress. We found one that fit for $99 at Wal-Mart. It's worked perfect for us.

As for resale value...Who know how your alterations might effect the value. It depends on how nice/professionaly done they are. Personally I wouldn't put too much worry into this aspect since you said you intend on owning it for quite awhile. I say make it your own....customize the heck out of it to meet your needs.

I also empathize about the towing/backing situation. From experience I can tell you the only way to learn these skills is by doing them.

[ericw]

Welcome Patricia! I hope you enjoy the forum.

We also keep our bed as a bed full time. We added some memory foam to make it more comfortable. We try to spend time outside, but occasionally use the couch in front.

I hope you enjoy your trailer as much as we have.

[David Tilston]

A front dinette is a very useful item. If done well, it may even add value to your trailer. I would make it so the front dinette still can convert to a single bed. That is to say, the table should be able to drop to fill the gap where your feet go. Keep the back rest/upper bunk. That way if a potental buyer wants a bunk, just drop the table on the front dinette, and re-install the back rest, and you are back to a gaucho.

[Patricia D]

Thanks so much for all your suggestions. We have a few nice campgrounds close by that we plan on visiting. We will be outside as much as possible but it would be nice to have a place to sit when it is raining outside. I also like the suggestion about being able to make the front into a bed with the dinette table if we decide to change it out. I think it would be nice to have the dinette there because of the large window you could look out of. I am getting excited about going camping for the first time but my husband just had shoulder surgery so he is down for a few weeks but I am having fun planning and reading the posts on this forum.

[john warren]

we placed a 1 inch memory foam mattress pad from walmart sideways and folded in halfon our dinnette bed. topped with a quilted comfortor also side ways and folded in half this gave us plenty of cushiness. but we have to use an extra pillow to even things out.

[Bonnie n Claude]

Our Boler is being redone at the moment. The sofa has been removed and the framing is done (sorry didn't take pictures when were at our trailer guy's 2 hours from home). We changed the configuration because the bed, by about the fourth week was becoming very heavy for me to reset as a table in the morning (my husband has back problems), we wanted to add a 4" orthopedic foam topper to the bed and there was no where to store it during the day, I didn't want a chemical toilet under the table (we bought a Tetford 135--the smallest they have), and leaving the bed down we needed somewhere to sit comfortable to eat or use the tiny netbook we travel with. Thus far, I am happy with what I have seen. Admittedly I was less concerned with resale value than weight and keeping the interior renovations which requrie (UGH) wood as close to the fiberglass pieces a possible. Will post photos when we pick it up in October. Meanwhile, I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed it's all I am hoping for. Good luck with your decisoin.

[rgrugg]

We bought our Egg Camper without a mattress then bought a memory foam mattress from Walmart. We've used the mem foam toppers before but the whole mattress is much more comfortable and doesn't cost that much more.

[Patricia D]

Bonnie and Claude I also have some back issues so I am wanting something as comfortable as I can get. We have a sleep number King bed in our house and it has been a life saver for my back. I realize I am not going to have that comfort in a camper but I can make it more comfortable than it is now. I look forward to seeing the pictures of your redo. I think if we left the bed up all time we could get a nicer mattress and then we would not have to worry about storage issues. I am going to try and find the person on here that remolded I think it was a Scamp and took the front bunk out and added a dinette. They did a great job. I think the table was movable so you could get in on the side next to the cabinet which is a tight fit. I am like you in that I want a place to eat or watch tv or work on my laptop.

[rabbit]

Rear of the Burro is a "permanent" bed w/ memory foam on top of the cushions but can still be anything the FO wants it to be as we have the stanchions and cast aluminum cups for the table and the sockets are still exposed thru the wood floor redo. Convertible front dinette is now also "permanent" with swiveling boat seats on the locker tops and cushions bagged and stored in house. It also has the potential to go both ways for a FO. So both dinettes are still convertible but permanent for our own use. I understand that this is less easy to do with a front sofa; the snack trays sound like a simple route to sit-down dining while retaining the "flexibility" which young families demand.

jack

[Marsha D]

Patricia, we also have a king sleep number bed at home, so we wanted to be as comfortable as possible in the bed while camping. We have a Casita and use the back dinette as a bed and have a memory foam mattress that is very very comfortable. We both sleep so well on it that when we're camping we sleep in later than we ever would at home. We actually replaced the cushions with the mattress. It's definitely an option worth looking into.

[Bonnie n Claude]

Originally Posted by Patricia D

... I am going to try and find the person on here that remolded I think it was a Scamp and took the front bunk out and added a dinette. They did a great job. I think the table was movable so you could get in on the side next to the cabinet which is a tight fit....

Many folks have installed a table between the 'new' front end dinette that drops like the original back ones do to form a third bed. The Scamp with a removable table that comes to mind is Karen B's 2002 13' Scamp. http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...one-38998.html

But there are countless lovely renovations. Challenge is deciding which best fits your individual needs. Good luck with your renovations. Hope to see photos of it when it's done.

[Hazel in Sk]

We keep the bed made up most of the time with a memory foam on top. If we needed the dinette for inside sitting on a wet day we rolled up the memory foam and put it on the front couch.

It was fine until we got 'old and stiff' and neither of us could make it through the night without a bathroom break.
Now one person sleeps on the couch the other in the bed.
We also pampered ourselves with a Porta potti.

[Raz]

Vickie B. added a front dinette to her Perris Pacer a while back and posted some very useful pictures. I am sure you will agree she did a first class job. Raz

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...cer-48072.html

[Bonnie n Claude]

Boy, Hazel, having been recently diagnosed with arthritis and my husband with stenosis of the spine, we can really relate to stiffness which is why we wanted the permanent bed, front dinette and porta-potti.

Raz, thanks for the link. Vickie B. certainly did a nice job. Hope ours turns out as well.

[Patricia D]

Hazel I have tried laying down on the front bed and there is no way I could sleep on it. It is just to small which is one reason we are thinking about taking it out and a dinette put in its place. Thanks to the person who posted the link to the redo on I think it was a Boler. It looks so nice. Also where can we purchase a nice mattress and topper to go on our bed. Can we get our size or we will we have to trim it. Maybe someone has a suggestion of some place that is less expensive to buy from as we have no experience with this kind of thing. We are new to camping.

[Bonnie n Claude]

I bought our 4" foam topper from Sears because I wanted an orthopedic matress. It's 54" wide, cut it with an electric bread knife or...leave it full width and let the extra 6 inches or so extend up the rear wall under the window. (Extending the matress up the wall will add warmth but will use up some of the already small bed width--depending on how thick your topper is).

You can also buy foam at WalMart, at many fabric stores, and online at places such as Amazon.

If you haven't already done so, you may want to add a board about 4" wide, the width of the dining room table in the groves that the tabletop sits in when in the down position. Put the board on the side nearest the rear window. Slide the table top forward in the grooves to allow for the board. It will add a few wonderful extra inches to the bed. Even when we were putting our table up and down we left the small board in place and it didn't bother us at all.

[David B.]

If you would like to keep it simple, you could try what we have done, prior to making any modifications to your trailer. We purchased 2 back-packers self inflating air pads (small/short ones by ALPS Mountaineering) and simply placed them under the original Scamp pads, beneath your torso. I was sceptical that something so small and thin, could do anything, but they really work! We just spent 2 months living/traveling and had none of the usual arthritic back aches. When you want to use the bed as a table, the cushions simply fit under the seat cushions or you could roll them up a stow them away. You can keep your bunk/couch up front and use folding/tv tray/tables when eating, and enjoy the couch for reading or the bunks for the grand-kids.
If this doesn't work, you could then spend the time & expense of the other very nice modifications.
Happy Trails

[rgrugg]

If you do a little research, maybe by googling, you should be able to find a mattress company that will make custom sized mattresses. We had that done for an antique 3/4 bed. An extra $25 for the mattress and the same for the box spring. Probably cost quite a bit more now. Ours was around 25 years ago.