Scamp quality

[Russ V.]

I am still in the shopping mode, so I want some honest opinions from those of you who actually own these campers. I have read both good and bad reviews on epinions regarding Scamp campers. What is the REAL story? Are they shoddily constructed? Is the factory helpful or indifferent?

I have a trailer spotted that I am interested in, but would like some direction first.

Thanks all.

[Bigfoot Mike]

ALL RVs are made for recreation purposes. They are not made for trips to the moon. The quality is generally very acceptable. Scamp is very helpful with any issues that may come up. ALL of the ADD-ONs are warrantied by their manufacturers.

The reason these trailers hold such a high resale value is they don't have issues by and large. Are they perfect, NO. From time to time you will need to keep the maintenance up. Usually it is nothing big.

Besides that, you have us.

[Russ V.]

Mike,

Thanks. I am not afraid of maintenance. I am pretty handy with tools. I often question those epinion posts that complain about things, especially one products that tend to hold their value well and generally have great owner loyalty like the Scamps. One complained about things being attached with pop rivets that leaked, but the only things that appear to be attached with pop rivets in any photo I have seen are the window frames and such. The cabinets appear to be attached with bolts and self-locking nuts.

I have seen ads for 1970's Scamps that still looked pretty darn good to me. I don't think Scamp would still be in business after nearly 40 years if their customer service was as poor as the claims on epinions. I know a lot of camper manufacturers have come and gone in that length of time, but Scamp still keeps cranking out little egg-shaped trailers and folks keep buying them.

Thanks for the reply.

Russ

[John Perry]

I am 66 yo and started with a tent trailer when my boys were young. I have had Class A and B motor homes, slide in campers for my PU, a fifth wheel and several stick built pull trailers over the years.
In my opinion a person is a fool to buy a stick built trailer when a lighter and more durable Fiberglass trailer is available.
I would rather have a 30 year old fiberglass trailer that is in decent shape than a comparble 5 year old stick built trailer.
There is not a stick built trailer that will not leak and the wood will rot once they are a few years old.
I have had 3 Scamps, 2 were projects and Scamp was very helpful and accomodating everytime I need information or parts. As manufacturers go their parts prices are very reasonable and their service is great.
With fuel prices going going up weight is very important. It has been my experience that a stick built trailer is 25% to 50% heavier than a comparable fiberglass trailer.

Hope this helps, good luck,
John

[Phil Underwood]

we have 2 Casita's and one Scamp here at the house, and i can tell you they are both made very well

[Greg A]

My experience with the Scamp parts department has been excellent this last year.
The fit and finish on the trailer is a bit lacking but is in-line with the pricing of the trailer. If you buy an older model most of us redo that anyway and improve it. I don't think there is too much of the original innards left in my Scamp anymore.

[Ed Harris]

I have had 4 of these little Eggs and so far the Scamp is the only one still manufactured!

I have found them anything but helpful with every single issue that I have had to call about.

With that being said,I will have no hesitation at all buying another one should a good deal come along.

As others have already commented,they are well built enough and simple in design and construction that they are ideal for do-it-yourself repair and improvement.

I think the factory just has to have the mindset that how they do it is how it must be done for a variety of reasons,most of which I can understand so they will not even discuss anything that is outside the "Box" even a little.
It is frustrating as I have found a few things that are done exactly as the appliance manufacturers warn not to do.

I think if you get one and realize it is made for fun you will be very happy.

Almost none of the problems that plague traditional StickBuilt units seem to effect us.

These are my opinions based on my actual experience,your mileage may vary and evidently does.

Ed

[Suz]

One complained about things being attached with pop rivets that leaked, but the only things that appear to be attached with pop rivets in any photo I have seen are the window frames and such. The cabinets appear to be attached with bolts and self-locking nuts.

Russ, Most of the items on the Scamp and Casita are held in place by pop rivets. If they are negelected on the outside, then they could leak over time. However, if maintained you'll have no problem with them. When I got my '89 Casita, it was in awful shape. I have now had it 6 years and a quick inspection of the outside caps tells me when one needs to be replaced. Just remove it and pop on a new one. It's just that simple. If you allow it to deteriorate then the snap washer will soon follow. Once that happens you'll have to remove the rivet and start over. If you don't let it get to that point, then you won't have nearly as much trouble.

The acorn caps on the inside (at least on the Casita) are actually used to cap off the rivet that is driven in from the outside.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Russ, Most of the items on the Scamp and Casita are held in place by pop rivets. If they are negelected on the outside, then they could leak over time. However, if maintained you'll have no problem with them. When I got my '89 Casita, it was in awful shape. I have now had it 6 years and a quick inspection of the outside caps tells me when one needs to be replaced. Just remove it and pop on a new one. It's just that simple. If you allow it to deteriorate then the snap washer will soon follow. Once that happens you'll have to remove the rivet and start over. If you don't let it get to that point, then you won't have nearly as much trouble.

The acorn caps on the inside (at least on the Casita) are actually used to cap off the rivet that is driven in from the outside.

The acorn cap is the same on Scamp.

[Byron Kinnaman]

I am still in the shopping mode, so I want some honest opinions from those of you who actually own these campers. I have read both good and bad reviews on epinions regarding Scamp campers. What is the REAL story? Are they shoddily constructed? Is the factory helpful or indifferent?

I have a trailer spotted that I am interested in, but would like some direction first.

Thanks all.

In my opinion there's two things that people want in a trailer, one is glitz and the other is function. Scamp doesn't have a lot glitz but do have long life, reliable function. The construction is simple, aluminum pop rivets holding cabinets, lights, and curtain holders to the shell. If there should be a problem with a pop rivet it's very easy to replace. The components are standard RV stuff, fridge, furnace, etc., and warranted by the manufacturer. My Scamp is over 2 years old and we've spent almost 100 nights in it. It functions very well. To add a bit of glitz we've replaced the curtains, and have started replacing the cabinet doors. The replacement doors are made of solid maple by me, and decorated with woodburning and painting.

As was pointed out earlier with a stick build it's going to leak, the wood is going to rot. With molded fiberglass leaks are possible. With Scamp the walls are covered with a mylar bubble material that has foil on each side, over that is a marine carpet fabric designed to NOT rot or mildew. Even if a leak does occur the damage isn't great. Any trailer will have extensive damage if a leak is unchecked.

It's also very hard to beat the value of a fiberglass trailer.

[ronsmith100]

I am still in the shopping mode, so I want some honest opinions from those of you who actually own these campers. I have read both good and bad reviews on epinions regarding Scamp campers. What is the REAL story? Are they shoddily constructed? Is the factory helpful or indifferent?

I have a trailer spotted that I am interested in, but would like some direction first.

Thanks all.

I was considering a scamp until the plant burned down.
I purchased the ratings CD from RV Consumers Group and here is the scoop for 2006:
Out of five stars possible
Casita 4 stars
Scamp 4 stars

Casita reliability 87/100
Scamp reliability 80/100

Casita resale value 90/100
Scamp resale value 82/100

Both of these trailers are far FAR above average when you compare to other brands. The difference between the (casita/scamp) reliability and value numbers are almost nothing when looking at other brands

RV Consumers Group ratings CD

[Russ V.]

Thanks to all. We took the plunge and bought a 1994 '16 Scamp. The quality seem equal to or better than other campers we have seen/owned. It tows great. We towed it home in a wicked crosswind, and even without a swaybar, it stayed in line with my Ranger pickup just fine. Sandy drove with it for about an hour and had no problems. It's nice to be able to see back without mirror extensions.

The only problem was with the RV plug. It was an old large seven pin with round holes. I have the flat seven with an adapter for 4 or 6 pin, but nothing fit, so I had to stop at Walmart (closest place with trailer parts). All they had was the small 6 pin, so I made it work. Stop and tail lights seemed to work, but side markers didn't. Also one tail light stayed on, so I knew there was a problem. When I got home and found the Scamp wiring diagram on their website, I discovered that Scamps color scheme and the rest of the world are not the same! I've got a spare seven pin (flat pin) RV plug in the shop, so I'll soon have it sorted out.

Other than that, I haven't found any problems.

Thanks again for all the responses.

[Ed Harris]

Thanks to all. We took the plunge and bought a 1994 '16 Scamp. The quality seem equal to or better than other campers we have seen/owned. It tows great. We towed it home in a wicked crosswind, and even without a swaybar, it stayed in line with my Ranger pickup just fine. Sandy drove with it for about an hour and had no problems. It's nice to be able to see back without mirror extensions.

The only problem was with the RV plug. It was an old large seven pin with round holes. I have the flat seven with an adapter for 4 or 6 pin, but nothing fit, so I had to stop at Walmart (closest place with trailer parts). All they had was the small 6 pin, so I made it work. Stop and tail lights seemed to work, but side markers didn't. Also one tail light stayed on, so I knew there was a problem. When I got home and found the Scamp wiring diagram on their website, I discovered that Scamps color scheme and the rest of the world are not the same! I've got a spare seven pin (flat pin) RV plug in the shop, so I'll soon have it sorted out.

Other than that, I haven't found any problems.

Thanks again for all the responses.

Russ
Thats funny,I picked mine up in "NoWhere" Wisconsin and also found the connector to be a prolem/challenge.
Evidently it is a Semi-Tractor Connector so truck stops will have them but I didn;t know that until later.
I had to stop at the first auto parts store I saw on my way from Wisconsin and all they had was a Pigtail for the Seven way so I cobbled it on with Wire nuts for the ride home.

Anyway,Congrats!!!!!
I am sure you will love it and the Adventures to come.
Ed

[Joy A]

Well, it's not just Scamp with a color scheme problem.

I purchased a utility trailer last year. It had a 4 prong connector so I purchased an adaptor as the Jeep is 7 prong. Even though I wrapped them with tape the connection on occasion was poor.

I decided to change the 4 prong to 7. I cut the 4 prong off and then proceeded to attach the wires to my 7 prong plug. Here I am with 4 little wires ready to connect so I use the same color setup as the Jeep. Nothing worked.
I took the Scamp plug apart and looked at the colors and set the utility trailer colors the same. Well, I got running lights and solid brake lights. It took me 2 hours of rearraigning, stopping around and muttering to get it right as none of the colors matched either the Jeep or Scamp, as far was what they operated.

[Frederick L. Simson]

It's not Scamp's fault!
The standard color codes between 7-pin and 4 pin are different!

7 way connector:
#===Color===Gauge Circuit Function
1===white===10 common ground
2===blue====12 electric brake
3===green===14 tail/running lights
4===black===10 battery charge (+)
5===red====14 left turn/stop
6===brown===14 right turn/stop
7===yellow===14 auxiliary/back up
NOTE: #7 is the center terminal and currently is most commonly used for backup lights.


Flat 4 wiring code
white = ground
yellow = left turn/brake light
green = right turn/brake light
brown = tail/running lights

[Pete Dumbleton]

And the vehicle manfs all use different colors for different things. Experience, like Joy's, has taught me that if anything on the TV matches trailer wiring color it's a coincidence!

[Gina D.]

actually, oddly enough, my Jeep and Burro matched up. (Burro was originally a 6 pin) The guy that rewired it for the original owners rig did some interesting wire patching (Typical.. "I ran out of yellow, think I'll use green") but when I bought a whole new pigtail for the trailer, with a molded 7 pin end, everything was where it was on the Jeep.

I thought "Wasn't that lucky" cause it sure never happened before on my other rigs.