So no more Casita 13ft 😔 - Fiberglass RV
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Old 01-03-2017, 05:36 PM   #1
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Name: Abraham
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So no more Casita 13ft 😔

I called casita trailer today to get info on a new 13ft camper and I was told they will no longer make a 13ft camper. The lady I spoke with said they decided to stop making them about a month ago. She did mention to check back with them later (im guessing in a few months) to see if there is a chance they will ever offer it again.

I had my heart set on a casita 13ft with shower. Anybody have one for sale? I havent had any luck finding one.
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Old 01-03-2017, 05:51 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by classicham View Post
I called casita trailer today to get info on a new 13ft camper and I was told they will no longer make a 13ft camper. The lady I spoke with said they decided to stop making them about a month ago. She did mention to check back with them later (im guessing in a few months) to see if there is a chance they will ever offer it again.

I had my heart set on a casita 13ft with shower. Anybody have one for sale? I havent had any luck finding one.
Check out a Scamp13 or Scamp13D. While not identical, the Scamp does offer a LOT more customization and nothing matches the Deluxe interior in the size.
After 12-1/2 years we are still well satisfied with our Scamp13D and we did make the comparison with the Casita when we purchased.

Actually I have been expecting this from Casita for more than a decade. They were always borderline hostile when when approached with the prospect of building a Patriot.
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Old 01-03-2017, 05:54 PM   #3
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Scamp makes a really nice 13 ft trailer in both standard and deluxe versions and with the options you want . The prices are roughly the same between Casita and Scamp . If you want to be assured of having your trailer by next summer , I would contact Scamp in the near future.
If not good luck finding a Casita 13 !!
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Old 01-03-2017, 06:11 PM   #4
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The advantage of the Casita is that the A/C is in the front closet. This allows the trailer to be stored in a garage with an 8' door. The Scamp does not. I bought a 2008 Scamp w/o air (used) and had a custom A/C installed in the side closet. Cost was about $900. But well worth it on those warm days.
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Old 01-03-2017, 06:32 PM   #5
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When we ordered our 2013 17SD, there was a line of 13s sitting in front of the factory. They looked like they had been there awhile. When we went back to pick it up they were still there. Must not have been much demand, though I see they had some nice features like 15 inch wheels/tires and the above mentioned AC. Probably not too hard to resume production if they want to,
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Old 01-03-2017, 06:34 PM   #6
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Maybe they are making room in production for their new larger models.
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Old 01-03-2017, 06:50 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Wallo View Post
The advantage of the Casita is that the A/C is in the front closet. This allows the trailer to be stored in a garage with an 8' door. The Scamp does not. I bought a 2008 Scamp w/o air (used) and had a custom A/C installed in the side closet. Cost was about $900. But well worth it on those warm days.
My Scamp13 with roof air was stored often inside my garage with an 8' door. I raised the header from 7' for the price of the replacement door (about $250).

While you make a legitimate point (especially since most garage doors are 7')...
A window A/C at floor level is a disadvantage in several other ways.
1] It is at floor level (cold feet, hot head)
2] It is in an area which can no longer be called a closet.(loss of storage)
3] Heat and condensation are generated and vented outside on roof A/C.
4] Small window units are no longer repairable or even rechargeable and they suffer from a more limited service life.

I have installed Window Units as "closet" A/C, under the bench A/C, Window A/C, and through the wall A/C, in various spots in several 13ft trailers. While these worked (some better than others)... none worked as well as a roof A/C, especially if you get a quality unit with a heat strip.
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Old 01-03-2017, 09:32 PM   #8
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floyd,

Aren't the window AC units, installed in closets, vented on the back side to the outside? Seems they would have to be to work.

An advantage to them, besides not being on the roof, is lower wattage demand, so they can run on a small generator. Have you had experience with this?

Seems like a small muffin fan somewhere in the room would stir the air enough to equalize the temp. Again, any experience with this?

I am looking for a better alternative to placing it on the roof. It looks like an 8,000 BTU unit would only draw about 6 amps at 120 volts and, if it failed, could easily be replaced for about $400. Then the extra height and the wind resistance issues would be gone.
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Old 01-03-2017, 09:55 PM   #9
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Reason why I wanted a casita is because ive only heard good things about them. Scamp is my second option although after ive read alot of complaints on the newer models. Then I came across a video on youtube of a new scamp with several problems. So im second guessing Scamp... but seems like its my only option afterall.
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Old 01-03-2017, 09:56 PM   #10
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floyd,

Aren't the window AC units, installed in closets, vented on the back side to the outside? Seems they would have to be to work.

An advantage to them, besides not being on the roof, is lower wattage demand, so they can run on a small generator. Have you had experience with this?

Seems like a small muffin fan somewhere in the room would stir the air enough to equalize the temp. Again, any experience with this?

I am looking for a better alternative to placing it on the roof. It looks like an 8,000 BTU unit would only draw about 6 amps at 120 volts and, if it failed, could easily be replaced for about $400. Then the extra height and the wind resistance issues would be gone.
They are fan forced to vent to the outside when properly installed and in some cases the condenser is even outside, but, like a home unit, it is more efficient to have the condenser and compressor outside.
The best success I have had is with a 5000btu unit mounted high in the closet with the drain and the condenser outside also the outside air to cool the condenser remains outside. This configuration works best in my opinion.
I have a Coleman Mini-Mach which is only 7200BTU and will run with my 1850 Coleman genset. Also the Mini-Mach is only about 9" tall.
CAUTION: Unprepped or older 13s may not support a roof unit.

When the air is at floor level you can get acceptable results by simply opening the roof vent a little to let the hot air out. Since heat rises the trailer can fill with cooler air in a little while. Running the exhaust fan would overdo the effect and a muffin fan would still require the vent to be open a little to vent the hot air anyway.
Here are a couple of my applications in Scamp13s (actually the blue one is a LoveBug.
The one under the rear bench is a replacement A/C in a factory location from 30years ago.... (click on the picture s for a better view.)
Attached Thumbnails
June 2009 005.jpg   06_30_2.jpg  

1978 Scamp 13 035.jpg   F0034.JPG  

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Old 01-03-2017, 10:44 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by classicham View Post
Reason why I wanted a casita is because ive only heard good things about them. Scamp is my second option although after ive read alot of complaints on the newer models. Then I came across a video on youtube of a new scamp with several problems. So im second guessing Scamp... but seems like its my only option afterall.
First , buy the Deluxe. but if you buy the Standard with the big bed you will have a non-zero chance of having to replace three specific rivets.
The Scamp13 is an unsurpassed value and a reliable travel trailer.
I have owned and worked on many new and late model Scamps also virtually every make available (including Casita)
If I were faced with replacing my Scamp13, it would be with another Scamp13.
I would say however, if you are in doubt after viewing a Scamp, DO NOT BUY IT!
IMHO you will miss a great ownership experience and a lot of fun.

I council a lot of car buyers and the final advice is always as follows...
Place a picture of the car on the kitchen table alongside a pile of 20s big enough to buy it. If you like the car more than the pile of cash, buy it!
If not, DON'T.

I generally drive Ford cars and trucks
My personal 3 vehicle fleet is average 16 years old and average mileage of 110 thousand miles and I would be glad to compare records with any of its competition for value and reliability.

This company has one of the largest number of the most loyal buyers in the world. It also has a large number of vehement detractors for whom I have often given a comfortable ride home or a roadside repair.

Good Luck in finding the right travel trailer which you can enjoy with confidence. It has been my experience that the most common disappointment with any fiberglass travel trailer is size. So look at all of them... and while you are at it look at your TV.

You live in Texas, so if you look around you will find a used Patriot. If it is truly a better trailer, a few years of use should not have diminished the value or the quality more than the price.
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Old 01-04-2017, 12:22 AM   #12
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floyd,

Thanks for the detailed response.
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Old 01-04-2017, 07:45 AM   #13
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I never did understand why Casita would build a 16' or 17' trailer without a bathroom, but they would not build a 13' without one. When they dropped the Patriot standard model, they abandoned the low-cost, entry-level market to Scamp. Having done that, this latest decision is not surprising.

I'm sure their bottom line will not suffer- they sell all the 17'ers they can build. Escape has also done well chasing the retiree demographic with larger, full-featured molded fiberglass trailers. They, too, dropped smaller 13' and 15' models from their product line.

So that leaves... Scamp, Happier Camper, Little Joe, Relic, Armadillo, and ... ? Is Outback making any trailers these days?
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Old 01-04-2017, 08:57 AM   #14
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Casita can blame "Jean" on their "lack" of sales on the Patriot! I cant recall that I've seen ONE Patriot in the past years of our FG ownership. When I first got interested ('09), Jean just basically would NOT hear of me wanting a Patriot saying the wife would not like it...yada yada! I asked about a custom feature here or there (like plugins) and she said you take the 13' as it comes. I had a 4-cyl and would not yield to buying a larger one at the time for a larger trailer.

I went with Scamp.

Now that we've owned the 13' (with the small bed) for nearly 7 yrs, if I was buying again, I would step up to an Escape. I saw a brand new one here locally in '16 (gregandteresa) and it was PERFECT! We've concluded that with the small bed, it's just too small for staying anywhere long term AND uncomfortable to us. Thus a larger trailer and the Escape.

Scamp DOES have some issues now, but you cant blame it on the trailer- blame it on the OWNERS of Scamp. Just from what I'm seeing/hearing, the "quality control" has really fallen. FWIW, I will admit that on the pickup of my 13' Scamp in 2010, I had "ZERO" workmanship complaints! A little later on, I DID have to re-glue the cheapo drawer they use, but it hasnt given another problem since.

Farewell Patriot!
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Old 01-04-2017, 09:11 AM   #15
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A window A/C and a through the wall A/C are built differently because the installation is different . The window unit has venting on the sides and back . A through the wall unit vents through the back . A window unit is designed to have the majority of the unit extend beyond the window to the outside. A through the wall is designed for a majority of the unit to be enclosed. The cost of a through the wall unit is 3 to 4 times the cost of a window unit and costs approx the same as a roof top unit.
From a strictly mechanical cooling aspect , the roof top unit is the best choice . The assumption that a window unit is more efficient than a roof top unit based on published numbers only holds true if the window unit is installed according to the manufacturers installation instructions. Shoving a window unit into a confined space / closet and expecting it to cool properly / efficently is a false expectation.
We have a 11,000 btu through the wall A/C in our cabin because our wall are over 9" thick and it works well . It also cost close to
$ 1000.
I am a form following function person , so I don't care in the roof top A/C is visually pleasing to the eye or that it screws up the trailer's feng shui. All I want my A/C to do is cool the trailer to a comfortable level
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Old 01-04-2017, 10:33 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by ShelbyM View Post
When we ordered our 2013 17SD, there was a line of 13s sitting in front of the factory. They looked like they had been there awhile. When we went back to pick it up they were still there. Must not have been much demand, though I see they had some nice features like 15 inch wheels/tires and the above mentioned AC. Probably not too hard to resume production if they want to,
All of the Casitas are manufactured as they are ordered. There aren't any on the lot for sale. Those were there to be picked up by the new owners.
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Old 01-04-2017, 10:39 AM   #17
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My first trailer was a Deluxe Patriot. It was well loved and the reason it was sold was the desire to take a grandchild on trips. But it seems they just were not selling anymore. I've had several friends ask me to keep an eye open for used Patriots. I even managed to find one for a friend a couple of years ago, but they don't come up often.
I guess this will improve the saleability of used Patriots and maybe drive up the price, but only a little. Meantime it's bound to benefit Scamp some.
I wonder if eventually the 16' Casita will suffer the same fate. They don't sell a lot of them either. That would really be a blow to those who don't want a large tow vehicle.

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Old 01-04-2017, 10:41 AM   #18
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There are currently 2 Patriots for sale on the Fiberglass4sale site. A 2010 deluxe and a 1998 standard.
Casita Fiberglass Trailers - US | Fiberglass RV's For Sale
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Old 01-04-2017, 10:43 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by Judy Dunavant View Post
All of the Casitas are manufactured as they are ordered. There aren't any on the lot for sale. Those were there to be picked up by the new owners.
When we picked up our Casita in June of 2013 there were several trailers sitting on the lot that were available for immediate purchase
They were customer orders that were cancelled during or after the build stage . We ran into the same scenario at Scamp . They had several 16 ft Scamp Deluxe trailers for sale because customers had cancelled there order or failed to pick up their trailers .
Escape has also advertised trailers for sale because of similar issues.
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Old 01-04-2017, 10:56 AM   #20
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The ones close to me have been sold. The others are too far from me.
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