What kind of Casita do you have and why?

[janisg]

I haven't bought a Casita yet--I keep looking at the different models and looking up on pinterest or google images how people have decorated them and/or modified them. Which style did you get and are you happy with it? Did you ever wish you went with a different style Casita and why? Being female i'm really interested in decorating first and then how easy it is to live in any of the Casitas. Would love to hear from you all. Thanks, Janis

[steve dunham]

17 ft Casita Spirit Deluxe and we are happy with our choice.
We have made some small mods - added a stereo radio CD player
, TV with DVD , a couple 120 VAC outlets , shelving under the sink and in the front closet ,shock absorbers , fast grey tank drain mod ,reflective tape on the belly band , 8" memory foam mattress , front stabilizers and some shelving + mirror in the bathroom.
As far as decorating ideas ,I am the wrong person to ask . I am more of a form following function guy so how it works is more important than how it looks.

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by janisg

I haven't bought a Casita yet--I keep looking at the different models and looking up on pinterest or google images how people have decorated them and/or modified them. Which style did you get and are you happy with it? Did you ever wish you went with a different style Casita and why? Being female i'm really interested in decorating first and then how easy it is to live in any of the Casitas. Would love to hear from you all. Thanks, Janis

I have an '06 SD 17. I wanted the flat door and liked the side dinette/sleeping area. If I was going to replace it I would go with the Liberty or Independence model because of the bigger bed or wider twins. No decorating here either, only mechanical mods....but I'm a guy .
The Casita is fine but if I were really looking to change rigs the Little Snoozy would be at the top of the list. Many features of it make it stand out to me. YMMV

[janisg]

I originally liked the Spirit Deluxe--but I'm just seeing if a different option would work better. I understand about the decorating part--guys are more practical. Decorating is more fun for the woman. But I do like to get ideas about the practical side too because they are important in living life easier day to day. I'll have to look into the Little Snoozy. Thanks for your input.

Dave--I just looked at the Little Snoozy--what a great looking travel trailer. It has a great use of space. And its closer than Texas to travel to. I really like it. Thanks for the suggestion.

[bookernoe]

We just bought a Liberty Deluxe for the King bed and not having to crawl over your partner. We looked extensively at the LIL Snoozy including a factory tour. I would have bought one if I could find a deal. Couple of big differences - 1. Total electric - simple, safe, but you are out of luck for cooking, fridge, heat and hot water with no electricity. 2. Cassette toilet means toting the black water to the dump spot. 3. There is no gray tank, so sewer only for legal showers. 4. We loved the rear entry, but wanted the bed turned for walk around access. They are VERY flexible on customizing.

[David L. C.]

We have a 2006 Spirit Deluxe 17 ft Casita, its a just right size for the two of us, yet it has everything inside we need. Plenty of storage. Also the size of the trailer allows us to use campground sites that are not huge, fits in a lot of spaces other trailers wouldn't. We have added LED lighting thru the trailer, which really helps on batt consumption when off the grid. The side dinette keeps me out of the way of cooking going on, at night its a nice place to read or use the ipad. Storage beneath both side dinette chairs is very handy.

[Craven]

17' Spirit Deluxe. Just perfect fit for our needs for one thing. We were tent campers and because of age decided to get up off the ground. Our camping is so much more enjoyable now. The bathroom is a big plus. Wish we had made this purchase years ago. Just the right size for two people.

[Tom Cantrell]

17' Freedom Deluxe, to be delivered in two weeks. Chosen because there are only two of us and one aging dog. Captain chairs more comfortable than bench. Little Snoozy looks great but my claustrophobic wife, who would end up in the shallow end of the bunk because I who-visit-the-little-house-away-from-the-house at night need quick exit, did not like the cramped space. Got the Deluxe for the head space and straight vs curved exit door.

[Elly G]

We have a 2015 SD17. We fulltime. We keep bed set up and use the dinette for indoor dining.
It had everything we wanted, including great resale value.
It is a bit of a pain if one of you needs to get up at night. You have to crawl over partner, though you can mod the bed so feet point toward the bath.
I would contact Casita and see if they can supply you with names of owners of each style. No substitute for seeing in person.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Casita??? Not me, Scamp's my brand.

[David B.]

Originally Posted by bookernoe

We just bought a Liberty Deluxe for the King bed and not having to crawl over your partner. We looked extensively at the LIL Snoozy including a factory tour. I would have bought one if I could find a deal. Couple of big differences - 1. Total electric - simple, safe, but you are out of luck for cooking, fridge, heat and hot water with no electricity. 2. Cassette toilet means toting the black water to the dump spot. 3. There is no gray tank, so sewer only for legal showers. 4. We loved the rear entry, but wanted the bed turned for walk around access. They are VERY flexible on customizing.

Dennis, there is a very large gray water tank on the Lil Snoozy as well as 35 gallons of fresh water. Our 12 volt compressor fridge runs off the battery, as does the water pump, & LED lights. We do have a 2000 watt Yamaha generator if needed for off the grid camping, but have rarely used it as we also have solar, and a propane SMEV stove & Propex furness. True these are mods (except the danfoss refrigerator) that I have done, to make off grid camping easier, but I could have just used the generator. The cassette toilet lasts the two of us 4 to 5 days, then I just take it with me to the bathroom or just dump it down the black water hook-up if we have such a site.
Dave & Paula

[Radar1]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

Casita??? Not me, Scamp's my brand.

Same here, we were calling several sellers after we decided to buy a used one, and our 05 Scamp 16 side dinette was the first one still available when we called, so that's what we got 6 years ago.
All the fiberglass campers are appealing to us, whether it's Casita, Escape, Little Snoozy, Parkliner, Eggcamper, etc. They are all worth checking out to see which meets your needs and preferences the best.

[TappyGee]

I have the SD which I bought for my retirement as a single woman. However I already have a few single friends/relatives lined up for different trips and in retrospect should have got the Liberty for the twins and the couple inches more counter space (coffee pot).

I have just installed a removable bunk over the back double and am hoping it will allow me to have a guest and keep the small dinette up at the same time. I got the idea from the attached pictures I found online (which is not a Casita) and surprisingly it works great in the SD and is plenty roomy even with the overhead cabinets. I will post pics of mine one day, after I finish it with mattress and bedding.

Also, when he goes with me my teen son sleeps late and lounges in the side dinette in the bed position and makes it awkward to fix coffee and food in kitchen area. Giving him the bunk plus the side dinette table, in the up position, gives him a sleeping spot plus a table to hang at and eat while getting his legs out of the aisle.

[ZachO]

It was suggested to me and I'll be another person who suggests it to you: get inside some of them if you can.

I was pretty set on a Casita myself, and definitely wanted the Spirit Deluxe. I could have made it work, but I went with a Bigfoot, because I plan to live out of it for extended periods. But people live out of 13' Scamps for extended periods, so it all depends on your needs.

I wanted more than just a narrow isle of walking/standing space, and that's all any Casita or Scamp has. Just enough room for one person to walk. If you have a dog, and it's not the really small variety that will be all over the furniture, it will officially be taking up all the floor space in the camper. You can't move/cook/clean without being in each other's way. With my Bigfoot, you can have 3 or 4 people standing up in the floor space, with space leftover for a dog. But it's big/wide, and that comes with it's own towing challenges.

There are ways to work with this, but that's the truth. Personally I think the side dinette of the Spirit Deluxe (or layout 6 Scamp) is really nice, because you can devote the rear dinette to being a set-up bed, and use the side dinette to eat and read and sit, or you can have a place to eat and read and sit while someone else is sleeping, or for just a change of scenery!

I think any of the layouts can work, but figuring out which works best for your particular needs, and which feels the most cozy for you is the most important thing. For whatever reason, the side dinette just feels really cozy and homey to me. It may not to someone else.

[Rzrbrn]

We have a 2013 Spirit Deluxe. We wanted a separate dinette and bed. It has quite a bit of storage. We bought it just as the Independence came out, and like that because of the twin beds, crawling over each other gets old. But there appears to be less storage space so the Spirit is probably the best for us.

I do like all the mods and gewgaws that you can buy for the Casita. I have spent probably another $4K in modifications. Mods which other trailers already have installed from the factory.

However, if I had a do over I would buy a 21' Escape, hands down. I really like the floor plan. But here again, I don't much like a tandem axle, or the extra weight.

So really, it just comes down to trade offs.

[Leej]

We have a Liberty Deluxe and I love it. Right now I have it set up with a double bed in the back. I bought a Wally World 12 inch foam mattress that I trimmed with a electric bread knife to fit the curve of the wall. I have a smaller table top with a base on the floor so I can set up a small table in front of the bed that serves two nicely. If I need it to be king size, I simply put the table top at seat level and add cushions and we sleep with our heads to the rear of the trailer, no climbing over each other. During the day I leave the table top sitting agains the wall behind the cushions that support your back and it is a great place to sit to watch tv, or just keep out of the way while somdone is in the "kitchen".
My friend has a Scamp with the floor plan like the Casita SD. Hers has less storage than my Casita and does not have a screen door. Plus it is difficult for her to dump her tanks, odd placement of valves.
Look at so,e, you will find your unit!

[janisg]

Originally Posted by ZachO

It was suggested to me and I'll be another person who suggests it to you: get inside some of them if you can.

I was pretty set on a Casita myself, and definitely wanted the Spirit Deluxe. I could have made it work, but I went with a Bigfoot, because I plan to live out of it for extended periods. But people live out of 13' Scamps for extended periods, so it all depends on your needs.

I wanted more than just a narrow isle of walking/standing space, and that's all any Casita or Scamp has. Just enough room for one person to walk. If you have a dog, and it's not the really small variety that will be all over the furniture, it will officially be taking up all the floor space in the camper. You can't move/cook/clean without being in each other's way. With my Bigfoot, you can have 3 or 4 people standing up in the floor space, with space leftover for a dog. But it's big/wide, and that comes with it's own towing challenges.

There are ways to work with this, but that's the truth. Personally I think the side dinette of the Spirit Deluxe (or layout 6 Scamp) is really nice, because you can devote the rear dinette to being a set-up bed, and use the side dinette to eat and read and sit, or you can have a place to eat and read and sit while someone else is sleeping, or for just a change of scenery!

I think any of the layouts can work, but figuring out which works best for your particular needs, and which feels the most cozy for you is the most important thing. For whatever reason, the side dinette just feels really cozy and homey to me. It may not to someone else.

That's what I'm thinking--it is narrow throughout the whole camper and I did want something wider. I realize that 'camping' means you are suppose to be outside most of the time but there is going to be plenty of time when i'll be inside. Also, I want to bring my sewing machine and sew at times. The Spirit Deluxe seemed like the perfect camper but i keep going back and forth on campers. Borrego Dave mentioned the little snoozy so I looked that up and really liked the layout and David B. made good points about the little snoozy he has. And having solar is one of the things I want to do. I know I'll find the right camper to fit my needs but I wanted to get some input on the different casita campers and how people feel about them. I already have the information from the company--I sent for that months ago. And for the times i stay in a camp ground i can always use their bathroom during the day and use the campers at night. I like the escapes but they are too expensive for me. Thank you all for your input. I really appreciate it. I take it seriously what you all say. Janis

[Stan and Carol]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

Casita??? Not me, Scamp's my brand.

Casita???? Scamp???? Not me, Oliver's my brand.

[james kent]

Don't see many around here. Our Boler has been good to go for 22 years now.
Jim


Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

[LyleB]

Originally Posted by janisg

I like the escapes but they are too expensive for me. Thank you all for your input. I really appreciate it. I take it seriously what you all say. Janis

Do not write off the Escapes based on price alone. With the current exchange rate (32%), they are very comparably priced to Casita and Scamp.

List price of an Escape 17b is $26,900. Taking into account the exchange rate brings it down to $20,351. And Escape includes a lot of common Casita and Scamp extras as standard.

The drawback to Escape right now is wait time, not necessarily the price.