What Would You Buy?

[Linda D]

We just sold our little lees-ure-lite tent trailer and want to get into a little fibreglass trailer. We're thinking a 13'. It's just me and my husband and dog. We don't want a bathroom, or maybe even a kitchen (although the idea of a fridge is growing on me, no more ice!) We do need to try and keep the weight down, as our tow-viehicle is an under-powered Subaru Legacy. My husband is 6' tall, so we're trying to figure out wich would have the biggest bed (our tent-trailer was a queen size).

My question is: if you wanted a light, roomy 13' trailer, what would you buy? Boler? Trillium? Scamp? Anything else?

Thanks,
Linda.

[Donna D.]

Are you looking for brand new? or used? For bed size, I'd look at a Compact or any of those clones (or maybe a Little Joe if I could find one used?). If new, it would definitely be an Escape... no rivets and great fit and finish, but the bed would be smaller.

You say you're driving an underpowered tug. What does the manual say about maximum tow weight? That would definitely narrow down your choices.

[Linda D]

Used would be fine. Our manual says 2000 pounds, but I'd hate to be anywhere near that. Passing big rigs on hills around here is already a bit of a challenge.

[paulw]

There's a Mity-Lite in Surrey that would probably work well with your Legacy.
Mity-Lite

I'd go Escape 13 if buying new, but weight is definitely an issue with your Subie.

[Linda D]

That Mity-lite does look interesting, thanks. Although, I got kind-of a claustrophobic feeling looking at the little door. I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a look.

Thanks.

[Gerda, H]

I was myself in the same boat just a few weeks ago. Very soon I came to the conclusion that Escape was my way to go. Total dry weight on an Escape 13' floor plan A is 1400 pounds only. Of course, if you get lucky and find something decent in used, go for it. Watch the weight of the trailers though.

[Linda D]

I guess the Escape is quite new? There don't seem to be any used ones out there. Or are they so good no-one wants to part with theirs?

[Raya]

A few thoughts:

The Compact "family" does have big beds, but on the other hand there is not much open floor space, like there is in the more typical 13' egg. With a dog, that means they're on the bed/couch more than the floor.

The "egg" 13s will have a bit more floor space. You can still trip over the dog, but at least he/she's on the floor! (or on the sofa at the front of the trailer).

Your basic 13-er will have beds of about 76" long. Trillium has a tiny bit more length, mostly due to square corners, but is basically the same.

With a 2000 lb tow limit, and the three of you plus gear, I'd stay with a very basic (lighter) 13. (i.e. no bathroom, AC, big battery banks, etc.). Newer trailers seem to be heavier, although that is not a hard and fast rule. I think it's mostly just due to feature creep, not any inherent construction details.

Keep a skeptical frame of mind when you read ads for eggs where the owners claim super light weights of 800 or 900#. That is very unlikely and I wouldn't trust it unless I had it weighed as such. Not that people are trying to trick buyers; but often they just don't realize.

Boler 13s and earlier Scamps (pre-early-80s) have Ensolite walls. Burros have fiberglass walls. I find these preferable to carpet or "fur" walls with pet hair, because you can wipe them down, but there are other folks who prefer the latter.

Raya

[Brian Van Snell]

I guess the Escape is quite new? There don't seem to be any used ones out there. Or are they so good no-one wants to part with theirs?

Linda:

I believe the Escape 13 was new in 2009. We have a 2003 Subaru Forester which has 2000 pounds rated towing capacity. We were considering a Scamp 13 until we discovered the Escape 13, and ordered one at the beginning of August. The Escape is a nice design and is competitively priced if you compare on an equal basis. For us it was also an advantage to be able to visit the plant and talk to Tammy and evaluate the quality of the trailer.

Brian

[Ricky 4]

We found a Compact Jr.-bought without hesitation. Like the big bed although there is not much walking room-immediately put the bed away after we wake up so we have more room. Head room was a must-we now have plenty head room. If we are just spending the night at a Walmart parking lot or just one night somewhere-we do not raise the top. I can walk in the camper without raising the top-hubby can`t. The Compact Jr. fits our needs-we spend a lot of time outside -so it works for us.

Linda:

I believe the Escape 13 was new in 2009. We have a 2003 Subaru Forester which has 2000 pounds rated towing capacity. We were considering a Scamp 13 until we discovered the Escape 13, and ordered one at the beginning of August. The Escape is a nice design and is competitively priced if you compare on an equal basis. For us it was also an advantage to be able to visit the plant and talk to Tammy and evaluate the quality of the trailer.

Brian

[Linda D]

Thanks everyone for your input. I too was wondering about the floor space in the compact-style models. If our 120 pound dog needs to curl up in bed with us it sort of defeats the purpose of the larger bed (of course, we won't need a heater then!) Decisions, decisions...

[Kent I]

Linda D: We have a Compact junior and we tow with a 1997 subaru legacy Wagon. We have towed along the Oregon coast twice, and have travelled as far south as Hearst castle on California #1. I have had no problem towing, though on some of the hill climbs I may have to go into third gear but I am not alone. My more pressing concern has been braking and I am exploring replacing the axle with one able to take brakes. We are familiar with Lee-sure Lite and we were drawn to the Compact Junior becasue we liked the idea of moving out the end of the bed for those evening trips to the potti without crawling over the other person. We had a smaller dog and that dog thoroughly enjoyed the space sleeping under the bed in the converted dinette. It would take a lot of convincing to have him come out of his adopted den. 120 lbs, may make that space a little tight. At the momment , other commitments are creating a delay as we work on adding insulation , a foam headliner to the interior fiberglass walls.

[Linda D]

Thanks Kent, that's the exact same vehicle we have; a 97 legacy wagon. Great car for most things. (My husband OTOH wonders how I managed to buy a car in the one year they weren't available turbo-charged!) I forgot about the space under the table. We're going to look at the Mity-lite in Surrey tonight so I'll take a measure. We have a lean Rhodesian Ridgeback and he folds up surprisingly small.

[Booker B.]

Personally I am fond of the Trilliums. We tow with a 2005 Subaru and have pulled ours all through the Rockies to Drumheller and Yellowstone park. The interior and beds are tall enough for me at 6'2. They are better built then the Boler's and the fiberglass cabinets require minimal maintenace. On the negative side they tend to be more expensive and slightly heavier / have more wind resistence then a Boler. I would highly recommend getting trailer brakes on any trailer you buy - BC has a few hills here and there =)

[Carol Ann in TO]

Thanks Kent, that's the exact same vehicle we have; a 97 legacy wagon. Great car for most things. (My husband OTOH wonders how I managed to buy a car in the one year they weren't available turbo-charged!) I forgot about the space under the table. We're going to look at the Mity-lite in Surrey tonight so I'll take a measure. We have a lean Rhodesian Ridgeback and he folds up surprisingly small.

A lean ridgeback of normal size would be too tall to be comfortable under the table. It would have to slither in and out and not be able to raise his head. I know because we have one. A travel crate of less than 26 inches in height would be considered cruel. Remember that your table is lowered when it is used as your bed. A 120 lb ridgeback would be far too large for that space no matter how small he is when "folded"

[Linda D]

A lean ridgeback of normal size would be too tall to be comfortable under the table. It would have to slither in and out and not be able to raise his head. I know because we have one. A travel crate of less than 26 inches in height would be considered cruel. Remember that your table is lowered when it is used as your bed. A 120 lb ridgeback would be far too large for that space no matter how small he is when "folded"

Carol Ann, you are absolutely right. We looked at a Mity-lite last night and I quickly realized it wouldn't work. we shall have to go to a traditional egg and he can have the front bed. He would love that anyway. Our last trip we joked about how he couldn't wait to get back to his love-seat at home; even though he had a very comfortable, warm bed and even jammies!

[floyd]

We just sold our little lees-ure-lite tent trailer and want to get into a little fibreglass trailer. We're thinking a 13'. It's just me and my husband and dog. We don't want a bathroom, or maybe even a kitchen (although the idea of a fridge is growing on me, no more ice!) We do need to try and keep the weight down, as our tow-viehicle is an under-powered Subaru Legacy. My husband is 6' tall, so we're trying to figure out wich would have the biggest bed (our tent-trailer was a queen size).

My question is: if you wanted a light, roomy 13' trailer, what would you buy? Boler? Trillium? Scamp? Anything else?

Thanks,
Linda.

As far as towability is concerned, the Scamp is a great choice. The Escape is like the Trillium {exactly like} , which is a very well made trailer , but you have a tow vehicle with a small frontal area and the Escape is square and presents a large frontal area with very poor aerodynamics.
The Scamp and it's ilk are far more Tow friendly, especially when attached to a smaller TV.
The Escape is also several thousand dollars more than the Scamp[if buying new].
Judging from our experience, any small fiberglass trailer could last a lifetime with reasonable care.
So buy the one that you like the most and you will take the best care of it!

[Raya]

we shall have to go to a traditional egg and he can have the front bed.

Note that if you remove the couch back (the bit that flips up to make the upper bunk), you'll get an even roomier spot for your dog. This is especially true in the Boler/clones because the front of the trailer bulges out (due to the roundness) and the couch back cuts straight across that when it's installed, making you "lose" that space.

It's just a matter of three screws to take the couch back off, and it's easily re-installed too.

In my Boler the couch is about 28" wide in the middle area with the back removed, for example. And the rounded shape is cozy for a curled up dog.

Of course you can get the same benefit by just flipping the couch back up into a bunk, and then you also have a place to toss bags and stuff. I bet your pup would like the slight "den-iness" of that too. OTOH, with the couch back removed, you gain a lot of visual roominess.

Raya

[Nancy]

Hi Linda,

My husband sleeps on the larger dinette and I sleep on the front bunk with the back removed in our 13 Scamp. So I thought about adding a dog and my first thought was the floor space along with the porta potty for the dog. But....then one would have to climb over the dog, and using the porta potty would be difficult.

So who gets to sleep together? Not my husband and me. One of us would have to share with a dog. Other couples don't seem to mind as much as we do. There is no way I want to climb over someone in the middle of the night.

BTW, our Scamp 13 weighs around 1500 lbs for traveling. We keep it as light as possible, do not carry water (no water tank), do not have air conditioner, fridge or furnace.Made for us for our purposes.

Since we bought ours Scamp has gotten taller, a plus for your husband. But that means it must also have added a few pounds.

We looked at the new Scamps and are really happy to have one a few years old that is short, we are short too. We travel long distances and that extra height just looked like less miles per gallon.

Happy hunting.

Nancy

[Roy in TO]

Of course you can get the same benefit by just flipping the couch back up into a bunk, and then you also have a place to toss bags and stuff. I bet your pup would like the slight "den-iness" of that too.

Our female ridgeback comes in at just under 70 Lbs. and matches described breed standard. She prefers the bunk down for getting in and out. I can quite imagine Linda's male that is 50 Lbs more would find even more troublesome jumping up between the bunks. Amazing breed though. They can spread out and fill a full sized living room couch at one moment and roll up into a tiny ball at the end the next.