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Old 08-15-2017, 09:10 AM   #101
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Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
I didn't mean to suggest the comments of empty-nesters are irrelevant. I'm aware I'm vastly outnumbered on that front. But it's clear to me at least empty-nesters (with or without grandkids) have different needs and perspectives than families.

Steve, you're right- there are a few larger pickups that still have 3+3 seating. Tundra is another, at least it was a few years ago, but I doubt many families would consider that a workable transportation arrangement for everyday use. I have thought about it a lot. A Scamp 19 would be really nice for the extra space, and especially a bigger bed for my wife and I, but there is nothing I could pull it with that would make practical family transportation during the 350 days a year or so we are not camping. It's a bumper pull or nothing for us.

For our family needs, I keep hoping Scamp will come out with a big bed version of their 16' standard side bath, front bunk layout. I think it more likely I will join the ranks of the empty-nesters before that happens.
I guess it is all in what you want and are use to . My everyday commuter vehicle for the 40+ years I worked was a full size truck or van usually a 3/4 or 1 ton . Many times the truck served as our family vehicle as well..
Now that we are retired we have 2 vehicles , my half ton truck for towing and my wife's Pontiac G6 for grocery shopping or short trips.
( Personally I hate riding in her G6 but she likes it. )

To me the real dilemma is finding a family vehicle you can afford that is good for both commuting to work and safely towing a trailer of any size .
To be honest my first choice in a vehicle would never be a car or SUV , they just don't work for me.
Others prefer small / smaller vehicles and that's why you get the " Can I pull a FG trailer with a Chevy Cruz " questions.

Good luck , I hope you find what you want and need
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Old 08-15-2017, 10:07 AM   #102
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Name: Jon
Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
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We actually use all 8 seats in our Pilot on occasion (not while towing, of course). Carpool duty at home, schlepping kids and their friends to various activities, camping near relatives and picking up cousins for family time, taking grandma and grandpa on a day outing,... That's family life for us.

I consider that I have an 8-passenger "pick-up" with a removable cargo bed: a 4x8 utility trailer. Trailer attached, I have more room and payload (up to 3000 pounds in the trailer) than a conventional short box pick-up (and no worries about dents, either!), but leaving the trailer at home, it fits completely within a compact parking space at the grocery store. It gets 25 mpg solo, 18 mpg towing, 23 mpg overall. Swap the utility trailer for the Scamp and go camping. Seats folded flat makes beds for two more.

A pick-up truck with 6 people on board... where would I put my coffee?

Steve, I'm a fan of vans for families, too. Our previous family car/tow vehicle was a 2000 Sienna. If they had better seats in the back, the new Ford Transit vans with Ecoboost engines would be very attractive, but larger and pricier compared to what I have now. The Transit Connect is a nice size and seats 7, but towing is limited.

I have what I need. As to what I want...
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Old 08-15-2017, 10:12 AM   #103
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Name: Lynn
Trailer: 2019 Escape 21C, NTU April 2022 (was 2013 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17)
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We get 21-22 all-around mpg, 19-20 towing our Scamp and all our camping equipment.
Boy, that's way better than our 2013 Expedition EL. I get under 14 mpg around town, and under 12 towing the Casita. The Expy is basically an F150 with an SUV body, which adds weight of course, and the Casita SD 17 is heavier than a Scamp. But still. . .

Will say that for families, the 8-seat Expy is great, and with the second and third row seats down, will haul 4x8 sheets of plywood. Just picked up No. Two Son and family at airport: three adults and five kids, three in car seats. Getting all the luggage in was a struggle, though!

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Old 08-15-2017, 11:05 AM   #104
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Name: Tom
Trailer: Scamp 16
Michigan
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Boy, that's way better than our 2013 Expedition EL. I get under 14 mpg around town, and under 12 towing the Casita. The Expy is basically an F150 with an SUV body, which adds weight of course, and the Casita SD 17 is heavier than a Scamp. But still. . .

Will say that for families, the 8-seat Expy is great, and with the second and third row seats down, will haul 4x8 sheets of plywood. Just picked up No. Two Son and family at airport: three adults and five kids, three in car seats. Getting all the luggage in was a struggle, though!

/Mr Lynn
Mr Lynn, Our F-150 has the 2.7 L eco-boost engine. 325 HP and 350 ft lbs torque. It is amazing technology! We were in FL last winter and took another couple on a sight-seeing trip and got 26 MPG!! Conditions were ideal. Flat roads, no stop lights and speeds around 45 mph. Still... 4 adults, a bed full of our camping stuff and 26 MPG! Normally some city and some highway driving yields 21-22 mpg. This is the first vehicle we bought that lives up to the window sticker. We truly cannot tell our Scamp is behind us without the mirrors. We get better mpg with the truck than we did with our 2011 Subaru Forester when towing.

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Old 08-15-2017, 11:28 AM   #105
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Trailer: 2019 Escape 21C, NTU April 2022 (was 2013 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17)
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Ah, of course; Tom has the small V6. I have the 5.0L V8. Still, it's disappointing that I get no better mileage in the Expy than I did with my full-size 1998 Chevy window van with its 5.7L V8.

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Old 08-15-2017, 12:55 PM   #106
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Manitoba
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I have the 2.7 EB as well and at reasonable speeds I can get 25 mpg and Jon if someone happens to be in the middle front seat my coffee will go in the door cup holder!

Adrian
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Old 08-17-2017, 08:51 AM   #107
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Trailer: 2017 Scamp 16 Deluxe
Missouri
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Where Are the Fiberglass RVs for Families?

FWIW -



I have figured that our 2016 F-150 2.7L-EB and our Scamp16D are a pretty well

matched pair.



Both can seat/sleep 4 adults+kids comfortably and 5 adults+kids if we really need to.



Our 2016 Ford F-150 4x2 XLT is: Supercab, 2.7L Ecoboost, 3.31 E-locking axle, 20"

aluminum wheels (came with Sport package). In February 2017, when we went up to

Backus to pick up our Scamp16D-A, the dash meter was showing 27.4 mpg for the trip.



Towing our previous Scamp 13 BigBed trailer out to South Carolina, the mpg for the trip

was reading 22+. Towing our current Scamp 16 Deluxe Layout A (with front sofa/bunks),

we typically get around 20 mpg (maybe19.? with hills and headwinds; 20-21 with flat land

and calm winds, and I have even seen 24+ when towing with a 15-20 mph tailwind)



Due to the Sport package, our F-150 has a large and deep center console with

2 cup holders forward and 2 cup holders at the rear. The front 2 seats are power

adjustable and very comfortable for traveling. The 3 rear seats are, of course, a little

more snug for 3 adults.



With the front sofa/bunks, the interior of our Scamp16D interior may give the illusion

of being a slightly larger (i.e. 17 foot+) trailer.



Again ..... just FWIW and FY!.

And, of course, YMMV.



Ray
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Old 08-17-2017, 12:29 PM   #108
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Ray, you have a fantastic combo. What is your truck rated to tow?
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Old 08-17-2017, 02:10 PM   #109
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Name: Ray
Trailer: 2017 Scamp 16 Deluxe
Missouri
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Where Are the Fiberglass RVs for Families?

Hi, Dean!

Our F-150 is rated to tow about twice the weight of our Scamp16D-A.

Unless you have the Max Tow Package and/or Heavy Duty Payload Package (we don't),
I think we are limited to 5,100 lbs of trailer weight (manual page 264), recommended max frontal area of 36.6 sq-ft (pg 264), and max GCWR of 12,500 lbs (pg 265) with the 2.7L 4x2 with 3.31 axle.

Our Scamp16D-A empty weight is/was about 2,250 lbs (2,000 on the axle and, with
dual propane bottles, about 250 lbs on the tongue).

I am thinking about going back to a single propane bottle and finding a way to deflect
some air over the top of the trailer.

People who have driven my 2.7 L Ecoboost say that they can hardly tell it from a V8;
lots of power, torque, and acceleration.

Because we got the "highway rear axle" (3.31 E-lock), I tow in 5th gear using the
transmission's PRS (preferred range select) to operate automatically in gears 1 thru 5.
That keeps the engine RPMs just under 2,000 (a better range for torque) at usual towing speeds.

Without the trailer, I run full auto in gears 1-6. The transmission also has a tow/haul mode, a sport mode, and a manual mode.

The 2016 F-150 XLT with the normal tow package also includes Ford's Pro Trailer Backup Assist feature (with the knob on the dash).

Although I have been backing up hay wagons and boat trailers since I was about 16
(or 17?) and can usually (sometimes with a couple attempts) get backed into a site, I think
that the PTBA feature so far seems to make it much easier for my wife to back the trailer
into a campsite. [emoji4]

Probably more information than you really wanted ....... [emoji6]

Ray
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