Casita or Scamp

[Steve McDaniel]

We will be buying our first camper and are definitely interested in a fiberglass. We need something light, with enough room for two adults and an occasional grandchild. Our delimma is: a Casita or a Scamp? We are having a difficult time choosing and would like to hear from others who could offer comparisons and suggestions.

[Alf S.]

We will be buying our first camper and are definitely interested in a fiberglass. We need something light, with enough room for two adults and an occasional grandchild. Our delimma is: a Casita or a Scamp? We are having a difficult time choosing and would like to hear from others who could offer comparisons and suggestions.

Hi: I have nothing but good things to say about Scamp...as a service company and I don't even own a Scamp trailer...We have a 30 year old Boler but I have been fortunate to be able to get parts from Scamp that fit our Boler as they are as close as "kissin'cousins" A company can't survive as long as Scamp has if they don't service their customers properly
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Adrian W]

Check this Jan.7th thread: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/in...howtopic=22391

AW

[Robert Williams]

I have a 1980- 16ft. Scamp. I have seen a Casita up close, but have not owned one. I have owned two campers, a typical wood and alum. travel trailer and my used Scamp. I did check out both company sites. One diffference with both companies is the offerings beyond 16ft. Casita has a 17ft. model and Scamp has a 5th wheel model. Both have similar interior floor plans.

If I had cash to buy new, I would lean toward the 17ft. Casita, fully dressed out in options, with a side dinette that makes a single bed, full bath, etc.

I do not know if you are new to trailers, but I am a 6ft. male and not married. I camp alone. My Scamp has the front couch, the side closet or bath room, which I just use the largest porta potty on the market. I did try the front couch for one night, just so I would know. It is not for adults. The rear is my bed, but if I had a lady as tall as me, it might be a bit crowded. I do love my Scamp, but if buying new, I would probably get a 17ft. Casita.

As with a Boler, Scamp and Casita are basically a top and bottom sealed together, most cabinets are fiberglass and rivited together. All three are like cousins.

Usually, Scamp and Casita with both let you know of someone in your general area that has one and offer to set up a visit so you can see one. If you are in west part of TN, I would be glad to show you mine if you get between Memphis and Nashville. Mine is old, basic and I love it. If you get one, you will find many people will ask you what it is when you are in a camp ground.

[Roger H]

When I had a Scamp (all three of 'em, a 13', 16' CD and 19' CD) Scamp was the best. When I had a Burro, it was the best. Now I have two Bigfoot trailers. They're the best.

The "best" trailer is the one you can find that suits your needs, equipped the way you want it, in a location you can get it, for the price you want to pay.

Each has its strong points and weak points, and none of them are "perfect" for everyone. Quality wise, neither is superior nor inferior. Both the Casita and Scamp are quality trailers.

Happy hunting!

Roger

[Donna D.]

I think the best way to approach this is to 1) Figure the budget for a trailer, 2) Decide what features you MUST have 3) Research, research, research to determine what specific brand will fit #1 & #2 the very best for YOU. You may find in addition to the Scamp and Casita that you really need to look at the Escape, the BigFoot and the Outback/Trillium.

Here's a link to the trailer brands specific websites from the Helpful-Links: Trailer Brands

[jack maloney]

Casita vs. Scamp - which is best?

Neither. Both.

[John & Sandy M]

Both the Scamp and the Casita are high quality FG trailers. We happen to own a '99 Scamp with the side dinette/front full bath and love it. Works well with my wife and I plus one grandchild. We purchased the trailer used a couple of years ago and very quickly found that all of the FG trailers are very much in demand (meaning that if you are real fussy about brand/options you might be going a long-long time without either and are likely to be purchasing on the seller's word plus digital pics).

I think the Casita has better fit and finish than the Scamp and I like the 14" wheels better. The bule decals are pretty and Casita has eliminated many of the thru-hull rivets. The 17' additional length is nice (but adds 5-800 lbs. to total weight making it a marginal tow with a 6 cyl van).

The Scamp insulation works well and I can keep the interior comfortable with a small space heater set at 1000 watt with outside temps in the 20's (we use our little trailer in the winter as much as in the summer). Scamp also offers a deluxe model with all wood cabinets and customized about any way you want it. I understand that Casita is not quite as flexible. The Scamp factory has been extremely helpful answering my questions even tho I have a used trailer.

Both the factories had pretty long waiting lists so you might check this aspect too.

[Chris Z]

Both are great. I had a 16' Scamp but changed to 17' Casita since the 44" wide bed didn't work for us. Scamp was definitely lighter.

[Brian B-P]

This looks very much like the question: "Which is better - Ford or Chevy pickup trucks?" While the fans of one or the other will have strong preferences, and both sides will have good information about specific features, an impartial outside observer will likely say "What - there's a difference?".

I'm sure neither (in truck or trailers) is clearly better, but some of the details coming out in this discussion show that for a specific person's application and priorities, the ideal choice may be a specific model of one of the two brands... or another brand entirely.

If there were a clear superiority one way or the other, both companies would not likely stay in business, unless there's some north/south thing going on here...

[Pete Dumbleton]

The reality, unlike the differences in other brands like Burro, UHaul and BigFeets, is that the 13/16 Scamp/Casitas have much more in common than they have in differences besides the look, some finish, (the frame?) and perhaps the price.

The Scamp 19 and the Casita 17 are different animals from the rest of the two lines, so one has to specify. I believe one reason Casita built the 17' was to increase the interior size, a marketing weakness in their 13/16 (The post-fire Scamp 13 has even more headroom than the older model).

When I was looking for a 13' FG trailer to replace my Jayco 16 (stickbuilt), I would have bought whichever I found first and would have had a tough choice with two side-by-each for the same price! Visits to both factories in the late '90s left me with the impression that Casita paid a little bit more attention to finish detail.

[Susan Tiller]

Steve, we just purchased an '04 Casita 17' with a side dinette last week. I saw one at the NE Georgia Rally last spring and I liked what I saw. I live in Georgia and you are welcome to come and give ours the "look see".

I can give you my reasons:

Bigger
6'3' interior for hubby
Big bathroom
Larger/wider bed
It has the straight house-type door. (We did not want the curved door)

As everyone has said, it is each to his/her own. We are all different and that is what makes life so fun.

Here is a link where you can see pictures of it. http://good-times.webshots.com/album/557486258tsYLXS

[Loren G. Hedahl]

I have a 16 ft Scamp. My brother has a 16 ft Casita. We both bought used. Our opinion is he paid a little more but actually got a better deal initially since the Casita was newer and a more deluxe model. His has a side dinette, bath with shower, AC, etc. The Scamp was pretty much a basic edition, except for a refrigerator that seldom worked and a furnace that did, but was unbearably noisy.

However I had no compunction about ripping out the features I didn't need and changing things to personalize the Scamp to our intended needs.

The result is we use our Scamp often and extensively. He and his wife have only used their Casita a few times in the past 10 years.

Why? Their tow vehicle is, in my opinion, marginal (a Chevy Astro Van with a 4.3 l V-6). It labors, shifts, slows down and heats up in the mountains. He's always concerned about his automatic transmission, brakes, water pump, etc. Also their expectations are greater than what the Casita can deliver in terms of quality of the shower, cooking facilities, bed, dining, entertainment, etc. compared to what they have in their home.

Is this a fault with the Casita? No. In fact if all things were equal and a Scamp were parked next to a Casita, I might choose a Casita. Why? Because the Casita doesn't have all that excessive head-room inside!

You see, neither my wife nor I had the misfortune of having parents of excessive stature. So really, the Scamp could be 4 to 6 inches shorter and we might be even happier campers.

So, what it really boils down to is your personal preferences and your time of life. Now that our family is back to just my wife and I, our other trailer (a 26 ft Avion) sets in the drive and the Scamp goes.

Good luck in your decision -- and if you don't get it just right, don't worry. Either of these are hot items on the market-place, so you don't have much to lose!

Loren

[Steve McDaniel]

I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to reply to my question. We made a decision and have ordered the 17' Casita. Thanks!

[Roger H]

I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to reply to my question. We made a decision and have ordered the 17' Casita. Thanks!

Congrats, Steve!

You made a good choice. Actually, you couldn't have made a bad one with either Scamp or Casita, but being a little closer to the Casita factory than the Scamp factory may pay off someday.

Please post photos when you get your new Casita!

Roger

[Gary Lynch]

Never did understand why Scamp is still using 13" wheels?

[peterh]

Never did understand why Scamp is still using 13" wheels?

Because it was really hard to pull without the wheels?

[Taylor Kissinger]

Because it was really hard to pull without the wheels?

To the principals office you go Peter<