Differences - Scamp and Casita - Fiberglass RV
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Old 02-20-2007, 10:07 PM   #1
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Hello,

I'm very new and don't have an Egg yet. I've called both Scamp and Casita and asked what the differences were. The salesperson from Casita stated that a Casita was made like a boat, two fiberglass halves (top and bottom) connected in the middle, whereas the competition (no mention of Scamp by name) is more like a traditional trailer with fiberglass shell on top of a wooden floor.

Prior to asking this question, I did my best attempt at due diligence and searched the forums looking for any comments describing the flooring differences or potential problems, if any. What I read was that most water damage to the flooring is done by water seeping from the top down on the inside (leaky window, leaky plumbing, etc.) and not from the road up. I also read that Casitas and Scamps are pretty darn equivalent in quality.

Is there an advantage to having a trailer completely encased in fiberglass? Does it make a difference in real life?

Also, while I'm on the topic, Scamp describes their frame as being 11 gauge, whereas Casista describes their frame as being 3" channel Same question here, does any of this make any difference in the real world?

I currently own a teardrop, which I plan on keeping. It is basically a wooden structure sheathed in aluminum. The bottom of the trailer is treated plywood over a trailer frame. I did have some water damage, but true to form it was from a leak caused by a loose fitting screw on the teardrop body.

Thanks in advance for your comments and insight.

-Carl
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Old 02-21-2007, 03:14 AM   #2
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You are correct. The floor of the Casita is completely enclosed in fiberglas, top and bottom. There are advocates of this system as well as the way the Scamp is constructed. It will be difficult to get an objective comparison.
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Old 02-21-2007, 06:56 AM   #3
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This question has come up before.... In fact, here's a topic from the first of the year:
Casita or Scamp, Trying to choose which to buy?

And this one: Which one is better?, Scamp, Burro, Uhaul?

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Old 02-21-2007, 08:31 AM   #4
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Quote:
Hello,

I'm very new and don't have an Egg yet. I've called both Scamp and Casita and asked what the differences were. The salesperson from Casita stated that a Casita was made like a boat, two fiberglass halves (top and bottom) connected in the middle, whereas the competition (no mention of Scamp by name) is more like a traditional trailer with fiberglass shell on top of a wooden floor.

-Carl
Actually the flooring of the Scamp is cellulose fibers encased in epoxy resin (fancy way of describing resin coated wood). Casita is fiberglass encased in epoxy resin. I know from experience that, since the upper part of the shell is mounted to the flooring on the Scamp, water introduced inside the cabin (I had a broken fresh water inlet strainer when I first brought our 99 Scamp home and had about 5 gal water drain out... ran out of the trailer at the floor seam). Where does the water go when there is a leak inside the Casita? (this is a question not a criticism of the Casita).

Carl; since you were talking with both Scamp and Casita, what is the price comparison between the two? Used sell for pretty much the same price (if you can find one).
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Old 02-21-2007, 08:50 AM   #5
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I'm going to throw something else in the mix. Carl, I see you're in the Seattle area. Having a Scamp or Casita shipped from the manufacturer adds $$ to the buying price. Under those conditions, you may want to consider an Escape...manufactured right across the border in Chilliwack. AND besides they're NICE trailers.
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Old 02-21-2007, 09:10 AM   #6
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I had a similar experience as John with my 13.

It wasn't a water spill, but, having an older dog sometimes means there are clean ups to do..

She had an accident in the trailer once, and I put her outside and noticed that the accident was draining out the nose of the coach, at the floor. No harm.. (I can't say no foul)

Burros are shells on encapsulated plywood. I guess there is an advantage to having an escape route for liquids. In a Casita, the liquid would fester in there.

I suppose you could get in there with a hole saw and strategically place drain areas at the underside, if you were really careful.
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Old 02-21-2007, 09:29 AM   #7
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I guess I knew the answer before I asked it...neither company would be in business 25-35 years if they produced something that wasn't a quality product.

Donna D. I did find you second link, "Which one is better?, Scamp, Burro, Uhaul?" very informative. Thank you.

Having been a fiberglass boat owner, I know that it came with a drain plug to allow water (rain, dew, splash over) to exit the hull when it was out of the water and sitting on its trailer. Without the drainplug it was an expensive bathtub during the rainy season.

Speaking of other trailers besides Scamps and Casitas, I am also interested in the Trillium which is made in Canada and sold in San Francisco. I haven't contacted them yet to talk about price, etc.

I haven't ruled any brand of trailer out...still looking for the one the best fits my needs.

Thanks everyone.

-Carl
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Old 02-21-2007, 09:50 AM   #8
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See my posting above.

Escape Trailers
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Old 02-21-2007, 10:03 AM   #9
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Hi: If I had the money and was retired I would buy the best darn fiberglass trailer available at the moment the name Escape(s) me
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Old 02-21-2007, 10:14 AM   #10
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More than likely it will not matter which is used. The Scamps wooden floors are covered with fiberglass resin, the Casita has a fiberglass bottom with a wooden floor on top of the fiberglass. Added weight with Casita, but a nice fancy look. We have had several RV's, a travel trailer and a motor home both with plywood floors, no problem with the floors, some leaks in the TT from the ceiling and roof. If buying new, there is the cost of getting one to you. Escape might be cheaper and seems to be a nice unit.
I can not remember what kind of flooring it has if I ever knew.
It would be good to know which is heaver the 11 gauge or the 3" channel. The Scamp seems to be a heavy weight, but I not seen a Casita up close. With the fiberglass bottoms they may not need it as heavy. ????
We ordered our Scamp 16 with front bath and side dinnette before we knew about Casita or any of the others mentioned in previous replys. We are very satisfied with it. We were able to look several of them at the factory in MN the summer it was to be made. They are soundly made. What I like about the Scamp over Casita (I have yet been in side of one) is the added insulation of the Scamp, the lighter weight of the Scamp, more head room and larger frig in the 16' and the shower pump to drain it into the holding tank of the Scamp instead of a seperate value to open, then close each time you shower in the Casita. What would be nice in a Casita, the larger 17' and the fiberglass bottom and the larger sized fresh water and larger holding tanks and a 3 way power to the frig. Casita would have been closer for us to go to pick it up. Scamp is a little more retro in looks. Casita has more verity of floor plans but Scamp will also build one as you would like in the Custom (more wood work, but we wanted less wood work). Scamp makes a 19' 5th wheel as well.
The Casita might float better and longer if you get one in a flood, much like the old VW bugs would float. Escape does have the same floor it seems as Casita, Escape claim to be more water and dust tight, I have not noticed a dust problem????in our Scamp. The prices listed for Escape might be high compared to Scamp, even with going to get one or having them ship it to you. Not sure of the value difference between Candian and US dollars at this time. Scamp seemed to be less expensive than Casita when we got ours.
AW
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Old 02-21-2007, 11:18 AM   #11
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Hi Carl,
My wife and I also looked closely at both Scamp and Casita this Fall. We did tour the Scamp factory to see how they are made (beyond what the free DVD shows). We were impressed enough to order a 13 footer. We saw them at various stages of construction. A few things I can add to this conversation which may help you are: The frame seemed very strong. The floor is coated OSB. The shell and floor are sealed together with fiberglass and resin. It is even glassed around the wheel wells, so the floor and wall is sealed all the way around. I could see no openings anywhere on the floor at the stages we observed. Depending upon options ordered, the fiberglass is thickened where needed to compensate for added stress. For example, an overhead air conditioner requires more support in the shell. The insulated walls are a plus. The new 13 footers are 3 inches taller than ones made before the factory fire. The trailer is very light weight compared to many others. The people there are friendly, helpful and honest about what they think. They seem to go out of their way to be accommodating. We did not tour the Casita factory because of distance. I have seen one though and was impressed. In my opinion you can't go wrong with either one. Overall, we felt the Scamp was more affordable with the options we wanted. Good luck with your decision. Hope that this helped some.
Don
P.S. Due to expected freezing rain and snow this weekend, I called and moved our pick up date from Monday to Friday the 23rd, and they were fine with it. We are excited.
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Old 02-21-2007, 01:08 PM   #12
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I am excited for you Don and Mary. A new Scamp. enjoy the ride. We bought a Scamp 5th wheel because we wanted the extra room. We just love it. We were ready to order a new when we found one used. <this is before the Escape came out with a 5th wheel>.
It would be worth it to consider an Escape as well. Reese the owner is a wonderful young businessman and I have heard good things from customers. Casita did not have a big enough trailer for our need. They all are great products. Scamp has been really good about responding to my needs as a owner of a used Scamp.

Taylor
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Old 02-21-2007, 01:54 PM   #13
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...The salesperson from Casita stated that a Casita was made like a boat, two fiberglass halves (top and bottom) connected in the middle, whereas the competition (no mention of Scamp by name) is more like a traditional trailer with fiberglass shell on top of a wooden floor.
The description from Casita is strange, since both trailers and upper and lower shells connected at the middle - the difference is only whether the lower shell includes the floor.

For what it's worth, Bolers (which was copied to make the Scamp, which was copied to make the Casita...) were built both ways. Mine has a plywood floor (only, no fiberglass, no epoxy) and 28 years later I have seen no sign of rot. Your house floor doesn't rot, why would your trailer if you don't leave it parked in floor-deep water? I think either way can work fine.

Quote:
Scamp describes their frame as being 11 gauge, whereas Casista describes their frame as being 3" channel Same question here, does any of this make any difference in the real world?
These are descriptions of two entirely different aspects of the frame. "3 inch channel" is a open section (like a squared letter C if you look at the end of the frame rail), 3 inches tall (and who knows how wide or thick). "11 gauge" steel describes the thickness of the steel, but gives no indication of whether it is a C-channel or a complete box, or how high or wide the rail is. There's just not enough information to compare there.

My old Boler has 2" wide, 4" tall, 1/8" thick steel closed box section frame rails. That's about as big and strong as they come in these trailers, but mine is heaver than the 17' Casita or 16' Scamp.

Maybe Scamp and Casita owners (or Roger, who has probably owned both...) can describe how their frames are actually constructed.

In the end, stronger and stiffer are better, but other details of construction (other than the size of the material in the frame rails) are crucial to avoiding the weak points which have caused some problems with specific trailer designs.
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Old 02-21-2007, 02:46 PM   #14
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For what it's worth: mine has the 2" by 4" box frame with the steel .125" thick (11 gauge). Where the frame does the angle towards the tongue there are welded-on gussets inside and outside of the rails. Doesn't look like it will collapse anytime soon. I would guess the result of some bad experiences so they chose to overdo it.
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Old 02-22-2007, 08:27 AM   #15
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These are the things I would consider in choosing a trailer, and the order of importance (subject to change as forim members point out what I missed):

1. Floor plan
2. Price
3. Weight
4. Interior height
5. Standard options
6. Fit and finish
7. Customization options
...
16. Floor construction
...
56. Frame construction
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Old 02-22-2007, 09:13 AM   #16
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My wife and i are looking for a new unit.The most important thing to us is bed size.
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Old 02-22-2007, 09:15 AM   #17
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I am still baffled that Scamp is still using 13' tires and wheels. Many owners are using 15" wheels and at least 14" wheels and tires. The selection of higher performance tire models become greater the larger the tire thus expanding your safety margin. Say what you will but a 13" tire on a 19 foot 5th wheel? That's an odd engineering marriage.

The rest is apples and oranges in comparison. You usually get what you pay for. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Be happy as life is short.
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Old 02-22-2007, 09:47 AM   #18
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Patrick: I would pay a lot more attention to floor and frame construction. Just ask the many folks here who have had to replace floors and/or have frames repaired, reinforced or even totally replaced! No matter how well your egg's shell is made, if the frame breaks or the floor rots, you have big problems!
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Old 02-22-2007, 09:58 AM   #19
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Patrick: I would pay a lot more attention to floor and frame construction. Just ask the many folks here who have had to replace floors and/or have frames repaired, reinforced or even totally replaced! No matter how well your egg's shell is made, if the frame breaks or the floor rots, you have big problems!
I see your point, but when looking at a new trailer these are much less important. When looking at a 20-year old trailer, then the order might be:

1. Frame
2. Tires
3. Floor
4. Wall covering
5. Electrical
6. Floor plan
...
etc
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Old 02-22-2007, 10:04 AM   #20
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Quote:
My wife and i are looking for a new unit.The most important thing to us is bed size.
It seems Casita has floor plans which will give a larger bed size and one with twin beds as well, Scamp's Custom can be designed with a larger bed as well as the 19' would have a good sized bed.

Gary's "still baffled that Scamp is still using 13" tires and wheels," I have wondered about them as well. I have been meaning to call Scamp and ask if larger wheels would fit on them. Has anyone put 14" tires on one or 15"?

My personal feeling is to just get higher rated tires and not worry about the wheel size; get ones for a heaver load rating.

aw
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