13' purchase advice

[Carol H]

I agree with others that the best way to approach the what size or brand to buy issue is to if at all possible attend a fiberglass rally and see and sit in as many different trailers as you can. All different and even if looking at only one particular brand a number of them offer different layouts that make a big difference as to how they feel inside. Most of the current manufactures have a customer referral system - if you call them they will set you up with an owner of the size of trailer you are interested in close to you so you can go and look at. Most of the manufactures also offer delivery services.

I come from a mainly tent background as well. I thought at first I would be really happy with a 13' trailer that was until I sat in a few. I ended up with a 16' and although I love my little trailer and have had 6 great years and thousands of miles of travel I now know I would be even happier when taking trips of a month or more with two people staying in the trailer that an Escape 17' would work better for me and would be even happier in a 19' or perhaps a Bigfoot. :-) Not that any of those are all that much bigger than what I have - its the layout and as a result the way they feel inside thats very different.

While there is lots to be said about purchasing a trailer new the downside is that if you haven't done much traveling with a trailer previously its not all that easy to pick a layout & options that will work best for you. Its not uncommon to hear here of someone who was new to trailering purchase a new trailer thinking they would never need a certain option only to be sorry they didn't order it after using the trailer for a year. Same for getting options they have found they never used. As a result we do see here trailers of less than a year old (sometimes even less) on the market as the owner realizes they purchased the wrong trailer for their needs. When starting out there is a lot to be said about buying a second hand trailer thats in good shape and using it for a year to help determine what your real needs are. Buying used could save a costly mistake of purchasing the wrong trailer new.

But a good argument can also be made there really isn't any such thing as the wrong trailer as long as it is getting you out to enjoy the world.

Have fun in your search.

[John Linck]

We are very happy with our 2nd Scamp. Our first was well used when we bought it. Many years later we have a new one. The folks at Scamp were delightful to deal with in our experience. On the other hand they sell all the trailers they can make and have no interest in making more than the 350-400 per year they make now. Their marketing is a bit old school (so are their trailers, they have been at it for decades). Telephone or factory visits work best. They offered me $200.00 to show my trailer if it results in a sale. I think Casita does the same. BTW. I have never seen the inside of any other brand of fiberglass trailer, though we recently owned a Rialta and I lived in an Airsteam for 6 months in 1971. YMMV.

Keep warm out there, john

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by John Linck

BTW. I have never seen the inside of any other brand of fiberglass trailer, though we recently owned a Rialta and I lived in an Airsteam for 6 months in 1971. YMMV.

Some might say thats a REALLY good thing! If that was my situation I sure could have saved a lot of money on Lotto tickets in the past few years in hopes of winning the big one to get the fiberglass trailer of my dreams.

[Donna D.]

Bathroom? Dressing? Sleeping space? If you are former tenters or backpackers... you've DEALT with those issues. Pick the [brand] of trailer that has the layout and amenities that suit your now or future needs. We've all been "history" and unless you want more of that now... don't repeat it.

[papa-t]

Welcome David

[cramar]

Originally Posted by floyd

The first picture below was taken the first year when Our Scamp was new. The second picture was taken about a year ago, after about 9years and 60,000+ miles and hundreds of nights use....

Great post! Love the second picture. "Bambi and the Scamp." Sounds like a Disney movie!

I love Airstreams, but the weight of a newer Bambi is ridiculous. You'd think they were made out of steel instead of aluminum. No wonder people love their FG eggs.

I know they are not made any more, but how does a Boler compare to a Scamp?

[floyd]

Originally Posted by cramar

Attachment 67964

Great post! Love the second picture. "Bambi and the Scamp." Sounds like a Disney movie!

I love Airstreams, but the weight of a newer Bambi is ridiculous. You'd think they were made out of steel instead of aluminum. No wonder people love their FG eggs.

I know they are not made any more, but how does a Boler compare to a Scamp?

The Scamp was a Boler13 clone 40 some years ago.
A Boler13 would be VERY Much like an early(1970s)Scamp. In fact there were several of the same genre built by small independents like LoveBug or ECO etc, below are a couple of photos of our first fiberglass trailer ...a 1973 LoveBug.

The Airstream 16 Bambi in the picture was a 1993 16CCD which we considered buying before we decided on the Scamp. It's a beautiful trailer but I just could not stand the thought of owning a full sized truck or SUV, so we bought "Eggy-Sue" (the pull-it surprize) and have not had a moment's regret.
In fact Airstream interior quality can't match a Scamp Deluxe.

[cramar]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

Hello David and welcome to the forum. A few years back we were in the same position as you. We prefer to camp in public campgrounds like the state parks. Here in the northeast none have power so unless you bring a generator, air conditioning is useless. We started with Escape which is know for it's build quality, but we wanted jalousie (louvered) windows which Escape would not do. We briefly looked at Scamp but ended up with a Trillium. Unfortunately, I can not recommend them because of quality issues and poor customer service. If I were buying today, I would probably buy a Parkliner. At 15 ft you get a bed (queen I think), a side dinette, and a bath. On a 13' trailer with bath, the bed and the dinette share the same space so you have to switch between them. Here, you do not. The Parkliner windows are an awning type which, like the jalousies, can be left open when it rains and provide good ventilation. Made in North Carolina, they are not too far a trip. They had a few issues early on but based on owner reports they seem to be building a quality trailer. Be aware that communication is not their strong suit. Lots of frustration here. A phone call or better yet a visit is advised. Good hunting, Raz

Thanks for the heads-up on the Parkliner. I can see why it is a desirable trailer, since the interior with all that cabinetry looks very efficient. If and when it comes time for new, I will consider them.

[WDavidG]

Originally Posted by honda03842

David,

The comment about picking one up in FL was interesting. We bought our's a few winters ago in FL. We haver attended the FL Scamp Camp, Every year that I've gone there's been at least one fiberglass trailer for sale. ALso I met Floyd there and got to see his Scamp, it is very nice. Actually rallies are great for 'testing' out different brands.

As for the Scamp wheels, we have a Scamp 16 with 13" wheels and like Floyd have put many 10s of thousands of miles on them and never had an issue. Saying that many Scamp owners do increase their tire size.

Personally I'm a fan of the 16 foot trailers though I know many couples that are very happy in a 13. We have used both the Casita and Scamp 16s. We like the Scamp better because it's 3" taller inside, has more windows and appears bigger inside (though it is not). As to trailer quality I saw no real difference between the two.

As to getting dressed in the morning, it's certainly not a problem in our 16. Ginny does it at the front end, I make up the bed and than I get dressed while she makes coffee. I think trailer people develop a process, come to a recognition on how little space and stuff one needs to live.

If you can wait and want to see our Scamp 16, we should be home in April, leaving again in early May returning in July. (We're on the roads about 7 months a year.) We live in Hampton Beach, NH. If interested I can PM you our address and phone number. Until than you can see the details about our Scamp under Modifications/Preparing a 1991 Scamp.

Look forward to meeting you.

Norm and Ginny,
Many thanks for your advice and the invite to see your Scamp in Hampton Beach. Thanks to the abundance of great advice we've received from this forum, and some additional research prompted by that advice, we've clarified our thinking and are about to order a Scamp. We're excited and looking forward to picking it up in MN this spring. I hope we'll cross paths on our travels.

best,
David and Susan