Newbie needs help before ordering my Scamp

[Hman66]

Ron...forgot to ask. On your tongue weight...was this one ball, two, one ball with battery? I am going to go with one ball and the battery. I believe I am glint to upgrade to the 27 group battery as well...good idea?

[Bob Miller]

Not to be a spoiler this late in the game, but have you been inside a 13' SCAMP w/Bathroom??? It is very, very tight inside. The lack of space is why we sold our 2004 SCAMP 13' w/bath. And there are just two of us, w/o pets etc.

Unless you enjoy constantly converting the dinette to a bed and back, there's no place to be when the bed is made up.

Our 13' BigFoot is the same floorplan with a front couch, and is much, much more use friendly.

[Carol H]

If I was ordering new I would as Donna suggests buy every extra cabinet option they have - including the cutlery drawers. A Fantastic Fan, the louver windows (so they can be opened in the rain), screen door & pre wired for solar (if you plan to camp without power). I would get all interior LED lights (if thats an option) and only a 2 burner stove - as I don't think in 6 years and several hundred days of camping I have every used the 3 burners all at once.

I am 50/50 on camping with power so a fridge that will run on propane is a must. When on power having an outside electrical plug is a handy item and I added one myself but managed to get by for a number of years without it.

I removed the TV antenna when I purchased the trailer as I wanted to fit the trailer into my garage but do have an outside cable jack for those rare (maybe once a year) occasions when I stay at an RV park with cable, so could easily live without it. I use a flat MOHU Leaf Antenna that stores flat in an overhead bin and weighs nothing. I use it if I am camping close to an urban area that has TV signal coverage & I have power. More often than not though I use the TV mostly to watch movies at night if I have power.

I really like having a built on awning. Its not very big on a 13' but its better than nothing in rainy weather. You can get a portable EZ up type shelter but if weight is your issue then keep in mind most of the portable shelters are heavy as well & you need to carry them with you and the total weight of what you carry in the car also counts against your total weight capacity. I can put out the trailers awning on my own - something I find almost impossible to do with my portable shelter.

As far as propane tanks go - one is enough. I have gone for a number of weeks of camping without power & without needing a refill. Thats with running the fridge on propane, as well as using the hot water tank for showers and running the furnace occasionally. I have a small solar panel to keep the battery topped off.

As far as the need for holding tanks goes there are a number of places that I have camped that will not let you use portable type holding tanks (often National parks if they have issues with animals in the campgrounds) as well as some full service RV parks who want everything to be fully contained. As far as the black tank dumping vs the porta potty debate goes - I have over the years used both systems and personally find the porta potty to be more of a hassle than a built in black tank. I find dumping the tank to be pretty simple. Cleaning it even easier - just dump a bag of ice into it after you have dumped the tank. At the Bandon meet a very funny story was told about what can go wrong when dumping a portable tank such as a porta potty into a toilet not something I have ever experienced using a built in black water tank thankfully. I also like the fact I can pack up and go out of a camping spot at any time and not need to worry about finding a place to dump the porta potty first or worry about anything sloshing around if I don't. As far as maintenance goes I guess I have been fortunate but on my 21 year old Scamp & in the 6 years I have had it I have only had one issue with the built in toilet and it happened last week - clogged valve filter, so no water going to the tank - $2 part and 10 min to fix.

Its a personal thing and only you know what you cant live without and a lot of what you need or dont need will depend on your style of camping. I personally like having a trailer that's equipped to camp anywhere I choose. I often travel without reservations so I can stop at any place that looks nice or I meet up with friends along the way on trips who want to camp at such and such a place - I dont want to be the one that says sorry cant do that as the trailer isnt set up to camp there.

Edit: Yup get the brakes! You will not be sorry you did!

[Gilda]

If you care to read a bit more potty talk here, you may do so. If not, skip this entry.

When the porta-potti is used only for number one and the TP is put in the covered wastebasket it is easy-peasy to dump into a toilet. We've never had a leak in the porta-pottie while towing. We have no aversion to camp toilets or outhouses, for that matter.

It's all a matter of personal preferences.

[Hman66]

Thank each of you for responding with your individual experiences. Like it has been said, everyone's needs are different and something that is a pain to one is not a chore to another. A necessity for one is not to another. We are two people who do most everything together...putting the bed into the table each am and back to a bed at night is a non issue. It takes longer to make my wife's pillow rama king bed every morning and getting it ready for sleep at night. I like going to the wash houses for all my needs...momma not so much. I have no desire to carry portable black water tanks. We will not be going back country so, we will just deposit it at the campgrounds we will be staying at. I've learned a bunch on this site and others...mostly, one mans poison is another's passion.
With that said, we ordered a 2014 13 ft Scamp deluxe this am with almost every option available except the furnace. We live on the gulf coast thus no need. I grew up in Syracuse, NY and have no desire to see snow again other than movies..ha! We are excited to get it this fall and I am sure ill need help down the road with issues that will be new to me but old hat to you guys. It's great to have a place to go for help and.....Happy Camping!!

[Darrell in Al]

I hope that you decided to not have carpet and went with linoleum, you can get a cheap rug or runner. Then take out and wash or replace when dirty. I went with linoleum and so glad I did.. spills wipe up. If I had been on this site before I got mine I would have got only 1 propane tank and asked for a solar hookup. If there is a cabinet above the fridge it may have a outlet in the top. I took the door of and place a microwave oven in it. The outside outlet would be nice to have on its own braker. Mine is the 16ft deluxe. with Wangler as TV. I've used the propane heater probably 4 or 5 times is all. I'm a full-timer in mine, Huntsville area.

[honda03842]

Just a little tip. Most people have their fridge open at one time or another. To reduce the probability of this we have an O-ring that we use to keep our fridge closed when traveling.

[Hman66]

Darrell...we think alike. We figured linoleum was more practical than the carpet. Got the one ball with the battery which charges while driving. Getting a cheap microwave and will most likely mount it someplace once I get it. Also got the outside gfi plus two porch lights. How does the Wrangler do pulling it? I have the 2 door sport. 2013 with the tow pkg. I ordered the electric brakes so I need to go to uhaul or camping world to adapt the 4 pin to seven and get the control box, or whatever it's called, installed...how much did that cost you? Do I need anything else relative to towing?
Norm...I heard a story of a guy having his wife's pasta dish ending up all over the floor when the door came open...I believe he had the carpet. Good idea on the o- ring. Not seeing the fridge...was there a place/hole to slip it through?

[steve dunham]

I agree with the one propane tank . It took three years of camping in our Scamp before we got to using the second propane tank. Outside GFI receptacle, fantastic fan, extra lights, 12 VDC outlet, electric brakes ,front exterior light, A/C ,awning ,step,screen door and extra cabinet storage space are all nice and useful options IMHO

[honda03842]

I'll post a picture for you. On our fridge it requires the addition of one screw.

[Hman66]

Thanks Steve...got them too. Did the awning come with the poles and ropes? Anything else I may need to get or do before I get it other than changing the pin to a 7 and getting the controller box for my jeep?

Norm...that would be great. Any other helpful hints are always appreciated. I haven't done this since our family had a 16 ft FAN travel trailer in the 50's and. 60's. great memories.

[steve dunham]

The poles on mine were built into the awning, (Dometic) NO ropes or stakes were included but my Scamp came used . Leveling blocks or a BAL leveler ,wheel chocks. pads for stabilizers, 30 Amp to 15 Amp 120 VAC adapter , hitch lock , tire gauge , an
electrical multimeter , spare fuses for the DC ,spare lamps for interior light fixtures and running lights, and an outside mat for wiping off your shoes before entering the trailer. We drilled a small hole in the refrigerator frame that aligned with the unused hinge hole in the handle side of the door and used a steel pin to hold the door closed (The door has never popped open when traveling but we have misplaced the pin several times)

[honda03842]

Fridge O-ring

I simply drilled a small hole for a small cup hook that I had closed. I usefd a large o-ring available at any hardware store.

The existing fridge lock has opened even when used. This has not opened.







Oops!!! Upside down. Sorry

[neparker]

My husband and I are also looking at a Scamp 13 deluxe with the front dinette. I noticed that many people recommended the electric brakes. We've towed our 76 Boler for many years with a Honda Odyssey with no electric brakes and no problems. I realize the Scamp is heavier, but would like to keep things safe and as simple as possible. (And I noticed another thread where difficulties with the brakes were discussed.) The comments in this thread have been really helpful! I'd appreciate hearing more of members' thinking about the brakes.

[Mary F]

One thing about brakes is, if you decide later you need them, it's hard to retrofit (requires a new axle).

[Jared J]

There's only one way you'll find out if you truly need them…

My car trailer weighs 2000 lbs. When the wiring harness was cut and I lost brakes, it was quite noticeable with an empty trailer behind a half ton truck. I didn't like driving home on interstate that way, in a car, forget it.

[Jared J]

Originally Posted by Mary F

One thing about brakes is, if you decide later you need them, it's hard to retrofit (requires a new axle).

Eh…sometimes. Some axles come with the flanges and no brakes. Putting brakes on the second axle of my car trailer took 1.5 hours, the flanges were there.

[Brian B-P]

Another thing about trailer brakes,when you need to stop in an emergency it is far too late to add them, at any price.

For everyone who says they have been towing for years without them without problems, I ask if they can guarantee that nothing unexpected will ever happen in the future which will require the full braking ability of the rig. Another way to look at it: you could drive your everyday car (not towing) without any rear brakes at all and it would work fine in normal driving... but would you choose to do that?

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

The 13' Scamp with bathroom will probably exceed your 2000 lb limit Therefore you want to reduce the weight as much as possible if you really have to have the toilet/shower. Your going to be squirrely enough with the Wrangle's short wheel base without adding a bunch more weight to tongue, which a toilet/shower will do.

I'll give you a bit of my experiences. First I rarely stay where there's any hookups, no electric devices other than the 12 volt lights and the furnace fan. No water pump, no shower, no toilet, no television, no microwave, no air conditioner, etc., etc. Those things all add weight and we wouldn't use them. Anything that requires 120 Volts is left off. With 12 gallons of water and some propane, (single tank) my trailer weighs about 1870lbs with 180 of that tongue weight.
Options... BRAKES.
Without the toilet I get a front overhead cabinet and rear overhead cabinet. Along with a couch/bunk bed. (Grand kids love the bunk bed)
no awning, can't use it in the wind anyway and we've been in some really strong winds.
Furnace.. Even in the south it gets cold at times, 5° on one trip in TX.
We're out for minimum 3 months every winter. Then 7 to 14 day trips during the summer, close to 120 days per year.

My Scamp 13 deluxe front bath doesn't exceed 2000# loaded for a trip.
It tows great with the shortest wheelbased Ranger or my Escape.

[chuyler1]

We ordered our 16' this spring and it arrived just in time for summer camping. We basically went with almost everything because we didn't want to add things later. Here's a quick run down of my post purchase thoughts...

Standard vs. Deluxe
Deluxe adds weight and the cabinetry is harder to keep clean. Sure it looks good, but it's a camper not the kitchen in your McMansion. The fiberglass cleans up easy...and it does and will get wet and dirty because you are camping!

Shower/Toilet
We haven't used either yet, but its nice to know its there. We'll get to it eventually but for now we're happy with using campground amenities.

Fantastic Fan
This is a must. Do not order yours without it! Perfect for sites where you don't have 120v for the a/c. Perfect for when you are cooking to keep the smoke/steam out.

A/C
We've used it already and are glad it is there. You have to pay a premium for sites with 120v hookups but in the summer it's good to know there is a way to escape the heat and get a good night's sleep.

Fridge
We went with the big one. It's overkill for weekend camping. I always stock food first and fill the rest with adult beverages...I haven't run out of adult beverages yet

Furnace
We got one for fall camping but it probably won't get much use. It's probably something I would have passed on in favor of having that space for storage. We don't plan to camp in winter.

Awning
With our 16' it is useful. We use it. For a 13' I would follow the recommendations above and get a mosquito tent or something instead.

TV antenna
Skipped this one, we don't go camping so we can watch TV. If that's our plan we'll stay home! If you plan to full-time or something I could see this option getting more use.

Dual Gas Tanks
Not sure we needed this, especially since we don't plan to do winter camping. I just figured i wouldn't ever have to worry about running out. The fact is, we use very little gas on our trips so i'm not sure we'll use up a single tank all summer long let alone two.

screen door
this is an absolute must. It works great and allows you to keep the door open on nice days.

Cabinets
Get them all. They shouldn't be optional, they should all be standard features.

2" receiver for bike rack
We skipped this option after reading about complaints with sway. It can be added later fairly cheap.

Microwave
We used it a few times but could probably use the storage space instead

Hot water heater
Unless you plan to use the shower you probably don't need this. I turned ours on to make sure it worked but haven't bothered with it on our camping trips since we don't use the shower.

12v water pump
We use it but don't leave it on. When city water isn't available it comes in handy.

Vinyl Floor
This is a must. I can't imagine having carpet. My wife is constantly sweeping the dirt out.

12v and 120v jacks
We had them install all. We've used everything except the one on the outside.

front porch light
Used it a few times to find the right key and open the door but not a must have.

curtains
As others mentioned, we told scamp to omit the curtains on all windows except the door. We bought parts from IKEA and installed our own. Check out my forum thread for details.