Newbie needs help before ordering my Scamp

[floyd]

Originally Posted by 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.

All the remarks in the above "rundown" are great, sensible and based on sound opinion, with the exception of the first which assumes facts not in evidence.
I like the heatstrip in the A/C, an option which works well and is commonly overlooked.

[Jared J]

Originally Posted by 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?

Exactly. The first time I had mine out, I was going down a wet slippery hill, and was glad to have them. Granted, it's a 19' fifth wheel, but also with a 1/2 ton pickup.

There's no such thing as too much braking power, you don't have to use all of it.

I always bring up the "what if", because you're assuming you will never have trouble with the vehicle brakes, or have to panic brake. Take it from somebody that lost rear brakes and trailer brakes simultaneously on interstate…it's not a fun ride. I got lucky, and again, that was a 1/2 ton with a 2000lb trailer.

[honda03842]

We bought ours used so we did not have all these choices but we pretty much agree with Chris except for the dual propane tanks and microwave and possibly the awning. I really don't see any purpose in dual tanks except to add weight to the tongue. Ours came with a microwave but we took it out, anything it can do the stove top can.

If you're not around the campsite an awning can be a liability in wind and heavy rain. Over the years we frequently see them mangled.

We also don't like the roof AC, partially because it hurts the 'lines', and on more than one level, and our closet AC does the job for the few times a year we use it. Of course we're not hot weather campers.

As to the wood interior, it looks nice. I've seen Floyd's and liked it. For me it was not a long term appearance issue but rather the extra weight. We have a comparitively light tow vehicle and attempt to minimize tongue weight.

Chris, wishing you safe travels and much road joy.

[glennco]

I too have a wrangler, an '07. You'll need to run wire to support the addition of a brake controller and power to the camper. Etrailer.com has an instruction video that lays it out pretty well. Our wrangler is a 4 door and we have a 16 ft trailer. The trailer brakes are really nice with our setup. Quite frankly brakes on a 4 door wrangler aren't great in the first place, so anything you can do to give them some help is worthwhile.

[Hman66]

Norm...thank you. Simple yet functional. Like it.
Floyd/Chris....good comments. We did get the 13 ft deluxe. We liked the wood appearance, can handle the weight fine and don't plan on doing anything to get them wet nor dirty. Neat freaks...ha! Most all our cooking will be outside except in bad weather. We got the single ball with a battery. Multifunctional. Almost everyone said they never used their second ball ( other forums). Got the bike receiver.... We are big bike riders so ill be aware of potential sway...thanks for the heads up. Got the awning, wind issues, noted...ill pay attention to the weather on my tv...ha. One person was camping in Ocean City MD and said they heard about evacuation orders for an upcoming storm on the tv. We are big football fans and much of our camping will be to travel to away games thus a necessity. Our salesmen advised against the heat strip. Said they often break and are expensive to fix. Advised on getting a cheap ceramic heater so we went that route. I hope I don't regret taking his advice. We live on the Fla/ Al line so warmth is not as impt as AC. Got the electric brakes...just seemed like a smart move to error on the side of safety plus 99% of the advice told us to get them. Pretty much in line with everything else. Basically, we thought if we are ordering new we might as well get several of the options as many were not that expensive on the front end but more to add later on. Thank you guys for great advice it is very much appreciated. It's funny, one persons pro is another's con. Some things are always agreed upon (brakes). The feedback, in totality, has been a great education.

[Hman66]

Also...Paul. Thanks for the feedback on the video. Ill check it out. With a 3 1/2 month build out timeframe I have enough time to get this done but I want to do it before I get my Scamper! Being dumb on this point I am going to ask Scamp to send me some instructions for when I go to a place to get it installed. I have both a Uhaul and a Camping World close by. I assume both can do the job.

[chuyler1]

Originally Posted by floyd

All the remarks in the above "rundown" are great, sensible and based on sound opinion, with the exception of the first which assumes facts not in evidence.
I like the heatstrip in the A/C, an option which works well and is commonly overlooked.

Only fact I have for you is second hand. Wayne at Scamp told me about the trailers they brought to a local fair. After a week of fair attendees walking in and out of the various models the standard edition cleaned up nicely. The deluxe models were covered in dirty fingerprints some which simply didn't wipe off. If you have kids...you'll eventually end up in the same situation. If it will be adult owned, I'm sure you will do a better job keeping your hands clean and free of sticky things. Call up Scamp and talk to Wayne before getting the deluxe edition. That's my only recommendation.

[Hman66]

We talked to Allen at Scamp, different story. No difference than kitchen cabinets relative to cleaning. We will put a coating on them first and it's a kid free zone. They can buy their own campers...ha! The Fiberglass, to us, looks a little stark.

[rabbit]

Even in a standard Scamp, there's the rat fur to worry about. Not the best surface on which to swat Mosquitos! But it is camping not the Waldorf so each perfect egg will experience a few design shortfalls, many of which can be made to seem amusing in retrospect.

jack

[honda03842]

I/m always amazed how well the Scamps stand up to time.

Our Scamp is 22 years old and the rat fur is original and still locks great, There are a few places where it's gotten dirty, a little rug cleaner brightens it in minutes.

We have replaced all the doors on our cabinets with wood and coated them with urethane. They clean with just a light wipe.

As to the fiberglass surfaces I like the bright white with the wooden doors. It really is an easy surface to maintain.

The weak link is the cushions that simply wear out.

One of the nice aspects of traveling in a trailer is that cleaning'our road home takes minutes.

A little cleaning tip, when on the road we carry a chamois, in the morning after a heavy dew I just go out and wipe down the trailer, rinsing the chamois every now and then.

[Bob Miller]

You might look for someone other than Camping World to do your wiring.

In my experience, they are always higher than anyone else and, at least hereabouts, their TV work isn't all that swooft.

Don't know about your vehicle, but in the GM products with the towing kit option, all of the wires are already in place. My local RV dealer wired in the brake controller and the charging line on a Yukon Denali for .5 hrs labor. I just did both ends on my Blazer in about an hour and I didn't have a clue and had to find the tucked in wires myself. Wire color codes will usually be in the owners manual.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by chuyler1

Only fact I have for you is second hand. Wayne at Scamp told me about the trailers they brought to a local fair. After a week of fair attendees walking in and out of the various models the standard edition cleaned up nicely. The deluxe models were covered in dirty fingerprints some which simply didn't wipe off. If you have kids...you'll eventually end up in the same situation. If it will be adult owned, I'm sure you will do a better job keeping your hands clean and free of sticky things. Call up Scamp and talk to Wayne before getting the deluxe edition. That's my only recommendation.

First hand, I've owned my 13deluxe for 9 years, and have owned a couple dozen other fiberglass trailers as well, in varied condition. I simply don't see any objective truth in that "Standard vs. Deluxe" comment.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by rabbit

Even in a standard Scamp, there's the rat fur to worry about. Not the best surface on which to swat Mosquitos! But it is camping not the Waldorf so each perfect egg will experience a few design shortfalls, many of which can be made to seem amusing in retrospect.

jack

I've never seen a wall surface in a travel trailer which requires less care to remain like new.The stuff is amazing and pleasant both visually and tactilely.

[chuyler1]

Originally Posted by floyd

First hand, I've owned my 13deluxe for 9 years, and have owned a couple dozen other fiberglass trailers as well, in varied condition. I simply don't see any objective truth in that "Standard vs. Deluxe" comment.

Ok Floyd, I'll stand corrected. I guess the only reasoning then would be weight, cost, and personal preference. I don't think weight is that big a deal unless you are really trying to stay lean.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by chuyler1

Ok Floyd, I'll stand corrected. I guess the only reasoning then would be weight, cost, and personal preference. I don't think weight is that big a deal unless you are really trying to stay lean.

There is apparently nothing which can be done to dispel the weight myth, it seems to have reached urban myth status...
So....at least we know that there is a significant price difference at purchase,made negligible at resale.
I love'em all,but a Faberge ain't yer average cackleberry!

[honda03842]

I think the 'myth' began on the Scamp web site.

They show the wooden interior as heavier though I must admit on the 13 only 100 lbs heavier.

On the Scamp 16 the difference is closer to 400 lbs. To me that would be substantial, particularly if it transfers to the tongue.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by honda03842

I think the 'myth' began on the Scamp web site.

They show the wooden interior as heavier though I must admit on the 13 only 100 lbs heavier.

On the Scamp 16 the difference is closer to 400 lbs. To me that would be substantial, particularly if it transfers to the tongue.

While I wouldn't presume to doubt what you say, I can not find any such statements on the Scamp website. Could you please point them out?

[honda03842]

Go to the Scamp website pick a trailer model and go to specifications and see the trailer weight ranges.

[jrbowers07]

~~~I know we will order the air but, living in Gulf Shores, Al...I'm not sure I want the furnace...especially because I can always use a small electric space heater. The awning seems to be an $800 must. More cabinetry and lighting seems like a good idea too. The microwave oven is $220... I can buy a small lightweight one for under $100 and put it in a cabinet so..??? should I upgrade to linoleum? Is the TV antenna worth it? Should I upgrade to a larger fridge, larger battery...I'm really a newbie on the function of electric brakes...order them or have installed later? I chose the 13 ft vs the 16 because I have a 2013 Jeep Wrangler with a GTW of 2,000 lbs. I felt the 16 would be too heavy and of course more money, plus, like I said...these buggers are not cheap, any advice would be appreciated. We wiant to take a 6 week trip to Florida this winter but mostly will use it on weekends, football games, etc. Heck, we just realized we should get an outside ground mat...lol. Please share your thoughts and advice from experience...thank you...H[/QUOTE]

We would not recommend the awning, too expensive...an easy-up would work just fine and hopefully wouldn't damage the trailer if the wind comes up.

would recommend the extra lighting (f they have an option for LED's, choose those), vinyl flooring.

we have the TV antenna but have not used it much since we can't pick up many stations and the TV is just another thing to haul....use our laptop for movies, etc.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Go to the Scamp website pick a trailer model and go to specifications and see the trailer weight ranges.

I found what you were talking about and you may be right about that being a partial source for the myth, although the myth far predates the website. It must be taken into account the difference in base features and layouts. I see no evidence that it is the wood vs fiberglass cabinets which makes the difference.

I still say "Myth Busted" even if the "average" deluxe slightly outweighs the "average" standard (what ever that means)
.
The hundred pounds difference in the basest of each "approximation" is easily explained by base features, heck the fridge alone makes up almost all of it, compared to the icebox.

When Options are added those numbers become even less relevant