Wetbath

[Maifuian]

Hello everyone,

I'm in the market and I wanted to find the lightest weight models there are that have a wet bath in them? Toilet and shower. The lighter and smaller the better.

Thank you.

[Borrego Dave]

Welcome to FGRV Dee. I'm not sure but the 13' Scamp is probably the lightest. Others will have some suggestions for you soon. What is your tow rig ?

[Bob Miller]

As Dave mentioned, it all starts with your tow vehicle and what it's rated as to total weight and hitch weight. The Scamp 13' was/is available with a wet bath but those are very rare as the first option was a separate toilet, and a second option added the shower and the hot water system.


Just as a WAG, of all the 13' Scamps out there, that I would say that less than 20% had the bath and even fewer had the shower option.


As the 13'er's get real small with a dedicated bathroom/shower (we had one and sold it for that reason) you might want to be looking at 15-16' rigs. But again, lets start with the tow rig first.... what will you be towing with?

[starfighter]

Lil Snoozy is light and has a wet bath..........

[Des Nolan]

A wet bath can be installed in any FGRV. All you need is an inflated kiddie pool on the floor. Heat your water on the stove, tip it into the pool, do your thing, tip it out the door.

[Joe Z]

I believe the 13' Casita Patriot Deluxe(which has the wet bath) is about 1900 lbs dry weight and about 250 lbs on the tongue

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Maifuian

Hello everyone,

I'm in the market and I wanted to find the lightest weight models there are that have a wet bath in them? Toilet and shower. The lighter and smaller the better.

Thank you.

Weicraft makes the "Ponderosa" which is possibly a couple hundred pounds lighter than the Scamp front bath.
It is a LOT less convenient in design and the shower is a fold out, but it may take the title as the smallest with a shower. It also presents a smaller frontal area which is a factor as important as weight which is nearly always ignored on this forum.
Notice that the shower blocks the entrance/exit when in use.
The Scamp front bath is most likely to fill your criteria in a practical way, but it is nice to know whats out there.

Ponderosa Luxury Compact Travel Trailer for 2 - Weiscraft Trailers

[Carol H]

A good rule of thumb is to add 600lbs to any dry weights you may read.

The thread Trailer Weights in the Real World may be of some help. Although I don't see any weights of a 13' Scamp Deluxe that has the bath up front on the list.

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by Des Nolan

A wet bath can be installed in any FGRV. All you need is an inflated kiddie pool on the floor. Heat your water on the stove, tip it into the pool, do your thing, tip it out the door.

To finish your shower process "and then step into the mud when you leave the trailer..... LOL

BUT that said, almost all campgrounds discourage or prohibit dumping gray water on the ground.

Obviously one mans "Light" is another's "Overweight". I recently saw a "FeatherLite" sticky that must have topped the scales at 4500 lbs.

Let's find out what the o.p. will be towing with, if it's a certain Subaru none of the above recommendations will be "Light" enough.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Carol H

A good rule of thumb is to add 600lbs to any dry weights you may read.

The thread Trailer Weights in the Real World may be of some help. Although I don't see any weights of a 13' Scamp Deluxe that has the bath up front on the list.

Scamp makes both Deluxe and Standard with a front bath.
My Scamp 13D with every option except a second propane tank weighs...
about "1350 lbs" subtracting your "rule of thumb"
A new one nicely equipped comes in around 1750# delivered, without a 600 pound thumb on the scale.

[Darral T.]

My 13' Scamp is the standard model with bath/shower. It weighs in @ 1740lbs from the factory. You could leave off the awning, A/C and maybe some other stuff (not sure what it would be unless you forego the fridge and all!). Then you could probably get it to around 1600lbs. But now that I think of it, the Dometic toilet with black tank weighs in at another 50lbs. This doesnt include the piping and drain valve. So you may could go a lighter-weight porta-potty. We also have the Screen door. If you wanted to go all electric and eliminate the stove/propane and maybe go electric on the Atwood waterheater, you could probably drop into the 1500 lb range. But it would be a pretty stripped-down Scamp.

Originally Posted by Maifuian

Hello everyone,

I'm in the market and I wanted to find the lightest weight models there are that have a wet bath in them? Toilet and shower. The lighter and smaller the better.

Thank you.

[Maifuian]

Thank you everyone for the info and a warm welcome Borrego Dave. The lighter the better for me because I have a Toyota Yaris Hatchback Not at all ideal but that's what I got for now. The gas mileage I get for what I paid for the car is amazing!!


I've been searching Yaris forums of people that are towing a FGRV and so far it looks like there are a few modifications you can make to your Yaris to be able to tow without problems. I haven't had the time yet to call around but it's on my list. If you know of any FGRV towing folks out there I'd appreciate any advise.


Thank you.

[Bob Miller]

Hmmmmm.... (That's what I almost always start with when there is bad news LOL)
In the US Market the Yaris appears to be rated DO NOT TOW and, apparently in Canada, it is rated for about 750 LBS. That pretty much leaves out everything except the smallest of tent trailers, and certainly every known FGRV bigger than, maybe, a fiberglass teardrop. The euro ratings are not considered a part of the discussion hereabouts.


Actually there is nothing you can do to erase the DO NOT TOW limitation. When the manufacturer puts that in the manual everything else is based on that being adhered to, from your warranty, to your insurance, to your personal liability if something happens and you are towing over limit.


Here is a towing discussion on a Yaris site: Yaris Towing 1000 lbs? - Toyota Yaris Forums - Ultimate Yaris Enthusiast Site


Don't shoot the messenger..... LOL

[floyd]

Sorry;
If you read my posts you will see that I don't panic over "ratings", but I don't think the Yaris can be used to tow effectively.

You would be better off to buy a used 4Cyl Ranger or equivalent (to use just for towing) and consider it part of your trailer budget.

Keep the Yaris for what it was meant for... commuting and errands. The Yaris will loose 4MPG just carrying around a stout friend in the passenger's seat.

[RogerDat]

I know people with the Yaris. I'm thinking wet bath and tow capacity of said vehicle are a bridge too far.

There are some ultra lite teardrops and motorcycle sized pop ups that would be within a more reasonable weight for a Yaris.

For a shower there are battery powered pumps that heat water using one of those disposable green propane tanks. Small compact and light weight. Fit in a small bucket used to hold the water. One of those and a phone booth sized tent with mesh floor made to be an outdoor shower might be an option. Another few years I'm going to need another size reference, who will still know how big a phone both was?

There are endless debates about towing capacity exceeding, not exceeding, dire warnings and counter arguments. It is essentially really simple if you push the limits you have to do so only to the point where you (personally) can still do so safely. Yaris and 1,500 lbs. of trailer is at the least a very demanding challenge to do safely. Not to mention the repair costs that the additional wear and tear are sure to require.

Would be cheaper, safer, and a lot more relaxing to pick up a used vehicle with a towing capacity sufficient to deal with the trailer you actually want.

The best explanation backed by actual data I have seen for why Europe and US have such different towing specifications from manufacturer is speed. How fast you go has a huge impact on stability and ability to stop. In Europe the speed limit for a trailer tow is much lower, and the fines are huge for speeding with a trailer. Assumption is vehicle will not exceed that speed. In the US we not only have higher speed limits for towing there is also the presumption that we will drive over those limits and closer to the flow of traffic speeds. Speed has a profound effect on stability, there are other factors such as trailer brakes being required, special drivers licenses etc. in Europe but it mostly dovetails with the degree of difference between our speeds.

Just don't overwork your guardian angel with your tow/trailer combination.

[stevebaz]

Buy the trailer and rent the truck when you need it. Put the Yaris in the back of the truck and use it to run around when you get to the camp ground. You can mount an RF brake controller to the trailer so you can have electric brakes when you rent your truck.

[Donna D.]

Okay, so now we know more.

A YARIS.. OMG, my daughter and SOL have a Yaris. Great gas mileage car, but NO WAY would I recommend ANY brand/size of an all molded towable (even SANS bathroom) they could/should tow. I love them both too much.

You might be able to get away with towing a motorcycle tent trailer, but they don't have onboard full bathrooms.

Be safe, be sane.

[Casita Greg]

What is a Yaris? Is that like a "Yugo" or something similar? I've never heard of one, much less seen one.

[Glenn Baglo]

Maybe Google has the answer.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Casita Greg

What is a Yaris? Is that like a "Yugo" or something similar? I've never heard of one, much less seen one.

It's a Toyota build.

This is what my daughter and SOL have... a bit larger than a Smart Car!