Maintenance & Restoration

Thane · 02-21-2006, 06:30 PM

Family Camping Forum

I'd like to suggest that you establish a new Family Camping forum in your Around the Campfire section. This would provide a central location for the discussion of issues of interest to camping with children. I think that you would agree that the vast majority of fiberglass trailer owners are retired folks and couples. I believe that this a strong testament to the value and low ownership costs of these typically small trailers.

A dedicated Family Camping Forum would highlight the opportunities that small fiberglass trailers such the Casita, Escape and Scamp present to small families of three or four. I believe that there are many like me out there, we want a trailer but don't know that Moms Soccer Van can pull a 16 or 17 foot trailer that has all the amenities of home. I propose that these typical families can't afford a new tow vehicle as well as trailer and I believe that the comfort available through these small fiberglass trailers will be the catalyst to get a new generation of RV'rs on the road and enjoying the lifestyle and camaraderie that can be found in campgrounds through out the United States and Canada.

While researching this style of trailer, it quickly became obvious that at least 85% of the owners of these units are retired couples. I believe the primary reason for this is that small families simply do not know that Moms Soccer Van can pull these trailers, that these relatively rare trailers exist, and that they are available with bunk beds. Side mounted bunk beds are available through special order on the Casita Spirit Deluxe and available as standard equipment on the Scamp. Special order bunk house models of the Casita are available but not advertised on their website. Renting one of these units with bunks in front, a single bed/dinette on the side and a double bed in back is what convinced me to research and purchase a fiberglass trailer for my family. If other families knew of the possibilities that these little trailers offer, I believe we would see many more happy camping families on the back roads and highways.

I recently purchased an Escape Trailer, Floor Plan B. I believe it is the ideal trailer for a small family of four and a mini-van. The front bunk bed area can easily be curtained off for separate sleeping quarters for the kids. The side mounted bathroom and shower is of adequate size for washing the kids. The exterior shower is an added bonus to wash the big pieces of crud of our little camp monkeys. The fit and function of the interior components is outstanding and the trailer looks great, inside and out. We know that these trailers are not the best size for sitting inside and watching TV, but we want our camping experience to be an outdoor adventure, albeit with a warm and safe place to sleep and bathe.

Besides floor plans and trailer options, a Family Forum would allow for exchanging tips on places to go, modifications to make and safety issues to consider with these unique trailers. I expect that this forum would start out slow, since most families don't know these trailers exist, but would rapidly grow as Grandparents and friends make note of the forum and pass along some of the insights to those with kids.

Regardless, I appreciate your website and have benefited greatly from the information available. I hope to see you at a rally.

Bigfoot Mike · 02-21-2006, 07:49 PM

Thanks Thane.

I will discuss your suggestion with the other Moderators. We make changes like this very carefully. One of the things we have avoided is having forums that divide us. you may notice that all the forums are labeled to bring us all together: ie Owners helping Owners, Modifications, Camping Reports, etc.

Many of us take our grandkids with us and have the same issues as younger parents.

By the way, you may want to update your control panel to show which RV you bought and post some photos in the Welcome forum.

Be assured, we will be discussing your suggestion. Thanks.

Sharon Herman · 02-21-2006, 08:10 PM

Thane,

Wow! Thank you for taking the time to write that comprehensive post. I am a relatively new (last August) FGRV owner and have twin 5 year olds. I love, love, love this website and would also benefit from any "camping with kids" issues that come up.

Sharon in Seattle

**Frederick L. Simson** · 02-21-2006, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Thanks Thane.

One of the things we have [b]avoided is having forums that [b]divide us.

Be assured, we will be discussing your suggestion. Thanks.

Thank you Michael, for stating that so succinctly.

Why is it that in a world so full of people, we all feel so alone? This is one place where I see that our differences do not divide us. It is a continuation of the spirit of Wally Byam, amongst others, that I celebrate here. Do retired persons have The Answer? Do families have The Answer? Do ________ have The Answer? There are actually [b]more divisions between us than those stated so far. But, I won't go "there." Because, that is [b]"there", and this is here. We are all family here.

I think I may have broken a no politic'n rule, so I'll just go to my room now.

**Mary F** · 02-22-2006, 10:45 AM

Hi, Thane!

Welcome to the FGRV family! You've got a good idea there about adding content to our site that targets young families.

Our site was hacked a few months ago, and we lost a lot of our discussions on a wide range of topics. Thanks to the great members here, much of it has been rebuilt (and thanks to the Webguy, security has been increased); but you point out that we really haven't gotten the "kid friendly" topics back. (I know there was a discussion on family oriented campgrounds, in the Camping/Campground Reports forum, once upon a time.)

Somebody needs to get that topic going again...

WendyM · 02-22-2006, 12:48 PM

Im going to chime in and support the idea of a 'kid friendly' family camping forum.

Im a single mom of 2 boys and I just picked up a Trillium 1300 last week. I also suspect that the vast majority of owners here dont have young kids, so I think having a dedicated thread to pose those questions that might be unique to young families is a great idea. It certainly doesnt have to be exclusionary - I'd think that any experienced camper would have some great suggestions.

just my .02!

Bigfoot Mike · 02-22-2006, 07:49 PM

Wow, this opened up a whole Pandora’s box. Now I have requests for single women thread, a thread for hunters & fly fishermen, I even got one for Okra only.

As I discussed this with the Moderators it became very clear that we welcome ALL FiberglassRV’rs and many of the folks without kids have tons of great information that is valuable to us all.

New forums need to come from “use”. By that I mean, if there is so much activity about a subject it creates a need, we will respond with creating a new forum to make organization simple.

To start with, Post a new Thread in General Chat and we will make it a sticky. That means it will be given promenent position at the top.

enjoy

PS: Send me a PM with your thread ID number to give me a heads up, thanks.