Vehicle for mountains

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by Del Gue

The only drawbacks to the Scamp, as I see it, are first, it's a long freakin way to Minnesota, and while I'm not above a road trip, did I mention it's a long freakin way to Minnesota?

Wayne, Once you move to Montana (or other parts west), Minnesota won't seem nearly so far away! Maybe I need to pull out an atlas to refresh my memory, but Scamp, EggCamper and even Escape may be as close as any. Several new buyers on this forum have commented on the excitement that built as they drove a good distance to pick up their new trailer and then the fun of breaking in their new trailer, camping in it on the way back home. Some even scheduled their pick up date to hit a fiberglass rally or two to show it off on their way home. Remember, it's not the distance that matters - it's the journey!

[Del Gue]

Dale, good point ref MN being closer to MT. I'm still in the Florida-think mode and hadn't really thought in those terms, but you be right.


Just checked, and Backus be just short of 1800 mi from here. From Bozeman or Great Falls to Backus is just under half that distance. And I have no qualms about exploring ND a bit on the way through if such a trip was needed from MT.

[Bob Miller]

If you have a problem with a Scamp during the warranty period you contact Scamp and then take it to a local RV shop for repairs, same as after, except you hope that Scamp will reimburse you for warranty repairs if they are Scamp related. Appliances and such are covered by their Mfgs. warranty.

[Del Gue]

Thanks, Bob. I didn't know how that worked with them selling from the factory like that.

[Raz]

There are three fiberglass manufacturers in the south. Casita is made in Texas, Lil Snoozy is made in South Carolina, and Parkliner in North Carolina. While all manufacturers will connect you with an owner, a factory visit might be better. Of the three, Casita is the oldest and has a large owner base. It also has it's own forum. Happy hunting. Raz

[MC1]

Originally Posted by EcoHeliGuy

The problem with the Escape and all uni-body toe vehicles, is the trailer will transmit a lot of sounds into the passages compartment.

Old wives tale # 14.

Originally Posted by EcoHeliGuy

As well for the most part you can't use a weight distribution hitch on a uni-body.
Sent remotely

Old wives tale #21.

My dad's 1964 Dodge Polara was a unibody and he used a WDH for years.
Our 1993 Nissan Mini Van was a unibody and it used a 750lb rated WDH.
Our 2003 Infiniti G35 sedan is a unibody and has used a 750lb rated WDH for 10 years.
There are 1,000's and 1,000's of unibodied vehicles, some towing upwards of 4 or 5 tons that are using a WDH. No problem.

* Note hitch mods may be required but hitch mods are required on many full frame vehicles as well to prevent flexing.

[Del Gue]

Good to know, Raz. Very helpful. Thanks!

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Del Gue

Just checked, and Backus be just short of 1800 mi from here. From Bozeman or Great Falls to Backus is just under half that distance. And I have no qualms about exploring ND a bit on the way through if such a trip was needed from MT.

hummm, From Great Falls Montana to Chilliwack, BC where Escape trailers is located is only 767 miles.

As far as your question on how to get repairs done on a trailer you did not buy locally goes, as Bob mentioned *most* of the current manufactures will arrange to have the repairs down at a location near you, including the Canadian manufactures.

As someone else mentioned you would find it very very helpful to actually see the different brands of trailers. You can call the manufactures and ask them to hook you up with an owner located near you. Or you should attend a fiberglass trailer rally where you will get to see many different brands and sizes all in one spot. I know lots of people who where sure they wanted such and such a trailer or they had bought the perfect trailer for them until they say that other xyz brand. Check out the 2015 Fiberglass Trailer Rally Map. It is updated often so if there is nothing near you today there may be tomorrow.

Edit: forgot to add that you should while deciding on which trailer is right for you make sure you set up a spread sheet in regards to the costs of each and what is included as standard equipment vs optional so you are making a more accurate comparison in regards to costs. Many of the trailers have a fairly low base price but once you add on all the items you are wanting the cost may be equal or even more than an XY brand that comes standard with those items.

[Del Gue]

Thanks, Carol. There is going to be an RV show about 50 miles away in June, and I am leaning towards going back out to Madison the first 2 weeks in September, which would give me an opportunity to wander around the campground and talk to folks about their trailers and rigs. There is also a state park not far away from me that I may take a ride down to soon and check out the campground for trailers and folks to talk to.


And I will make sure to compare apples to apples when pricing trailers to make sure I get the best deal on the trailer and amenities that I want.


Just out of curiosity, does anyone tow their trailers with anything like a Jeep Wrangler or the new Cherokee that is based on the Dodge Dart frame?

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by EcoHeliGuy

The problem with the Escape and all uni-body toe vehicles, is the trailer will transmit a lot of sounds into the passages compartment. You will hear the hitch banging and the ball bouncing. Body on frame like a pickup truck has rubber pucks between the frame and cab that removes the sounds from the hitch.

Sent remotely

Our Honda CRV was a uni-body car that we towed with for 7 years all over Canada and the USA. We drove a couple 1,000 miles of dirt roads and some horribly pot holed roads towing and never really noticed any particular transmitted noise beyond normal even after 250,000 miles. Uni-body seems strong enough.

In a sense the fiberglass trailer is a uni-body structure sitting on a frame as compared to stick trailers.

We have never had a WD hitch and have never felt that the front steering was light. We did try to have the shortest distance possible from rear axle to the ball, something that mitigates ball loads with respect to front axle lift.

As well we are low ball weight towers, typically around 8%. In 7 years we never experienced sway. I believe the key there was center loading the trailer, keeping weighty items near or over the axle.

We have purchased another uni-body vehicle, a 2014 6 cylinder Honda Odyssey. So far we average 19 mpg towing, covering about 2,500 miles

Today we took a trip thru central FL, non-interstate and averaged 33 mpg non-towing, amazing cylinder management.

Surprisingly the Odyssey gets better highway mpgs than our 4 cylinder CRV and 2 mpg less than the CRV's 21 mpg towing.

[sokhapkin]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Surprisingly the Odyssey gets better highway mpgs than our 4 cylinder CRV and 2 mpg less than the CRV's 21 mpg towing.

No wonder here. The more powerful the engine is, the lesser is the difference between empty and towing MPG. Here is my statistics towing Scamp 16 on flat Florida highways:

Mercury Grand Marquis 2001 4.6L V8 - 25MPG not towing, 17 MPG towing.

F150 2013 5.0L V8 - 21.5 MPG not towing, 17.5MPG when towing.

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by sokhapkin

No wonder here. The more powerful the engine is, the lesser is the difference between empty and towing MPG. Here is my statistics towing Scamp 16 on flat Florida highways:

Isn't adding "flat" when describing Florida highways sorta "Captioning the Obvious"? LOL

[sokhapkin]

There are hilly parts too. For example stretch of I-75 between Tampa and Ocala.

[PC Steve]

Originally Posted by sokhapkin

There are hilly parts too. For example stretch of I-75 between Tampa and Ocala.

Yeah, both of them...

...but they really foul up traffic because most Floridians have never changed lanes before.

(And I are one!)

[EcoHeliGuy]

There are a couple overpasses, and bridges....


Sent remotely

[sokhapkin]

Florida is not flat

[Stan and Carol]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

There are three fiberglass manufacturers in the south. Casita is made in Texas, Lil Snoozy is made in South Carolina, and Parkliner in North Carolina. While all manufacturers will connect you with an owner, a factory visit might be better. Of the three, Casita is the oldest and has a large owner base. It also has it's own forum. Happy hunting. Raz

And don't forget Oliver in TN.

[Mike Magee]

The interior components used in Scamps, Casitas and such are pretty much common to the RV industry. Same with the axle. Easy to get worked on at any RV place. The chance of needing warranty work done on the fiberglass body itself is fairly remote.

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by sokhapkin

No wonder here. The more powerful the engine is, the lesser is the difference between empty and towing MPG. Here is my statistics towing Scamp 16 on flat Florida highways:

Mercury Grand Marquis 2001 4.6L V8 - 25MPG not towing, 17 MPG towing.

F150 2013 5.0L V8 - 21.5 MPG not towing, 17.5MPG when towing.

The difference between towing and not towing with the Odyssey is about 16 miles per gallon. We get 19 mpg towing and 35 mpg not towing.

With our Honda CRV we got 21 mpg towing and 30 mpg not towing for a difference of 9 miles per gallon.

The Odyssey is a much larger vehicle, heavier and wider yet it's non towing mileage is better around town and shockingly good on the highway. On Interstate trips we have averaged 36 mpg. This is because of the 6 speed transmission and the fact that on the highway the engine is mostly running on only 3 or 4 of it's 6 cylinders.

The Odyssey's 'stuff' hauling ability is amazing, 4x8 sheets of plywood with the rear hatched closed and....

[papa-t]

2015 Colorado V6 "Truck of the year"