Hello from Rhode Island

[r1200gs]

Hi. My name is Bryan Bartone. I am from Warwick, RI. I am in the market for a camper for my wife, Yooja, my six year old son, Logan and me. I am very interested in fiberglass, (eggshell), trailers. So here I am!

[David B.]

Welcome to the FGRV forum family, and good luck with your search. Try searching the for sale classifieds on this forum, as well as Scamp Owners International, Ebay & Craigslist, but be prepared to act fast with money in hand, as these tend to sell very quickly.
Dave & Paula

[Borrego Dave]

Welcome to the group. May help to tell us what you're looking for in a trailer and what you plan to use as a tow vehicle.

[r1200gs]

Thanks for the replies. Our family tent camping trips are typically 3-4 days. We have been tent camping for as long as 10 days. I would like something that would allow us to venture further with overnight stops. Something like a three week loop in the summer. I work as a software engineer. So I could even work out of my camper as long as I have a decent wifi connection. That could extend my trip to four to six weeks. I would love for my kid to see lots of national parks and have many campfires. He loves camping and makes friends with everyone at the campground. We actually like tent camping but the set up time can be a pain if we are moving from site to site. I have a Kodiak Canvas Flexbow, disc-o-bed bunks, a teepee tent, thetford portable toilet, etc. I carry it all in a spacetrailer utility trailer.

I don't have a tow vehicle yet. I want to decide on the trailer first. I am most interested in an F150 Platinum, 4x4, 5.5' bed, supercrew. When optioned out it has a payload capacity of about 1450#. That should be ok for most of the fiberglass trailers mentioned on this site. I do like the idea of a fifth wheel because of the reported ease of towing. But that will mean a 6.5' bed and perhaps the payload package on the F150. That would make it less desirable as a daily driver. I would like to avoid a 3/4 ton pickup if at all possible.

I am new to campers, so I am doing a lot of research. We went to the local RV show in Providence, RI. Great show if you want to buy a land yacht. Not my style. I find that I like the simpler and more utilitarian interiors than darker, heavier and more ornate ones of the upscale campers I saw. In other words I am not looking for a luxury apartment on wheels.

I am still wondering what length will suit us. I suspect something about 19' in a pull-behind will work. I don't want a monster, and I don't want to feel cramped.

Anyway, I hope that gives you an idea of what I am looking for.

[papa-t]

Welcome Bryan good luck with the search. I hope you find one.

[mary and bob]

Hi Bryan, we were just at the Providence show, working in the Jekyll Island booth. Did you get any of our free peanuts.

[WaltP]

Hi Bryan. I think with some patience and watchfulness you should find what you want in a fiberglass. The first things that come to mind are a 17' Casita Spirit Deluxe (SD), or a scamp 5th wheel.
I think you'd be amazed at how easy the small fiberglass trailers are to tow, BTW.
The Scamp 5th wheel would not require a 3/4 ton TV.
Moving up to 19'-21 ft, you are looking at a Bigfoot, Escape, or Oliver, all of which are much pricier new and harder to find used.
Other good places to look are casitaforum.com and
fiberglass-rv-4sale.com .

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

Walt

[Jon in AZ]

"Cramped" is a pretty subjective term.

We usually keep the beds set up in our 13' Scamp, but on a recent trip we converted to day mode (dinette and sofa) so the kids could do their schoolwork on a breezy day. My wife remarked on how spacious the trailer felt with clothes & bedding stowed. The kids worked at the dinette, I used my laptop on one end of the sofa, and my wife was reading on the other end. Four people in a 10' cabin and we did not feel cramped at all.

I've also heard people comment that a larger trailer like the popular 17' Casita SD may not necessarily feel roomier, as most of the extra space is taken up with the bathroom and storage. It comes down to what your priorities and expectations are.

I'd recommend trying to get inside a few trailers before you decide. Manufacturers can sometimes refer you to nearby owners willing to demo their trailers for prospective buyers. You could also plan a visit to one of the egg rallies, where there will likely be a variety of trailers. Many have a time set aside for open house tours.

[frank_a]

Well Bryan, you're in the right place! FGRV is a great place to start. It's how we got into our egg.

I'm real surprised a modern F150 only has a 1450# payload capacity? That's different from tow capacity? My old 2001 F150 did not come with a tow package and has a 5400# tow capacity.

This is another great place to look for eggs: Molded Fiberglass Travel Trailers For Sale | Fiberglass RV's For Sale

Best of luck to you!

Frank

[Flyboyscamp]

Bryan, check out Fiberglass4sale.com. Great site for fiberglass trailers for sale. Mine came from there. Beautiful 2008 16ft. Scamp.

[WaltP]

Doug
That's a "mispelling" of the one that Frank and I suggested.