Hello my new fiberglass family

[marcye]

My name is Marcye and I am so excited with the site. I am just comparing now but looking to purchase an RV and the information you all post is so helpful. I am leaning towards the Casita patriot 13' I am hoping that it is not to much for me as this is a first.

[David Tilston]

Marcye, Welcome to our family. Wishing you the best in your search.

[Carol and Mike]

Welcome Marcye, we've learned a bunch here - you're in the right place!

[Jon in AZ]

Welcome, Marcye!

Patriots are nice, just hard to find. If you're planning to order new, great. But if not, you might want to expand your search to include front bath Scamps.

Best wishes!

[bill&sandra]

Take a look at some of the used units for sale. These little 'eggs' hold their value and stay good for decades! We started with a Scamp 13 standard with cute striped awning and added a tiny portapotty for camping emergencies. Easy to pull, easy to set up for a lady!

[Darral T.]

Marcye,

You didnt say whether you're looking for new or used. I had the MOST difficult time trying to convince Casita that we wanted a new 13' (Patriot). I finally gave up and went with a Scamp 13'. Basically the same camper in size, etc. From the questions I asked, it appears Scamp was much more willing to "customize" more things than Casita. IF you're going new and IF you're going with a Casita, stay away from "Jean" at their factory. She's bad for their business!...or was in 2010! I dont mean to sound negative to a newcomer, but I was a newb back then myself and couldnt believe Casita..and they were closer to me (Rice TX vs Backus MN from TN) .

[Johnny M]

Welcome!

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Darral T.

...I had the MOST difficult time trying to convince Casita that we wanted a new 13' (Patriot). I finally gave up and went with a Scamp 13'. Basically the same camper in size, etc. From the questions I asked, it appears Scamp was much more willing to "customize" more things than Casita...

Casita's decision to offer larger trailers with or without bathrooms but the smallest only with a bathroom has always puzzled me greatly. Scamp 13's are available with bunks in the front, or with a privacy closet for a porta-potty, a toilet and black tank only, or a full wet bath. Scamp also offers the choice of the same 45" wide dinette/bed as Casita, or a larger 54" dinette/bed (at some sacrifice to the galley and closet). Scamp offers a molded fiberglass interior or a deluxe wood interior in oak or birch. Choices are good. Maybe that's why Scamp rules the 13' roost (at least in terms of sales).

BTW, Casita and Scamp 13'ers are not the same size in every dimension: Scamp has several more inches of headroom in 2007 and newer units. If you're tall, that might tip the scale, and even if you're not, it feels more spacious. I think it's 5'11" for Casita compared to about 6'2" for newer Scamps.

[Darral T.]

Thanks Jon for the additional info. I've never been in a Casita 13' so it's hard to directly compare other than I know they're both 13' lol. The headroom would make a lot of difference for alot of people. The 2007 and newer was when Scamp built the new factory and molds and added 2" to the height of their trailers.

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Casita's decision to offer larger trailers with or without bathrooms but the smallest only with a bathroom has always puzzled me greatly. Scamp 13's are available with bunks in the front, or with a privacy closet for a porta-potty, a toilet and black tank only, or a full wet bath. Scamp also offers the choice of the same 45" wide dinette/bed as Casita, or a larger 54" dinette/bed (at some sacrifice to the galley and closet). Choices are good. Maybe that's why Scamp rules the 13' roost (at least in terms of sales).

BTW, Casita and Scamp 13'ers are not the same size in every dimension: Scamp has several more inches of headroom in 2007 and newer units. If you're tall, that might tip the scale, and even if you're not, it feels more spacious.

[Lee Senn]

Marcye Welcome to the family! My advice is the same as always. The best place to start is to visit one of the gatherings in your area. Just check the forum and you will probably find one nearby. It is almost impossible to judge what will work for you looking only at floor plans and pictures. At a gathering you can see some of the different makes, models etc. A definite advantage is that you can also get input from owners as to what is important and the "querks" (sp) of each brand. Lee and Norma

[Mitzi Agnew-Giles]

Marcye, I suggest you look at Parkliner (factory in NC) and LilSnoozy (factory in SC) as they have more technical engineering in the outer shape to reduce turbulence and give a smoother, more efficient, gas-saving tow without stabilizers. The Parkliner is about the same size as a Scamp and has an unbelievable amount of storage space. Tom, their customer service guy, is an education in and of himself. He wants you to know what you are doing and he told me to go check out Lilsnoozys, Scamps and Casitas before making up my mind. A former backpacker and ultralight camper, the Parkliner would've done well for me...BUT not for DH and 3 cats. That's why, after touring the Lilsnoozy factory in SC I decided to go with that . We both liked the permanent bed and the huge basement makes a great play and cat litter area for our 3, maybe to become 4, cats. I am happy that I can probably handle the logistics of camping on my own, since DH has been less than enthusiastic about camping in the past. And, well, we are just too old to sleep on the ground.
If you are south of Orlando you might look at the teardrop selection at Camper Corral. In fact, a couple years back when I realized my back injuries would preclude backpacking, I started by looking at teardrops and motorcycle popups (Aspen tent camper) Over time we decided an egg made more sense for us. Awful hard to crawl out of a low profile tent when your legs cramp and you wake up screaming in the middle of the night.

[bill&sandra]

I agree completely with lee senn! Plus you'll meet some of your new family!!!

[Johnny M]

Originally Posted by Lee Senn

Marcye Welcome to the family! My advice is the same as always. The best place to start is to visit one of the gatherings in your area. Just check the forum and you will probably find one nearby. It is almost impossible to judge what will work for you looking only at floor plans and pictures. At a gathering you can see some of the different makes, models etc. A definite advantage is that you can also get input from owners as to what is important and the "querks" (sp) of each brand. Lee and Norma

Marcye I agree with Lee Senn, and I am hosting the Eggs on the Hiawassee River in north GA in May, it would be a good place to start. There are some sites left and I think you can tent camp there if you don't have an RV yet but there are some hotels just minutes away too if you don't do the tent thing. We'd be glad to have you join us or just come by for a visit...

[Indiana Lynn]

Hi Marcy, I am new to FGRV too. I bought my 16 ft Casita. Last fall. I don't suspect that a 13 footer is going to be too much for you! I thought I wanted a 13 foot it as well until I went to a rally and went in a couple and immediately realized that they were much too small for me and the three little girls that camp with me. Quite frankly I felt like they were too tight for me to even enjoy by myself. The pictures you see on here make the 13'ers look deceptively bigger than they feel in person. So I started shopping instead for something that was 16 or 17 feet and couldn't be happier with the size of my new 16', $6500 camper - even when it's just me. I highly recommend that you go to a rally and get in some of these before you finalize what you're going to shop for. Then check the forums every day because when the good ones come available they sell quickly. Get your hitch ready or make plans to borrow a vehicle, and be ready to go the very next day when what you want comes on the market. Good luck

[marcye]

thank you for the info Lee, i started looking and hopefully get to ky for the june rallie. going this weekend to lake placid fl to see a lil snoozy so i am testing the waters. love you people and all the information available to me..