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Old 01-30-2019, 03:23 PM   #1
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Name: Samaria
Trailer: In the market
Nevada
Posts: 7
Hi I'm Samaria

Me, my husband and 3 year old daughter recently moved to Northern Nevada and bought a pop-up camper. We absolutely love getting out an exploring, but not the set-up and tear down related to a pop-up. We also don't appreciate the lack of insulation when we are in the Sierras.

We have friends with a scamp and it is the best. We are looking for a something light, we have an almost brand new Outback that we will not be replacing any time soon. So I thought I would join and learn more about "eggs" and watch the classifieds for any 13 footers.

If anyone has any tips or lessons learned for first time fiberglass campers or have a 13 footer they are looking to off load, let me know. Otherwise we look forward to learning from this community.

Samaria (pronounced like Sarah - Sam.air.ah)
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Old 01-30-2019, 08:44 PM   #2
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Name: Mike
Trailer: 2012 Escape 19
Oklahoma
Posts: 6,020
Welcome to the forum! We are a friendly, festive, and occasionally feisty bunch. I hope you enjoy reading and participating here.

A 13' with front bunk, although it has no bathroom, can give you plenty of enjoyment and should be within the towing range of your Subie if you don't load too heavily.
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Old 01-31-2019, 12:04 PM   #3
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Name: Stephen
Trailer: Casita
Tennessee
Posts: 220
Two decisions

Samantha,

Two portentous decisions to make in your choice of a trailer.

Do you mind being limited to groomed road operations or do you want boondocking capability?

Do you mind losing the use of your investment for three winter months along with winterizing, storage and commissioning expenses or having northern states off limits during winter? If so, you need 4 season capability.

Stephen
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Old 01-31-2019, 01:05 PM   #4
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Name: bill
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
The Mountains of North Carolina
Posts: 4,137
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On a 13 footer, two key decisions to make:

1. Bathroom or no bathroom? To get a bathroom in a trailer this small you have to give up a lot, and the trailer will be heavier. Too much IMHO.

2. AC or no AC? The older vintage units were not designed for roof air, so its difficult to add AC later.

You're off to a great start already. You know what you don't like about the popup, and you know what you like about your friend's Scamp.

And Scamps tend to be more available, particularly in the small size, than any other brand out there.

As far as winterizing, even your popup, if it has a sink, will need winterizing and needs to be stored when not in use. Winterizing a basic Scamp 13 with no toilet or bathroom is about the same amount of effort as winterizing a popup.

I have a 1977 Trillium, and winterizing it was easy. Winterizing my Escape 19 was a lot more work, still not a huge job. Took me 1 1/2 hours to do the Escape. Each appliance/connection that involves water means another thing to winterize. Toilet? Hot water heater? Sink? Shower? Fresh water tank? Gray and black water tanks? And all the plumbing pipes as well.

Regardless of what you own, I am a big proponent of keeping your camper under roof when it is not in use. In my area, a simple carport works just fine.


Four season trailers in such a small size, I am not aware of one currently being made. Four season trailers tend to be a lot heavier, more than your Outback can handle, and double or triple the cost. Maybe someone else knows of a good four season, light weight and compact molded trailer.


One thing we learned after buying our first molded FG trailer is we wanted a permanent bed AND a place to sit. A permanent bed allows you to customize a mattress to your liking, instead of trying to sleep on a patchwork of dinette cushions. My back does not like sleeping on dinette cushions.... A foam bed of your liking, plus an old electric knife, and you can custom cut a mattress to fit in your camper. Or use an air mattress! For some reason, my back likes an air mattress just fine.

The trailer we bought had the former, but not the latter. Oops! Sold that trailer and got our Escape. On a 13 footer, without a bath they most commonly have a front gaucho (couch) that converts to bunkbeds. This gives you a place to sit! Sure, most of your time camping will be spent outside, but when the weather is foul, its good to have an inside place to sit. If you can possibly do without a bathroom, it really makes a 13 footer more usable.
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Old 01-31-2019, 01:39 PM   #5
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Name: Laura
Trailer: Escape 21' 2nd Gen, picked up on Black Friday 2016
Washington
Posts: 167
The December issue of Trailer Life covered about a dozen different fiberglass brand trailers. I recall there were some small ones in there and they might point you in the right direction. The article might be online at their site.


Yep, here it is:


Smooth Moves: New Fiberglass-Built Trailers | Trailer Life


A friend had a pop-up/hybrid trailer until her dog fell through the front fold out bed area and landed on the tongue. She always hated putting it away and how cold it was along the walls. The falling dog was the last straw. She now has a motorhome, which works just fine for her.
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Old 01-31-2019, 02:41 PM   #6
JBB
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Name: Jan
Trailer: 2017 Lil Snoozy
South Carolina
Posts: 492
Welcome Samaria! I hope you find the perfect camper for your family! I know it took us awhile and we eventually had to upgrade our tow vehicle. Once we did that we were able to get our perfect camper!
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Old 01-31-2019, 06:56 PM   #7
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Name: Gordon
Trailer: 2015 Scamp (16 Std Layout 4) with '15 Toyota Sienna LE Tug
North Carolina
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen_Albers View Post
Samantha,...
Samaria (and not Samantha it seems). Not to call you out on this, but the name intrigued me and I wonder what the origin is...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Samaria View Post
...

Samaria (pronounced like Sarah - Sam.air.ah)
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Old 01-31-2019, 07:02 PM   #8
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Name: Mike
Trailer: 2012 Escape 19
Oklahoma
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If nothing else, the origin of "Samaria" is... her mom and dad!
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Old 02-02-2019, 07:31 PM   #9
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Name: Steve
Trailer: Scamp 13
California
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Check the tow rating of your subie. My Scamp 13 weighs 1550 lbs with no front bath ready to camp. Then add another 500 lbs in my truck. People camp lighter than we do but not much.
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Old 02-02-2019, 09:12 PM   #10
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Name: Jon
Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
Arizona
Posts: 11,925
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Steve, a late model Outback is rated 2700# (braked) with a 200# tongue weight limit. That covers most 13’ers with a single LP tank.
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