Obsessed with FGRVs in Austin...

[RogerDat]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

Quote: "If you were willing to give up the storage under the front couch."
WOW, give up storage in a 13' Scamp, I'd think that was a non-starter.
Not only that, the front wall curves into that space at the bottom.

But, if one were to do that they could name their egg: "The Sardine Machine"

I considered what I store under the couch and it's nothing I need to get to fast except for the first aid kit in the middle cupboard. Nothing there I could not move to under the rear dinette seat or the car.

Accessible storage is in short supply. Heck we have been known to put the bunk up just for a shelf to put our clothes containers on. We use our camper mostly as a hard sided tent, one that we can keep loaded with equipment ready to go. Cooking and most activities are outside. We sleep inside and that is pretty much it. Camp stove and kitchen pots and other cooking supplies travel under the dinette in 3 containers on the floor.

I'll have to measure to provide a better idea of bunk dimensions. The wall curves out in the middle relative to the floor. The existing bunks are positioned in that wider center portion but for kids it may be enough room depending on size of kids. Heck I swear our kids and grandkids when they were little would sleep anyplace the cat could curl up.

[Bob Miller]

In our 13' Lil' Bigfoot I installed two pull out drawers in the center and a porta potty garage, w/door on the right side of the front couch. The left side was where we stored all of our emergency spares, work clothes and a small stash of canned food. The drawers were courtesy of IKEA.

Here's some pics, the front couch detail is on page 2 of the link.
The Best 13 Ft RV On The Planet Photos by advocateone | Photobucket

[RogerDat]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

Here's some pics, the front couch detail is on page 2 of the link.
The Best 13 Ft RV On The Planet Photos by advocateone | Photobucket

Very nice mod and trailer in general.

Scamp floor has a riser on the left and right, cupboard in the middle where the floor is the same level as the main floor. People have squeezed a drawer in on the right. By default side compartments only accessible through the top.

That far left compartment is where we keep some tools, bottle jack stuff like that. Sounds about the same as stuff you describe. Have to have it hope I never need to get at it. The side storage is pretty shallow. Bottle jack has to be on it's side. Could only fit port-a-pottie in the center between the risers.

Since the bottom bunk would sit on risers (in scamp) there would still be some space in the middle, could put a drawer there, or as I suggested access panel through the bottom bed. Drawer would be more practical I would think but skills to install a drawer while not extreme are greater than an access panel.

Wife thought it would work when I mentioned it, she remembers the bus bunks and thought it might work in that space in the scamp.

Apologies to the OP we have gone off in the weeds from your original question to discuss how we might modify your trailer you have yet to purchase. It is a sickness truly it is.

[MC1]

Kia Sedona Update:

I just got back from a Dr. appointment and noticed the Dr. was driving a Sedona and it had a class III installed. I asked him what he was towing? He said they moved from Alberta to Ontario a few years ago and he rented a large dual axle Uhaul cargo trailer. He said the Kia towed it well but he did not feel comfortable taking it over 90kph. Considering the size and weight of the trailer and the fact no WDH or sway control was being used I can understand his concern. The good news that would interest you is that the van was up to the task for the job at hand. Stability at speed could have been addressed with an appropriate setup.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by MC1

He said the Kia towed it well but he did not feel comfortable taking it over 90kph. .

For those in the USA it should be noted that 90 KPH is only 55 MPH in case you are wondering.

[brian m.]

Karen,

Just show up at the rally in Bandera. You will be welcomed by everyone.

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by kapers88

Thanks again, everyone. I've been so impressed by all the quality information that circulates in these forums!

I'm glad y'all don't think I'm completely crazy for thinking of putting five people in a 13-footer. Rather, maybe we are all crazy, but I like it.

Shoot, I bet we could fit 30+ clowns inside a 13', so what's 5 sleeping campers?

I took my son and two granddaughters camping in a 16' trailer. They were 7 and 6 at the time. It wasn't too bad until it came time to make the beds, and then I was wishing I could send the lot of them outside for a while (but it was raining at that point). Just something to think about.

A 16' Scamp or Casita will tow just about as easily as a 13', because it has about the same wind resistance (same width and height, or close to it). All you are adding is more weight, and that mainly will hit you only when climbing grades.

[kapers88]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

A 16' Scamp or Casita will tow just about as easily as a 13', because it has about the same wind resistance (same width and height, or close to it). All you are adding is more weight, and that mainly will hit you only when climbing grades.

That's a good point and I didn't know that. Thanks!

Just show up at the rally in Bandera. You will be welcomed by everyone.

Thanks!

The good news that would interest you is that the van was up to the task for the job at hand.

Oh, good. I imagine a trailer used for moving household would be much heavier than a 1200lb fiberglass egg. Thanks for asking him!

Apologies to the OP we have gone off in the weeds from your original question to discuss how we might modify your trailer you have yet to purchase. It is a sickness truly it is.

God, I think I've got the sickness, too. And I don't even have the dang trailer yet!

[Byron Kinnaman]

I see that some people are advocating a 16' trailer rather than the 13' you indicated you would like to have. I wouldn't trade my 13' for anything.
As for kids, my children are grown and have almost grown kids themselves. At this point grandpa and grandma are the only ones sleeping in a trailer. The rest are sleeping in tents. We took our kids backpacking when they were just 7 and 4 years old. They had to carry their own tent even. 30+ years later they're still sleeping in tents.
One thing we discovered is that the kids much preferred their own tent or tents (all three of them). Their tent was an escape from mom and dad. Our camping trips were in all kinds of weather. Rainy weather the 3 would hold up in one tent and play card games, or nap. In sunny weather they would hold up in one tent and play card game or nap. They seemed to really like being able to have space of their own.
Conclusion suggestion from my experience.. Let the kids have their own space in the form of a tent. As they get older add another tent.

[MC1]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

Conclusion suggestion from my experience.. Let the kids have their own space in the form of a tent. As they get older add another tent.

A good point Byron. Back in the day my dad being a school teacher allowed our family to do a lot of traveling. As teens we too enjoyed sleeping in tents and not in a trailer. Seems to work good for many.

[Roger C H]

You might want to consider the question of privacy using a porta-potti in such close quarters.

[RogerDat]

A 16 ft. might well be more convenient when it comes time to get ready for bed or dressed in the morning. Look at the 13 ft. and 16 ft. floor plans and while they are not to scale that extra 3 ft. does show up as floor space in the middle.

Showroom - Scamp Trailers

In those scamp floor plans note that some do not have a front window because they have storage across the front which might make triple bunk up front easier. I still need to get out and take some rough measurements.

Something I do not know is if the 16 ft. scamp has the raised floor under the two sides of the couch. If you go to the rally and are considering putting in 3 bunks you might want to note if certain models have a flat floor across the front. Also find out how people attach modifications to that brand of trailer. Scamp and other single wall trailers people often epoxy or fiberglass in block of wood to attach to, or go through the wall. Double wall campers such as Egg Camper and I think UHaul they tend to use some different approaches to anchor add on modifications.

Oh and plus one on putting the kids in a tent after a certain age, they tend to love it. Unless it's pouring when you set up camp. At least that is how I recall it as a kid. Brother and I in tent, sister "stuck" in camper with the parents :-)

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by RogerDat

Something I do not know is if the 16 ft. scamp has the raised floor under the two sides of the couch.

My front bunk model does. The centre storage portion of the bottom front bunk that has the door on it is flat to the main floor though.

[Karen T]

If you can find a way to see a 13 footer near you, I definitely recommend doing that, taking the entire family, and spending some time inside. Once all 5 of you are inside, do you see a way the sleeping arrangements will work? Do you envision it working if you are stuck inside the trailer for a day or two because of poor weather? If so, do you see all 5 of you still fitting comfortably in a couple of years (if the plan is to keep it for several years)? It's really dependent on your own personal preferences and experiences. My family has been comfortable in trailers others would say really only work for two people.

But, we've also learned that what works at first (two small kids on one bunk, for instance) doesn't always last long. Those kids keep growing! I think lots of folks put the kids in their own tents as they get older. That isn't an option we're able to do because we frequently camp in areas where bears are active and I don't want the kids outside alone in a tent. But for many people that's not an issue or it's not an issue frequently enough to matter. Just a few other suggestions/thoughts to throw out there.

[kapers88]

Thanks, all. I like the thought of using the trailer + a tent. I guess the only time we would all squeeze into the trailer would be in bad weather. So I think I only need it to be *possible* to sleep all five of us inside the trailer.

I failed to mention that we have a large dog. At ten months old he is 70 lbs. He's a Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherd Mix so he is likely to be 90 pounds of very fluffy love when he is full-grown. I'm thinking that he will probably take up the whole floor area whether it's a 13' or a 16' trailer.

I do think we could squeeze three people into the full-sized bed if necessary, although it's true that kids grow and it won't be long before they are all too big for that. (I think we have at least 5 more years of having at least one "small kid", though.)

I really appreciate all the ideas and comments! Thanks.

[MC1]

Originally Posted by kapers88

I failed to mention that we have a large dog. At ten months old he is 70 lbs. He's a Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherd Mix so he is likely to be 90 pounds of very fluffy love when he is full-grown. I'm thinking that he will probably take up the whole floor area whether it's a 13' or a 16' trailer.

I really appreciate all the ideas and comments! Thanks.

Agree, 5 bodies plus a mammoth dog is not going to work. I would be looking for a larger trailer like a Bigfoot.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by kapers88

So I think I only need it to be *possible* to sleep all five of us inside the trailer.

I failed to mention that we have a large dog. At ten months old he is 70 lbs. He's a Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherd Mix so he is likely to be 90 pounds of very fluffy love when he is full-grown. I'm thinking that he will probably take up the whole floor area whether it's a 13' or a 16' trailer.

I do think we could squeeze three people into the full-sized bed if necessary, although it's true that kids grow and it won't be long before they are all too big for that. (I think we have at least 5 more years of having at least one "small kid", though.)

I really appreciate all the ideas and comments! Thanks.

I spent 5 very rainy days a few years ago with two adults & two children (15 and 11) and two large dogs - a 75lb lab and a very large(read tall) 90lb golden on the west coast of Vancouver Island in a 16' Scamp. It was originally planed that the 11 year old boy would sleep in the tent with the dogs to keep him company. That worked for the first night.... second night in the wee hours of the morning he banged on the trailer door reporting that he had a big river of water running through his tent! He only realized that after the dogs growling at a black bear passing through the campsite had interrupted his sleep. With the two children and both dogs sleeping inside it made the simple task of getting up and making a pot of coffee a bit of a challenge each morning. Oh and stepping on the little plastic pieces of board games that had gotten loose the night before with bare feet all made for some Great memories though!! Not sure what we would have done differently had we had 3 children with us.... lol.... perhaps just not let them in and tell them they need to toughed up? or perhaps do as many tent campers do - put the dogs in the car to sleep and put a child on the floor of the trailer.

[kapers88]

Originally Posted by Carol H

I spent 5 very rainy days a few years ago with two adults & two children (15 and 11) and two large dogs

Hahaha! That actually sounds like fun, although it might be more fun in retrospect than in the moment, right? I think in bad weather (rain, bears, etc) we could always throw a person or two (and a dog) in the minivan.

If you think it can't be done, don't stand in the way of someone who is doing it!

Hee hee, I might just have to pack us all into a 13-footer just to be stubborn. I like that quote. (Plus, the Bigfoot and other large trailers just seem like so much trouble.)

[David Tilston]

A compromise is a Trillium 4500. 15' but exactly the same floor plan as a 13' Trillium, Boler, or Scamp. Only a couple of hundred pounds more.

That extra space is spread out over a larger bed, kitchen, closet, and front bunk. After being in a Trillium 1300, it seems huge.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by kapers88

Hahaha! That actually sounds like fun, although it might be more fun in retrospect than in the moment, right?

We did manage to have a lot of fun memorable days regardless of the weather. When talking about that trip I don't recall hearing the children who are now both teens actually talk about the rain, they just recall the other things we did on that trip and funny events associated with all of sleeping in the small trailer.

I almost forgot about the fact one of the children's brand new sleeping bags came apart at the seam during the night... sending lots of feathers floating all over the trailer - took repeat vacumings & weeks before I actually was able to find them all. Anytime anyone moved in the trailer feathers would appear - the dogs thought it a fun new game - leaping up to try and catch them! That is one thing the children recall of that trip and laugh about most frequently.

The time the children are at an age where they actually want to camp with you is way to short but the memories will last a life time for you and them, so make the most of it!