Still Shopping

[Nealster]

New member here, right now we still have our 18 year old Coleman Destiny Cedar tent trailer. It's getting old and so is the Heat, popping up and down every day while on road trips. Last but not least we just completed a road trip from MN to LA and back WITHOUT air conditioning in June/July! I have been looking at the Scamp every year at the MN state fair for years. At one of the KOA's that we visited there was a Casita Spirit owner that gave us the full tour of his rig. By this time we were on our way back and we were amazed.

I can't decide between 13' or 17' feet. Our present vehicle is under powered so that isn't what we will be pulling it with. What I wonder at this point is if the daily converting of the dinette to a bed is a big hassle or as easy as my popup? If my oversize sleeping bags fit inside the dinette seats? Just how wide are those beds in the dinette/bed area? What does the Casita "front air conditioner look like? That Scamp bathroom sure looks narrow, is it wide enough?

As everyone can see I come with many questions. I travel quite often with my wife and we always cook at the picnic table. We usually camp at KOA's, National parks and State parks.

[CindyL]

I will let others answer most of your questions, but as someone who upgraded from a 13' to 16', yes, the larger size makes a big difference. I suppose the primary one is that not only the bed hassle is reduced, but so is the porta-potty. Most larger campers have separate bathrooms.
Honestly, while we cook most of the time outside too and set up a screen house for added space all the time, the additional space makes us happier spouses. There is space to maneuver around.

I would never go back.

CindyL

[Bill K]

I have a 16' Scamp side dinette and leave the big table down all the time.

Bill K

Originally Posted by Nealster

New member here, right now we still have our 18 year old Coleman Destiny Cedar tent trailer. It's getting old and so is the Heat, popping up and down every day while on road trips. Last but not least we just completed a road trip from MN to LA and back WITHOUT air conditioning in June/July! I have been looking at the Scamp every year at the MN state fair for years. At one of the KOA's that we visited there was a Casita Spirit owner that gave us the full tour of his rig. By this time we were on our way back and we were amazed.

I can't decide between 13' or 17' feet. Our present vehicle is under powered so that isn't what we will be pulling it with. What I wonder at this point is if the daily converting of the dinette to a bed is a big hassle or as easy as my popup? If my oversize sleeping bags fit inside the dinette seats? Just how wide are those beds in the dinette/bed area? What does the Casita "front air conditioner look like? That Scamp bathroom sure looks narrow, is it wide enough?

As everyone can see I come with many questions. I travel quite often with my wife and we always cook at the picnic table. We usually camp at KOA's, National parks and State parks.

[Pam Garlow]

I love my 13 footer, but I also camp alone. So I can sleep on the front bench and keep the table up. If I wanted sleep in a 'big bed' all the time, I'd definitely switch to the 16 footer, because taking down/putting up the table every morning would be a hassle.

[honda03842]

Recently we went to leaving the bed up for four years to making it up and taking it down every day.

I make the bed and found it's harder to make the bed up so it's presentable than it is to take it up and down. One thing we did to make it easier to get up and down is to cut the table in half and gave it a fold in the middle. We also changed the table material from osb/pressboard to pine making it lighter.

The half size table is perfect for two and further opens the trailer, even making it easier to get into.

Norm

[Karalyn]

I have a 16 ft side dinette Scamp for sale and you are welcome to come by and take a look. That would give you an idea of what one looks like. You would be able to tell if it would be doable or not for your needs. I usually leave the big bed made up all the time. Having the side dinette means I can have a table up also.

[Green Frog]

Just my 2¢ as a "solo camper." With my 13' Burro, I have the split front bench which can be configured with a "bridge piece" to make it a solid bench, or which can have the hardware and wood configured to make a two seat dinette. As I am doing my current buildout, I plan to use this as my eating space and take advantage of the large 1 piece mattress that came with the rig to make the larger, rear dinette my "permanent" bed. My only concern is for enough counter space if I am stuck inside in bad weather. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Froggie

[Nealster]

Thanks again Karalyn for letting my wife and me look at your Scamp. I am sold on the side dinette model that you have. I just might see what they have at the fair. I am kinda leaning towards the non "woodsy" interior.

[Donna D.]

Leave the bed down and sit outside... that's a HUGE livingroom, bigger than in any RV of any size. Works for me... YMMV

[jen b]

I think it kind of depends on how much time you are going to be spending in the trailer.

Like Pam said above, so far I have found that when I'm camping alone my 13-foot Burro is totally perfect. Adding a husband about 50% of the trips has also added a little bit of chaos because there's more stuff and fewer places to put it.

If I did a LOT of camping and a lot of couple-camping, I'd definitely be taking a 16 foot trailer into serious consideration.

[Alf S.]

Hi: nealster... The "Tug" is the most variable of the combo!!! We've had our Escape 4 yrs. now and finally got a tug that will do as a 4-5 pass. vehicle, as well as a very powerful tug while still delivering respectable MPG. 18.5- 20.5 while towing ain't bad. 3 adults and 95* weather= A/C full time in the tug and trailer!!! Boy is it HOT!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[james kent]

First you get an ailment called fiberglass trailers and it matter not what you get at first because shortly after you get another disease called twofootitis. This is when you wish for a slightly larger trailer so that you can haul even more unnecessary junk along on camping trips.

[Jane P.]

Originally Posted by Nealster

New member here, right now we still have our 18 year old Coleman Destiny Cedar tent trailer. It's getting old and so is the Heat, popping up and down every day while on road trips. Last but not least we just completed a road trip from MN to LA and back WITHOUT air conditioning in June/July! I have been looking at the Scamp every year at the MN state fair for years. At one of the KOA's that we visited there was a Casita Spirit owner that gave us the full tour of his rig. By this time we were on our way back and we were amazed.

I can't decide between 13' or 17' feet. Our present vehicle is under powered so that isn't what we will be pulling it with. What I wonder at this point is if the daily converting of the dinette to a bed is a big hassle or as easy as my popup? If my oversize sleeping bags fit inside the dinette seats? Just how wide are those beds in the dinette/bed area? What does the Casita "front air conditioner look like? That Scamp bathroom sure looks narrow, is it wide enough?

As everyone can see I come with many questions. I travel quite often with my wife and we always cook at the picnic table. We usually camp at KOA's, National parks and State parks.

I have a couple of observations for you. First of all, don't run out and buy anything. Go to rallys and contact the manufactures to see if they have programs that allow you to visit trailers in your area. Casita and Scamp both have referral programs using recent Clients. They will put you in contact with trailer owners who will let you come over to see their units and answer any questions. When I was looking for a trailer, I visited 3 or 4 Casita owners. This was great for me as it gave me ideas about mods, pros and cons of each model, what the various models looked like (with the beds/dinette sets made/unmade), etc. Everyone I met was just terrific and very frank regarding their likes and dislikes.

Regarding trailer size: 13 feet is very small. You really have to be good friends. Well, actually, you have to be good friends in any small area, but in a 13 foot trailer you really, really have to be good friends. I don't know how much gear you take on your trips and if you plan to buy a TV (tow vehicle) with room for all your camping gear, but you need to consider storage areas.

If your camping trips last over couple of weeks, you'll probably appreciate a larger trailer.

Regarding cooking/dinning, if you get caught in stormy spring and summer weather, you'll want to eat inside.

Most people leave the dinette into a bed. With the exception of one (very well organized) couple, they all tell me that converting to a bed every evening is a big hassle. The advantage to this is that the area under the "bed" can be used for storage. But There are disadvantages to this arrangement. The first is that the bed really makes the trailer look cramped.

Another disadvantage is that the "inside" person will need to crawl over his/her partner whenever "nature" calls. Aging couples (who lack agility for crawling over each other) seem to appreciate the double bunk arrangements afforded by the Casita Liberty. If you spend enough time on the 2 Casita travel trailer forums, you will see that the Casita Liberty is very popular amongst owners of Casita Spirits who want to "move up". Of course, this means that the Liberty's "double" beds need to be made each day and the dinning table set up.

I don't know your budget. But if you are considering ordering a new trailer, then consider an Egg Camper: it is wider and taller than the Casita or Scamps; and is designed and manufactured by an aerodynamics expert. Egg campers go for about the same price as a new Casita and Scamp. The used models have about the same resale value. It also has the same side dinette set as the Casita Spirit or Scamp 17.

Another Camper is a Escape 19. Escape trailers are more expensive than a Casita, Scamp or Egg Camper. But they are considered to be the best built fiberglass trailers on the market. What's more, the Escape 19' model has a terrific floor plan: two dinette areas located in the front and back of the trailer. The back dinette can be kept as a bed all the time, the noise section as a dinette. You'll need to see on to determine if it is wide enough to feel comfortable when camping.

To find the web sites of Escape and Egg Camper, click on "Helpful-Links" link. You'll find "Helpful-Links" listed under "Resources" in the side panel of this page.

Storage is a major problem with all these campers. The Casita, Scamp and Egg Camper lack a "basement" area for your towing equipment, and "dirty" BBQ equipment. If you own or plan to purchase a generator, you'll have to decide where/how to safely place it on the trailer. Again, if your TV will have ample storage for greasy, dirty towing and camping gear you'll be fine.

Regarding the AC: the Casita 17 AC is on the roof. I don't believe Casita still offers ACs in the front section of their trailers. The older Casita 16s had front units because roof was not strong enough to support an AC.

The Egg Camper has it's AC near the floor, in the front of the cabin. I have heard that the Egg Camper's AC is not located in a great spot for cold air to reach the very back section of the cabin.

If you do not always camp at sites with electrical hook-ups, you'll need a generator. The good thing about most of these newer AC units is that they do not require many watts for "start-up" at sea level. If you're going to be camping in the rockies, you need to consider your power needs for that elevation. So, when looking at trailers (especially used trailers), you should carefully consider what both the "start-up" and "running" watts of any specific AC unit. The more watts, the bigger, bulkier and heavier the generator. Important knowledge when determining issues such safe storage under tow, and accessing the generator at your camp site.

Once again, take a look at other models before you purchase anything.

Good luck! Happy hunting!