What made you choose FBRV?

[JustBrowsing]

My wife and I would like to upgrade our tent to something a little sturdier, and when we saw a Scamp 13 at a KOA recently we were intrigued.
So we started looking at small RVs and realized that maybe this RV thing may not be so bad.
What we have found so far is that Scamp seems to be the most budget friendly FBRV out there with I guess Oliver on the luxery end.

It seems like an FBRV is more expensive than a regular RV of the same size, and often it seems like the regular RVs offer more attractive finishes for the same price.
So my question is, why did you choose FBRV over the other type?
Also, if you've owned both, what made you jump from one to the other?

Thanks for your time.

[Bobbie Mayer]

My first trailer is the Campster. It was 36 years old when I bought it. Part of the choice at that time- lightweight and would fit in my garage. But I was sold when I camped in it during a wind/rainstorm at a dog agility trial. My friend who had just bought a recent model "lightweight" trailer had leaks that night and ended up taking it back and never buying a trailer again. I was just fine and cozy in my 36 year old trailer.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by JustBrowsing

My wife and I would like to upgrade our tent to something a little sturdier, and when we saw a Scamp 13 at a KOA recently we were intrigued.
So we started looking at small RVs and realized that maybe this RV thing may not be so bad.
What we have found so far is that Scamp seems to be the most budget friendly FBRV out there with I guess Oliver on the luxery end.

It seems like an FBRV is more expensive than a regular RV of the same size, and often it seems like the regular RVs offer more attractive finishes for the same price.
So my question is, why did you choose FBRV over the other type?
Also, if you've owned both, what made you jump from one to the other?

Thanks for your time.

Fiberglass trailers last a long long time. Fiberglass is lighter, initial cost is lower. I've had my Scamp for 11 years, bought it new. Have had very little problems, and no problems with water leaks. Stickies often have water get in-between the paneling and outer wall causing rot that can go UN-noticed until the cost of repair is prohibitive.

[steelypip]

It's probably worth mentioning that FGRVs hold their value better than stickies do, too. If you're shopping for, say, a 17 foot Casita, you'll be looking for a good while (they're all pre-sold before they're built) and can expect to pay 50+ % of current list price for a serviceable example regardless of its age.

As for which camper is cheaper/more available, I think that depends a lot on where you're shopping, what size you want, and how much work you're willing to do. The world seems to be full of affordable 13 footers, and you don't have to look very far to find one. They're generally closer to where they were made, so Burros are more commonly on the west coast, Casitas in the south and southwest, and Trilliums are much more common in Canada than the US. Scamps likewise, are more common in the midwest and northwest than elsewhere.

This doesn't mean that they don't get around, but if you're in VA, like I am, you're more likely to find a Casita than a Scamp.

If you want a 16+ foot trailer, they get scarce quickly, and if you find one you want, you'd best jump on it cash in hand.

[stevebaz]

I went from tarps to tents to pop up trailer to smaller motorhome and then to my Scamp 13 foot.

By far the trailer is the simplest solution. It's always ready, self storing and cheap to keep once you pay for the trailer. Pretty much hook up and go.

With minimal roof leak points and no open seams on the roof to fail it will out live me. It's already 30 years old. Maintenance and modifications I can do myself. It cost me about 2 weekends a year to keep on top of it and once you pay for the trailer throw $300 bucks a year into a jar for maintenance and trailer registration it pretty much covers the cost to own it.

Some years I buy grease and wax and other years maybe tires or a battery. The biggest expense was the first year when I spent $5000 for the trailer and $1500 to catch up maintenance, rewire, add a heater and solar.

I do all my own work so my expenses are not typical.

This is the only thing in my camping lifetime I bought and when I am ready to part with it I will get most of my money back.

The biggest mistake I made was the motor home. It cost me too much to look at it and far too much to even think about taking it out. It just sat there burning money. All of my expired camping gear pretty much ends up in goodwill or the dumpster.

The Scamp just sits there and makes me and envious people smile. Except when the white trailer says hey I need a bath and a new coat of ZEP.

[Darral T.]

A 13' FG Scamp/Casita (that's all I knew about in 2010) is all I could pull. But after studying up and coming here, I realized there's more than meets the eye here. These things REALLY hold their resale value!!

Not saying I wont own a "box" trailer because of their size and roominess potential inside, but you wont get the service out of one of those for as many consistent years as you will our "eggs". I've seen WAY too much delamination, sagging frames, etc that it scares me with the laminates...not even to mention the "Stick and tin" trailers of yesteryear....and yes I know they're still available but do NOT ever want one!

The 13'ers are a "novelty". If you dont believe it, take one to any campground and just sit there. Be ready to play "Host"!

[emij]

We were tent campers for years and years, and intended to buy a lightweight popup camper that we could keep in our garage. Then some friends of ours bought one and we hung out inside of it during a storm, and decided it really was no different from a tent. Plus, it took them twice as long to set up the pop up as it did us to set up our tent (and again to take it down) and we decided nope on the pop up.

Then we bought a tiny 13 foot vintage trailer to paint and restore, but sold it when we realized how much rot was under the walls and how cost prohibitive it would be to fix all of it. We never even camped with it one time.

From there, we began looking at Scamps, for their lightweight status and ease of set up. As former tent campers, we wanted to still be able to camp in some of our favorite spots, which has been doable due to the small size. We also wanted to be able to simply pull in and unhitch with little time spent for set up. Our Scamp 13 has been incredible for us!

[Roy in TO]

As a kid I tented and then dad bought a tent trailer. In Uni, we went tents because of $$. That suited us fine for years.

Then we got a dog that would not go into a tent, because the floor moved. We had to go to the East coast for a family thing in high season and many places don't take dogs. Especially if they are 80 Lbs. I found this site, listened to Donna D who said "consider it a hard tent on wheels" till you get it fixed.

I found a 13' wreck, cleaned it out and put duck tape over the hole in the roof. Some thought I had lost my sanity. A rally, then the big trip with a rally went well. And we were hooked.

Two dog itis, led to two foot itis. Plus a whole lot of new friends.

[Jon in AZ]

Pretty much what everybody said...

1. I can tow it with a vehicle I already own.
2. It weighs about the same as a smaller tent trailer but without the set-up and fold-down of (sometimes) wet canvas.
3. It's solid and secure in bad weather (which got my wife on board).
4. Its simplicity means less time and money in maintenance.
5. It has fewer places to leak and less to get damaged if there is a leak.
6. It fits in almost any campsite.
7. It fits in two parking spaces at the shopping center.
8. It's the only thing I have ever purchased (other than our home) that has appreciated in value.
9. It's the only RV I have owned that I expect to pass down to my heirs.
   
   And most important,
10. The "cute" factor means my kids are always asking when we're going Scamping again!

I have previously camped in tents, the back of my Subaru, a hand-me-down conversion van, a small Jayco tent trailer, and a Toyota mini motorhome. None were as simple, comfortable, and relatively effortless as the Scamp. The conversion van came close, but not when "I" became "we." No going back for me!

[BCDave]

I did the tent thing. Also the "sleep in the back of the pickup" thing with a canopy on the back of the truck. That led to slide-in camper unit, which was top-heavy and generally a PITA to use

When I started to going to hot rod "rod runs" we realized that we were missing all the parties & socializing by leaving each evening to go to a motel

A "tin sided" sticky then followed me home. Within 3 years it was leaking, wood was rotting, etc. THEN I saw that nearly every hotrod was being pushed down the road by 13 foot Bolers etc. Since the 13 was too small for us we got a second hand (from another hotrodder) 17 foot Boler which we had for nearly 20 years. My '57 Chev never noticed it was there. Essentially zero maintenance required. We were hooked. A Bigfoot 21 (yes they DO make large F/G trailers!) then replaced the Boler 17 and now (after my Bigfoot got itself hit) I'm looking for a Bigfoot 25 footer. I would NEVER look at any other type of RV other than a molded glass one.

[KatZam]

As a kid, we always tent camped and I loved it! I continued to tent camp as an adult until I started noticing trailers and how comfy they looked. Our first trailer was a tent trailer, only kept it for one summer because I couldn't stand assembling it up and down and the zippered walls didn't keep the bugs out! . I fell in love with a little 13" Boler I had noticed for sale, but was soon sold. That started my quest for a "glass egg". Bought a brand new Scamp 13" in 2009 and we loved it! Towed well behind my 2005 Honda CRV. For a 13" it was quite spacious inside as it slept 2 adults, 2 kids, and 2 dogs! We out grew it and bought a 25" Salem (stickie). The Salem was a good trailer as our boys got bigger, but in my heart I always wanted to go back to a molded fibreglass trailer. Sold the Salem this Spring, and am now looking forward to our Escape 19" which will be ready for camping March 2017....can't wait!

[KatZam]

In my above post, the trailer sizes should be in feet, not inches.

[Mitzi Agnew-Giles]

Hi. My last true tent camping trip, as opposed to staying in the Tent Mahal in a city koa to enable dh to visit an historical city, was in 2006 at the NW Ontario Atikokan Base of the Boy Scout Northern Tier High Adventure Base. Since 2010 I've been a prisoner in the city due to extreme chronic pain and weakness due to pulmonary issues and weakness. I finally decided that an RV might be able to get me out in the great wide open again. Could not afford a motor home brandnew so started to research buying a used RV with the many blogs, websites, newsletters and YOutube postings. The "how to"s terrified me. Too much to expect to go wrong with a stickie. Leaks. Possibility of fires. Accidents. Besides, we are fairly modest, small living people and the stick builts just seemed to want to go into useless ostentation. Didn't want to have slides- didn't want to have to pull their weight or maintain them. Kept an eye on RV recalls. Stickies. Finally decided to check out casitas and scamps, which I had seen occasionally in campgrounds as I was checking in and out of the parks heading for the backcountry. Discovered they are made of molded fiberglass and there are many more manufacturers than just those two! Researched and believe me Jon's list mainly hits the highlights. Actually toured Parkliner- it would've worked for just me, but dh SWEARS he will come camping with me now. And we have 3 1/2 cats to tote along. Toured LilSnoozy, and that very generous underbed storage makes a nice place to have a kitty space, as we are staying very ultralight in our planning and logistics.
(that 1/2 cat is the kitten that the burglar dropped off- he's about half grown now)

[JustBrowsing]

Such fantastic replies!
We are a family of 4: 2 daughters, both love camping but my youngest is petrified of bugs.

How comfortable are the bunks in a Scamp 13?
We also have an Outback, and the Scamp 13 seems to be the best choice when trying to sleep 4, for what I am able to tow...
Is converting the bed to table and back to bed a pain or easy?
I'm also still very interested in more experiences of people who moved from box RVs to FB. I love your stories.

Thank you all for sharing.

[raster]

My husband bought our first FGRV trailer "for me" when we were engaged, in a bid to get me out camping. It worked. I tried my best to be a tent camper for years but never loved it.

One unexpected thing I love about our Scamp is how often we’ve used it for non-camping situations where we need a crashpad. It’s saved us a ton of money and hassle. We’ve used it to attend weddings, family reunions, visiting friends, and another events that we don’t need a full-on hotel room (or want to burn our vacation budget on one). Two weeks ago we slept for $28 a night instead of paying $179++ a night rate for the hotel at a wedding. When we’re invited to parties at places in more rural areas outside the city, we often can bring our Scamp and save the hour-long drive home in the dark. Oh, and we also stay in my sister’s Casita when we visit them – it’s made a fantastic and easy-to-set-up guesthouse to augment their smaller home. It’s a win-win for all of us.

You asked about the Scamp 13’ comfort specifically. It’s quite comfy for my family of three, but everyone in my family is under 5’8” tall. Everyone’s definition of “comfort” is different, so I’d encourage you to find someone locally who can show you a camper. Our son sleeps in the lower bunk (ideally), but sometimes he’s ended up in the big bed and Mom or Dad wind up in the lower bunk. It’s a cave to crawl into for an adult but comfortable once we’re in there. I think all this would be similar with small differences for the other 13' eggs. We used to have a Burro 13' and it wasn't substantially different.

If you’re new to trailer camping and aren’t certain it is a long-term thing, there are many worse choices than buying a used 13’ FGRV to get started and trying it for a year or two. If you choose wisely and maintain it well, you can change your mind and sell without too much of a financial hit.

Welcome - and good luck with your search!

[FRED SMAILES]

FGRVs are COOL!.

[Tonnie]

1. Holds value

2. Shell will not rust.

3. Lightweight so I can tow with a small vehicle which gets better gas mileage.

4. Fun challenge to fix up as a project.

5. My 13' Scamp is a plug and play... Just screw on the water hose and plug in.

6. Cute as a bug's ear!

[Tonnie]

PS - We've had

Tents - Nearly floated away in a deluge..

Slide in truck campers - Felt like truck was going to tip over...

Class A Motorhome - Used so much gas we couldn't afford to take it anywhere.

Pop-up - Husband didn't like having to set it up and kept hitting his head on the roof air.

Class B - Toyota Dolphin, I liked it but too much mechanical maintenance for my husband.

Stick travel trailers - leaks, leaks, leaks which caused trouble, trouble, trouble.

We tow our Scamp with a convertible!!! Hard to beat that

[garycarolyn]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Pretty much what everybody said...

1. I can tow it with a vehicle I already own.
2. It weighs about the same as a smaller tent trailer but without the set-up and fold-down of (sometimes) wet canvas.
3. It's solid and secure in bad weather (which got my wife on board).
4. Its simplicity means less time and money in maintenance.
5. It has fewer places to leak and less to get damaged if there is a leak.
6. It fits in almost any campsite.
7. It fits in two parking spaces at the shopping center.
8. It's the only thing I have ever purchased (other than our home) that has appreciated in value.
9. It's the only RV I have owned that I expect to pass down to my heirs.
   
   And most important,
10. The "cute" factor means my kids are always asking when we're going Scamping again!

Attachment 100005

I have previously camped in tents, the back of my Subaru, a hand-me-down conversion van, a small Jayco tent trailer, and a Toyota mini motorhome. None were as simple, comfortable, and relatively effortless as the Scamp. The conversion van came close, but not when "I" became "we." No going back for me!

We have a 16' Casita - totally agree with all you have listed. Plus having a bathroom and bed always set up with additional dinette and benches is fabulous. The hard shell makes us feel safer too, like from raccoons!

[margeleept]

Jonathan, I see you said that you tow with an Outback. Do you have a v6 Outback? My 4 cylinder is only rated for 2000 lb towing, and if the 13' Scamp had much of anything in it you'd be approaching the limit. I've also read that except for the driver, the weight of the passengers also counts toward your tow weight. "They" say you don't want to stress your car and your safety by coming close to the tow capacity. We have a 700 lb tiny teardrop that the Outback can tow, but I definitely feel the strain when trying to stop...the car wants to just keep on going. And now that the car has 120,000 miles on it I'm feeling the strain of towing. Just give it a thought. I know that people tow near the limit all the time, but it's really not a good idea. I know the V6 has a higher tow rating, 2700 lb, in which case the 13' Scamp should work fine.