Looking to start again with scamp

[Poppie]

Can anybody ofer any advise. I use to camp many years ago and thinking about starting again and looking at Scamp 19foot. Many questions have popped into my head.

1. Won't buy with out seeing one in person....where do I go?
2. Towing is with a Ball and hitch mounted in bed of truck?
3. Is any other arrangement available?
4. Shipping cost to NY by scamp.
5. Need truck to pull..... which one with best gas mileage?

On so on and son on. I'm sure many of these question can be answered when I see one.

[Gilda]

I'm sure you will get many fine responses from other forum members soon. In the meantime:

I suggest that you phone Scamp and ask them for previous customers in your area. Note: If you end up purchasing new the customer you visit is eligible for a small, but welcome, "finder's fee".

Look on this forum for Egg Gatherings in or near your area. They are listed on the forums page on the right side, down low under the "new posts" index.

There are many forum discussions regarding tow vehicles. Click on the "Search" button and go to the bottom of the drop down window to "Google" search, type in "tow vehicle" or "TV" and you'sll see some of the past discussions on the topic. Also look for "tow weights". There is lots of information there.

Perhaps there is an RV storage place in your vicinity. Look or ask if there are any models in which you are interested and ask the manager to send a message from you to the owner.

I'm sure there will be many more comments coming your way soon.

[SallyBEE]

Where in Florida are you? You can come look at our 19 footer. PM us.

[Flyboyscamp]

Find Greg on the Scamp forum. He has a site for fiberglass RV for sale site, tons of Scamps, Casitas on that site.

[Poppie]

I'm new to the site so I haven't learned to PM, but I'm near Daytona Beach fl.

I'll also look into the second message about looking at that site

Thanks again

[Mike Sullivan]

I'm just outside of Bradenton. Give me a message and we'll work out a visit. Always welcome Should say I also have a 19 footer

[Mike Sullivan]

I should also say that I pull mine with a Tacome 6cyc Took our from Bradenton to Napa and back (Over 9500 miles,) no problems. Towed at ove 10500 feet. handled like a dream.

[Poppie]

Your place is a bit far for a round trip, but If I'm ever anywhere around I'll send you a note and arrange something. Thanks again.

[Mike Sullivan]

Sorry your not close. Your ID (sign on) just says Florida. Oh well, we tried

[Poppie]

Mike thanks for the heads up, I'll look into redoing my profile. That should eliminate a lot of back and forth posts

[Dennis mn]

Just about any pickup is usable with a Scamp 19. I pulled mine for eleven years with a 2003 Toyota Tacoma 3.4 L V-6. I now use a Nissan Frontier with a 4.0 L. I usually get 16 to 18 mpg pulling the Scamp. (Same range with both trucks). The Newer Tacoma (I don't know about the latest 2016) and the Frontier are the only trucks with the bed low enough to accommodate the trailer without raising it. You are correct that the Scamp uses a 2" ball mounted to a frame that mounts in the bed of the truck. We love our Scamp and have never seriously considered anything else.

[Poppie]

that seems a little weird but you have been doing it for some time so I guess its OK. The height of the bed thing is very interesting so if I go forward with this Scamp buy I have to look into that. Is the frame in the bed of the truck easy to remove or set aside when you need the truck as a truck?

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Poppie

Can anybody ofer any advise. I use to camp many years ago and thinking about starting again and looking at Scamp 19foot. Many questions have popped into my head.
1. Won't buy with out seeing one in person....where do I go?
2. Towing is with a Ball and hitch mounted in bed of truck?
3. Is any other arrangement available?
4. Shipping cost to NY by scamp.
5. Need truck to pull..... which one with best gas mileage?

1. Call Scamp. They keep a file of current owners willing to demo their units. Or visit a fiberglass egg rally. Event coordinators may be able to tell you if there will be a Scamp 19 in attendance. The 2015 calendar is wrapping up and the 2016 calendar isn't posted yet. Looks like there are a few left in the southeastern region this year.
2. Yes. Scamp makes a proprietary hitch for their trailers.
3. Yes. I have seen a few converted to a conventional king pin set-up, but it involves custom fabrication. Do a Google site search on "Scamp king pin" and you may turn up an old thread (blue bar at top under log-in information, "Search," and scroll down to "Search Site/Google"). Here's one for starters: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tch-37367.html
4. Call Scamp. Scamp charges shipping according to zones, so a few people have found it advantageous to meet at a town in a nearby zone.
5. Loaded question. The new light diesels from GM (midsize Canyon/Colorado) and Ram (half-ton 1500 series) promise good fuel economy, but they are pretty pricey. Lots of folks seem to be choosing the new Ecoboost (small displacement gas turbo) engines from Ford. But they're not cheap either. Mid-sized trucks like Frontier and Tacoma are popular as well, and cheaper to buy. Other than a diesel, you probably won't see too much difference in fuel economy when towing- it take a certain amount of energy to move a trailer with a fixed weight and frontal area down the road. Some will do better than others when not towing, though. My personal opinion is that a nice used truck could save enough money over a brand-new, high-tech model to buy a lot of fuel. It may depend on how many miles per year you plan to travel. The Tow Vehicle & Trailer Combos thread has some data on fuel mileage that may help.

[Dennis mn]

Originally Posted by Poppie

that seems a little weird but you have been doing it for some time so I guess its OK. The height of the bed thing is very interesting so if I go forward with this Scamp buy I have to look into that. Is the frame in the bed of the truck easy to remove or set aside when you need the truck as a truck?

The original Scamp hitch bolted to the bed of the truck and was not easy to remove. It made my Toyota very unusable for hauling. The new Scamp design mounts with Reese fifth wheel rails and is removed by pulling four pins. I modified my old hitch to mount in this manor and it works very nicely.

I usually purchase used vehicles, but in the case of my Toyota and Nissan, I was able to purchase carry overs from the previous model year. As with buying used, the saving was enough to buy several years worth of fuel. I looked at a new Ram 1500 with both diesel and gas V-6 engines. Using the EPA fuel economy figures, I didn't think that I would save enough to ever pay for the diesel.

[SallyBEE]

You are welcome to come see us in Fort Myers if you feel like a road trip.