buying a new scamp ??

[davefryg]

I am thinking of buying a new scamp direct from the factory in backus .There are not too many to be seen in the north west ,so i have to rely on there brochures,i need some feed back on the exprience before i feel comfortable about ordering, Is the quality as good as they claim?? .Are there any problems with there trailers i should be aware of.I would be glad of any information i can get.They say they will be up and running soon, after the fire last march ,should i wait a while for them to get the bugs out of the first run.I am a little wary of buying sight unseen, even though it will be a new trailer.who knows, there product may be even better. Has any one out there bought direct from scamp what was there experience of reliability and quality

[Doug & Anna-Marie P]

Have you thought about an "Escape" trailer made in Chilliwack??
Much closer to home, and you could see them before you decided to go with them....I think Reace is thinking of manufacturing a 13' model.........

[davefryg]

i have talked to escape in chilliwack but there price are unreal. With duties and exchange rates taken into account scamp are about $6000 cheaper dave

[Brian B-P]

Another moulded fiberglass trailer of a similar style, and essentially the same as a Scamp13' in size, is the Trillium Outback. Like the Escape (and Bigfoot) it is actually sold in Canada. Nothing against Scamp or Casita, but they don't actually sell here in Canada; they just let you buy the trailer in the U.S. and import it yourself. Trillium may even have a nearby dealer (they do where I live); on their website they offer to provide dealer information by e-mail.

I suggest checking out the Helpful-Links section of this site (see the left side of the page, and follow the "Trailer Brands" link) for alternatives and contact information.

If you want to see a Scamp first-hand, perhaps a visit to one of the northwest states would be in order, to meet a member of this forum with Scamp, since it's really tough to find them here.

[davefryg]

thanks for your ideas about buying canadian built and sold .I did also talk to trillium ,its the same story as escape close to 18k with taxes ,it makes sense to go to usa and save $6000 even after paying the duty ,taxes ,and exchange .AM TIRED OF GETTING SCREWED EVERY TIME BY BUYING CANADIAN

[Jeremy Witt]

Hi Dave,

My family and I have owned two Scamps. Our most recent one was ordered factory direct and picked up July 2005.

The factory had a fire last winter, and the last I knew they were up and running, making a couple of 16' trailers a week. I don't think they have started making 13's or 19's yet, that may have changed though. Either way, I think orders are WAY behind. Give them a call to see.

As for quality, there is a reason that Scamp has stayed in business as long as they have. Molded trailer manufacturers have come and gone, but Scamp and a couple of others have staying power.

All of the appliances in the trailer are normal RV type products. Fridge, furnace, etc. they're all standard RV equipment, not really "Scamp". It's the fiberglass shell and the piecing everything together that is "Scamp" and they do a great job.

Jeremy

[Pete Dumbleton]

Scamp maintains a list of owners willing to show their trailers -- Give them a call and see if they have something up your way -- I don't know when they will start making the 13' again.

[Roger H]

Hi Dave!

Congrats on your pending venture into the world of fiberglass trailers!

I have had three Scamps... a 1978 13' back in 1980; a 2002 16' Custom Deluxe that I recently sold, and for a brief time earlier this year I had a 2000 Scamp 19' fifth wheel Custom Deluxe that I have also now sold.

I have also had a fair amount of experience with a number of other brands, so I feel reasonably comfortable making first-hand comparisons. I have also had an '86 UHaul 13', a Love Bug II 18', a '78 Trillium 4500 VERY briefly, an '87 Burro 17' widebody, and now have an '04 Bigfoot 17'. If you'd like to look at photos, I have several albums available at: Fiberglass RV photos .

I can tell you that the Scamp construction quality and materials are second to none (especially from their custom shop), and their customer service is excellent. If Scamp is your choice, you need not be concerned about the product. That said, there may be minor production issues or appliance issues as there are in all new items, but they're a very simple RV with simple systems that are easy to diagnose and repair as necessary. Scamp is excellent at taking care of those issues as they arise. All of the appliances and systems are off-the-shelf stuff from common manufacturers.

Good luck!

Roger

[Brian B-P]

I have not seen Scamp prices (they don't post them on their web site), but if they are anything like those which Casita sent when I inquired, I would be very surprised if a Scamp 16' equipped like an Escape and delivered is only Cdn$12,000. Comparing a Scamp 13' in US dollars to an Escape in Canadian dollars wouldn't make any sense, of course.

Trillium seems to have gone for buyers for the Outback who are not very concerned about price. They have also chosen to produce only the smallest of the three Trillium sizes. I have seen their trailer at RV shows, and seen other customers look at the Outback with interest, then spot the price tag and exclaim that the price was unreasonable for what they would be getting. Despite the appeal of the fiberglass shell, it might be hard to argue otherwise.

So, Dave (davefryg), can you give us some pricing details (model, equipment, base and optioned prices, taxes...) on your proposed $12,000 Scamp? It would be interesting to know what what it would cost to get one here, since there doesn't seem to be any locally sold option at the small/low end of the range.

[davefryg]

HI BRIAN B-P I HAVE SENT YOU AN E-MAIL OF THE PRICE BREAKDOWN ---- DAVE

[davefryg]

HI ROGER THANKS FOR YOUR FEEDBACK A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT ANSWER . THE SCAMP IS A BOLER AND PROBLEMS THEY HAD IN THERE EARLY DAYS WERE BAD HINGES ON THE DOOR, WEAK FRAMES CERTAINLY AT THE HITCH , AND LOW GVW AXLES , ARE THERE ANY OF THESE PROBLEMS NOW

[Brian B-P]

The Scamp hinge design remains fundamentally the same as Boler, with one important (in my opinion) detail change: the body side now has a wide base and three bolts, instead of just two.

[Ted E.]

I am thinking of buying a new scamp direct from the factory in backus .There are not too many to be seen in the north west ,so i have to rely on there brochures,i need some feed back on the exprience before i feel comfortable about ordering, Is the quality as good as they claim?? .Are there any problems with there trailers i should be aware of.I would be glad of any information i can get.They say they will be up and running soon, after the fire last march ,should i wait a while for them to get the bugs out of the first run.I am a little wary of buying sight unseen, even though it will be a new trailer.who knows, there product may be even better. Has any one out there bought direct from scamp what was there experience of reliability and quality

We bought our 13' Scamp from the factory last fall. It was delivered to our home on Halloween. Without question, it is the best purchase we have ever made. It has been a continual source of joy. Very well made and great people to deal with.