Couple of front bunk and side bath questions

[LyleB]

I have a Scamp 16 Layout 4 on order. Can anyone answer a couple of questions for me?

- Is the Sofa back easily removed and re-installed? Does it just screw into place?

- What is the width of the Sofa base? Could this bottom bunk be used as a full time bed for a moderate sized adult. I'm not adverse to a relatively narrow bed.

- What is the size of the raised portion of the side bath floor? I'm wondering if my composting toilet would fit in place of the normal toilet.

I may alter my order, but I do like the larger counters of the Layout 4 and 5, and like the option of two sleeping/sitting areas of the Layout 4. It's biggest drawback is the loss of a closet (with the larger refrigerator). Layout 5 offers plenty of storage, but no second sleeping/sitting area. Thoughts?

Only a few more months to make a final decision.

Thanks if anyone can get these measurements for me.

[Jon in AZ]

The sofa back is easily removed- 4 screws IIRC. The lower bunk is 24" wide. I'm 5'7" and 160# and I sleep there all the time (under the upper bunk). Other than headroom (not an issue if you remove it), it's plenty big for me.

If I were traveling solo, I'd do just as you are thinking: make a permanent bed there and leave the main dinette up. I might replace the thin 2-piece stock cushions with something nicer for longer trips. A custom mattress could actually be a bit wider- about 26"- by coming all the way to the edge of the bench and covering the bunk post mounts.

Don't know about the side bath.

[gordon2]

This is what I measured..

Sofa base (not cushions): 74 ½ inches at longest. Due to the curve, appx 69-70 inches length at a point 6 inches from the front (bow) edge.
Width: 26 3/4. Due to curve about 24 inches wide at the side edges of the storage hatches and about 20 inches wide at a point 6 inches from the port and starboard edges.

Shower pan is about 23 x 32 inches. The sides are curved and those numbers are close to where it is flat. The top of the pan is therefore wider. This area is for both the commode and your feet, unless you sat with feet outside the door, which actually might be possible with a platform added outside the door.

I tried to use the front sofa as a bed and at six feet tall there was no way it would work for me. In fact the rear bed is none too big for me alone because I spread my arms out. I hate to have that space on the sofa next to the side bath that is of not much use. I usually just pile stuff there. I leave the rear bed up 95% of the time and added a small table on the front. The sofa backrest would not be too hard to remove but I suspect enough of a pain to be a semi-permanent thing, and likely require two people.

If you have not seen the campers in person, its a very good thing to do.

[thrifty bill]

Not a Scamp owner, but we had twins in our Casita, which were only 23 inches wide (a regular twin bed is 42 inches wide, so pretty narrow). So I would do some minor modifications to maximize the width as much as you can. 23 inch wide kind of worked for me, didn't work for my wife at all.

Then for one person, I agree, leave the dinette set up as a dinette.

Jon, could you make the base of the sofa wider (basically put a plywood top on it), to get perhaps 30 inches wide? Sure one end is limited by the side bath, but is there enough room on the other end?

Most big towns have a custom foam shop where you can get foam cut to size. Or get a twin bed sized foam bed, grab an electric knife, and cut it down (just don't use that knife for Thanksgiving dinner). We bought a cheap electric knife at Salvation Army just for this purpose. Cost less than $3.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

...

Jon, could you make the base of the sofa wider (basically put a plywood top on it), to get perhaps 30 inches wide? Sure one end is limited by the side bath, but is there enough room on the other end?
....

I'm not Jon but I just went out and tried to measure above the base.. its kinda meaningless because of the curve, but at the widest you could squeeze out about another inch of so in width and length with plywood resting on the lip of the base. It might damage the rat fur, and maybe even the camper body if not done right. You could get a little more by going higher where the shell is wider, but I don't think that is very practical.

Edit: Oh sorry, forgot the other end (starboard side). If you get the screen door (and you SHOULD!) then the frame is the same as the bathroom wall for about six inches from the side. You could cut plywood to be wider past that point but then it would be sticking out and you might hit your legs on it when coming through the door. Still, people have widened the front bunk but as I recall in such a way that the extension could be moved out of the way.

I don't mind the rear bed full time. YMMV

[Jon in AZ]

Gordon's right- what you see is what you get- about 26" tops. There's no place to go.

The curve... It limits head space, so I find a smaller pillow works better. It also limits foot space. If you are an active sleeper, could be a problem.

Lengthwise, I can see it would be a problem over 5'9" or so. Grateful I am not "vertically challenged."

[Doug in Sacramento]

I have a Scamp 16, layout 4. I disconnected the back of the couch (easy) and lay it on top of the seat cushion when someone sleeps there. That makes the bed wider and more comfortable. I may reinstall the back since our grandsons are almost old enough to go Scamping with us.

I love the available counter space with the layout 4 configuration. I can’t imagine working with less. We also have the small refrigerator so we still have the closet. Works well for us. We have a “Yeti” type ice chest if we need more cooler space.

If I could reorder our Scamp, I would leave off the “stinky slinky” tube in the front (I removed it) and have a lower cabinet door installed on the closet.

[LyleB]

Thanks everyone. I considered changing to Layout 5 with the front bath and storeroom, but then that limits having both bed and seating area. I've also recently seen a video of the sofa back being removed and used as the bed, seems to be a pretty good option for me for a permanent bed.

I have a 13ft now, and the biggest annoyance for me has been the lack of kitchen/counter space. While workable, it became a pain to always have to move things around whenever you want to change from cooking to washing dishes to making coffee, etc. Layout 3,4,and 5 all have MUCH better kitchen/counter space.

My thought for additional closet space is to build a shelf unit (might also have some room for hanging clothes) that will fit beside the bath, it will sit on legs over top the bottom bunk (with the top bunk removed). I would leave the bottom of this open, to allow my feet to have access to the end of the bunk. I also called Scamp today and added the front cabinet to also increase storage space. This will also allow me to anchor the home-built cabinet at the top.

Some good news in speaking with Jim at Scamp is that their production schedule is substantially better than promised. I was told in Feb to expect the trailer to be ready in early Dec, possibly the last of Nov. Today Jim told me it could well be Oct when mine is built.

Also, I deleted the toilet from my order. I have been using a C-head composting toilet in my 13 foot, and it works GREAT. Plus, it just clips to the floor with rubber latches that take about 2 seconds to release. I figure, since this bath is so cramped, I can just remove the composting toilet from the shower on the rare occasions I will want to shower in the trailer. Will have much more room to move around, and not have to worry about the toilet getting wet. Cheap plastic stool will work to sit on if I need it, but probably won't.

If I find the front bunk to be too confining, I can always replicate my U-shaped couch/permanent bed with a swing arm table that has worked so well in my 13 footer. I already have the cushions custom made by Scamp in the same fabric I ordered. I'll see what works best for me when I get it, but layout 4 offers several options.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by LyleB

...
My thought for additional closet space is to build a shelf unit (might also have some room for hanging clothes) that will fit beside the bath, it will sit on legs over top the bottom bunk (with the top bunk removed). ....

I wonder if you are talking about something similar to what I did just this month (see below photo). I found that I was not using the "dead area" of the sofa next to the bathroom for anything other than storage. Not having any need for the bunks, I cut the bottom foam into two pieces and put the port side foam in storage. Then I mounted a three shelf unit on the bench, affixed to the bathroom wall. It wont be loaded while traveling but will be for storage when parked. I think it will work well but this particular unit was a little tricky so let me know if you want all the details.

I dont like to make mods that can't be undone. I can remove this shelving unit, and replace the foam. The foam would no longer be one piece but I doubt anyone could tell, and other than that, this is a completely reversible mod.

Originally Posted by LyleB

If I find the front bunk to be too confining, ...

I never planned to use the front as a bed but I did try it. I found that I did not fit, so I ended up with a mostly full time rear bed. The front sofa (now a 3/4 sofa) works well for one person with this table addition:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...yst-77423.html

[LyleB]

Yes Gordon, similar, but probably from some type of wood. With legs to raise it up so that I can slide my feet underneath it. That is, if I find the sofa large enough for comfortable sleep. I have an "unofficial" adopted son who does custom cabinets and furniture making, so I will probably prevail on him to build something lightweight, but sturdy.

Your use of the Lagun table is what I used to make my u-shaped dinette in my current 13 foot Scamp. Excellent solution for making these trailers roomier. I used a fairly heavy weight shelf bracket to support the plywood backing plate for mounting. Have used it for over a year with zero problems. Just have to decide now if I remove it when I sell the 13 footer, or let the new owners have it and just buy a new one. Same with my composting toilet. Guess it will depend if they want it.