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Old 06-20-2010, 03:27 PM   #21
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Trailer: Bigfoot 21 ft Rear Bed
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They are making "2 piece Fiberglass travel trailers", including a couple of 17' versions, although I wouldn't call it them "Lightweight Fiberglass Trailers": Floorplans & Specifications.
These links are leftovers from before Bigfoot closed their doors. The new owners now control the website and content for informational purposes only. As mentioned before they only intend or are currently producing campers. I would encourage anyone interested in any of their products to contact them directly.
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Old 06-20-2010, 06:02 PM   #22
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Thanks Steve for the info you PMd me about the Bigfoot Rally in September. It's not too far from us. That will be an amazing opportunity for us to see lots of what's available all at once.
If Tammy writes us back that the Escape can be modified for 4-weather, we'll also be going to see one not too far away. Just one, since it's an owner that's near to us. But if it can't be 4-weather, we may not bother going to look and focus on the Bigfoot. I think for our full-timing idea, we really need to be prepared for all weather.
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Old 06-20-2010, 11:32 PM   #23
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Trailer: 1999 21 ft Bigfoot (2500 series)
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Thanks Steve for the info you PMd me about the Bigfoot Rally in September. It's not too far from us. That will be an amazing opportunity for us to see lots of what's available all at once.
If Tammy writes us back that the Escape can be modified for 4-weather, we'll also be going to see one not too far away. Just one, since it's an owner that's near to us. But if it can't be 4-weather, we may not bother going to look and focus on the Bigfoot. I think for our full-timing idea, we really need to be prepared for all weather.
Just to chime in. We had a Casita for a while and thought we might have to live in our trailer due to the recession. When this became the thought I started looking around to see what we could afford as there was no way we were living in the casita with two people and four dogs!

I found on Craigs list the bigfoot21' and we went and saw it and two days later we bought it. Ours is a 99 and we love it. The room in it is great and we have been out more in it no matter the weather or temperature. We found this trailer less than 20 miles from our house in Los Angeles CA. I have seen the big foot 25' with the walk around bed and if we were really going to go out for years that would be the trailer we got. Of course we could not afford the trailer then or now.

Hands down we love our big foot and would not dream of selling! I am sure the escape is lovely but we really liked the idea of going any where any time, all weathers and temps and having all the things we wanted.

Hope this helps

Alexandra
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Old 06-21-2010, 12:40 AM   #24
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Thanks Steve for the info you PMd me about the Bigfoot Rally in September. It's not too far from us. That will be an amazing opportunity for us to see lots of what's available all at once.
If Tammy writes us back that the Escape can be modified for 4-weather, we'll also be going to see one not too far away. Just one, since it's an owner that's near to us. But if it can't be 4-weather, we may not bother going to look and focus on the Bigfoot. I think for our full-timing idea, we really need to be prepared for all weather.

FYI: The Bigfoot Owners rally is mainly later model or factory custom built Bigfoot motorhomes , a few 21 ft. trailers plus a few truck campers in the mix has been our experience at these rallies.
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Old 06-21-2010, 07:59 AM   #25
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Trailer: Bigfoot 21 ft Rear Bed
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FYI: The Bigfoot Owners rally is mainly later model or factory custom built Bigfoot motorhomes , a few 21 ft. trailers plus a few truck campers in the mix has been our experience at these rallies.
Thanks for posting this information. We have never been to a BOCI rally and I gave Lisa a false impression of the number and type of trailers in attendance. I hope she sees this and doesn't make what might be an unnecessary trip.
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Old 06-21-2010, 08:18 AM   #26
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Steve,
As long as at least one 21' shows up at the rally it will have been worth the trip. It's a lot closer than going up to Oregon or further. Let me know if you are going or not once you decide, since you trailer is 21'.
Lisa
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Old 06-21-2010, 10:53 AM   #27
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Trailer: 17ft 98 Casita FD
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FYI: The Bigfoot Owners rally is mainly later model or factory custom built Bigfoot motorhomes , a few 21 ft. trailers plus a few truck campers in the mix has been our experience at these rallies.
good to know info
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Old 06-21-2010, 11:39 AM   #28
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Trailer: 1974 Boler 13 ft (Neonex/Winnipeg)
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. We want ... a rig tough enough to last 20 or 30 years of constant use. No parking it in the garage. This does narrow down the choices.
I just want to mention that, although most of our eggs would last 20-30 years of constant use and outside storage (and they have ), none of them would look great after all that time (unless you garaged them, covered them, or etc. - see below). That is to say that cosmetically they would not look anything like new.

Fiberglass is a great material, especially as compared to the way many stickies are put together (in terms of response to the wear and tear of the road, weight, etc.), but it will absolutely "weather" if you keep it out in the elements (especially sun) for 30 years. You can keep the gelcoat clean and waxed to provide some protection, and then as it starts to chalk and fade you can "compound" and wax it. When there is no longer enough millage of gelcoat to do that, then a good, two-part LPU or similar paint job will bring it back to glossy perfection.

If the (few) penetrations are kept sealed to prevent leaks (i.e. re-bedding hatches and windows when necessary), then an egg will last for many, many years outside, don't get me wrong (many Bolers are 40 years old!). But I read into your post that you were possibly thinking that a fiberglass camper could just sit out in the sun for 30 years and still be in great (shiny, new-like) shape, and I wanted to let you know that this is not the case.

Again, I love the fiberglass campers - and I own a few fiberglass boats - so I'm not knocking the material, or saying that there is a better choice; just possibly clearing up a misconception*

Raya

*Actually, I think one reason there are so many neglected, dull, chalky, deteriorated fiberglass boats around is that they were very heavily marketed as "maintenance free" when they were newer (as compared to wood). Therefore, buyers (understandably) bought them, tied them up in a slip, and did not maintain them. Oopsie. In reality it is a low-maintenance material that has a good ability to suffer neglect and then be brought back with some TLC. But not maintenance-free.
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Old 06-21-2010, 05:16 PM   #29
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Raya has good info for ignorant newbies like me. I guess a fiberglass trailer will take a lot more upkeep than our original idea of a little park model cabin with the steel roofing and cedar siding. We did realize this though when we switched our plans to an RV. We weren't expecting it to look new forever. As long as we don't have too many leaks, that's the important part for us. We'll try to keep it looking as good as possible, but don't expect miracles. I do wish there was a way to make the cabin idea work, but park models are frowned upon around here. Only mobile homes and RVs are accepted completely. We were even going to make it into an RV by putting tanks into it, and making it 8' x 20' so it would fit into an RV space. That still wasn't good enough for some places. We decided the RV idea was better anyway because the cabin would be much harder to haul, being very heavy and tall (they have sleeping lofts). In retirement we could travel easily if we had an egg. So this new info hasn't scared us off at all. We are gypsies at heart, and living in an RV seems like the right life for us. We won't have to do the whole U-haul furniture thing once a year like we've been doing for 2 decades now.
Eggs are still the best bet of all the RVs, am I right? Since there are Bolers etc still on the road. If we got a stick trailer, who knows how long it would last. Though it would mostly be sitting still the first few years, which would make the structure last longer I would think. If we got some sort of tent or tarp up above the trailer on poles, would that help the sun damage issue? One campground we are thinking about is totally forested, so not much sun would hit the trailer anyway in the summer. Maybe in the winter when the oaks lose their leaves, but I'm remembering a lot of pines there too. I think the interior is more likely to wear out quickly than the structure, since we'll be living in it. The appliances and tanks will be the things taking a beating.
Maybe blowing all our money on a new or newer trailer is a bad idea. Maybe we should buy an older trailer and just plan on buying another one every 10 years. I don't know. In 10 years maybe new brands will come into being that are even greater than the ones already here.
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Old 06-21-2010, 05:25 PM   #30
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Sorry to write so much,
But I just heard back from Tammy (the Escape trailers). They can't modify their trailer for 4 season, the best they can do is to put the fresh water tank inside. She did suggest spraying insulation under the trailer and says there are some Escape owners living in their trailers full-time doing that. She can't do that for us though. Is that a huge project? We should probably just drop the Escape idea.
Lisa
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Old 06-21-2010, 07:13 PM   #31
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Trailer: 1974 Boler 13 ft (Neonex/Winnipeg)
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Quote:
Raya has good info for ignorant newbies like me. I guess a fiberglass trailer will take a lot more upkeep than our original idea of a little park model cabin with the steel roofing and cedar siding. We did realize this though when we switched our plans to an RV. We weren't expecting it to look new forever. As long as we don't have too many leaks, that's the important part for us. We'll try to keep it looking as good as possible, but don't expect miracles.
Hi Lisa,

Okay, now maybe I was too strong in my choice of words before: I believe a fiberglass trailer will take much less upkeep than a tiny cottage (i.e. Tumbleweed, etc.). I just didn't want you to think you could throw it out in the sun and rain for 30 years and have it still be like new. (Many people do think fiberglass is like that.)

If you can keep it covered and ventilated, you will be way ahead of the game. A "carport" type shelter would be great for that, but even a cover would help. Jalousie windows are a plus, to my mind, because you can keep them open 24/7 for ventilation (but, if you have a roof over the camper then you could keep sliders open too).

And a two-part paint job, while not cheap, would not be the end of the world 30 or so years later (to my mind).

The other piece of advice I would give you is to either preventatively re-bed your vents, windows, etc. every decade or so; or, the moment you see a leak then resist the (seemingly irresistable) urge to just squirt some caulk around the outside and instead, remove the window/vent/etc. and re-bed it properly. It's a very small investment of time and effort considering how many years you can go without worrying about it.

As far as a winterized, "four-season" camper, while I would never discourage anyone from getting one (I'm sure it would be nice), you might consider "getting by" with a three-season model (what I would consider my Boler). I have camped in mine down into the teens (Fahrenheit), and (depending on your constitution) it is not that bad.

Unless you are dedicated winter campers, I wonder if you might only be briefly spending cold nights camping on the "shoulder" seasons, and then moving along with the weather to different locations?

A few words about shoulder season camping:

Of course you would not be able to use your water tanks or grey water tanks (if you have those). But you can winterize those and then just use a jug of water at the sink. You drain will still work (to the outside). A couple of moments in a tea kettle on the stove will sort you out some hot water, and a navy bath can work from time-to-time. If you are in a campground with bathrooms so much the better.

If you have electricity a small electric heater; or if not a propane heater or catalytic heater. Blankets at night.

Don't take me as trying to convince you into something you don't want; I'm just posing a few options. I'm perfectly happy with the above on a semi-short term basis, and if I were retired I would move along south.

I still wonder if you mightn't enjoy something like a basic 13-er for now, and then a bigger, "better" camper once you've had a chance to refine your tastes (and as you get closer to retirement). I don't know you or your situation though, so I'm just thinking out loud. Feel free to ignore me

And yes, I do think that a fiberglass RV is a good choice. Everything has plusses and minuses, of course - but they are pretty sweet, all-in-all

Raya
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Old 06-21-2010, 08:47 PM   #32
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Trailer: 19 ft Escape
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Sorry to write so much,
But I just heard back from Tammy (the Escape trailers). They can't modify their trailer for 4 season, the best they can do is to put the fresh water tank inside. She did suggest spraying insulation under the trailer and says there are some Escape owners living in their trailers full-time doing that. She can't do that for us though. Is that a huge project? We should probably just drop the Escape idea.
Lisa
Hi Lisa

We bought an Escape 19 last year and used it down to -8C (17F) with no problems
just put a little RV antifreeze in the grey and black tank and they dumped OK.
We had our fresh water tank put under the bed in the back and all worked great.
One of the mods we want to do this year is the spray foam around the tanks
it will cost about $100.00 not bad I thought, might just get the bottom of the
trailer done also.... to keep the feet warmer.
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Old 06-21-2010, 09:33 PM   #33
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Trailer: 2005 25 ft Bigfoot / 2008 Toyota Tundra Crewmax 4X4
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Lisa

There is at least one more 25' Bigfoot for sale. We have ours listed on this site for sale. It is a 2005 25' Bigfoot with the rear walk around queen bed and front dinette. We are asking $27,900 and live on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Julie
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Old 06-24-2010, 05:22 PM   #34
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Hi All,
Just giving everyone an update of our saga. We finally did find a mobilehome park that is willing to take a little parkmodel cabin as a mobilehome, with full residential hook-ups. We'll probably go for it, we like the idea of not messing with tanks.
This does open us up all of a sudden to a lot more eggs, since now we aren't going to try to live in one permanently but just go camping like most of you do. I think the Trilliums sound nice.
Lisa
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