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Old 04-04-2007, 05:32 PM   #1
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Trailer: 2007 13 ft Scamp / 1991 Nissan Pickup
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Today I saw a used Scamp in town, Florence Oregon and stopped and asked if they might be interested in selling it, the lady said she did not know but would ask her husband so I left my name and number, Jim Wellington called this afternoon and invited me to come take a look at it. I had not been in a Scamp before so was curious how it would feel to me. It felt good. Jim is a member here which I found interesting and was very happy to show off his fairly new to him toy.
It looks like I will be ordering a new one as this will work out good for what I want.
Just had to tell everyone about this.

Duane
Florence Oregon
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Old 04-04-2007, 07:06 PM   #2
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Old 04-04-2007, 10:22 PM   #3
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Trailer: 1976 13 ft Scamp / 2006 Honda Element
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I'm very interested in the 13' Scamp as well... just got my DVD today, and having just missed out on an eBay Burro... I'm getting more anxious to just order a new Scamp.

I have a few dumb questions (I'm sure Patrick can answer... he appears to have a nearly identical setup to what I'm leaning towards)...

1. Can someone explain the fridge versus ice box ? When you upgrade to a fridge... is there a small freezer portion? (I realize 1.9 cf is small to begin with)

2. Does the sink faucet run on it's own? I came to realize one Burro I was looking at had some kind of hand pump?

3. Is the furnace really necessary? (won't a small floor heater suffice?)

4. Power range hood recommended? or will the window over the range vent adequately?

5. Is the factory awning worth it? (it looks somewhat flimsy) or are there better aftermarket options?

6. Is there no standard grey water tank? (I see the 26 gallon option... I assume this is a must then if you want to use the sink at all?)

In case you can't tell, I really have no experience at all with RV'ing. Thanks for any insight anyone might have!
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Old 04-04-2007, 11:21 PM   #4
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I do not have specific experience with a Scamp 13, but it looks like most of your questions are generic. I'll take a stab at it, others will chime in...

[b]1. Can someone explain the fridge versus ice box ? When you upgrade to a fridge... is there a small freezer portion? (I realize 1.9 cf is small to begin with)

I think the main difference is that it takes a lot of ice to keep an icebox cool, usurping space for food. Also, an icebox needs a drain for the melted ice. The fridge, using either electricity or propane, gives you more space for food in the same sized package, and does not have a drain to drain off water. I am not familiar with the specific model fridge that Scamp uses.

[b]2. Does the sink faucet run on it's own? I came to realize one Burro I was looking at had some kind of hand pump?

If you have a connection for "City Water", then when you connect a white hose (potable water) the faucet has pressure from the source to "run on it's own". If you are drawing water from an on-board supply tank, It has to be pressurized somehow, either with a hand pump at the faucet, or an electric pump either at the faucet or near the supply tank.

[b]3. Is the furnace really necessary? (won't a small floor heater suffice?)

4. Power range hood recommended? or will the window over the range vent adequately?




[b]5. Is the factory awning worth it? (it looks somewhat flimsy) or are there better aftermarket options?


The Box type, or Bag type awnings might be your only choice for a 13' trailer with rounded sides/walls. Stouter awning legs may not be available in a curved design with a short length.

[b]
6. Is there no standard grey water tank? (I see the 26 gallon option... I assume this is a must then if you want to use the sink at all?)


For just 1 sink drain, it may not be cost effective to install. Most people use "Blue Totes" exterior to the trailer to connect their drain hose to.

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In case you can't tell, I really have no experience at all with RV'ing. Thanks for any insight anyone might have!
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Old 04-05-2007, 07:28 AM   #5
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1. The small refrig on the 13' does not have a freezer, but works well and occasionally freezes stuff without permission.
2. Scamps have hand pumps along with a city connection. We only use the onboard water as we don't use much. I did a mod to add an electric pump which you can search for here.
3. Furnace is needed when dry camping, otherwise we use a small cube electric heater which is quieter.
4. If you cook huge meals a hood might be nice, otherwise the small window works reasonably well and could be equipped with a small fan (a future mod I'm looking at).
5. I got the Scamp awning and it works okay. Because of the fiberglass design, the legs do not mount to the side of the trailer as normally seen on trailers. This results in a need to stake or weigh them down, which is indeed a bit flimsy, but the awning itself is sturdy enough. Joy used a better awning with a crank that is easier to use, but requires getting the mounting brackets and installing it.
6. Grey water tank is an option and used for the sink and usually only needs emptying once on a trip.

One point on several of these questions. This is a small trailer and we have a small tow vehicle. There's not a lot of room so built-ins like the refrig and grey water tank are preferable to us than add-ons like a cooler with ice and the blue tote mentioned by Frederick, although add-ons do seem to accumulate whether you plan for them or not!
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Old 04-05-2007, 10:23 AM   #6
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Another opinion,

We didn't want the hood. But I very much like the optional little awning window above the stove. It is left open when others can't be, and gives us fresh air at night. No a/c for us as we try to avoid hot climates. So for us the fantastic fan is a must.

No furnace in our unit. When plugged into electricity we use a cube. We like to sleep in the cold, so all we need is the stove top burner heating our water for coffee and wash to warm us up in the morning. It warms the trailer nicely. I would probably consider the heater only if I wanted to do truly winter camping in temps below 30-40 degrees.

We got neither the ice box nor the fridg, I wanted the space, and have put wire rack for storage. We travel (not camp) for the most part and we take our food with us in the car. It is a bit of a nuisance when it is time for morning breakfast, but this works for us.

Also no water tank in our unit. That is where the big sleeping blankets are kept, for the cold nights without heat. We just carry gallon jugs of water, works for us. We have rigged a small 2 gal water bottle (or detergent bottle) inside under the sink for grey sink water. This makes us able to use the sink when at WalMart overnight.

Awning, there is a better option than the Scamp awning. Use search and read previous posts about awnings.

Obviously my not at all loaded rig probably won't have much use for resale, since people tend to want loaded units. Basically you need to think of how your unit will be used, will you camp in one spot for a week? Or will you want to have a motel room on wheels?

You do want electric brakes. I also am very happy we got the optional front and rear cabinets.

Nancy
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Old 04-05-2007, 03:36 PM   #7
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Patrick,

Did you ever weigh your empty and loaded Scamp?

Our bare bones Scamp weighed in empty at 1,340. That did not include the weight on the hitch. I'm guessing that to be 170. My empty Scamp options were the fantastic fan, screen door, front and rear overhead cabinets, group 27 battery. This Scamp does not have the refer, water tank, heater, or a/c. Would like to have a 5 or 10 pound propane but will keep the 20 pound because it is there.

So, Element owners beware that some 13 feet Scamps weigh in at close to 2,000 pounds. Check your owners manual and be aware that if still under warranty you might be voiding that (also liability issues).

We take our Scamp over mountains every year and typical 3 to 5,000 mile trips. For shorter distances I would be comfortable with the Element. For what we do I am happy to have a Honda Odyssey.

Nancy
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Old 04-05-2007, 05:00 PM   #8
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We have a 16' and order it without the furnace thinking it was not necessary (we had camped many years in the 80's and 90's without one which was working) and it eats a lot of juice from the battery. We use an electic space heater with shore power and use a Coleman propane heater if needed in the mornings or at night after showering, etc. we keep the roof vent opened a little to vent out fumes. We do not sleep with it going. A Coleman propane lantern will heat up the area quickly as well, we use on in the old camper. Keep it vented as well.

I do not have the standard equiptment list from Scamp now. I can not remember if the hand pump is standard. We have a on demand pump, which is electric, the pump shuts off when a certain pressure is made; the pump can be turned on and off. Way back when, some trailers had an air pump which would put air pressure into the tank which would force the water out, as far as I know they are not around any more. A friend had an older air stream with that type of system. Not Scamps at least not now. The electric pump pumps water and build up water pressure stops the pump. No air pressure. The hand pump does not pump air but just pumps water out of the tank. The tanks are not air tight, they are vented.

We order the factory awning, it is not as heavy weight as the ones we had on the old travel trailer we had from the 80's, but opererates better than that one; nor as sturdy as the one we had on a '96 C-class motor home. I looked at the one on the 5th Escape while it was in Las Cruces last week, it was more sturdy than the Scamps. All said, I would get it again, just to have shade and rain cover when we need them.

We have the grey water tank and would have wanted it even without the shower which we just had to have, the grey water tank is standard with a shower.

Even when just traveling we like to have a shower as well as a holding tank. But normally we plan on camping at places as well. Mostly without full hook-ups or showers near by.

Mainly, it varies with what you are wanting to do and take along.

For the price, Scamp seems to make a very good product. But I have not seen other types of molder fiberglass rigs, except the Escape 5th, which may come with a higher price tag.

We order ours sight unseen (never been in one) in March 2005 and picked it up in August of same year.

We have been happy campers with it.
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Old 04-06-2007, 08:40 AM   #9
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We weighed our 2004 Scamp 13' on our first trip to Oregon at several of the free timber weighing stations they have scattered about. (Thank you OR taxpayers!)

Our Scamp is a fully loaded standard model, with an A/C, awning, front/rear cabinets, refrig, furnace, etc. along with 10 gallons of water, full propane, full refrig, clothing, misc. stuff.

Total weight: 1,850# (including tongue)
Tongue: 150#
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Old 04-06-2007, 09:53 AM   #10
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Hi Nancy
A couple of questions. You say you have neither the ice box or fridg, did you order it this way or just take out the ice box after you got it? Did they lower the price if you did not have the ice box installed?
Same question as to the water tank.
I was planning on getting the ice box and freezing a few jugs of water and when it melts just using the water.

Thanks
Duane
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Old 04-06-2007, 10:47 AM   #11
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Hi Duane,

We ordered our Scamp the way we wanted. The ice box would have come but we didn't want that. Instead they gave us a door! Didn't want to adjust the price and I really didn't press the issue. Just knew I didn't want the ice box, was happy for the door.

Since we didn't get the furnace we have two narrow doors under the sink. If I had only known. I would much rather have a large door to match the "ice box" door. We can't very well change it now as there is some structural support between the two narrow doors. If being built new I wonder if they couldn't put more support around the door and have it be a larger door to match the other. I have trouble getting my "grey water tank" in and out of those narrow doors. Have to take my stuff out of the ice box door and then get my grey water tank out of the bigger door.

We may have gotten a small adjustment on the water tank, can't remember.

I do like the fact that our Scamp does not have the vents in the side required for the refer, furnace. I do like all my extra space. Vacation to me is not cooking and housekeeping, so the refer isn't important. We camp in cooler climates and cold drinks aren't necessary. An ice chest keeps our cheese, lunch meat, eggs, yogurt just fine. This system works well for the way we live.

Thanks Patrick for the information on the weight of your rig.

Nancy
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Old 04-06-2007, 10:54 AM   #12
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Hi Patrick,

I just reread your post and noticed that your tongue weight is not quite 10%. If you ever notice any sway shift some gear to the front bunk. Now you have an Odyssey too. We do have to keep the load light in the rear of the Oddy, and we drop a bit when hitched up to go. Lights hit high but we only drive during the day and the Honda and trailer perform very well so will not add air shocks or equalizer.

Nancy
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Old 04-06-2007, 10:58 AM   #13
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The only reason I have a 13' Scamp is because my house lot parking is so small.
There is really no place to live in the small a trailer. By live I mean sit comfortably and exist away from bugs, wind and darkness. I other words, small is not always best.
Get a 16 footer with two nice seats. A Tacoma V6 would do the towing well.
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Old 04-06-2007, 11:02 AM   #14
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We never had any sway with the Element/Scamp combo, and are very much looking forward to the new and improved Odyssey/Scamp combo!

Thanks for the advice, especially since we have a 50# generator that we will be putting in the Odyssey rear hold. However I am going to see if I can remove the 3rd row seats since we don't need them, and that will save us about 100#.
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Old 04-06-2007, 11:15 AM   #15
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We don't sit around inside much. About an hour at the dinette playing cards before bed is it. I can not sit there for long stretches. First thing we did was take out the front bunks. I redid that with nice comfy foam and memory foam. It is a comfortable place for me to curl up with a book. Much better than trying to sit at the dinette (I am short and I need a booster under my feet, that has helped). I can not sit in the front with my feet reaching the floor either. But this problem I have everywhere.

Sitting around at camp sites isn't our thing. I need to be doing something. When the time comes and our bodies won't do stuff we will probably give up "camping". Since we live on a lake with great views from our windows, and lots of wildlife to watch it won't be a big problem to not camp.

I agree Jim, I wouldn't want to sit around inside a 13 Scamp. I can't see that a 16 Scamp would be all that much different. The 13 has that large area in the middle for moving past another person. The 16 feels more cramped to me.

Nancy
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Old 04-06-2007, 01:05 PM   #16
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Thanks everyone for the feedback.

As I type, a hitch is being installed on my E... although I may have to re-visit the electrical connection.

I showed the trailer hitch guy, the 7-pin connector diagram from the Scamp manual (I found on this website), and he thought it was 'probably' incorrect, that they should be blade rather than pin connectors ("90% of trailers use 'this' connector"). Does the Scamp connector truly have 7 round pins? I guess it's not a huge deal... as I googled and found a 7-pin round TO 7-pin 'blade' adapter... or worst case, I cut the connector I got off, and attach a round pin one.
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Old 04-06-2007, 07:34 PM   #17
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Does the Scamp connector truly have 7 round pins?
The old style were pins, new style are blades. If you need more validation, see this link straight to the Scamp site (at the bottom of the page): Plug Type: Bargman 6-spade, with center pin
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Old 04-06-2007, 09:28 PM   #18
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Thanks. Anyone know approximately when they switched to the new blade style?
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Old 04-10-2007, 08:35 AM   #19
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thanks! this topic answer any question I had about what options I should have on my scamp. I've though about ordering the custom 13' with a toilet & shower. Then adding a fridge, a/c & furnace when I got it. Has anyone else done this?
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Old 04-10-2007, 09:21 AM   #20
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Ted, having replaced all of the above at one time or another, I would seriously recommend just having them installed at the factory during the build. You'll have them; they won't cost any more than buying them later; and you'll save yourself a whole bunch of aggravation trying to cut holes in the right locations of the proper size, and trying to run LP lines and wiring after the trailer is built. That's not to say it can't be done... I just wouldn't want to have to do it!

I'm reasonably sure that Scamp builds all their trailers with reinforced roofs to handle the weight of an A/C, but if you don't have a unit installed, make sure it's pre-wired and the appropriate reinforcing built in to handle the weight.

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