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Old 07-04-2011, 04:27 PM   #21
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Lizbeth is right. The bed in my 13' is small for 2 adults. I made an extension that attaches to the END of the dinette table so 2 can sleep lengthwise rather than crossways as the dinette bed is designed. It's is king sized at the head and slightly smaller at the feet. Not perfect but very comfortable.
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Old 07-04-2011, 05:10 PM   #22
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Originally Posted by redwoodguy View Post
I did some quickie research and I discovered that the Toyota Sienna and the Honda Odessey both have a #3500 tow cap. That's a considerable lot more than the #2000 in my Camry, and I would think that kind of van vehicle would be somewhat comfortable like a Camry - although I have never even sat in one let alone drove one. I may at least go look at one to see what they are like.

I really don't think I can make do in a 13 foot. 20 years ago, yes. But at 63, I don't want to be so cramped, and lugging coolers around and all the rest. My fantasy (unrealistic as it may be) is to find like a spaceship on wheels. Light, spartan, modern, easy to clean, but with certain comforts like refer and stove.
Hi: redwoodguy...Sounds like if you changed your tug...you might be in line for a used 16 or 17' Casita. That'd be my choice... if I didn't have the Nissan/Escape 5.0 combo.
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Old 07-04-2011, 05:49 PM   #23
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Quit yer braggin' Alf!
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Old 07-04-2011, 05:58 PM   #24
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My 6cyl 2011 Ford Escape is getting 27mpg (thrilling to me since I drive 30 miles one way to work). It will also easily tow my UHaul 13. If I had chosen to, I could have also gotten a tow package that would have given me a 3500lb tow capacity and not really affected the mpg by much. There are tugs out there that get decent mileage and will also pull a larger trailer.
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Old 07-04-2011, 08:03 PM   #25
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The only downside has been the narrowness of the rear bed. Side bed is very narrow as well. Ha! We have adapted and have enjoyed the Scamp greatly. I am 6', my wife 5'3". In 2009, we tried sleeping head to toe of each other, this has given more room for our shoulders and so far has not caused any other problems.

Some Eggs come with fridges, a few with ice boxes, most have a two or three burner stoves. They will vary in most things.

I may be mistaken, but I believe the 13' Scamp has the same sized rear bed as the 16' Scamps, unless they are the Wooden Custom Scamp (Wooden Interior Finish), which can be gotten with a slightly wider bed in the rear.

2005 16' Scamp Molded Fiberglass Travel Trailer
Side Dinette, Front Shower & Head
2009 White Ford F-150 Reg. Cab
Long Bed with A.R.E. Molded Fiberglass Topper
Retired the 2003 Ford Ranger in 2009

We had a C-Class MH, but after the kids has moved on in life, we found we were not using the MH much. We wanted to be able to easily go, travel & camp and not have such a large unit and to save some gas mpg as well.

Wanting to downsize & having a Ford Ranger, we wanted something it could tow. I remembered ordering Scamp info years earlier, found the phone # and ordered information. They had a DVD as well.

Decided the Scamp looked like what we would like to have and ordered a 16' Scamp with side dinette and a front bath/shower. Sight unseen, never been close to one, never in one. But we did get to visit the factory in Backus....later in the summer. We liked what we saw there. Liked the trailers.

My son & his wife were living in Minot at the time. They picked it up for us and drove it midway down to Loveland, CO where we met them. Over a Labor Day weekend. We ordered it in March and it was completed in August. The wait is always the hard part.

After ordering it in March and after discovering Casita TTs, I order info from them. Rice is closer to us, my sister lives within 60 miles of the place, but to tow with the Ranger, the better size of the 16' Scamp over the 16' Casita plus being able to get a larger fridge at the time in the Scamp and it being lighter and less expensive than the 17', we stayed with the Scamp. The Rest is History.
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Old 07-04-2011, 09:38 PM   #26
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I did some quickie research and I discovered that the Toyota Sienna and the Honda Odyssey both have a #3500 tow cap. That's a considerable lot more than the #2000 in my Camry, and I would think that kind of van vehicle would be somewhat comfortable like a Camry -
A LOT of people tow with minivans. Both the Sienna and Odyssey are good choices.
I tow my Fiber Stream with an Odyssey and I can vouch for it's comfort.
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Old 07-05-2011, 06:22 AM   #27
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It would seem with your $8k, you should be able to find a nice 13' Scamp within your price and weight limit. Buying any 16' and loading it up for travel would, in my opinion, push the 2,000 lb limit. I promise you, joining the fiberglass camping community will be a great joy in your life!
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Old 07-05-2011, 09:04 AM   #28
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Oh, another downside for some is the height of some of the trailers. If you are tall and want to stand up in your trailer, be aware that some are not tall enough to do so. I cannot tell you which ones for sure other than older Scamps, but if this is an issue for you, keep this in mind. We have a UHaul that is tall enough for my hubby who is 6'1". He has issues where the air conditioner is and with our curved roofline is (So do I. It usually takes me one head bump per trip to remember to duck ). I wondered when I whacked my head last week if something with a flatter roofline would be better.

Anyway, something to keep in mind.

CindyL
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Old 07-05-2011, 09:41 AM   #29
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Buying any 16' and loading it up for travel would, in my opinion, push the 2,000 lb limit.


Just an example, My 17ft Casita weighted in at 2800 pounds empty! EMPTY! Not a drop of water, not a ounce of grey/black water. I even pulled the cushions out before taking it to be weighted.
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Old 07-05-2011, 09:46 AM   #30
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Originally Posted by CindyL View Post
Oh, another downside for some is the height of some of the trailers. If you are tall and want to stand up in your trailer, be aware that some are not tall enough to do so. I cannot tell you which ones for sure other than older Scamps, but if this is an issue for you, keep this in mind. We have a UHaul that is tall enough for my hubby who is 6'1". He has issues where the air conditioner is and with our curved roofline is (So do I. It usually takes me one head bump per trip to remember to duck ). I wondered when I whacked my head last week if something with a flatter roofline would be better.

Anyway, something to keep in mind.

CindyL
CindyL,

I'm 6'1" as well and have banged my head on the vent a couple of times, no AC. What we do is hang a piece of red yarn on the danger points and it pretty much eliminates the hits.

Norm
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Old 07-05-2011, 09:55 AM   #31
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When I had my Scamp 13 Dlx, I gutted it and redid the entire interior without much regard for weight. It had the front bathroom with shower, solid oak cabinets all around (full perimeter uppers as well as full kitchen, wardrobe and pantry), solid oak hardwood floor, refrigerator, microwave, air conditioner, water heater and propane system. Loaded for a trip with food, clothes and supplies, it weighed in at almost exactly 1600# according to the local truck scale. A 13' camper can be much, much lighter than mine was.

Mine was a 1987, I think. I believe the older ones are lighter than the newer ones.

I currently own a Little Guy teardrop that weighs about 700 lbs loaded for camping. Last fall, we headed to Ohio for a weekend, towing with a 2001 Chevy Prizm (like Toyota Corolla, 1500 lbs tow capacity). It was misting, and we were going down a moderate downgrade. The stoplight at the bottom of the hill turned red, so I applied the brakes. We slid a LONG ways before finally stopping about halfway into the intersection. God was good to us - nobody was in front of us, and traffic on the cross-street waited for us to get stopped. This was towing no more than 700 pounds, mind you. It was an eye-opener for us.

Our next trip with the Little Guy was to the factory in SugarCreek, OH, to have the axle traded out for one with brakes. Light cars can tow (keep the tongue weight low!), but they can't stop. I will never tow a camper without brakes again. We just returned from a camping trip over the rainy 4th of July weekend, and with the brakes, stops were safe and secure.
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Old 07-05-2011, 11:39 AM   #32
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Many of your smaller V6 SUVs (Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, Hyndai Santa Fe, etc) are good for 3500 pounds, are comfortable, and are fun to drive. The Toyota Venza, though expensive, makes a very nice tug.

Make sure to get the V6, though.


Yeah, our bed is small. And our holding tanks are only good for three days if we are not careful.
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Old 07-05-2011, 12:28 PM   #33
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Originally Posted by Barrie Bochoff View Post
Lizbeth is right. The bed in my 13' is small for 2 adults. I made an extension that attaches to the END of the dinette table so 2 can sleep lengthwise rather than crossways as the dinette bed is designed. It's is king sized at the head and slightly smaller at the feet. Not perfect but very comfortable.
Barrie
Yeah, this business of small beds would bug me. Not that we are so big or anything, but gee whiz, I want some small sense of comfort.

Of course, I am still yet to set foot in one, so this is all guessing on my part. Looking at the diagrams and pix, 16-foot seems right.
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Old 07-05-2011, 01:42 PM   #34
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Of course, I am still yet to set foot in one, so this is all guessing on my part. Looking at the diagrams and pix, 16-foot seems right.
Just remember, the three feet you gain in a 16 footer over a 13 footer, is NOT put into the bed... at least in the Scamps.
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Old 07-05-2011, 02:04 PM   #35
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For a small size/light weight with a larger bed a non-moldered fiberglass TT could be more easy to find, perhaps:

Fun Finder X Travel Trailer | 2011 X-139 | Cruiser RV | Lightweight Travel Trailers | Lightweight RVs | Lightweight Toy Haulers | Lightweight Campers
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Old 07-05-2011, 03:19 PM   #36
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Name: Norm and Ginny
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Small Beds

When we bought our first trailer 'just' for a 2 month trip to Labrador we thought the bed would be the major issue. It turned out to be a non-issue. We liked the trailer so much we took it for 8 more months on a loop of the USA. Since than we've traveled for 4 years averaging 7 months a year in that size bed. There has not been one night where we did not sleep comfortably due to the bed.

I think part of it relates to the fact that we're more active when traveling and sleep better. As well our lives are simply more relaxed when we're away. When we're traveling I almost feel like we did when we were dating in high school. Traveling all the time is a fantasy life.

It's true that we are physically closer but we've always felt that sleeping in a king size bed is like sleeping alone..... Sure we occasionally accidently bump into each other and so... And when it's cold it's so easy to cuddle up. We love our bed and since the first two months have never wondered about.

Of course all our friends think we're crazy; most of them own large rigs. We're happy for all of them but one thing I know is we've been to more places in North America than practically every one of them. The bed is way down on the list I of things I would and have changed in a trailer.

Of course everyone is different....

Norm
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Old 07-05-2011, 04:50 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by honda03842 View Post
When we bought our first trailer 'just' for a 2 month trip to Labrador we thought the bed would be the major issue. It turned out to be a non-issue. We liked the trailer so much we took it for 8 more months on a loop of the USA. Since than we've traveled for 4 years averaging 7 months a year in that size bed. There has not been one night where we did not sleep comfortably due to the bed.

I think part of it relates to the fact that we're more active when traveling and sleep better. As well our lives are simply more relaxed when we're away. When we're traveling I almost feel like we did when we were dating in high school. Traveling all the time is a fantasy life.

It's true that we are physically closer but we've always felt that sleeping in a king size bed is like sleeping alone..... Sure we occasionally accidently bump into each other and so... And when it's cold it's so easy to cuddle up. We love our bed and since the first two months have never wondered about.

Of course all our friends think we're crazy; most of them own large rigs. We're happy for all of them but one thing I know is we've been to more places in North America than practically every one of them. The bed is way down on the list I of things I would and have changed in a trailer.

Of course everyone is different....

Norm
In our case it's not so much the width of the bed (48") in the Boler but the length (ok the width too). Hubby is 6'2" and I am 5'7". The bed is just too dang short plus the fact that hubby likes to sleep with his knees bent, it feels better on his bad back.

We love our "twin" bed conversion in the Bigfoot. I can have my Princess and the pea bed, hubby can have his longer plywood bed, we are both happy. If we feel the need to be together we have other options.
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Old 07-05-2011, 06:33 PM   #38
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Hi redwoodguy,

With V-6 Camrys rated to pull 2,000 lbs, first a '96 and currently an '04, in 11 years we have towed our '77 13' boler some 90,000 kilometres (56,000 miles) down and up 45-degree (so it seemed) Palo Duro canyon, over Wolf Creek pass (10,857') and everything in between from coast to coast, with nary a problem.

Trying to update and preferring a car to a wagon, van or SUV (for ease of loading our canoe, among other things), I found that ALL cars, including Camry, are now dumbed down to pull only1,000 lbs. So hang on to your '06, as I'm doing with the '04 -- we have classics.

She weighs in at 1,620 lbs. including fridge, stove, furnace and cupboards, fully loaded and ready to go. I place a narrow, loose board flat at the side of the bed, which gives us a few more inches of cosyness.

Having expanded from a two-person tent and spending most of our time outdoors, we see no need for space extra to the luxury that we have now.

Des & Diane
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Old 07-05-2011, 06:39 PM   #39
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downdsides are varied between owners like anything else I'm sure....but I'll try
height and width in some is restricted....you dont see that alot with stickies.....
new ones are pricy, esp if youre also looking at stickies and compare.....
there are virtually no dealers in North America unless you count the makers....and I think thats stupid,nvm they're reasoning behind it.......smaller ones require a porta potty usually and have no shower, normally.
without mods, alot of them wont take a rooftop AC..kinda fun.......I'm sure theres more but im not unhappy with my uhaul either so i dont know it all.
all that said, if you asked the opposite question, this list would be quite long....most people adore their fiberglass camper.
oh yeah, add tours to the list if youre a private type of person (i'm not) we gave 4 this past 4th of july weekend..two families of stickies and 2 tent clans, so the interest comes from all types.
Bruce & Mary
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Old 07-05-2011, 09:02 PM   #40
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My '84 Scamp 13 weighs about 1,200 pounds empty. I figure about 150 pounds more loaded. We do travel with a lot of our stuff in the car (and on the roof rack). We have a little one, so there's stuff we have to have in the car.

My car is also a Toyota, but only has a 1.8 liter 128 horsepower engine. Toyota rates it for about 1,700 pounds. I keep it slow... 60 MPH max. Loaded properly, it drives like a charm. Yes, it feels like there's a parachute behind me on the highway, and my fuel economy plummets to 23-24 MPG... But my car gets upper 30s without the trailer, and that's what I need for a daily driver. I used to have a VW Golf, which was rated for nearly 3,000 pounds, but maintenance issues led me to get rid of it.

I WISH I had a V6 Camry to tow with... But I can't afford two cars right now. Our backup tow vehicle (the wife's car) is a Honda Civic.
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