Ranking Molded Fiberglass Campers

[EverClever]

Hello,

In terms of overall ownership experience regardless of intended use (full-time or just short-term periodic travel adventures) and available in America including comfort level, build quality, resale value, low maintenance, minimal repairs, manufacturer / dealer responsiveness, hassle-free warranty claims resolutions, how would you rank the following brands in order from #1 to last (If I missed any brands, include them)? This only pertains to brands that are currently available as new:

Armadillo
Bean (teardrop)
Bigfoot
Casita
Cortes
Escape
Happier Camper
NuCamp Barefoot
Oliver
Outback (Trillium)
Relic
Scamp
Snoozy2

Thank you!

Patrick

[jgilliam1955]

This is a tough question because everyone loves their camper. I would say four-season campers, separate bed and dinette areas, and a dry bathroom may be important for some people.
If I had the funds, Bigfoot, Oliver, and Escape would be my top three.

[buellfire]

I've had two of the campers on your list and currently own the third, a Bigfoot.
I have been to many Fiberglass RV rally's over the years and most folks really like the Rv that they have. You really can't compare these campers on build quality as most are built to a different standard than the typical RV. I would say figure out how you intend to use, type of tow vehicle that you have or can purchase, budget, and layout that would work for you. Go from there.

[Gerry]

My best camper is any one that I am camping in!!!

[Donna D.]

How does cute rank? And how do you rank the most expensive trailer when you don't like any of the layouts even if the build quality is great? There are so many variables when 'ranking.' I say... love the one you're with!

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

How does cute rank? And how do you rank the most expensive trailer when you don't like any of the layouts even if the build quality is great? There are so many variables when 'ranking.' I say... love the one you're with!

Yours is the best answer. Thanks Donna.

Best for a stated specific purpose might be a better question.

[Carol and Mike]

Originally Posted by Raspy

Yours is the best answer. Thanks Donna.

Best for a stated specific purpose might be a better question.

I agree, rephrase your question and insert what type of camping/traveling you are interested in. Your list has both apples and oranges. Mike

[floyd]

Originally Posted by jgilliam1955

This is a tough question because everyone loves their camper. I would say four-season campers, separate bed and dinette areas, and a dry bathroom may be important for some people.
If I had the funds, Bigfoot, Oliver, and Escape would be my top three.

Good post!
Oddly enough your three "important for some people" features don't even make my list.

Here are just three which are more important to me.... towability with a driveable vehicle, build quality, and storage.
We ordered ours Twenty years ago this year and it still provides a very satisfying ownership experience.
Having plenty of comfort features in a small package is also the very essence of a good travel trailer.

[Iowa Dave]

Spent time dewinterizing the Escape this last couple of days. One thing I like about the 21 is that it’s not hard for me to work on. That’s important especially when working in tight places.

The 21 we have has held up real well. It’s ten years old this year and still looks like new. Problems have been minimal thus far. I attribute this to the aforementioned ease of maintenance ability and good initial quality.

Towability, wide center aisle, plenty of storage, comfortable mattress (Casper) and most of the comforts of home make this rig a favorite.

Throughout life, I’ve done good research when contemplating a purchase, attempted to buy durability even though in some cases it costs a little more and finally, if I make a bad choice I don’t own it too long, I move on to something else. That hasn’t happened often. I remember as a kid in the service station, customers referring to cars, boat motors, TV sets etc. when they said “That thing’s starting to nickel and dime me, I think it needs a new home”. Don’t hear that as much any more. Maybe today’s society thinks differently?
Iowa Dave

[Perryb67]

Fiberglass we've owned (in order):

• 2000 Scamp 16' side bath with furnace, AC, refrigerator, wet bath, and hot water
  
  
• 2007 Casita with a fridge only, no furnace, no toilet, no black or grey water tanks (sink water went in a tub we put underneath the camper, no water pump (5 gallon fresh tank with hand pump), but it did have a Fantastic Fan.
  
  
• 2003 Bigfoot with all the goodies, and a solar panel.
  
  
• 2018 Escape 5.0 with all but an inverter (one was added later).

Our best built camper with the least problems was our 2007 Casita. Zero issues. Of course with no options there wasn't much to fail.

Our recently purchased 2016 Bigfoot is too new to make a comparison.

All were superior to any of our previous twelve stickies.

Enjoy,

Perry

[jerrybob]

This is like asking some parents.....which of your 5 kids do you love the most. Ya love them all but in different ways....each one has some unique qualities.....and faults!

[Meadowlark]

I would bet my boots that there's not a single person in the camping community of any sort that has had ALL the trailers you list. It would be impossible to rate them.


If you're looking for advice on which one you should purchase, instead of asking an overarching question like this, ask yourself what is important to you, and rate them.


What is important to you?

A Comfortable bed?
A bathroom?
Room for more than one person?
What tow vehicle do you have or will need?
Are you a dry camper or do you need all the comforts electricity provides?
Do you insist on having a TV or a microwave?

How much $$$ are you willing to spend?



I could go on and on.


My better half and I had camped in tents before and as we get older our bodies aren't as accomodating as they were.



My first camper was a 24 ft. Dutchman and while it was okay, the bathroom was wierdly shaped and it was supposedly sleeping 6, but only if all six were extremely small contortionists. My ex got it in the divorce and I hope he's happy with it.



My husband had a pickup camper that he'd bult. The problem with pickup campers (and RV's) is taht you have to vacate the camping spot in order to go do something that involves moving from the camp ground. And if you're in an incredibly popular campground...like Yellowstone NP's primitive campgrounds (only one survived the floods), vacating a camping spot is an open invitation to 'claim jumpers'. You might come back to find someone has set up camp in your RESERVED site and no park ranger is going to make them move.




We'd seen a Casita..only from the outside, and liked that it was all fiberglass and not a stick built with a flat roof (that leak, by the way)



So we did a lot of research online on Fiberglass trailers.


It helped us decide on several things. A bathroom was the first. A good comforatable bed, a real one, with a mattress. A floorplan taht didn't force you to disassemble the dining table in order to make the bed. We both are readers, so we wanted good reading lights (we changed the OEM to LED's).

Room for two, instead of the ''six'' most are advertised. . Electricity when available but we're perfectly happy with dry camping and boondocking. Easy to tow. And, odd as it may seem, number of electrical outlets.



THen we went to a camper show, one with everything from popups to million dollar RV's. Since our last name isn't Gates or Bezos, we stayed in the low range, ~17K-22K. Mind you, this was 2011. Prices in everything have gone up.



We looked in all sorts of campers. Airstream, Jayco, etc. None of the ones we looked at at the show were fiberglass, by the way. We didn't want to buy a fiberglass one until we'd looked at stick builltsWe'd seen a Casita earlier which is what stimulated our desire to buy one, but we gave the stick builts a chance.



I took notes. Most of the campers had only TWO electrical outlets. That's not enough for us. We don't have a TV or a microwave in ours, didn't want one, but most of the campers had one outlet next to the sink and under a table. ONe had one all the way under a bed. Duh. We wanted an electrical outlet for our phones/tablets, my husband's coffepot, etc.



When we'd see the outside of an RV, I'd watch the lookylous coming out of it, and most of them were shocked.



I could go on and probably have gone on far too long. What I would suggest is you look around for a rally of fiberglass owners and go. You don't have to camp, just go and walk around the camp and talk to different brand owners. If you're polite and earnest, they may even let you look inside.



Good luck.

[Jon MB]

Originally Posted by EverClever

In terms of overall ownership experience ..... including comfort level, build quality, resale value, low maintenance, minimal repairs, manufacturer / dealer responsiveness, hassle-free warranty claims resolutions, ....
Patrick

One important aspect you omitted was 'availability'. There is a wait list for factory new production of these due to their perceived desirability, and more than some that you mentioned have factory direct (no independent dealers) new sales only. That cuts out 'manufacturer/dealer responsiveness' and 'warranty claims resolution' from consideration for those that bought used campers from prior owners. Caveat Emptor.
A non-issue for me is 'resale value'. Our purchase was not to flip it for a profit. We bought it because it suited our plans and wants, and we felt it would continue to suit those for a forseeable future period. We bought the right (for us) one the first time with no intention of selling.

[BooknBob]

Originally Posted by jgilliam1955

This is a tough question because everyone loves their camper. I would say four-season campers, separate bed and dinette areas, and a dry bathroom may be important for some people.
If I had the funds, Bigfoot, Oliver, and Escape would be my top three.

I agree.

[DeanCHS1980]

I would like to respectfully replace the Bean (non-fiberglass teardrop) with a MyPod:

https://golittleguy.com/lg-mypod/



P.S. - Fun topic, but impossible to answer. When it comes to egg campers, I am in the “love the one your with camp.” We still absolutely love our Casita. Our priorities were: permanent bed, place to sit independent of the bed, and a bathroom. We have come to appreciate its tow-ability and size in terms of travel and parking it. The Casita is near perfect for us right now. If we were to get “twofootitis”, our criteria for a new camper would be:

Must haves:

21’ to 24’ long
No more than 7.5’ wide
No slides
1/2 ton towable
Walk around or twin beds

Strong preferences:
Bed(s) in front
Mid walk through bath or split bath
Living in rear
Entrance to trailer rear of the axle
Decent tank capacities

Trying to use the criteria above, our current list of future trailers would be:

Oliver Legacy Elite II
Escape 21
Escape 23 (under development)
Safari Condo Alto F2114 (not an egg camper)
Safari Condo Alto F2414 (not an egg camper)

LOL, even using our own criteria, there is not one camper that meets our wish list. Oh, and all of these campers are more or less quite expensive relative to our near perfect (and paid for) Casita. For now, I love the one I am with!!!

[oldwave]

Owned an Escape, it was nice
Now own a Bigfoot it is much nicer in my opinion
Looked at an Oliver, impressive build quality, small frig, small tanks, stove is adjacent to the bed/lounge are with no splash guard, a really head scratching design decision, at least Escape puts a a wall between them. Even more expensive than the pricey Bigfoot. We were seriously considering one until we looked at it.

My biggest criticism of the Bigfoot is wiring neatness. Everything else was exceedingly crisp in fit and finish, as well as insulation effectiveness. The furnace works well but will use lots of propane when you get sub 20 degrees, we used ac heaters when we had shore power.

[2morebeer]

It is an interesting question for sure and with so many potential best, or most appropriate, depending on wants/needs, budget and tow vehicle.


We were coming from, and still do, motorcycle tent camping, so we're used to small spaces and living outside. We purchased our 1978 Trillium 1300 because we wanted something small, but most of all needed something light, because we tow with a Tacoma and put 600lbs of off-road bikes in the bed, and with us (310lbs, combined, not each ) in the front only leaves about 240lbs of tongue weight available. Being a small rig also opens up a lot more camping sites, makes it easier in parking lots, and way cheaper on the ferry getting off the Island. It also has a furnace and fridge which draw no power so our electrical system is small and simple. It also has a two burner stove which is rarely used and a sink which is never used.


We have thought about upgrading to a 17' something and that is causing conversations about layouts and tow vehicle. If I could print money like governments I would buy a new Bigfoot 17.5 with front bed layout. It is by far our favourite layout and Bigfoot is, in my opinion, the best four season camper, and it's made in BC, eh! However, that would require leaving the bikes at home or upgrading to a full size truck to handle the tongue weight. As runner up, we really like Escape for it's quality and again, it's made in BC, but we have to admit, we like the layouts in Casita and Scamp better. The single dinette on the Escape seems distant and closed in from the rest of the trailer, whereas the other two mentioned seem more open with the side dinettes.


If you're looking at 19' or longer, then cross out everything except Escape, Bigfoot and Oliver. At least I think those are the only ones in that game.


If you read enough posts here and other forums like Escape, you'll see that some people have issues with new trailers, particularly appliances or electrical components. It's not a reflection of the trailer's quality, only the components which are widely used throughout the RV industry.



Hopefully all the great posts in this thread and my mediocre ramblings have given you enough points to consider in making a decision.


Cheers, and long live the Trillium


Scott

[EverClever]

[QUOTE=DeanCHS1980;855394]I would like to respectfully replace the Bean (non-fiberglass teardrop) with a MyPod:

The Bean is indeed a 1 piece molded fiberglass shell!

[EverClever]

The Bean is indeed a 1 piece molded fiberglass shell!

[Diana Alm]

In terms of overall ownership experience regardless of intended use (full-time or just short-term periodic travel adventures) and available in America including comfort level, build quality, resale value, low maintenance, minimal repairs, manufacturer / dealer responsiveness, hassle-free warranty claims resolutions, how would you rank the following brands in order from #1 to last (If I missed any brands, include them)? This only pertains to brands that are currently available as new:

Armadillo
Bean (teardrop)
Bigfoot
1 Casita
Cortes
Escape
Happier Camper
NuCamp Barefoot
3 Oliver
Outback (Trillium)
Relic
2 Scamp
Snoozy2


I have no experience with any others. I think the Oliver looks terrific but it's price tag puts it into another class. Casita and Scamp are the chief competitors. Diana