Starting to think about a different trailer

[Dennis mn]

As we age, the concern of getting into the loft of,our 19’ Scamp could become an issue. I have seriously considered an Oliver Legacy II, but the price is a bit off putting. I recently went to the Casita website, and think that their Freedom 17 Deluxe could fit our needs.

Could someone that has owned both a Scamp and Casita please provide me their experience with both? Thanks in advance.

[DeanCHS1980]

Hi Dennis,

Laura and I are in our 3rd camping season with our ‘05 Casita 17’ Freedom Deluxe. I can honestly say that that I can’t imagine giving up the comfort of the swivel chairs in the Casita FD. We may think about an Escape, Bigfoot, or Oliver come retirement in a few years, but the one feature that cannot be repeated in our FD is the swivel chairs. After eating a meal, we can swivel our chairs toward the aisle to stretch out our legs and still have the support of the swivel chair. It was just luck that we found the FD when we were shopping for our egg camper. We would have taken any Scamp 16 or Casita 17, but we are so happy with the Casita 17’ FD.

Of course, you do have the “crawl over” issue that you have with all Scamps and with Casita SDs as well.

Wishing you the best,

Dean

[MK Evenson]

We enjoy our 17' Casita SD. Only major change I would like is a walk around bed, but a 25' BigFoot is beyond our means and won't fit in the driveway.

Mark

[Rzrbrn]

I have the Casita 17" Spirit Deluxe. Get the Freedom and the chairs. Get it with all the options if possible.

However SWMBO likes the Spirit because she likes to have the larger "permanent" table of the Spirit. And, since I am a Man, and Captain of the Ship, we own the Spirit.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Dennis mn

As we age, the concern of getting into the loft of,our 19’ Scamp could become an issue. I have seriously considered an Oliver Legacy II, but the price is a bit off putting. I recently went to the Casita website, and think that their Freedom 17 Deluxe could fit our needs.

Could someone that has owned both a Scamp and Casita please provide me their experience with both? Thanks in advance.

We own a 17' Casita with the swivel chairs. We wouldn't have any other setup. We checked out Scamps for over a year and they seem to not have the amenities and seem cheaper made in our opinion. Many lack bathroom facilities, heaters, etc. All this comes in a Casita. Some don't like the swivel chairs because you give up storage under the bench chairs but we put a plastic drawer under the chair by the bathroom door and a box for can goods under the other chair both against thee walls. The drawer can be gotten at Walmart for around $10. Just measure and go buy the drawer. We also put another small drawer just wide enough to fit next to the toilet. These plastic drawers are wonderful for unused spaces. My husband puts his underwear and t-shirts in the drawers. We had a kitty and her litter box fit just under the bed which we leave made up all the time with a Select Comfort number mattress. We see very few people make up and tear down their beds daily since you have the small dinette with comfy chairs. If you can't find the one drawer units then buy one that is 2-3 drawers and only use the top one. The only draw back is if you get up during the night the person on the outside is in the way or they have to get up also. We usually wake up about the same time now. Guess that is from being married for years.

[Rzrbrn]

Jann Todd,

Would it be possible for you to take a picture of the area with the chairs and the drawers? We can't quite visualize how you have worked out the storage. Perhaps a pic showing both chairs with drawers and another of the bathroom.

Seems like a very creative solution to storage with the Freedom. We understand what is happening under the permanently made bed, because the is what we do.

We have the Spirit. The bench seats are very uncomfortable for a man of my advanced weight....er, age that is...

I can't add pics myself lately, so don't feel bad is you can't do it either.

[madjack]

...when we started looking, the FD was the only one which offered what we wanted...captains chairs and the ability to leave the dinette/bed in the permanent bed position...
...any Olivers or Big Foots were way outta our league pricewise and a 19'/21' Escape was too expensive(sorta) and too far away(Rice is less than 300mi)...
...we have a mutant chihuahua whose bed fits perfectly between front seat and bath wall...
...the rest of the space is taken up by all of our "loose" stuff...this includes(but not limited too) several small canvass bags for such things as our meds, dog food and e-cigarette supplies...
...we placed a 6 outlet strip on the utility chase and use it to plug in all our electronic gizmos, run the wires for them up the wall and drape over a cubicle hook...
...coats and heavier shirts that are being regularly used, are hung over the back of the chairs and we never have to bend our sore ol'backs or kneel down to see/reach into those big ugly boxes...
...the FD works for us and I have not seen anything else this size and price point to beat it............................
madjack

[Dennis mn]

Thanks for the feedback! I am now waiting to get a brochure from Casita. I am even more convinced that the Freedom Deluxe will fit our needs.

[rdickens]

Dennis,

You might ask Wayne (Scamp) about a Scamp 16 Deluxe Layout A with a no-charge substitute of front sofa/bunk-beds instead of the normal front dinette on the LayoutA.

We have the 54” bed and the ability to sleep 2+ grandkids inside the trailer.

You can see pix of ours at the following link:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0By...EVhNVo1VHQ0WFU

Good luck on your search and selections!

Ray

[Ed Harris]

Well I have had both a 16' Scamp and a 17' Casita......or 2 both with the box seats and now the swivel chairs so my comments are based purely from my experience for what it is worth.

There is a pretty major difference in the way the 16' Scamp and 17' Casita are made that no one has mentioned yet and it has to do with the layout of the floor.
The Floor in a Scamp is lower in the aisle than on the sides where the seats are in a Side Dinette model. The Frame Rails are on top of the Aisle floor so the seats are elevated because of this and there is less storage height under the seats because of this too.
What I liked about this though is that it makes the seats feel taller than they are as your legs can hang in the Aisle side further than when turned to the table.

Hope that made sense?

The Casita 17' has a level and flat floor and in the SD version the seat boxes are just taller and roomier than the Scamp because of this.
In the FD model there is a feeling of a whole lot more open space there under the chairs because there is a whole lot more open space there!

The Table is easily enlarged too in an FD and mine is a lot bigger now than stock and much handier for me for it.
The Swivel Chair in mine nearest the bed is also on a Boat Seat Slide so I can position it nearer or farther from the side wall as I prefer,this was already modded when I bought mine but seems like a simple enough mod too.

The Scamp is also seemingly not as Heavy Duty in construction as the Casita at first glance but then the Scamp is also not nearly as heavy at all too so it is worth mentioning that I never had any issues at all with the construction quality of the basic unit in a Scamp and the lighter weight can be a major help to many of us.

The fact that there are more Scamp without Bathrooms or with entirely different layouts than a Casita is what I would call a Feature not a liability,more choice is a good thing!

I LOVE the Casitas that I have had and I loved the Scamp too and would be satisfied equally with either still Today,they are more alike than different for sure when compared to most RV Trailers!

Hope this helps.

[Rzrbrn]

I looked at Ray's pics. I have a Casita and have never seen a Samp up close and personal.

Do all scamps of that model look like Ray's Scamp or has some special woodworking been done? That is a very nice looking rig, very impressed.

[rdickens]

No special woodwork (other than the dinette/sofa swap) and extra cabinet where the furnace (we omitted) would have been.

All Scamp Deluxe trailers have the 54” bed and a choice of oak/birch real wood interiors.

At Green Eggs & Ham, our neighbor (Escape 21 owner) came over, looked around, and
commented “You have an amazing amount of storage in here!”.

BTW - Scamp does not advertise the dinette/sofa swap layout.
You have to know to ask for that swap. Luckily, Wayne sold us our previous 54”-bed
Scamp13 trailer and told us about the no-charge option.

Ray

[Rzrbrn]

Thank you Ray, much appreciated.

[rdickens]

You’re welcome, Henry!

BTW - A common concern is the amount of weight that the wood interior might add.

Right after purchase, a local CAT scale showed 2,000 lbs on our main axle and 250 lbs
on the tongue (with dual propane bottles and larger Group 27 battery on the tongue).

Ray

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

Jann Todd,

Would it be possible for you to take a picture of the area with the chairs and the drawers? We can't quite visualize how you have worked out the storage. Perhaps a pic showing both chairs with drawers and another of the bathroom.

Seems like a very creative solution to storage with the Freedom. We understand what is happening under the permanently made bed, because the is what we do.

We have the Spirit. The bench seats are very uncomfortable for a man of my advanced weight....er, age that is...

I can't add pics myself lately, so don't feel bad is you can't do it either.

I took the pictures. The bathroom drawer is about 7" wide 14-15" long and 6" tall. The one under the seat is about 12" wide 15" long and 8" tall.

[patrick crawford]

We have the Spirit. The bench seats are very uncomfortable for a man of my advanced weight....er, age that is...

i'm afraid i have to disagree... those bench seats are very uncomfortable regardless of advanced weight/age. i tried quite a few fixes from pillows to building a frame for the cushions that made them not so 90 degrees... then another fgrv owner turned my on to stadium seats from west marine. these things are amazing however a bit pricey. i camp host and each gig is for at least a month. of course there's always an inclement period that keeps me inside more than usual so i'm in a seat for extended periods. these seats make that much less painful.

p@

[Rzrbrn]

P@

Thanks for the tip regarding stadium seat. It is hard to see which West Marine stadium chair you have: High back, low back or go anywhere.

I have this and will give it a try:

(Amazon) GCI Outdoor SitBacker Adjustable Canoe Seat with Back Support

[k0wtz]

I wish I had seen this before I put our futon in. the futon is nice but it elevates us too much.

oh well another 100 bux wasted!

anything for camping


bob

[Jon in AZ]

Others have adapted flea market swivel chairs to sit on top of the seat bases. You still have the storage, and this particular mod allows the seats to be removed to have the extra bed if needed (courtesy of Kevin K).

Link to details: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...irs-68232.html

[Rzrbrn]

Jon

Very nice job with the swiveling seats. I am going to try this.

1. How did you secure the table to the wall? I thought the seat cushions secured the table from moving.

2. Under the table you have a white solid board that goes up about 15" or so from the floor. What do you store behind it or what is it used for? We try to use every available space for storage.

Thank you