Trips and A Big Purchase

[emij]

We just returned home from ten days and almost 3000 miles through seven states, checked three more National Parks off of our list, drove the beautiful North Shore of Lake Superior AND visited the Scamp factory in Backus.

And put money down on a new Scamp 16 Layout 7, for pick up the first week of July 2018 (because that's when we can get back there).

Our trip was amazing, our little Scamp handled some horrible, very bad roads like a champ and we feel a little like we wish we could keep two campers, but we are also REALLY excited about those extra three feet of space. Actually....I think what we are most excited about, is that we will have a FRIDGE! Trying to keep ice in the cooler and ice box, digging for items in melt water....I'm kind of over it. Funny how as a person ages, a few comforts of home seem nicer and nicer

We ordered the big fridge, the furnace, the max air fan, the A/C prep (but no A/C), a step, a few extra outlets, etc., side storage and above bunk storage.

We've got a few more camping trips planned with little Iggy the Scamp, and then next spring she'll be for sale. A few pics from our trip:
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[ZachO]

Looks like a great trip!

Yeah, you'll enjoy the space. Then you'll get used to it, and starting thinking "if we just had 2 or 3 more feet of space"...

You'll love the fridge. When they work, they're great. If you have issues...well, I have a 13 page thread going on that. But yes, they're great. Not living out of a cooler is worth their hassle, for me anyways.

[Bobbie Mayer]

Yep, a fridge is a nice thing! One of the big plusses when I got a newer trailer. Pictures are lovely!

[Jon in AZ]

Congratulations, Emily! Long wait...

How was the factory visit itself? Worth a detour if I ever get within striking distance?

Also, how was traveling that region this time of year without A/C? My wife and kids have mentioned wanting to visit Mt. Rushmore...

Originally Posted by ZachO

...Yeah, you'll enjoy the space. Then you'll get used to it, and starting thinking "if we just had 2 or 3 more feet of space"...

By then, you'll be empty-nesters with a whole new set of requirements!

[emij]

Originally Posted by ZachO

You'll love the fridge. When they work, they're great. If you have issues...well, I have a 13 page thread going on that. But yes, they're great. Not living out of a cooler is worth their hassle, for me anyways.

I have been reading your thread For awhile I thought maybe an icebox was the way to go, but we're gonna give the fridge a try! We've been assured the new ones are easy , so we'll see. It will be a three-way fridge, as that's what Scamp is installing as standard now.

[emij]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Congratulations, Emily! Long wait...

How was the factory visit itself? Worth a detour if I ever get within striking distance?

Also, how was traveling that region this time of year without A/C? My wife and kids have mentioned wanting to visit Mt. Rushmore...


By then, you'll be empty-nesters with a whole new set of requirements!

LOVED touring the factory. Even our 15 and 13 yo, who thought it would be so BORING really enjoyed it. Our salesperson let us look at everything we wanted, told us some great stories, gave us a history lesson, and really let us take our time. Definitely worth doing if you are close sometime. Plus a yummy cafe right across the street to stop at for lunch.

We were trying to think of the things empty nesters might like, hence the step, A/C prep, extra storage. Microwave plug in the cabinet above the fridge is standard, so we can add a microwave if we want. We also added the fiberglass backsplash, which I hadn't thought of doing since we currently have ensolite and cook outside. But that will probably change some as we get older and it's just us. This is it. Our one new trailer that we plan to keep!

We went up through Wyoming and it was 97 degrees both there and North Dakota. But it's monsoon season here, so every night it rained and cooled things off to about 70, which is perfect sleeping weather for us! We kept the Jalousie windows open and didn't even need to plug in a fan.

Minnesota and Michigan were having "high temps" at 75 degrees during the day (where we were) and even South Dakota and Nebraska were having unusually low temps the two days we were there, cool, cloudy and rainy in the evening. We actually wore our jackets and long pants more than I anticipated. Not having any A/C wasn't a problem at all. Although from past experience camping in Nebraska, I know that is NOT normal July weather! The Black Hills can be hot during the day, but usually cool off in the evenings, from past experience If you go up that way, definitely do Devil's Tower in WY. It was one of our favorite stops. The KOA there is RIGHT under it and they play the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind nightly, because it was filmed there.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by emij

I have been reading your thread For awhile I thought maybe an icebox was the way to go, but we're gonna give the fridge a try! We've been assured the new ones are easy , so we'll see. It will be a three-way fridge, as that's what Scamp is installing as standard now.

Unless something has changed recently, the big 4.6 cf fridge is 2-way (only the small 1.9 cf fridge is 3-way). The big fridge has a vertical chimney and a roof exhaust vent, which may give better performance from what I have been reading.

PS- Thanks for the trip report!

[emij]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Unless something has changed recently, the big 4.6 cf fridge is 2-way (only the small 1.9 cf fridge is 3-way). The big fridge has a vertical chimney and a roof exhaust vent, which may give better performance from what I have been reading.

PS- Thanks for the trip report!

They actually have a 3.9 cu.ft with 12-110-gas that they offer now as well. He said it is new for new builds. That's the one we are getting. So not the biggest, but big enough

[BatDude]

You will love your new 16'. Good choice on the larger fridge. That is our biggest lament on our 16' that we only had the 1.9 that may be great for week enders but does not work so well for our 4-month full-time winter escapes from Mich.

We could retro-fit a larger fridge, but currently using Coleman Extreme cooler (nearly as good as a Yeti at a fraction of the $) stashed in the back of our newish TV.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by emij

They actually have a 3.9 cu.ft with 12-110-gas that they offer now as well. He said it is new for new builds. That's the one we are getting. So not the biggest, but big enough

That is great news! Does it fit in the cabinet by the door without requiring wood shims? If so that would be a definite plus, appearance-wise. Does it vent out the top or out the side?

[emij]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

That is great news! Does it fit in the cabinet by the door without requiring wood shims? If so that would be a definite plus, appearance-wise. Does it vent out the top or out the side?

Yes, the cabinet by the door is where it goes and it does require wood shims (not my favorite, but it is what it is) and vents out the side. Currently there is a small cabinet underneath, about 6-7 inches tall, and a microwave cabinet above, but new builds will move the fridge down to make one bigger above fridge cabinet. We've asked them to leave it as is in ours, because I think that little space will make a good shoe cabinet

[emij]

Originally Posted by BatDude

You will love your new 16'. Good choice on the larger fridge. That is our biggest lament on our 16' that we only had the 1.9 that may be great for week enders but does not work so well for our 4-month full-time winter escapes from Mich.

We could retro-fit a larger fridge, but currently using Coleman Extreme cooler (nearly as good as a Yeti at a fraction of the $) stashed in the back of our newish TV.

This is EXACTLY what we talked about doing....getting the smaller fridge and using the Coleman Extreme cooler for longer trips. I didn't want to lose all the closet space, but in the end we went bigger, for the reasons you mentioned...those longer trips, which we hope to take more and more of as we get older. Glad to know that is working well for you!

[TomK]

Congratulations Emily! Looks like you had a great trip! I recognize all your pictures except that lighthouse on the hill. Beautiful shot! Where is that? I'm guessing somewhere along the Lake Superior shore.

We had a 13' Scamp and were perfectly happy with it until my wife toured a 16 Deluxe Layout B (front bath / side dinette) at Scamp Camp in FL. We called Scamp and placed an order in Feb, and went to Backus in May to hash out the build. We were told it would be ready on Oct 4th, but a call last week informed us it would be pushed back to Oct 13th. They are running behind on the Deluxe models. We were told the new refrigerator was 3.7 cf. I was hoping to get one of the 4.6 cf models, but was told they are no longer available. Oh well it's still twice the size of the 1.9 cf model that works so well for us now. They did say the cabinet for the frig and microwave would be remodeled but had no details. Thanks for letting us know what they are planning to do.

I almost felt guilty selling our 13', because of all the fun we had with it. We ended spending way more time in it than we thought we would. A few of the trips were 2-3 months long. We never used the dinette in it. It was a permanent bed. I think the dinette in the 16' was the main reason we are upsizing. The bathroom will be nice, but a steep learning curve.

Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. Much appreciated!

TomK

[emij]

Originally Posted by TomK

Congratulations Emily! Looks like you had a great trip! I recognize all your pictures except that lighthouse on the hill. Beautiful shot! Where is that? I'm guessing somewhere along the Lake Superior shore.

We had a 13' Scamp and were perfectly happy with it until my wife toured a 16 Deluxe Layout B (front bath / side dinette) at Scamp Camp in FL. We called Scamp and placed an order in Feb, and went to Backus in May to hash out the build. We were told it would be ready on Oct 4th, but a call last week informed us it would be pushed back to Oct 13th. They are running behind on the Deluxe models. We were told the new refrigerator was 3.7 cf. I was hoping to get one of the 4.6 cf models, but was told they are no longer available. Oh well it's still twice the size of the 1.9 cf model that works so well for us now. They did say the cabinet for the frig and microwave would be remodeled but had no details. Thanks for letting us know what they are planning to do.

I almost felt guilty selling our 13', because of all the fun we had with it. We ended spending way more time in it than we thought we would. A few of the trips were 2-3 months long. We never used the dinette in it. It was a permanent bed. I think the dinette in the 16' was the main reason we are upsizing. The bathroom will be nice, but a steep learning curve.

Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. Much appreciated!

TomK

Tom, the lighthouse is the Split Rock Lighthouse, along the North Shore, as seen from a little pull out just before you get to the park. It looked so majestic from that view! It was our first time in the Minnesota/Michigan/Wisconsin area and we loved every minute of it. Lovely, lovely place to visit!

The side dinette is the PRIMARY reason we are sizing up. I think we are going to love having the bed set up all of the time but still space for sitting, so I completely understand! I'm feeling sad about selling our little 13 footer, too, because we've had so much fun with it, but definitely looking forward to a a little more space and the fridge (which was a typo on my part, it IS a 3.7)

How exciting to be getting yours in just a couple of months! Congrats to you!

[TomK]

"Tom, the lighthouse is the Split Rock Lighthouse, along the North Shore, as seen from a little pull out just before you get to the park. It looked so majestic from that view! It was our first time in the Minnesota/Michigan/Wisconsin area and we loved every minute of it. Lovely, lovely place to visit!"

Thanks Emily. That photo would do any calendar proud!

Two things we saw and changed in Backus when looking at a 16D S/D. They put a 110v outlet on the rear dinette base facing the aisle. It looked like anything plugged into it and placed on the table (toaster, etc?) would restrict access to the seat. The cord would be a tripping hazard as well. We had them relocate the outlet to the front of the seat base near the wall. In other words near your left calf when sitting in the rear seat of the dinette. Also, the refrigerator was installed with the door hinged on the right as you faced it. If you got anything out of it; you'd have to close the door to set it down on the sink or table. We specified the door open on the right to facilitate filling or emptying it.

TomK

[emij]

Originally Posted by TomK

Two things we saw and changed in Backus when looking at a 16D S/D. They put a 110v outlet on the rear dinette base facing the aisle. It looked like anything plugged into it and placed on the table (toaster, etc?) would restrict access to the seat. The cord would be a tripping hazard as well. We had them relocate the outlet to the front of the seat base near the wall. In other words near your left calf when sitting in the rear seat of the dinette. Also, the refrigerator was installed with the door hinged on the right as you faced it. If you got anything out of it; you'd have to close the door to set it down on the sink or table. We specified the door open on the right to facilitate filling or emptying it.

TomK

THANK YOU for this! I hadn't thought about either of these things. The location of the outlet we could probably live with, although I'm going to ask them to change it based on this, but the fridge door opening that way would end up driving me nuts. Didn't think about that at all because that's the way my home fridge opens, but completely wrong in the camper! I've been making a short list of things to call back and ask about/ask to modify and this is going at the top! Thank you!

[WaltP]

Thanks for the trip report Emily.
Glad you liked the North shore. That's still one of my favorite trips ever.

Walt

[DougOlson]

In reply to OP:
Just a couple thoughts on options, learned from out 2015 Scamp 16.
We did not find the step under the door very useful, it does not extend out as far as we would like so we always just carry a separate stool/step. The front waste hose tube is too short to be useful so I just carry the sewer hose in an orange Home Depot bucket. We have the Fiama awning which is great but no where in the manual does it say to spray silicone lubricant on the hinges twice a year. Lastly, the frig with freezer is wonderful, it's a real treat to make ice while camping, even if it is quite sensitive to level. I know you will enjoy your new Scamp.