Why did you buy or sell your Fiberglass RV?

[nefldiver]

In the past 18 years my wife and I have owned six travel trailers all used. The first two, a 13 ft Scotty and a 15 foot Shasta were extremely used, and we bought them for a song and sold them as a children out group camping with Mom and Dad. Then we bought a 16 foot Casita a 1989 model we bought in 2005. Believe it or not we live in Jacksonville Florida and we bought it from a couple in Oregon. And they delivered it to us in Hilton Head South Carolina. We enjoyed the trailer but felt like it was too small, so we sold it and went huge with a 30-foot Avion. Boy it was roomy & had plenty of storage but it was a beast to haul. When we sold my 26 foot cabin cruiser and trade it in the 2500 truck we had to sell the Avion. After one tent camping outing that turned out very wet, my wife suggested I get another travel trailer and we bought her very nice 2007 Spirit Deluxe 17-footer and that was in 2012. We kept that for 3 years, which seems to be our Norm, and sold it. I went on the prowl for a Bigfoot travel trailer which we had wanted to buy for years, and finally found one in North Port Florida which is 2 hours south of Tampa. It is the 21 SB which means front bed and has 17 drawers and 21 cabinets for storage. It is super well-insulated and quiet you never hear the neighbors outside. It's only 4200 lb empty so my Toyota Tundra will pull it just fine we really enjoy it as it has a usable shower a fairly comfortable bathroom dual pane insulated mirrored windows insulated and heated tankage, a huge awning two 30 gallon propane tanks a gas stove and oven a microwave a 2/3 size refrigerator, much bigger than the Casitas and not on the floor as some trailers are. The fit and finish is yacht like. And did I mention storage lots of storage. We even have drawers that we don't use. I'll bet none of the Casita owners can say that. And we have a 32 inch TV mounted on a wall swivel. And I installed a modern Sony stereo with 100w speakers

So I guess what it mounts to is like many of you have set on here size and floor plan we like the 21fb floor plan it is a galley kitchen but it's wide enough for two to pass.

[Ang. in Racine]

Hello Kerry,

I bought my 13 ft Cloud(similar to Burro) 04/1017. I found it listed on this site.
I am the 3rd owner, and LOVE my little camper!! It is tight, but I'm petite. It tows easily behind my Kia Soul...yep a 4 cly., front wheel drive.

It's just me and my 50 lb Chow Chow, who also Loves being in it. I posted pics the day I brought it home, and some after I painted interior. I have updated the electrical, and swapped out the 2 way fridge recently. I may have it wrapped in Crazy colors next year.

I bought it because it's lighter and more convenient to use compared to a pop up. I have also used it as a guest room when family visit. Everyone who sees it, wants 1 of their own. I personally would sell my new house, before parting with my Cloud CT!

Good luck in your search.
Angela

[nefldiver]

I guess I did not answer the question very well and I apologize cuz I got very long-winded. The reason we bought used was because of the depreciation in used trailers and boats and cars. Oftentimes you can get a perfectly good trailer that's 10 years old that had very little use. Our first two trailers a Scottie and a Shasta or old 10 / stick trailers that were near the end of their life span. We had great fun with the kids camping over the years. Then we upgraded to a solid fiberglass. I cannot say enough good things about Casita trailers how well they are made how will they hold their value and now wonderfully they company supports them. I called up one day to get some rivets and some plastic caps for the exterior and after giving my address was told they would be there in a few days. I asked who didn't say want my credit card number and they said no there will not be any charge. Later when I had to replace a bathroom roof vent that I destroyed while waxing the trailer they sent me a replacement for only $8 and only $2.65 shipping. Talk about a company that stands behind their products. I would never ever hesitate to tell someone to buy a casita. However my wife and I are large people I'm six foot two 250 lb and she's five foot eleven hundred and 60 lb and we had a standing rule that only one person could stand up in the Casita at a time. That's why we upgraded to the 21 foot Bigfoot

[FlyGuy]

After a LOT of research, I ordered a new, 2010 Casita Spirit Deluxe Travel Trailer ~ April, 2010. I had a 2004 Toyota Sienna XLT Limited minivan I bought new in December, 2003. I had ordered the Factory Tow Package which gave me a 3500# tow capacity. Empty, the Casita weighs < 2500#. Fully loaded, I was still <3000# so, I knew I had a generous safety margin. I drove from NY to the factory in TX in late August to pick up my "egg" and, headed straight out to Nevada's Black Rock Desert to attend my first Burning Man Festival. I must have planned well as I had a GREAT time! I had to rush back to NY and get back to work, passing Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore and many other interesting places; that was a real bummer. I retired in April, 2011 and headed back west to see Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore and many other places. In the four years I owned my "egg" I put over 50,000 miles on it, loving every minute! By year two, I realized I really liked the RV lifestyle and, started looking at EVERYTHING that I might conceivably "graduate" to. By 2014, I'd narrowed the search down to three choices. A Winnebago Tour Class A diesel pusher (or its' sister, the Itasca Ellipse), a Super C-Class diesel puller or, a Class 8 Volvo tractor pulling a 5th wheel trailer. I decided on the Super C, Class-7 HDT (specifically a 2015 Dynamax DX3-37RV; it has the BEST floor plan I've ever seen). I've now had my Dynamax 4.5 years now and, as of May 31st, I sold my house and am now living full time in my DX3.

Starting with the Casita was a GREAT way to "test the waters" of RVing without spending a fortune. My Casita left the factory under $19,000. Seeing it four years later, I recovered $15,000+.

There are LOTS of solo females RVing across America; you'll have lots of company (if you want it). You'll also be as safe as you choose. The proper term is "situational awareness". Pay attention to what's going on around you. LISTEN to that little voice inside you. If that voice is sounding an alert, DON'T ignore it (or, do so at your own peril). Other posts have listed various solo groups in general and, solo female groups in particular. Although I belong to all the various RV clubs and groups, if I had to choose ONLY ONE, it would be the Escapees RV Club. Escapees run an EXCELLENT RV Boot Camp. Attend an RVBC and, you will be a MUCH smarter buyer (as well as a safer RVer). Other groups offer their own version of RVBC. Find and attend an RVBC; you'll thank me later. Keep posting questions here (and on other RV forums); there's a LOT to be learned and, mistakes made with RVs are often expensive and, sometimes dangerous. I'd be happy to answer further questions may have. Just shoot me a PM. Good luck, you CAN do this if you want to!

Regards, John

[fofobraselio]

Heya,
Loving the replies and popularity of this thread so I'll keep it brief.

Grew up in Banff. Met my girlfriend, decided to travel internationally, came back, felt we needed to go elsewhere (Kelowna) . Had a bunch of stuff and were going to rent a uhaul trailer. My better half though it would be better to get a camper trailer so we can move with it AND have an RV. With a stroke of luck, found a Boler for sale, perfect!
We overloaded it, made the frame worse than it was, dropped all our **** in Kelowna and decided to take it to Vancouver Island for a month. The poor 1977 trailer barely held up! Almost gave up on the thing.... Door flying open, loose upper cabinet, leaking etc.

Time passed since then and we decided to really get down to fixing it up.

Trailer is fixed up now.. After a whole 4 months of nothing but Boler and not knowing what the hell I was doing we eventually built it to be uniquely ours. TONS of work, what a journey.

We are now happily camping on a beach somewhere on Fundy Bay Nova Scotia.

26 years old and in good health, own my boler for 3.5 years with no family growing larger. The only thing growing is the list of renos and maintenance that I look forward too do, on our little egg

[Byron Kinnaman]

Here's my story about why I bought a 13' Standard Scamp. Let's go back a few years, maybe a bit more let's say 40 years. My wife and I got into backpacking. We would head out most week-ends on Saturday morning come home Sunday evening. We had an arrangement with both of our Xs that ended up with 3 little girls on one week end and none the next. The youngest was about 3 years old. We bought her a small backpack and backpacks for 7 year olds. They joined us for many of those week-ends. Rain or shine we'd be off someplace. Two weeks in the summer when I could get vacation time.

Fast forward. The kids were mostly grown up and the grand kids starting coming. My wife and I still would grab the backpacks and head off for a week-end or longer.

As life changes a bit we started getting involved with groups that like to camp. As we aged it was more and more difficult to get dress in the morning while laying your back. Time to make a change. I started doing research. Saw burro at a campground, then saw a Scamp. Started looking for lightly used Scamp spent the next two years attempting to follow up on adds. I discovered that most used Scamp 13' on the market would require a lot of work to make usable. Both of us were still working and figured we didn't have the time or desire for another project. Then we started looking at new. The end result was that 13 years ago we purchased a 13' Standard Scamp. 3 years later we retired and now travel during the winter to the SW and a maybe a few times in the summer. Our 13' Scamp has served us very very well. Both the Scamp and tow vehicle are fully paid for and have been for over 10 years. We found that after living in 3'x6' tent the Scamp is luxury.

We've looked at a lot of trailers, Motor Homes, Camper inserts and have not found anything we would rather have.

[Paul and Libby Smith]

Had crappy truck slide ins crappy stick built trailers, then bought a 94 Scamp 19 then raised it up 4 inches, removed the wheelbarrow tires new 2620 dometic rewired the whole thing I tow it with a Chevy 6 cylinder, every now and then I have to ask my wonderful wife to get out and push I love this trailer, don't care too much for Scamp they are not helpful, I do get nice comments about the trailer thank you Lowes floorwax Paul

[birchbark]

We bought a 16S Scamp this summer, layout 6.

Why did you buy?

-Got tired of setting up and tearing down our pop-up.
-Kids were big enough to sleep in their own tent and we were tired of trying to stuff all of us in one unit.
-Was one of the few campers-with-bathroom we could pull with our existing vehicle ('16 Kia Sedona). We looked at a couple teardrops and canned hams, but they just felt too small. Taylor Coach had a prohibitively-long waitlist.
-Grew to love the look and durability of fiberglass.
-They held their value so well that we felt our risk was very small.

Were you the first owner?

Yes. Since there was such competition for used ones, and we were relatively close to the factory, we decided to buy new and get just what we wanted.

Did the purchase meet your expectations?

For the most part. Scamps are entry-level fiberglass and the factory is old-school. There were a few glitches with the order (which were ironed out). The fit-and-finish can be a little rough in places, but we were led to expect that. I love the coziness and simplicity of the Scamp. After many years of tents and pop-ups, I love love love having my own bathroom and shower.

Scamps are a trailer for minimalists, I think. They are lean and mean, and do not contain all the comforts of home like many modern RVs. I personally would not recommend them (as a sole unit) for families with more than one or two kids, or for long camping trips, especially long boondocking trips. I know people use them like that, but that's not where they shine. Due to their minimal storage space and small tanks, they work best with folks who like to travel light.

If you sold, what caused the sale?

We expect we will sell in a number of years, mainly because of the bed size. I think as we get older we would like something big enough for a walk-around bed. That may preclude fiberglass, but I'm not sure that light weight or durability will be as big a concern at that stage in life. We do like the flexibility of a smaller trailer.

The "Keep Your Daydream" folks on youtube have a "How to pick the perfect RV" video that was very helpful when we were trying to decide if we wanted to put the money down for a Scamp.

[Mike_L]

Most people love their first trailer when they buy it and will likely always have fond memories of using it. Over time things change. We see other options and what we want from our unit changes. I consider it to be the "wisdom of experience".
After owning and using a number of units and looking at a multitude of units used by fellow campers, their pros and cons and now that I know the type of camping I want to do, I have arrived at a fiberglass unit of the size and configuration and with the options that work for me.
I purchased new because I felt it was the best option. For me a unit half worn out wouldn't have the life span to last for the amount of time I plan to use it and I'd rather spend my time in my unit rather than repairing it. Over time I think the extra I paid in purchase price has been off set by what I didn't have to pay in maintenance. Live and learn.

[Rzrbrn]

I have a 2013 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17" with many mods. We have put about 6k to 10K miles on it the last four camping seasons. We have two adult boys, both single. We were camping together out west when a bear poked around in camp, the boys were in tents with their girl friends. We all were a bit apprehensive, but no real problems. Then it rained. The boys said no problem, but I had had enough. We could not even sit around the table inside with four or five adults in the cold mornings...

I bought a Big Foot 25RQ last month. It should handle everything we want to do, in the way I want to do it. Probably will put the Casita up for sale in a month or two.

AS so many people has said, buy the floorpan that best fits your needs, and find the RV that meets your quality of life requirements.

[Jon Vermilye]

The decision to go from a tent to a trailer with bathroom came from getting lost on the way back to the tent from the bathrooms at 3:00AM in a 600+ site campground.

I kept the Escape 17B for 6 years and 100,000 miles before deciding I wanted an oven, and traded up to an Escape 21.

[David K M]

[QUOTE=MoTownDog;717174]I follow this forum and I see a number of folks that buy a Casita, Boler, or Scamp (and others) and turn around and sell within a short time? Maybe 2 to 3 years or less.

My first fiberglass RV was a 13 ft Trillium because my tow vehicle at the time was a Dodge minivan capable of towing 2500lbs. I was pleased with the Trillium but when an opportunity arose to acquire a used Escape 17b, I jumped on it because of all the features, comforts and advantages of the larger trailer. Since then I’ve been fortunate to have acquired a used Escape 19. (Anyone interested in a very nice 17b?). Obviously, I’m not towing the 19 with a Dodge minivan. I see a lot of “wanted” ads based on the weight restrictions of their present tow vehicle. I have changed tow vehicles 3 times since my minivan. I think to get what you want straight up such as air conditioning, storage space, toilet/shower, dinette layout, sleeping space, etc, could make acquiring a suitable tow vehicle a money saver. I think upgrading travel trailers is a money loser and the right trailer will long out last a tow vehicle. Just to buy a trailer less than 2000lbs with no other consideration than it weighs less than 2000lbs may end up in the “for sale” forum in short time. Just my opinion. All my purchases where simply opportunities that presented themselves. I could have bought a Bigfoot or a Casita had I come across one for sale. It was simply the comforts and features of the larger RV that made the difference.

[Jon in AZ]

Maybe, maybe not. We bought our Scamp 13 in 2012 when our tow rating was 2000#. It had everything we needed, which wasn’t much, since we were moving up from a tent.

We’ve since upgraded to a tug with a 3500# rating but still have the Scamp. No immediate plans to change. With retirement 5-8 years away, we might upgrade to a 16’ trailer at some point, or we might just keep the 13’ and downsize the next vehicle.

Keeping it simple!

[Stevie G]

In the 80’s dad had an old canned ham, nobody in the family enjoyed it so he bought a 4500 Trillium.
We loved camping in that.
After we grew up he sold it. Fast forward 20 some years with a family of my own and they want to go camping.
I looked at campers forever but nothing could measure up to the Trillium I grew up camping in. But They are few and far between. One day driving down the road with my son a Trillium 13 caught my eye in a fellla’s backyard.
I stopped and knocked on the door. I’ve owned that little Trill for a couple years now and the family loves it.
Its a little small but hey i tow it with a Hyundai Tuscon. So going bigger means tow vehicle too. Maybe someday I’ll drive by a 5500 collecting dust !

[Glenn Baglo]

FYI
https://www.autoserviceworld.com/hyu...-risk-spreads/

[Civilguy]

The OP's last activity on the forum was two minutes after posting their question. Are they watching the replies by email, or are they simply done and gone? I notice this happening fairly often, with the replies and enjoyment lasting long after the OP is gone.

Anyway, this thread looks like a good one with some really thoughtful replies, so I will be looking forward to giving it a closer squint when time permits...

[Roy in TO]

Trailer1 - 13' boler


Why did you buy?
The dog. Previous tent campers that needed to go on a trip for a family reunion in a tourist area at the peak of tourist season. The dog would not go into the tent and many motels don't take dogs. The tow vehicle capacity met the boler's weight. And lastly DonnaD who once posted that you can consider a wreck as a hard tent on wheels.

Were you the first owner? 3rd. Went from father to son, then to us

Did the purchase meet your expectations? I got what I expected

If you sold, what caused the sale? It will be lack of space to store it. I want to finish a few planned final touches before selling. Something to do with the satisfaction of doing a complete restoration by yourself.


Trailer 2 - Trillium 4500

Why did you buy?
Got another dog. Two needed more room to sleep on the front bench.

Were you the first owner? No

Did the purchase meet your expectations? Yes. Another FGRV member kindly looked at it for me with the buyers check list in hand. Gave me a full report. We drove out and purchased it.

If you sold, what caused the sale? This one is a keeper. If I won a lottery or moved to a home with more parking space, I might consider a newer bigger unit.

[Rzrbrn]

We bought the 2013 Casita 17' SD, our first RV, after many years of tent camping, first with the Cub Scouts, then with our sons who went on to the Boy Scouts. Over the years we have enjoyed driving around the country, but stayed in hotels, except for a month years ago, before the kids came along, I customized a van and the wife and I took a month off work and toured the country. That sort of gave us a taste for what later resulted in the purchase of the Casita.

The Casita is highly maneuverable and a big step up from tent camping, enabling us to camp in Grizzly country, which we enjoy immensely. But the wife and I have never been fans of camp fires in the evenings, even when scouting. So we spend much of the later hours in the Casita, which I find to be very cramped and not conductive to reading or computering. So in 2019 we moved up to a Big Foot 25RQ. We have yet to spend our first night in the new trailer, but hopefully it will give us the little bit more space I need to more fully enjoy the RVing experience. Wife really likes the Casita, which we still have, and may go back to if the BF turns out to be too difficult to handle in the remote wilderness areas. Obviously we have to transit large metropolitan areas, and do wind up in the cities that our sons now live in, but for the most part try to keep our adventures to the countryside. So we will see if we enjoy the BF as much as we have the Casita.

[Ken Longfield]

We began our camping life sleeping in tents and the back of our Dodge van. After children arrived, we moved on to a used pop-up trailer. Once the kids were in high school their summer activities increased, so we used the trailer less and less and finally sold it. When retirement arrived we looked around for something to take camping. Our friends owned a 16' Scamp which we liked so we purchased one and drove to Backus, MN to pick it up. We thought we needed a toilet and shower and awning but found we almost never used them. After seven years we decided to sell the Scamp and go back to a pop-up, but this time a hard-sided A frame Aliner. Our two primary reasons were a larger bed and four stabilizers. We will see how it does with gas mileage. The Scamp was really good in that aspect only dropping our average about 5 mpg on flat stretches and about 10 mpg through the Rocky Mountains. Except for no bathroom and awning, the Aliner is similarly equipped as our Scamp was. Looking forward to getting out on the road and seeing how the Aliner performs.

[Rzrbrn]

Ken we never used the bathroom or shower in the Casita either. We camped in the Big Foot for about 3 months last season and likewise did not use the onboard facilities. That may or may not change this next camping season. We just bought a diesel truck to pull it because the tundra was marginal in certain respects, particularly payload capacity and down hill braking.

In many respects the BF tows better than the Casita. Parking the BF is only slightly more difficult, but may get easier as I gain more experience. It does have its own quirks and which we are trying to resolve.

I trust you will enjoy your A-liner, have a great time exploring the Continent!
Henry