Information on small fiber glass trailers

[William Lee]

Greetings:

I'm new to forum and trying to get some information on the small fiber glass RV's. I have very little knowledge of them at this time, but have pulled several full size over the years. I have decided to down size this summer and am beginning to look at some 17 ft casita and oliver type trailers. I own a full size Chev. K2500 D/A diesel at this time and probably will keep it for a while as it will get over 20 mpg at 60 mph empty, going across country, and I just drove my son's new 2008 chev gas K1500 to Denver and back and did not get that kind of mileage, any way questions?

1. Does the fiber glass trailer have a problem with condensation or sweating in cold weather? I'll be buying thermal pane windows.

2. How many days can I get out of 2 20 lb propane tanks in very cold weather running furnace 24/7.

3. Do most of you use a equalizer type hitch?

4. How do these small trailers handle in strong wind gusts or trucks passing?

Thanks,

Bill

[Kevin A]

We have a 16' UHaul Vacationer fiberglass trailer that we pulled from Chicago out to Rocky Mountain National Park and back last summer. The UHaul has a double-shell wall structure for some added insulation and is totally smooth fiberglass inside (no rat fur). We get a bit of condensation on the windows when it gets down close to 32 degrees and the furnace is running, but we keep the bathroom ceiling vent open and have a fresh air source under the furnace. The better the ventilation, the less the condensation. We haven't had any problems with condensation on the walls yet.

We run our furnace only for about an hour a day (getting ready for bed) and use a small ceramic electric heater other times. We also cook with our propane stove inside when the weather is not nice outside. Thus far, we have used about 1/3 of a 20 lb. tank since it was filled in spring 2007. Of course, we are not running the furnace 24/7 like you asked.

We are towing with a 2003 VW Eurovan with a V6 engine and get about 14-15 mpg on trips west. We get a bit better mileage going east (downhill!). We don't have a special hitch, just the regular 2" ball.

As to handling, we have had no trouble, even in very strong winds in South Dakota. Of course, any wind can catch you just right and cause some problems, but we just slow down and drive consistently around 55 at those times. Otherwise, we go 65 mph on the 4-lanes. Trucks passing us have been no problem at all. In fact, I honestly haven't noticed any effect from their wind. Our trailer runs about 2500 lbs loaded, so it's pretty stable.

[Sandra Lair]

In our Scamp, we do get condensation on the windows when we run the heater (we use a small electric "cube" heater only.) We put Rain-X on the windows & leave a couple of them cracked to reduce the condensation. It's not a big problem.

Our Scamp is a 13' and we don't have an equalizer hitch, don't need it.

We've had no problem with wind or passing trucks. We've been in a few really bad storms and the wind seems to just roll over & around us without shaking the trailer at all. The only problem during storms is the sound of the rain & thunder, which is very loud! If you get a Casita or an Oliver, it will be better insulated & quieter than our trailer.

Good luck!

Sandra