Casita vs Scamp 16'

[Lisle]

Looking to buy my first trailer. As a newbie, any sage advice about what's different between them? Advantage/disadvantage of each brand? I'm specifically looking for the side dinette and front wet bath in each.

[Jon in AZ]

Those two layouts are so similar it comes down to lots of little details. The Scamp is a little taller. Different wall coverings. Scamp has roof A/C, Casita has window-type A/C mounted in forward cabinet. Curtains (Scamp) or blinds (Casita). Scamp offers a screen door, Casita doesn't. Scamp has a sliding rear window, Casita has a fixed plexiglass window. Etc...

Best way is to tour both for yourself.

[Lisle]

Thanks, Jon. Any difference in reliability? How well made they are? I'm going to be buying a used one, so probably can't be too picky about details. When I find one in good shape, I'll probably take it as it comes.

[John in Santa Cruz]

pretty sure all the windows on our Casita 16 are glass, not plastic (plexiglass).

in Casita, the model you're describing is the Spirit Deluxe... side dinette that converts to a somewhat narrow bed, front path, front closet, with a window unit style A/C under the closet.

A Casita 16 SD was our first trailer... We used it extensively for 2 years, but ended up upgrading to something larger... the big issues for us were that the grey holding tank was too small for our extended dry camping 2-up (I could make it last 5-6 days solo), and the bed was just too small and cramped, one of us (me) had to climb over the other (her) to go to the bathroom.... the dinette bed was only 24" wide which I found too narrow to be comfortable as I tend to roll over several times in the night, sleeping on either side.

[Lisle]

Thanks John. I'll be solo and plan to just keep the big bed as a bed. Use the dinette for eating, etc. It seemed to me that the two were very much the same, but I thought I'd ask those more experienced.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

pretty sure all the windows on our Casita 16 are glass, not plastic (plexiglass)...

I'll defer to your first-hand knowledge. So... fixed glass in back. Scamp has a large slider, which is nice for ventilation.

[EscapeBoulder]

You might also ask about AUW (all up weight) of each trailer. We had a Scamp 16'er (side dinette, front bath) for a decade and loved it. It weighed 2,590 lbs fully loaded, ready to head out for an extended trip. That means we could comfortably tow it with our 3,500 lb rated mini-van. Also, never had any swaying issues with the Scamp. I don't know about a similar Casita.

... Greg
Boulder, CO
Not all who wander are lost.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by GregHine

You might also ask about AUW (all up weight) of each trailer.

That would depend on how much beer was on board. Tongue weight depends how many cases of beer you have in the front, and how many under the rear bed.

[LyleB]

The Scamp will have significantly more head room than the 16 ft Casita. The Casitas are generally a bit heavier with a heavier tongue weight.

I also prefer the way Scamp does the floor. While many folks say the Casita floor is "sealed in fiberglass" thus less susceptible to water damage, I don't buy it. Being encased as it is in the Casita, any water that does get into the floor, stays in, it doesn't have a chance to dry out. There are multiple openings for the water to migrate inside the fiberglass envelope - plumbing holes, electrical holes, screw holes holding all the furniture in place, etc. With a Scamp, the entire floor is exposed underneath the trailer and is quite easy to inspect periodically so you can catch any problem areas early. In the Casita, all damage is hidden until the floor is virtually destroyed. Also, because it is exposed, replacing all or part of the floor is a comparatively easy project in a Scamp, not so much in a Casita.

All that said, many folks feel that the fit and finish of the Casita is a bit better, plus they have some nice design options. Also, the Casitas have nice BIG windows compared to Scamps. Either will be great, if you get a good one and pay attention to maintenance going forward.

[Jon in AZ]

Agree with most of that, Lyle. The floor construction has advantages and disadvantages on both sides. Many Casita owners chose Casita for exactly that reason- the fiberglass-encased floor. I am of your mind, though, both for weight reduction and accessibility for inspection and repair.

Regarding tongue weight, the 16' Casita (unlike the 17') tends to run light like the Scamp, and you need to pay attention to weight distribution when loading. I have seen numerous posts about sway with 16' Scamps and Casitas, and hardly any involving 17' Casitas or 13' Scamps. To be fair, many were carrying extra weight- bicycles or a cargo box- on the back.

UVW does appear to run a bit higher on Casitas, perhaps due in part to the extra fiberglass in the floor. They also have more standard equipment, so it's sometimes hard to tell if you're comparing similarly-equipped units.

Regarding windows, Scamp gets the nod from me for the larger rear slider, but Casita gets the nod for including a true emergency escape window.

The Casita bathroom seems a bit larger and nicely finished, but again, the full fiberglass surround adds weight.

"Nice design options"? Hope you don't mean the wild upholstery prints Casita seems to favor... [emoji3] In my very personal opinion, the charcoal grey option they recently added is classy and timeless, a welcome departure.

[LyleB]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

"Nice design options"? Hope you don't mean the wild upholstery prints Casita seems to favor... [emoji3]

Ha! No, wild prints are not for me. I believe, however, that they do offer a solid fabric choice as well.

I was referring to keeping the AC off the roof (my personal preference) and the offer of more comfortable seating with the Freedom Deluxe models or the twin bed option of the Liberty Deluxe.

Yes, I have heard that the bath is a bit larger in the Casita.

[thrifty bill]

If you want a more basic trailer, the Scamp is the way to go. Options can be readily added so it is similar or better equipped than the Casita, or you can go more basic, and get lower weight and cost. From what I have heard, you can delete standard items from a Casita build but the price is not lowered.

Big bed in the Scamp could be larger (wider) than the Casita.

In the used market, tend to see more Scamp 16s. Most Casitas tend to be the 17 footer.


Personally, I prefer a large window front and rear, so a side bath Scamp would be my choice of the two. But since you want side dinette, it would be a toss up.

Similar to Jon in Santa Cruz, the tiny dinette is what drove us away from a Casita 17 and to an Escape 19 (couldn't park an Escape 21 at our home, so it was out). Note we always take long trips, last one was 11,000 miles, 1 month long, to Alaska with some side trips. "Typical" trip for us is four weeks, 8,000 miles. If we were weekend campers, our Trillium 1300 would be big enough. One to two weeks? The Scamp or Casita could work.

[Tom 72]

Unless a feature was a deal breaker... An example could be if the closet AC allowed you to clear a garage. Ceiling height could be another deal breaker.

Again unless a feature was a deal breaker, in the used market I think condition could matter more than brand. Absent a deal breaker, I would encourage people to look at both of these brands, which share a heritage, along with some of their cousins.

Good trailers get snapped up very fast. You will generate a ton of lifetime memories regardless.

[margeleept]

Not sure if this is an issue for you but the 17' Casita has a higher ceiling clearance (6'2") than the 16' (5'10"). That was a deal breaker for us since my husband is 5'11" and wants to be able to stand up completely. Not sure how the Scamp compares.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by margeleept

Not sure if this is an issue for you but the 17' Casita has a higher ceiling clearance (6'2") than the 16' (5'10"). That was a deal breaker for us since my husband is 5'11" and wants to be able to stand up completely. Not sure how the Scamp compares.

The Scamp 16 is approximately the same height as the Casita 17 and about 3-4" taller than the Casita 16.

[Rnupnorthbrrr]

Ugh, this has been my debate for the last umpteen years and I ponder it so much and waste so much time looking that I still do not have either one !!!!
I finally bought a little tin can camper just for local camping trips and to share with my kids (3 summers and I've used it once, haha) but I want a casita or scamp to haul across the country.
I thought I had decided on a casita liberty because I need the height and bigger bed...... but I read these informative opinions from experienced RV'ers and I start all over
At 5'11" barefoot and no claw clip in my hair I have to be slightly bent forward while in a 16' scamp or casita. I spend most of my working day bent over and don't want to while camping even for the short amount of time I will spend in my camper.
But I really prefer 16' as far as weight and I want the front lower mounted a/c, if I have a/c at all, just NOT ON TOP, which I only see in a 16' casita. And as a 51 yr old single lady, I mean girl, I feel it would be easier for me to handle
BUUUUUUT.............I only live 35-40 minutes from the scamp factory so service would be so handy if I had a scamp..........?????
There are other little things that I do or don't like/want but don't matter to me as much as this stuff.
Ohhhhhhh and then there is price range, finding my must haves in my price range (which I don't know what is, I have the money just not sure if I should spend it on a toy ?)
I want to scream, I can't make a decision !!!!!!!!
But at any rate, I love reading about all the advice, opinions, experiences and adventures here and on other forums, there seems to be a great supportive community out there......maybe someday I will make up my mind and join them
So thanks to all of you for sharing your experience !!!

[Doninut]

When comparisons of the two brands are discussed on the Casita sites I have often read that the vulnerable wood floor would often rot out no matter what preservatives were used on it.

While in a campground the owner was away from his Scamp so I laid down on a blanket and looked under the right front corner of the trailer. And HARK, there it was...… A hole about the size of my fist in the floor. It had been covered over with another piece of plywood laying atop the hole.

Like others, I really like the equivalent model of Scamp as my Casita 16' SD - especially the "Gold" model. I don't know the proper name but it has all wood cabinets with oak facing, as I recall. I think it has a larger refrigerator also, I think, but could be wrong about that. I recall the graphics were gold color.

Doninut

[WaltP]

I had a 16' Casita for a couple of years and liked it.
But, there are lengthy threads on Casitaforum .com about how the front AC is ineffective and modifications to help improve the airflow.

Walt

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by Doninut

When comparisons of the two brands are discussed on the Casita sites I have often read that the vulnerable wood floor would often rot out no matter what preservatives were used on it.

While in a campground the owner was away from his Scamp so I laid down on a blanket and looked under the right front corner of the trailer. And HARK, there it was...… A hole about the size of my fist in the floor. It had been covered over with another piece of plywood laying atop the hole.

Like others, I really like the equivalent model of Scamp as my Casita 16' SD - especially the "Gold" model. I don't know the proper name but it has all wood cabinets with oak facing, as I recall. I think it has a larger refrigerator also, I think, but could be wrong about that. I recall the graphics were gold color.

Doninut

The flip side is Casita floor is kind of a bathtub design, fiberglass beneath it prevents drying out. So if water gets into the OSB area, its going to rot. I would think that repairing a rotten floor in a Scamp would be much easier.

Do a search via google on floor rot Scamp, and then floor rot Casita and you will find people have had problems with either. Its not unique to those two brands as a similar search for Boler, Trillium, Bigfoot and others will show issues.

Really all the FG manufacturers would be well served to go to non-wood floor materials, which is what Oliver and Lil Snoozy have both done.


And of course, there are people with 40 year old trailers that have never had floor rot issues.

[Ed Harris]

Originally Posted by Rnupnorthbrrr

Ugh, this has been my debate for the last umpteen years and I ponder it so much and waste so much time looking that I still do not have either one !!!!
I finally bought a little tin can camper just for local camping trips and to share with my kids (3 summers and I've used it once, haha) but I want a casita or scamp to haul across the country.
I thought I had decided on a casita liberty because I need the height and bigger bed...... but I read these informative opinions from experienced RV'ers and I start all over
At 5'11" barefoot and no claw clip in my hair I have to be slightly bent forward while in a 16' scamp or casita. I spend most of my working day bent over and don't want to while camping even for the short amount of time I will spend in my camper.
But I really prefer 16' as far as weight and I want the front lower mounted a/c, if I have a/c at all, just NOT ON TOP, which I only see in a 16' casita. And as a 51 yr old single lady, I mean girl, I feel it would be easier for me to handle
BUUUUUUT.............I only live 35-40 minutes from the scamp factory so service would be so handy if I had a scamp..........?????
There are other little things that I do or don't like/want but don't matter to me as much as this stuff.
Ohhhhhhh and then there is price range, finding my must haves in my price range (which I don't know what is, I have the money just not sure if I should spend it on a toy ?)
I want to scream, I can't make a decision !!!!!!!!
But at any rate, I love reading about all the advice, opinions, experiences and adventures here and on other forums, there seems to be a great supportive community out there......maybe someday I will make up my mind and join them
So thanks to all of you for sharing your experience !!!

OK somewhere along the line you have the ceiling height stats wrong I think?
The Casita 16 is indeed pretty short inside but the Scamp is not.

A Scamp will be 6' or more high and there is no debate about it at all.
The Casita is only short in a 16 but the 17 is taller,much like the Scamp.

edited for wrongness