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Old 05-05-2017, 08:18 PM   #1
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Name: Dwain
Trailer: Searching
Florida
Posts: 40
Learning

I am trying to learn about travel trailers, especially ratings. From what I have found thus far, I really like the Oliver Legacy Elite. Not too big, but looks comfortable for my wife and I. I was originally looking at Jayco and Forrest River types, but from what I am reading, it seems like the fiberglass models are better, but I really don't know. I am definitely a novice. I have no idea the differences in price or quality.

Anyway, I'd appreciate some wisdom from owners.

Thanks for info!

Dwain
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Old 05-05-2017, 09:10 PM   #2
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Trailer: Escape 21 - Felicity
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Join the forums for each brand and read what the owners have to say. Many of us have changed brands and are on more than one forum and can answer a lot of questions regarding one brands quirks vs another. Many forums also have polls; learn to use the search features on each; they're all similar since most use the same software engine to run their websites.
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Old 05-06-2017, 04:38 AM   #3
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Name: Bob
Trailer: Escape 5.0 TA
W. Mass
Posts: 440
For starters, you're on the fiberglass forum so we may be a little biased.

Conventional trailers, like the Jayco's, are bigger, usually much bigger, leaving room for many of the amenities you have at home, fireplaces, washer dryer's, full size refrigerators, etc. All have dry bathrooms like you have at home. Just so you know, the side walls on most of these are made of Filon, it has a skim coat of fiberglass, not to be confused with molded fiberglass like ours.

Molded fiberglass are like boats, everything is compact, amenities are sparse, fridges are small in most. Most have wet bath's, or maybe none at all. Fridges are usually small, no fireplaces or slide out walls. These trailers last a lot longer with less maintenance, as such they hold more of there value.

The small conventional trailers are for the most part cheaply built, never looked at the small Airstreams, they may be an exception so you may want to look at those too.

In my opinion of the molded fiberglass you get ore as you move up in price. If the price of an Oliver is not out of bounds, they are certainly worth looking at. Bigfoot would be another, last I knew you they could had bigger, space wise, then an Oliver, and can have a bedroom and a dry bath. Of course heavier weight goes with that so you may need a bigger vehicle to tow one with.

After those 2 manufacturers you get smaller, Escapes biggest being 21', Scamp has a 19', and Casita a 17'. All have smaller models.

Would suggest you take your wife to look at whatever models you think may work for you. Oliver may be in traveling distance, TN I believe, Bigfoot and Escape are in BC Canada. Casita in TX, Scamp in MN.

You can see always post here and see if anyone in range is willing to let you look over their units, many do.
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Old 05-06-2017, 06:24 AM   #4
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Name: Dwain
Trailer: Searching
Florida
Posts: 40
Learning

Thanks so much for info. What is a "dry" bath and a "wet" bath? I am use to living in a small area, we like it (condo only 1086 sq. ft., 2 bedroom, living space small), and I know these units are very small. I have never even camped in a travel trailer. We are thinking we would like to try this for the summer months whenever I retire; so for 3-4 month we would be living in it. Maybe we would need to consider non-fiberglass, but I really like the looks of the fiberglass units.

Also, how is waste disposed? Can you hook up a hose at a waste station? Again, totaly novice here! Also, how long can you shower in one of these, wth hot water. Our goal would be to travel and be in an area like mountains, near a stream, or lake, and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.


Thanks for resposne and info.

Dwain
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Old 05-06-2017, 07:01 AM   #5
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Name: Jon
Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
Arizona
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A dry bath has a separate shower compartment so the sink and commode stay dry. A wet bath has the shower, commode, and sink in one waterproof space. Most fiberglass trailers, being compact, have wet baths. The exceptions are the larger Bigfoots.

Most of the molded fiberglass manufacturers sell factory-direct, not through dealers, and build to order. Wait times for a new unit can range from a couple of months to close to a year. Seems like there are a few ways you could go about this. The issue is that until you have some experience, it's really hard to know what's going to work for you.

One approach is to start with a smaller used trailer and take shorter trips at first. Something like a Casita 17 or even a Scamp 16 is fairly common, not too expensive, and easy to resell. Use it for a season or two, learn how RV systems work, attend a few fiberglass rallies to see what is available, and when you're sure what you need and want, buy your "forever trailer." You can continue to use the starter trailer while waiting for your new one.

Alternatively, take your time, visit some rallies (sans trailer), contact various manufacturers and set up demo viewings (most have referral programs that can set you up with a local owner so you don't have to go all the way to the factory), and when you feel confident you know what you want, plunge right in. Financially, it's riskier, but the good resale value of molded fiberglass helps if your first trailer does not turn out to be the forever trailer.

Either way I would not recommend jumping straight into a 3-4 month trip as RV novices. These things are complex, even new units have glitches, and there's a learning curve. As to waste dumping and other routine operational procedures, Scamp has some short video tutorials on their website. For the most part the basic procedures are similar for all RVs.

Best wishes!
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Old 05-06-2017, 07:17 AM   #6
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Name: Dwain
Trailer: Searching
Florida
Posts: 40
Thank you!
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Old 05-06-2017, 12:27 PM   #7
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Name: Mitzi
Trailer: LilSnoozy 12/01/16, Tug 2012 Dodge Citadel
Florida
Posts: 573
hey Dwaine! Where are you in Florida? If you are close to Broward/Collier through Pinellas/Indian River counties, I'd love to show off my LilSnoozy to you. We are just really busy this month- heading for DS in NC for a few days and then taking off the month of June to tour Maritimes Canada.

I lurked on RV boards for over 12 years before we purchased the LilSnoozy. I was an ultralight backpacker/canoe camper. When I took my Boy Scouts to the Northern Tier High Adventure Bases in 1997, 98, 99 and 2006, we were restricted to the amount of gear we could fit in a 5 gallon bucket- and that included air mattress and sleeping bag. this was pre kindle, and I also had brought 5 thick books to read and had space left over. I knew I could cope with limited space- was concerned about DH's ability. he was the type of person to pack everything including the kitchen sink "as we might need it". With our new tow vehicle, we have a goodly amount of space.
when we set up we turn the underbed storage space into "cat heaven" for our 4 kitties. I've also installed a tension rod in the bathroom to serve as a make shift closet, as he prefers to keep his clothes hung.

My retirement plans segued from hiking the AT to buying an Aspen PopUP motorcycle camper I could pull with my 4 cylinder Toyota to a teardrop (not bad, for an exbackpacker) to an Rpod to an Alumalite. I knew that we'de probably have to buy used and I checked thru many, many Youtubes on "What to Look For When you Buy a Used Trailer". I got scared off conventional campers very quickly. Slides have killed pets and turned into leaky sieves. Even new RVs are lemon city purchases, if you have watched some of the videos at RVtravel.com

I remembered having seen a Scamp or two over my camping years (reminded by the ad in AARP) and googled Scamp Travel Trailers. It brought me here. That's when I found out about the multiple molded fiberglass brands- far more than just Scamp or Casita. I toured the Parkliner fatory last year when I was visiting my son, and the LilSnoozy factory when visiting my grandson in Chucktown. I knew we needed space for 3 cats and I didn't want to have to mess with breaking down a dinette into a bed and vice versa. The fact that Snoozy was all electric was a bonus as far as I was concerned, having had to deal too many times with butane losing pressure when it's cold and propane and coleman fuel mishaps.

We've only used it for about a total of a week and our 4 cats have adjusted well (they were used to travelling with us already. Many people only take their cats to the vet and then wonder why they don't want to travel later on) Yes, 4 cats now. A burglar broke in last July and left us a tiny tuxedo kitten in our kitchen.
The other thing you and your wife might do is visit as many rallies as you can. Most of us LOVE showing off our egg-type campers and you'de be able to see how many different people have personalized their spaces.

Send me a PM if you're interested in seeing Grandmotherbear's Den, okay?
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Old 05-06-2017, 08:23 PM   #8
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Name: Dwain
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Thanks for info!
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Old 05-07-2017, 06:39 AM   #9
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Name: Carl
Trailer: Scamp 16
Pennsylvania
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Just remember that small is small. In a scamp 16 actual living space is about as big as your bathroom at home. Can you live in you bathroom for 3 or 4 months. People do and love it. You have got to ask yourself if you can. Good luck. Carl
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Old 05-07-2017, 08:24 AM   #10
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Name: Mike
Trailer: 2012 Escape 19
Oklahoma
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Typical rv hot water heater size is 6 gal. Mixing with some cold water to get a warm shower, you still have a fairly short shower. And you would want to be in a cg with sewer hookup, or you might fill your gray water tank from just one shower.

Many cgs have showers in their bath houses, though.

FG trailers have no seams between walls and roof, so leak points are reduced. Rounded shapes of FG "eggs" allow better fuel economy and less load on the drive train. A Scamp can be towed by most minivans and many small SUVs, but most stick built trailers require a pickup or large SUV.
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Old 05-07-2017, 08:40 AM   #11
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Name: bill
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
The Mountains of North Carolina
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Similar to Jons advice we started two years ago with an older used Casita. We took lots of trips with it, figured out what we liked and what we didn't like. We went to a FG rally and toured several brands and models. The Escape trailers in particular caught our attention and the "19" model had everything we were missing in the Casita. So we started looking for an Escape.

Sold our Casita for $1000 less than we paid for it, could have gotten what we paid for it if we were more patient. But we were ready to move on.

Warning, upgrade-Itis is very common. Best to have a tow vehicle that can not only handle your first trailer, but a trailer one or two sizes larger. You will not be able to resell a TV two years later for just a $1000 loss! A side benefit is you will have a safety margin to spare, braking, accelerating and handling.

Molded fiberglass trailers tend to be shorter than traditional trailers and narrower too! This makes everything tighter. Less storage, often smaller beds, on short weekend trips you may not notice. On long trips particularly foul weather, you definitely will notice. We are currently in the midst of a month long trip, probably close to 8,000 miles with the Escape. We did three weeks with the Casita. That was beyond our limit.
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Old 05-07-2017, 09:23 AM   #12
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Name: John
Trailer: 2000 16ft Scamp
Minnesota
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My take

My take is that most fiberglass campers are studies in efficiency, light,and cute. Kind of like my first girlfriend. If your camping, again my take, most time is outside. It is also nice to have a trailer that is not susceptible to leaks on those days when outside is rain and wind. Another plus is you have access to groups like this, if I had access to this sight in 1972 I still may have that first girlfriend!
John
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Old 05-07-2017, 03:29 PM   #13
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Name: Dwain
Trailer: Searching
Florida
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Thanks everyone! I definitely think FG would be my first choice. It appears that the Escape is not as well built as the Oliver from what I am reading, so I guess is comes down to budget. Would most of you agree that in FG Travel Trailers, that Oliver would be the top rated brand as far as quality, and Escape second place? It appears Oliver is twice the price, and when I get ready to purchase, if I can financially swing it, Oliver would probably be my choice. But, we definitely need to go to some FG rally's and start the process which could change our minds.

Blessings to everyone!
Dwain
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Old 05-07-2017, 07:42 PM   #14
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Name: bill
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
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I believe the Oliver to be the best built but I haven't spent a lot of time in one.

All the molded trailers are pretty good. Floor plan is important too!

Smaller Oliver floor plan does not work for me. I prefer a larger front dinette and a large rear bed. Dinette on Oliver is too small. The bigger Oliver is too large for our carport and storage area. So it's out too
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Old 05-07-2017, 08:06 PM   #15
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Name: Gordon
Trailer: 2015 Scamp (16 Std Layout 4) with '15 Toyota Sienna LE Tug
North Carolina
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crowwing View Post
My take is that most fiberglass campers are studies in efficiency, light,and cute. Kind of like my first girlfriend. ...
First girlfriends are rarely comfortable in the long run.. same as my first camper.

I would never consider one of the very high-end fiberglass campers for my first (unless I had Trump's money). In fact, my very own sister recently bought a stickie trailer (her first) and a brand new Chevy Silverado to tow it with. Even before getting it out the first time, she started having second thoughts and is considering selling it. If you are new to RVing, then it might be a good idea to start with something cheaper, and get a year or two of experience so that when you buy your "forever" camper, it truly is a good match for you.
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