Q. from an Owner-wannabe

[Bobbie Mayer]

I'm considering looking for one of these trailers. But I have a few questions.

1) Which, if any, will fit inside a standard garage? (Assuming the garage gets cleaned out?)

2) My tow vehicle would be a Subaru Forester, which can tow up to 2000 lbs with trailer brakes. Will that be sufficient? How much will it affect my mileage to tow a trailer like these?

I'll probably think of more questions, but those are the big ones for now.

Thanks,
Bobbie

[Christi V.]

My answers but I am no expert here..... none of my Scamps ever fit in my garage.. the beams aren't high enough...

1. I wouldn't pull anything bigger than a 13 ft Scamp, Burro or Boler trailer with your Forester... if your towing weight is only 2,000lbs.... I had a Tacoma PU 3.7L 4 C that would tow 3,500 so I pulled my 16 ft Scamp with it a few times with no problems.. but also remember you will need a tranny cooler if you don't have one installed already....if your vehicle is an automatic..

2. Not sure on the mileage..... maybe 15 per gal??

Lots of info here for someone else to chime in.....

[Gerry]

1) Which, if any, will fit inside a standard garage? (Assuming the garage gets cleaned out?

Bobbie, this is asked alot and a standard door is usually 7 feet and other then a Teardrop style camper I do not know of any that would fit but alot of people have come up with good ideas like letting air out of tires to get the 13 ft Boler just squeeking in.
I have a 13 ft Boler but my air conditioner is on top so it sits outside all year with no problems.

2) My tow vehicle would be a Subaru Forester, which can tow up to 2000 lbs with trailer brakes. Will that be sufficient? How much will it affect my mileage to tow a trailer like these?

Here again I am no expert but I do know the Subaru is rated for the 2000 lbs.
We own an Outback and was considering towing with is and was told by hitch installer that it would haul it but breaking may be the problem where my trailer doesn't have brakes.
Also unless your Forester came from factory with a tow Pkg. (my opinion only) I wouldn't chance it.
Subaru tranies are expensive fixes.

You will probably get lots of answers and some will contradict mine but thats OK too because I will learn but I do know when thinking if a car will aul a trailer you must think about how you can stop a 1300 pound rig pushing you down a hill on a rainy night .
Gerry

[Frederick L. Simson]

1) [b]Which, if any, will fit inside a standard garage? (Assuming the garage gets cleaned out?)

2) My tow vehicle would be a Subaru Forester, which can tow up to 2000 lbs with trailer brakes. (a) Will that be sufficient?

2.b.) How much will it affect my mileage to tow a trailer like these?

1) [b]The easy answer would be to find one of the folding roof type trailers:

1. Compact Junior
2. Compact II
3. Trails West
4. Mighty Lite

2a) Yes
2b) That would depend on how fast you drive when towing. @ 55 mph my experience is a loss of 10%. @ 75 mph my fuel mileage dropped by 50%

[Tom Trostel]

Bobbie,
There are 4 trailers that will fit in a standard garage. Miti Lite, Trails West Campster, Compact II, and Compact Jr. They are all older and never sold in large numbers, so it will be hard to locate any for sale. All 4 could be towed with the Subaru. You will see a drop of 8-10 mpg when towing. Tom Trostel

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?...3125484&f=0

[Donna D.]

Bobbie,
There are 4 trailers that will fit in a standard garage. Miti Lite, Trails West Campster, Compact II, and Compact Jr.

And the Miti Lite was made in Washington State...we've seen a couple crop up for sale because of referrals here on FiberglassRV.

Here's a link to the Miti Lite album so you know what it is Miti Lite Album

[Cam A]

I tow a 14 foot Surfside, empty weight about 1600 pounds, with my Forester. We did an extensive trip through the mountains with four people, and the Forester did great. We got about 18 mpg. The Surfside will not fit in a normal garage, however.

[Miriam]

Bobbie, this is asked alot and a standard door is usually 7 feet and other then a Teardrop style camper I do not know of any that would fit but alot of people have come up with good ideas like letting air out of tires to get the 13 ft Boler just squeeking in.
I have a 13 ft Boler but my air conditioner is on top so it sits outside all year with no problems.
Here again I am no expert but I do know the Subaru is rated for the 2000 lbs.
We own an Outback and was considering towing with is and was told by hitch installer that it would haul it but breaking may be the problem where my trailer doesn't have brakes.
Also unless your Forester came from factory with a tow Pkg. (my opinion only) I wouldn't chance it.
Subaru tranies are expensive fixes.

You will probably get lots of answers and some will contradict mine but thats OK too because I will learn but I do know when thinking if a car will aul a trailer you must think about how you can stop a 1300 pound rig pushing you down a hill on a rainy night .
Gerry

I totally agree with the above. An 8-foot door accommodates my Surfside and my stick-built with space to spare. BUT....
But, but, but, but.....
If your driveway is sloped, it is sometimes enough to put your trailer at an angle which makes it higher. AND...
And if you have something hanging from the roof (trouble-light, f'rinstance) you can get hung up, too.

My two cents, for what it's worth...

- Miriam

[jack maloney]

We own an Outback and was considering towing with is and was told by hitch installer that it would haul it but breaking may be the problem where my trailer doesn't have brakes.

Do you have a Legacy Outback, or the smaller Impreza Outback? We have towed our brakeless UHaul CT13 (1550lbs. loaded) with our '98 Legacy Outback coast-to-coast, through the US and Canadian Rockies and Sierras, with no problems whatsoever.

[Greg A]

I guess I got lucky cause the 13' Scamp goes right in my garage and don't have to raise the door or do anything. No roof air conditioner, just normal vent.

[Bob Cupp]

Greg-What is the height of your garage door? My Love Bug will not fit in my 7' door but does fit in my 8' door.

[Greg A]

The Garage opening height is 92" but the door hangs down a bit and the opening without raising the door any was 88." Thought I might have to clamp the door up higher, but it went right in.
The house is just a stock builder home, so I guess the builder may be a Scamp owner since he built the garage clearance that high.

[Bobbie Mayer]

I guess I need to measure the garage door. I don't have anywhere else to park (no driveway, the garage opens onto the sidewalk and then the street). However, if I get an Egg I do need AC- I'm in central California and that would be the main point of having a trailer instead of tent-camping. So the AC is going to be a problem unless it is easily removable or can be mounted somewhere else.

By the way, it is a manual (5 speed) Subaru and I've towed a boat (about 1000 lbs, no brakes) but they say over 1000 and the trailer needs brakes.

Bobbie

[Greg A]

My AC is mounted in the left rear window looking from the back. If it were a roof unit, I wouldn't be in the garage....

[Pete Dumbleton]

My 7'4" (Stock, before I added the fantastical fan) 1991 Scamp 13 requires removal of the 13" rims/tires and replacement with 12" tire-less rims, plus removal of the FF hatch cover, to roll it into my 7'0" garage (Plus I had to cut of an excess part of the garage door mechanism to get it up to 7'0") -- Letting the air out of the tires would not have been enough.

New Scamp 13's are several inches taller than my 1991.

[Carl O]

I just looked and the Scamp website lists the 13' Scamp at 7'4", but I had them mail me a brochure with a new yellow price list and it has the 13' Scamp at 7'6". This would verify what Pete said about the new Scamps being taller.

-Carl

[Gerry]

Do you have a Legacy Outback, or the smaller Impreza Outback? We have towed our brakeless UHaul CT13 (1550lbs. loaded) with our '98 Legacy Outback coast-to-coast, through the US and Canadian Rockies and Sierras, with no problems whatsoever.

Wow this is great to know. We have the Legacy.
Do you have the tow pkg or any other modifications other then the hitch on your car?
Gerry

[Bobbie Mayer]

Well, measured the garage, it is the standard 7 foot door, so I'm stuck. As I said, I have no driveway at all and no other place to park a trailer, so unless I decide to pay storage fees somewhere, I can't get one right now. (I can keep an eye out for the four short ones, but that's a long shot.) I don't think a teardrop would offer what I want, especially AC.

Bobbie