Casita modifications.... worth it?

[SoloMatt]

Hey folks! Great little forum you've got here I hope I'm not posting something that's been hashed out.... I tried to search.... but we've all heard that before haha.

Anyways, I'm just about to drop a good chunk of change (for me) on a Casita Patriot but there are two things that bother me and I'm wondering if I should continue my search or if I shouldn't worry....

1) The wall carpet. Is it really expensive to swap it out with a more appealing, less allergy inducing material that still provides insulation? Could I get this done for under a grand?

2) The battery. It totally confuses me. It lives directly under where my sleeping head would be.... I worry about all sorts of things from the safety of it being inside and near my head to properly maintaining the battery because it's hard to get to.... is it easily moved to the tongue?

AND..... would you keep looking if you had these concerns or would you consider them easily rectified?

Thanks!

[Dave and Kathie]

We had a Casita for 8 years and loved it - no problem with the carpet which is marine grade BTW. What would you replace it with? It would be a huge project. Have you asked over on the 2 Casita forums? Scamp also has a liner. If you really don't want a carpet or fuzzy liner, you might look at Parkliner - it's 15 feet, or Escape has one 15 left but it's a plan A (no bathroom, but I know Reace can retrofit an outdoor shower).

Good luck,
Kathie

[kootenaigirl]

Hi Matthew
I really hated the carpet on the walls of the Casita before we bought one. Now I have one it really isn't an issue. I also have allergies and they haven't been affected. I give it a vacuum now and again. It's actually quite cozy feeling.
If you really hate it I would look at another trailer, it is an enormous job to take off and replace.
I'll let someone else answer the battery question as on the 17 it is accessed from the outside. Under the bench but not open to the inside of the trailer.

[Bob Miller]

Battery fears are overplayed. Your battery is in a compartment with at least 1 outside vent and the chance of any hydrogen gas collecting is somewhere below the 1%. If by chance it doesn't have any outside vents for the battery, it's a 15 minute job to add two, but I am sure that they are there.


Changing out the wall coverings may be very expensive. You might contact "The Recovery Room" or the "Canned Ham Man" both in Riverside, CA, and ask them about the job. The Recovery Room does a lot of interior work on Airstreams and restoration jobs and the Canned Ham Man restores smaller trailers and, I believe, is currently working on a 13' Scamp project. Either one may have the skill sets needed. Here's some links:
Recovery Room
Home

Canned Ham Man
Vintage Trailer Restoration Specialists

[Jon in AZ]

Agree. Better to find a different trailer than change out perfectly good wall covering. I prefer Scamp's rat fur liner, but like kootenaigirl, I think I could get used to carpet fairly quickly if the trailer suited me otherwise.

[SoloMatt]

I really appreciate the replies!

Ok, maybe the carpet won't be so bad, haha..... it's a good point about it being marine grade. I think I can live with that..... or even learn to love it.

The battery, I just kinda wanna be able to get to easily and I have always been told to stay a few feet away from it. But I actually did find a thread on that on the casita forum.... so I think I'm making a good choice!

Appreciate any other feedback and thanks again for the replies so far!

[Mary F]

I second those that like the carpet on the walls and ceiling. It's soft and dry when you brush up against it. We've had our Casita for 16 years and the carpet has never given us any grief. It's also handy for hanging lightweight things (such as a hat) via drapery hooks.

[steve dunham]

We have a 17 ft Casita . I checked my battery today .Open door, loosen one wingnut ,remove bracket and slide out the battery .The wires are long enough to pull the battery completely out of the compartment . I find that accessing the battery is a fairly easy task .We have no problem with the carpeted walls ,they are not an issue

[Pam Garlow]

My trailer is a 1985, and has the battery under the back seat also. Right under my bed. No issues. its in a sealed battery box and vented to the outside.
I've never heard of needing to stay a certain distance from the battery, but if having a battery inside your trailer is going to be a worry to you, then you'd be better off to just purchase a trailer that has the battery on the tongue. There are many that have them mounted outside. Be sure to keep it locked in place, because thieves love to steal them.

[SoloMatt]

Well, typically, one would be worried about being too close to a battery indoors because it releases gas that you would then inhale. But the fact that it is sealed and has a vent to the outside pretty much solves that issue.

That said, it seems at least some casita owners have relocated theirs to the tongue for better access. I will probably just wait and see if it becomes a pain. From what I can tell, moving it isn't incredibly difficult but also might not be incredibly necessary!

[Donna D.]

I think the only time you need to worry about a battery outgassing to the interior would be an owner mod, where they moved a battery from outside to inside and didn't seal it!

Sounds like you're doing your due-diligence and what will work best for you.

I have a very old Scamp (according to new builds) and have never had a problem with the wall covering (which is a tad bit different than the Casita). Still LOVE it!

Good luck in your decision.

[SoloMatt]

Thanks, Donna! Yeah, that's kind of why I decided to ask here rather than the Casita forum because I figured I get more points of view. Really good to hear all these opinions!

[Donna D.]

Matthew, some of these all-molded towables are decades old and the owners still love them! Moisture is the bane, no matter the build. It's not about dust and dirt, it's about keeping the interior "damp" free. That usually means maintenance. Pay attention to water (leaks) and take care of it as soon as possible.... that doesn't mean months or years... but hours or days.

[mary and bob]

We have a '84 Uhaul that has smooth fiberglass interior walls. They are easy to clean but can be cold and sweat. We just bought a Casita 17 that has the carpet on the walls. Warmer and no issues for us with it. We have been in it for 3 months now and really like it.

[SoloMatt]

Really great advice. The good news is, I'm primarily a desert camper, so I tend to be in conditions where dust and dehydration are more of a concern than humidity. That said, I will certainly keep an eye on the moisture in there.... I figure I would try to cook outside as much as possible and put dehumidifying crystals in the bathroom? Like damprid or something? And pop a window when I sleep so I don't fog the place up lol.

I love those Uhauls! But I can see how the fiberglass would sweat.

[Jon in AZ]

I spent a week at a mountain lake last summer where drought had left the roads covered in a thick layer of fine grey clay powder. It got into everything, including the rat fur inside my trailer. First thing I did when I got home was to vacuum the walls and upholstery. Because it was dry, it cleaned up nicely.

In the desert, I doubt you'll need the dehumidifying crystals, but keeping a vent or window open at night is a good idea.

[mary and bob]

A camper lined with carpet, like Scamp or Casita is also quieter. Last night I was watching TV in our screen room and it started to rain. The noise of rain hitting the screen room was so loud I gave up and went in the camper and it was barely audible there. We never cook in any of our campers other than to heat up soup, or make coffee and toast and that's only when traveling. When set up on a site we cook outside under a canopy that also serves as our bike "garage"

[SoloMatt]

Yeah, I would think cooking in a 13' trailer a few inches from your bed would be a fairly disgusting situation, other than maybe boiling water. I barely cook indoors in my full-size kitchen at home and usually end up using my outdoor stove/grill. I think food, in general, is meant to be cooked outside.

I've actually wondered why it's always the bathroom that's either/or and not the kitchen. I would be fine with a small trailer that had a sleeping area, side dinette, bathroom and no kitchen. But I could only find Clamshells like that-- not Fiberglass Trailers. (EDIT: I take that back.... I did see this thing on Craigslist... but it looks like the equivalent of towing a giant brick, haha... what is it?? http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/rvd/4879457827.html )

Do you guys attach your bikes to the Casita or is there a bike rack on your tow vehicle?

[mary and bob]

Matthew; we removed the stove from our 13' Uhaul and converted that area to storage. The carrying bikes question is a very debatable and controversial topic. You can find several threads here about it. For us, we have successfully carried two bikes on a rear rack on the Uhaul. This trip with the Casita the bikes are in the bed of our pickup. Both the pickup and Casita are new to us this past November. We have not used the stove, but are thoroughly enjoying the side dinette and bathroom, features that the Uhaul does not have.

[steve dunham]

Matthew , My wife and I visited Mary & Bob one winter and got a tour of their 13 ft U Haul . We were amazed how Mary & Bob had modified their trailer . The layout made the trailer look very roomy and there was no wasted space . Their 13 ft U Haul appears to be what you are looking for . We have owned a 16 ft Scamp and a 17 ft Casita. At that size , I would probably leave the kitchen as is ,for resale if for no other reason . We seldom use our kitchen and as you prefer to cook outdoors as God intended.