Becky in Central Florida

[honda03842]

Rebecca,

We travel extensively in our 1991 Scamp 16, 315 days last year, and our Scamp is heavily modified for the two of us. Virtually every nook and cranny has been converted into storage space of one kind or another. As well we have a box on our rear bumper and 5 additional small and large boxes under the trailer. It weighs 2430 lbs including 200 lbs of tongue weight.

Though we carry a lot, nothing that's particularly heavy.

We tow our trailer with a vehicle comparible in horsepower and torque to the Subaru and have been very satisfied. We are particularly happy with the mileage and reliability we have experienced. Our trips have included multile loops of the USA, numerous cross Rockies trips and many long dirt road travels.

I believe a Scamp 16 can be configured to be towed by a Subaru, obviously because people do it.

I think the primary issue is keeping the tongue weight low. We do this by using only one Propane tank and one battery. As well we have a room sized air conditioner built in to the bottom of our closet. It only draws 5 amps when running.

Though we do not travel in FL in the summer, we have found it adequate to cool the trailer to a comfortable level. We usually turn on the AC and use a small fan to blow the cold air around the trailer.

For us the major issue is humidity, particularly when cooking in the trailer.

We have not tried to run our AC on a small generator but I would be surprised if it would not run and I intend to test it when we get home.

We have carried a small generator in the back of our CRV and it has not been a problem. It is a little heavy at 40 lbs but very doable, we never move it too far.

As to towability with vehicles like the Subaru or or CRV we have not ever felt unsecure with the trailer, as Ginny says she feels like there's someone behind us that's following too close, other than that we hardly notice it's there. I will say we rarely go over 60 mph on any road.

Of course our Scamp 16 has brakes and have never had a problem stopping, something most Scamp 13s do not have. We have experienced
no abnormal wear on our CRV's brakes and in 180,000 miles no drive train repairs.

We do love our Scamp but do admit we would probably love any brand of fiberglass trailer we have seen so far....

[Mike Magee]

Welding a mount on the rear of a 13'er for your generator is certainly possible, it's been done. Also possible to put it on the tongue. I would suggest getting a nice quiet genny like the Honda eu2000i so it doesn't disturb others (or you). They are only about 40 lbs, if I recall correctly... light enough that you may be able to pick it up and set it on the ground if you decide the vibration bothers you.

Which end you put the genny depends largely on what your tongue weight will be. If over 200 lbs, mount it on the rear and it will lighten your tongue.

[Shawneegyrl]

Originally Posted by dylanear

How bad is the van? You could possibly tow with it. Having plenty of storage space will be welcome if you full time in a 13 I promise!

You can do a lot of repairs cheaper than buying a new car. That said, continuously wasting money on a vehicle that just keeps breaking is no good.

I gave you some details on the van in the thread about the Delica. I REALLY hope the spark plug wires are the culprit, if I could just get this van dependable for a while longer I would be so happy. I would then rebuild the ginny.

Then when I buy something else, balancing cost, functionality, safety and convenience will not be so difficult (I think)

[dylanear]

Could be those plug wires! When my old 91 Miata starts running rough, I pretty much just buy a new set of plugs and wires right off the bat. Cheap and seems to fix it every few years. it's nice to choose to sell a running vehicle rather than be forced to sell a flakey one! Hope it works out!

Originally Posted by Shawneegyrl

I gave you some details on the van in the thread about the Delica. I REALLY hope the spark plug wires are the culprit, if I could just get this van dependable for a while longer I would be so happy. I would then rebuild the ginny.

Then when I buy something else, balancing cost, functionality, safety and convenience will not be so difficult (I think)