Canuck east coast. First trailer.

[Lawrence]

We're Lawrence and Kaarin, and we live on Canada's east coast. We're looking for a fiberglass trailer. After a couple of weeks of lurking here, it's time to step out

Our goal is to find a trailer that will be our home for months of travel with a dog -- and maybe our cat who is a real trooper. We travel to be outside, mountain biking, hiking, skiing. We like to travel light, and much of our time will be spent doing what we've learned is called 'boondocking'! We think that a fiberglass trailer around 19' is probably about right, allowing us just enough room and still relatively easy to tow up logging roads etc. A small fg 5th wheel is also a possibility.

We've never a owned travel trailer of any type, but both have spent months in tents and, for 5 years, lived in a one-room cabin without running water in interior Alaska. Our quest for a trailer might be driven by a desire to return to that straightforward minimalism. Except a trailer _moves_ ... even better! :-)

Greetings to all. We look foward to learning, and sharing, more.

[Borrego Dave]

Welcome to the group. What do you plan on using for a tow vehicle?

[Lawrence]

Originally Posted by Borrego Dave

Welcome to the group. What do you plan on using for a tow vehicle?

Hi Dave - thanks for the greeting.

A Colorado crew-cab with 6'2" box, 7600lb tow and ~1500lb payload capacities.

[cpaharley2008]

Here you go Escape Trailer Industries – Chilliwack, British Columbia

[Jon in AZ]

Escape was my thought as well. There aren't a lot of options currently being made in that size range, at least in molded fiberglass. Escape makes a 19'er and a small fifth wheel. Escape offers extra insulation and thermal windows as an option, but it's really a three-season trailer.

A high end option is the smaller Oliver. I believe the factory can set it up for solar, and it is a true four-season design.

The budget option, of course, is a Scamp 19' fifth wheel, and of all the choices mentioned, it's the most common on the used market. It's definitely a three-season trailer, though.

You might also consider a Bigfoot 17.5 (2500-series). It's a bit smaller than your target and very pricey new, but it's a true four season model and used ones do show up on the market at more reasonable prices.

[Lawrence]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Here you go Escape Trailer Industries – Chilliwack, British Columbia

Great minds think alike! We keep returning to the Escape 19 and possibly 5.0 as perfect for us, even though we haven't even seen one in person!

One consideration is that I'm (Lawrence) nearly 6'3". The two Escapes mentioned do have enough headroom and a long enough bed, according to the specs.

Escapes seem quite hard to find, used prices are steep, and the wait for a new one is... undetermined! Hence, we've been keeping our eyes open for other trailers too. We don't mind an older trailer, even if it requires a bit of work to suit our needs. The Bigfoot 17s look good but the beds are too small. I don't know about the 19s. The quest continues.

[Paul O.]

Welcome, Lawrence - it seems you already called it. "Around 19' " and "a small FG 5th wheel" describes the Scamp. Towing with a medium (there are no longer any small ones) pickup truck gives you the ground clearance you might appreciate while boondocking. No need for an off-road package, really, unless that is what you want. Go with a 4wheel drive (on demand) and a V6 engine, and towing package. No need for any WDH or anti-sway add-ons. Enjoy!

[Lawrence]

These are all good suggestions. Thank you. The used Scamp 5th wheels seem rare in Canada, but importing from the U.S. shouldn't be a problem (except for the current exchange rate..).

One thing: I've seen descriptions of the Scamp as 'not a true 5th wheel'. What does that mean?

[Bob Miller]

"Not a true 5th Wheel" That's a semantic discussion among towing purists that concerns how the trailer is attached to the tow rig. In a generic sense its still a 5th (3rd?) wheel. But, at least the early ones, use a Scamp specific hitch.


A sweeter ride, that's easier to find in Canada, might be one of the late 80's BigFoot 19' Fifth wheel. (single axle) I have been in several and they trump the Scamp 19'er five ways to Sunday.... (Sorry, American slang for "Really a Gob Stopper") LOL
There was one in Oregon on fiberglass-rv-4sale.com.

[Lawrence]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

A sweeter ride, that's easier to find in Canada, might be one of the late 80's BigFoot 19' Fifth wheel. (single axle) I have been in several and they trump the Scamp 19'er five ways to Sunday.... (Sorry, American slang for "Really a Gob Stopper") LOL
There was one in Oregon on fiberglass-rv-4sale.com.

I surfed some old listings of the Bigfoot 5th wheels.. good suggestion. I like the big windows around the dinette, the bed is wide and long, and it seems relatively cold-weather-friendly.

[Cathi]

Welcome, Lawrence and Kaarin.
If you are going to spend months at a time in the trailer, I would suggest the Escape 21' instead. Don't know your budget or how long you want to wait but unless you need a queen bed over 54", the 21' would suit longer term better. There are very few 21's that come up but it does happen. I believe there are some Escape owners in your region so you might ask Escape Trailer for their names to see one.

[Paul O.]

Originally Posted by Lawrence

These are all good suggestions. Thank you. The used Scamp 5th wheels seem rare in Canada, but importing from the U.S. shouldn't be a problem (except for the current exchange rate..).

One thing: I've seen descriptions of the Scamp as 'not a true 5th wheel'. What does that mean?

When I was shopping three years ago I only got a cursory look at the "true" 5th wheel hitches, so I can only say that I would expect them to be a little heavier than the simple ball mounted at the top of the Reese bracket, and a little more expensive, due to the complexity of the mechanism. Bob is absolutely correct that the comparison pretty much boils down to semantics, and purists will remain purists. After you are connected, they function identically and with the low weight of the Scamp, the 2 inch ball is adequate. Regarding the weight, I remove the Reese bracket from the bed rails at least five times during the camping season, so it matters to me.

[Lawrence]

Thanks, Cathy. We'll check out the Escape 21 option too. The 54" wide bed would work, especially as it's plenty long. The larger tank capacities are also a plus. Thus far we've tended to the 17-19' size because, to us, that already seems pretty big! (This is based on our past travel experiences). And we'd like the overall rig to remain as nimble as possible.

We _have_ pretty much ruled out a 5th wheel, even though the Scamp 19 and others are good in terms of space and layout. We always carry 2-4 bikes --probably our most valued possessions-- and want them under the cap for security and weather protection. Plus, its easier to carry a canoe on the truck's roof with a bumper-pull trailer.

[Cathi]

Originally Posted by Lawrence

Thanks, Cathy. We'll check out the Escape 21 option too. The 54" wide bed would work, especially as it's plenty long. The larger tank capacities are also a plus. Thus far we've tended to the 17-19' size because, to us, that already seems pretty big! (This is based on our past travel experiences). And we'd like the overall rig to remain as nimble as possible.

We _have_ pretty much ruled out a 5th wheel, even though the Scamp 19 and others are good in terms of space and layout. We always carry 2-4 bikes --probably our most valued possessions-- and want them under the cap for security and weather protection. Plus, its easier to carry a canoe on the truck's roof with a bumper-pull trailer.

The 21' is one foot eight inches longer than the 19' and four inches wider. The difference in the interior, however, is very great due to placement of the bed and bath.

[Lawrence]

Originally Posted by Cathi

The 21' is one foot eight inches longer than the 19' and four inches wider. The difference in the interior, however, is very great due to placement of the bed and bath.

Do you notice much difference towing your 21' compared to the 19' it replaced, using the same tow vehicle? I'm wondering in particular about mpg, backing into tight spots, etc.

My experience with work trailers is that fuel economy, at least, depends mostly on frontal area, not length or even weight. I wouldn't expect the 21 to be much harder to tow than the 19, but I'm curious about real experiences.

The idea of more usable space is appealing if there are few/no downsides.

[Cathi]

Originally Posted by Lawrence

Do you notice much difference towing your 21' compared to the 19' it replaced, using the same tow vehicle? I'm wondering in particular about mpg, backing into tight spots, etc.

My experience with work trailers is that fuel economy, at least, depends mostly on frontal area, not length or even weight. I wouldn't expect the 21 to be much harder to tow than the 19, but I'm curious about real experiences.

The idea of more usable space is appealing if there are few/no downsides.

I stopped looking as gas mileage a long time ago as we were getting 16-17 mpg with our 19' probably mostly due to driving slower than others and avoiding interstates. We went through the Canadian Rockies coming back with the 21' and I figured the mpgs would be bad so didn't care to know!

We also use the TV much more than towing the trailer. One big trip I checked, our TV miles were double the towing, as we see the sights all day most days. I expect we are usually getting maybe two mpgs less with the 21' but have not looked --- mainly because it does not matter. We get what we get! I suppose I will look at it some time but just don't even worry about it anymore. Others report lower mileage than what we had with the 4Runner and 19'. Speed has much to do with it.

Backing, the only difference we notice is that we might be slightly better at backing than before, as we are basically the pits at it. Sometimes we go in easily and other times, it takes us forever, and the spot itself seems to have little to do with it, other than the really big easy ones or obvious problem ones. Oh, we do like pull-throughs! Cannot tell any difference with the 21'. Less than two feet onto 20' is not noticeable. Both tandem axles.