First camper for desert family?

[Mojave]

Hi all! I recently became aware of fiberglass RVs and have taken a very deep dive down this rabbit hole. I have already found a lot of invaluable information on this amazing forum and figured it was finally time to start asking questions.

My wife and I are in our thirties with a ten month old baby. We have been avid tent campers for years but have never towed anything. We live near Joshua Tree National Park, and we tend to roadtrip a lot through the Southwest in the colder months, and I'd like to have RV so we can camp a little more comfortably while still in the outdoors. Because we are both freelancers, we would be free to travel for weeks or months at a time, provided we can stay sane in on our tiny camper!

I originally looked into fiberglass because I was searching for a camper I could tow with our 2018 Subaru Outback; but with a low tow rating, a CVT and a 2.5 engine, I decided it wasn't worth compromising our daily driver, and a 13' Scamp seemed pretty small for two people and a baby. We had already been discussing trading our second car for a used truck anyway--we live on a dirt road with plenty of space around us—so I'm thinking we will decide on our camper first and our tow vehicle second.

What size camper would you suggest for us? Any layout advice? We are 'outdoorsy' types; we like to visit national and state parks, go dayhiking, etc. I'm looking for a trailer small enough to drive and fit into those park/national forest/BLM or dispersed campsites, but large enough that we won't go nuts on long trips. I wonder if we should start with a 17' Casita, which seem more easy to find, or look for something bigger like a 19' or 21' Escape. Our budget is flexible, so long as we buy used and can resell it if we decide we want something different down the road.

Thanks so much for you help!

Justin

[alan H]

Check on this site in document section I believe for a spreadsheet of “real trailer weights )


https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...rld-43010.html

https://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/

[thrifty bill]

As a first buy, I would suggest either the Casita Spirit Deluxe 17, or a Scamp 16. Stepping up to the Escape is quite a bit more money. And finding an Escape used is much harder.

In the world of FG trailers here in the USA, you will see more Scamps and Casitas, than all other brands combined.

Once you get into camping, you will discover what features are most important to you. At that point, you might just be happy with the Scamp or Casita, or you might upgrade then.

Buy a used unit in really good condition and you should lose very little on your first trailer.

Trailer first, then finding the appropriate tow vehicle = Smart, really smart.

FWIW, even many of the mid sized 3 row SUVs: Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, etc., often make good tow vehicles too. Many tow up to an Escape 19 or even an Escape 21 with the Highlander or Pilot (the 5,000 pound tow rated version).

A couple things I learned: for us, bed size is less critical than having a place to sit. I prefer a full time bed, with a separate dinette. The Casita Spirit has that layout. I thought mistakenly that bed size was more critical. At least for us, there are ways to compensate for the smallish beds. For instance, sleep in opposite directions. Such a simple change makes the bed much roomier.

A place to sit becomes important the longer the trip. For weekend warriors, its not that important. But take a 3 week trip, and you will experience a lot of different weather, including FOUL weather. Indoor seating becomes important.

Another thing is AC. If you are camping in National Parks, then many do not have hookups. Without an electric hookup, AC is out. If you are camping at private campgrounds, then pretty much every site will have electric hookup. We tend to dry camp on the way to our destination. Then the destination MAY have hookups, may not. Then we dry camp home. On a 30 day trip to Alaska, we had hookups for a total of six nights. We never used our AC. On the other hand, we went to southern Utah in late May. It was over 100F. We needed AC that time!!

As far as generators, most other campers HATE people with generators. And many campgrounds, including all National Parks, have limited hours for generator operation.

[Mojave]

Thank you Alan, that trailer weight sheet is certainly useful!

And thank you Bill, I had been thinking it would be easiest to start with a common trailer like a Casita or Scamp and work our way up if need be. I'll have a look at the Spirit. Since I have never towed before, I'm sure I'll be pretty nervous at first, even though I am planning on buying a tow vehicle with more than adequate capability. I noticed that a lot of people here rave about their Highlanders or Pilots; I'll give them another look. I was thinking that a pick up with a shell would give us more storage, since we always seem to have the car crammed on every roadtrip as it is, but I guess those SUVs would be nicer to travel in.

Another question: how do most folks store these trailers when not in use? We get a lot of sun out in the desert, but I haven't budgeted for a carport...

[Daniel A.]

A good score would be a Bigfoot 13 foot not many around but they do hold there value well. Given your family size could be a good option. As far as SUV's go I like my Tahoe hard on gas but everything s a trade off. Sun is hard on fiberglass and anything else for that matter a carport would be good.

[ReneeN]

I had a house in Yucca Valley for several years. Don’t leave your camper out in the elements. It will ne destroyed. You need a Carport, or in a garage. Many people sell used freestanding vehicle covers. Putting a tarp like thing over it won’t do. Or wrapping it up.
In my opinion if you are serious about buying a camper, set up the storage first.

[thrifty bill]

+10 Carport or garage, or pay to have it stored under roof. Its also a point to look for in a used unit: How has it been stored? I bought one trailer that was stored in the elements. It was pretty beat. My next two were both stored in garages. Excellent!

I have a carport built by Carolina Carport. Very affordable. Depending where you live, zoning or a pesky HOA may not allow it. This is one reason I AVOID HOAs! Carolina Carport builds all over the USA, and will have a carport built in less than one day.

As far as tow vehicle, full disclosure, I have an F150. I too need the extra storage, and I have a camper top on the truck as well. My wife and I are amateur pickers. I pick vintage road bicycles. A typical camping trip becomes a buying trip too and we will come back with 10 bikes plus a lot of other stuff.

I'm from the "more than adequate" tow vehicle school as well. By having a large cushion, I don't have to worry about the next hill, keeping up with traffic (but I do keep it at 65 MPH), even the fuel economy is good as the truck is not working hard at all.

I met a couple with an Escape 19 at the campground I was at below. Their Escape was newer than mine. Guy wanted to know what "secret" formula I used to polish my trailer. I told him it had never been polished. Then we went to look at his. Boy, was it badly oxidized and weather. We were both puzzled. Then it hit me. "How do you store your trailer when it is not being used?" "Outside." Bingo. And any/all of the various plastic fittings on your trailer, vents, small hatches, whatever, get badly weathered out in the sun.

IMG_0139 by wrk101, on Flickr


fullsizeoutput_8a0 by wrk101, on Flickr