Hello! 1981 Casita 13ft

[SilverGypsy]

Hello there! My name is Theresa, and I just brought home my new-to-me '81 Casita 13 ft today.


A good friend of mine, Vicki, bought this little trailer a couple of years ago. My husband actually did quite a bit of work on it, making some repairs, renovations, and he rewired the whole thing and installed LED lights. Vicki unfortunately was not able to ever camp in it - she had some unexpected health issues, and the Casita sat for a couple of years.



Vicki was gracious enough to sell her to me. I'm a camping guide for a women's group, hosting events all over the Midwest, and I'm excited to have this little trailer for those trips. She's just perfect for me and my Boxer girl, Shiloh.



I'll be asking lots of questions. I need to recover the walls and ceiling, build a bed platform, retrofit an A/C unit, and clean/renovate the exterior - to name a few things. So glad to have found this forum!

[jerrybob]

Welcome.....great project.....have fun and happy camping.

[Jon in AZ]

You sound like you have the perfect use for it! Best wishes with the renovations.

Check frame integrity under the front of the cabin where it curves. Older Casita 13’s are prone to failure in that area because water inside the frame collects att the curve and rusts from the inside. The worst case scenario- a complete separation on both sides under tow- has happened more than once.

[SilverGypsy]

Actually I crawled under and checked that before I signed the bill of sale - because of a post on this forum about that exact problem! Nice and solid.

Is there a way to prevent this problem in future, though? A mod to the frame in that area - or just check regularly?

[Jon in AZ]

The best thing you can do to prolong the lifespan of any RV is covered storage in a garage or carport. Of course that's not always possible.

I haven't heard of any specific preventative actions to address the Casita frame rot concern. Trilliums have a similar frame design and failure mode. My Scamp is different, so I haven't researched it.

[rick.a]

Hi Theresa,
My Burro (and all of them) has the same weak spot where the frame sides bend and angle toward the coupler. The fix is to weld onto each corner a piece of angle iron, bent to the same shape. Burro owners do this as preventative. It was done on my 84 before i got it in in 06 and it is rock solid. Any competent welder can do this. Don’t go to an RV shop.

[Imus b wright]

Imus b Wright My wife and I bought a 2008 Casita liberty 17' and love it so far. We have not retired yet and have not used it but one time, at our hunting land in southwest Texas. Looking forward to getting out more later.