Hello, I'm Kari!

[kari13]

Hi, my name is Kari and I live in southwestern NH with my family. I am brand new to the world of fiberglass campers but hoping to learn.

I am an experienced tent camper looking into getting a small fiberglass trailer for travel and to double as a space guests can stay overnight when visiting. We are a family of three with a young child (plus an occasional dog). I've been doing quite a bit of online research but have yet to even see a fiberglass camper in person. I am hoping to make connections with local folks (or anyone visiting the area with their camper) who might let us see their campers to learn more about what might be a good fit for us. I'd love to take on a rebuild/project camper one day but probably not as our first camper.

Thanks for having me here!

[mary and bob]

Are you near Brattleboro Vermont. We will be at a rally there in May.

[kari13]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

Are you near Brattleboro Vermont. We will be at a rally there in May.

Yes that is super close! I didn't realize there was a May rally there. I would love to connect!

[Jon in AZ]

Welcome, Kari! We have a 13’ Scamp and it worked great for our family of four. It’s the classic set-up with a dinette at the back that folds to make a small double bed, a sofa in front that turns into bunks for two more, and a small but complete galley in the middle. It doesn’t have a bathroom, but Scamp provides a storage compartment for a small porta-potty under the front sofa.

The “double” bed, (45”x75” in many small 13’ers) was tight for my wife and me together, so we rearranged. I split the front bunks with one of the kids, and she shared the rear bed with the other, sleeping head-to-toe for more room. My lower bunk was tight on headroom, but otherwise comfortable for an adult. That arrangement worked well into the teen years, but as they got older, they sometimes preferred to have their own tent.


If you camp like us in developed campgrounds with facilities, a 13’er is all you need. If you prefer more flexibility to boondock without facilities, a 16’er allows for extra beds plus a small bathroom. If you want a larger main bed, you’ll have to look for it. Some Scamps, larger 17’ Casitas and Escapes, and a few other brands like Happier Camper offer larger bed options. Queen size beds are rare in small molded fiberglass trailers.

As you consider your trailer needs, of course you’ll also need to think about your intended tow vehicle. Factory tow ratings only include the driver (or driver and front passenger; see the owner’s manual for details). With a family and presumably some gear in your vehicle, you won’t have the full factory tow rating available. We tow our 13’ Scamp (around 1750# fully loaded) with a 2WD Honda Pilot, rated 3500/350#. It ‘s been a good match for our family. We started out with a 2000# rated minivan, which looks okay on paper but was not enough in the real world. We overheated the transmission on our first long mountain grade. The transmission survived after a cool-down, but we upgraded soon after.

Rallies are great places to see a variety of makes and models. Owners generally love to show off their trailers, and some have a designated "open house" time. Contact the hosts to see what’s possible.

Best wishes in your “egg hunt”!

[mary and bob]

Originally Posted by kari13

Yes that is super close! I didn't realize there was a May rally there. I would love to connect!

It is a vintage camper rally at the Brattleboro KOA, not a fiberglass camper rally like the Spring Fling. It is the weekend of May 16, with an open house to the public on Saturday from 1 to 4, and also a BBQ at that time. We will be there with our Casita SD17. There usually are only a couple other fiberglass campers, sometimes no others. You're welcome to look at ours.

[jerrybob]

Hi Kari.....lots of great rigs out there. Have you determined your price range yet....not only for the trailer but the tow rig as well? Jon's advice above is great. We have a 17ft Casita SD which we love and tow with a Ram 1500 rated to tow 11,600lbs. Overkill for the trailer but I also tow a car trailer. My advice is always....go bigger on the tow rig....underpower is never fun. Have fun looking....hope you find something that works for your family.

[kari13]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Welcome, Kari! We have a 13’ Scamp and it worked great for our family of four. It’s the classic set-up with a dinette at the back that folds to make a small double bed, a sofa in front that turns into bunks for two more, and a small but complete galley in the middle. It doesn’t have a bathroom, but Scamp provides a storage compartment for a small porta-potty under the front sofa.

The “double” bed, (45”x75” in many small 13’ers) was tight for my wife and me together, so we rearranged. I split the front bunks with one of the kids, and she shared the rear bed with the other, sleeping head-to-toe for more room. My lower bunk was tight on headroom, but otherwise comfortable for an adult. That arrangement worked well into the teen years, but as they got older, they sometimes preferred to have their own tent.
Attachment 153490

If you camp like us in developed campgrounds with facilities, a 13’er is all you need. If you prefer more flexibility to boondock without facilities, a 16’er allows for extra beds plus a small bathroom. If you want a larger main bed, you’ll have to look for it. Some Scamps, larger 17’ Casitas and Escapes, and a few other brands like Happier Camper offer larger bed options. Queen size beds are rare in small molded fiberglass trailers.

As you consider your trailer needs, of course you’ll also need to think about your intended tow vehicle. Factory tow ratings only include the driver (or driver and front passenger; see the owner’s manual for details). With a family and presumably some gear in your vehicle, you won’t have the full factory tow rating available. We tow our 13’ Scamp (around 1750# fully loaded) with a 2WD Honda Pilot, rated 3500/350#. It ‘s been a good match for our family. We started out with a 2000# rated minivan, which looks okay on paper but was not enough in the real world. We overheated the transmission on our first long mountain grade. The transmission survived after a cool-down, but we upgraded soon after.

Rallies are great places to see a variety of makes and models. Owners generally love to show off their trailers, and some have a designated "open house" time. Contact the hosts to see what’s possible.

Best wishes in your “egg hunt”!

Thanks this is all very helpful and aligns with my own conclusions.

Our tow vehicle is my husband's 2015 Nissan Frontier 4x4 equipped with a tow package (6300 lb tow capacity with a weight distribution hitch, 5000 w/o). We want to stay well below that (I'm thinking 3500 lbs loaded, but admittedly thats just a random number in my head), as we plan to bring bikes, kayaks, and other gear with us on at least some trips.

I was originally lured to fiberglass but the cuteness of the 13' trailers and the promise that they could be towed by SUVs, but then realized that isn't entirely true (my SUV has a tow capacity of 1000 lbs, on newer models its 1500 lbs but agreed its unwise to push those number at all). I'd admit I adore vintage looking 13' models, but my husband is pretty set on having a bathroom. He's also not a small person so the 44" bed would be tight for us even without our kid. There is really no way to enjoyably fit a bathroom plus 3 people inside a 13 footer, so I think we are likely looking at 16-18 foot models, unless we find a screaming deal on a 13' model (or I find a project shell somewhere that I can remodel to suit our needs).

I love wilderness camping but feel like spots to do that in New England are far less than out west, so I don't know what we would do more of. I'm intrigued by the idea of Harvest Hosts and like the ability to not be limited where we stay. Even if we rarely stayed a campgrounds with dedicated facilities, I still feel like we could get by with a porta-potty but we also like the idea of the trailer being a site overnight guests could stay (we have a very small house) so a real bathroom setup would probably be better for that.

We are definitely going to try to check out some rallies and get a better idea of what is out there!

[kari13]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

It is a vintage camper rally at the Brattleboro KOA, not a fiberglass camper rally like the Spring Fling. It is the weekend of May 16, with an open house to the public on Saturday from 1 to 4, and also a BBQ at that time. We will be there with our Casita SD17. There usually are only a couple other fiberglass campers, sometimes no others. You're welcome to look at ours.

Spring Fling is the same weekend I believe, but Brattleboro is so much more convenient for us. The Casita Spirit Deluxe is one of my top contenders based on what I think we are looking for, so I'd love to see one in person. I'm definitely going to put that open house on my calendar! Thank you so much for the invite.

[kari13]

Originally Posted by jerrybob

Hi Kari.....lots of great rigs out there. Have you determined your price range yet....not only for the trailer but the tow rig as well? Jon's advice above is great. We have a 17ft Casita SD which we love and tow with a Ram 1500 rated to tow 11,600lbs. Overkill for the trailer but I also tow a car trailer. My advice is always....go bigger on the tow rig....underpower is never fun. Have fun looking....hope you find something that works for your family.

Hoping to buy a pre-loved trailer for under $15k. Our tow rig is a 2015 Nissan Rogue 4x4 with tow package rated to 6300 lbs (5000 w/o a weight distributing hitch) but definitely hoping to keep the trailer load under 3500 lbs, so I think we should be good with what we are looking at (17 ft Casita Spirit Deluxe or similar).

[Jon in AZ]

Places like Harvest Hosts require full self-containment. I don't think a porta-potty would pass muster, and to have any privacy at all you'd have to set up a shower tent outside the trailer, which is probably also a no-no.

Based on what you've said, I think you're on track with something in the 16-17' range. You'll need to watch payload and tongue weight with the Casita, because they tend to run heavy on the hitch (425# or more is common). You might need a light duty WDH. Escape makes a nice 17'er with a better family layout and lighter on the tongue, but it's not as common and will likely require a larger budget.

I assume you meant Frontier, not Rogue, in your last post... That's definitely the one you want to tow with. Besides its relatively low tow rating, the Rogue has a CVT transmission, which is not as sturdy as a conventional geared automatic for towing duty.

[kari13]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Places like Harvest Hosts require full self-containment. I don't think a porta-potty would pass muster, and to have any privacy at all you'd have to set up a shower tent outside the trailer, which is probably also a no-no.

Based on what you've said, I think you're on track with something in the 16-17' range. You'll need to watch payload and tongue weight with the Casita, because they tend to run heavy on the hitch (425# or more is common). You might need a light duty WDH. Escape makes a nice 17'er with a better family layout and lighter on the tongue, but it's not as common and will likely require a larger budget.

I assume you meant Frontier, not Rogue, in your last post... That's definitely the one you want to tow with. Besides its relatively low tow rating, the Rogue has a CVT transmission, which is not as sturdy as a conventional geared automatic for towing duty.

Yea we wouldn't attempt something like Harvest Hosts without being able to completely self-sustain in the front country. I think having a bathroom will give us more options as to how we use our camper and we will gain a lot of functionality just being willing to go to 16-18 feet or so. I will just have to accept it won't be as cute as a little two tone vintage 13 footer, but I can live with that.

The Escape 17 looks awesome but I haven't seen any used ones and new they are quite a bit more, so I expect when they do pop up pre-owned they'd be out of our budget. I wouldn't rule it out I'm just not expecting to find one at a price we are willing to pay for a first camper. I feel like there are enough Casita Spirit Deluxes and sometimes 16 foot Scamps with a good layout and bigger bed floating around that we will find one in our area in our price range at some point if we aren't in a rush to buy.

I definitely may have switched Rogue and Frontier. I have a 2017 Rogue, my husband has a manual transmission 2015 Frontier 4x4 King Cab (unfortunately I'm the one with more towing experience but don't drive stick). We both really like our vehicles so I wouldn't be surprised if we got similar when we eventually get newer cars. I've pretty much accepted my vehicle hitch is good for a bike rack and that's all, which is fine.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by kari13

I definitely may have switched Rogue and Frontier. I have a 2017 Rogue, my husband has a manual transmission 2015 Frontier 4x4 King Cab (unfortunately I'm the one with more towing experience but don't drive stick). We both really like our vehicles so I wouldn't be surprised if we got similar when we eventually get newer cars. I've pretty much accepted my vehicle hitch is good for a bike rack and that's all, which is fine.

King cab? That's the 2-door version with tiny jump seats in back. Not sure how that works with a child, but perhaps you meant crew cab...

I'm assuming you have the 4.0L V6 with the 6-speed manual? I was surprised there was still a V6 manual option as recently as 2015. (Note that the 2.5L 4 cylinder with 5-speed manual has a much lower tow rating.)

Towing with a manual is not for the faint of heart. You have to be very careful not to slip the clutch, and backing a trailer uphill is challenging. Much as I love stick shifts, for towing I'll take an automatic every time.

I had a '98 Frontier King Cab 4x4 manual before our first kiddo came along and we traded for the minivan. It was a great little truck!

[kari13]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

King cab? That's the 2-door version with tiny jump seats in back. Not sure how that works with a child, but perhaps you meant crew cab...

I'm assuming you have the 4.0L V6 with the 6-speed manual? I was surprised there was still a V6 manual option as recently as 2015. (Note that the 2.5L 4 cylinder with 5-speed manual has a much lower tow rating.)

Towing with a manual is not for the faint of heart. You have to be very careful not to slip the clutch, and backing a trailer uphill is challenging. Much as I love stick shifts, for towing I'll take an automatic every time.

I had a '98 Frontier King Cab 4x4 manual before our first kiddo came along and we traded for the minivan. It was a great little truck!

My husband has the king cab (he wanted the extra truck bed length). We use my Rogue as our family car, but can squeeze three into the truck if needed (car seat in the back on the passenger side and me squeezed in the driver's side jump seat or front passenger seat depending on whether the car seat is rear or forward facing). He has the 4WD which is the 4.0L V6 engine (pretty sure the 2.5L 4 cylinder is offered on 2WD only). I bet his next truck will be an automatic crew cab, but the manual king cab was perfect for him when he was single and childless and we've been able to make it work for us so far. Hubby does have some experience driving a utility trailer with his current truck, so at least he's not starting from nothing. And I used to drive loaded canoe trailers back in my days as an outdoor guide so hopefully I can call upon those experiences in a helpful way.

[mary and bob]

Originally Posted by kari13

Spring Fling is the same weekend I believe, but Brattleboro is so much more convenient for us. The Casita Spirit Deluxe is one of my top contenders based on what I think we are looking for, so I'd love to see one in person. I'm definitely going to put that open house on my calendar! Thank you so much for the invite.

The open house is when the campground officially lets the public in to wander around and look at the vintage campers. As near as we can tell, the local Fire Dept. will be doing the BBQ as they have in the past. Personally we are generally open to anyone stopping by to visit at most any time. If you needed to come at a different time let us know ahead to insure that we will be there.

[mary and bob]

kari, sent you a private message

[jerrybob]

Originally Posted by kari13

Hoping to buy a pre-loved trailer for under $15k. Our tow rig is a 2015 Nissan Rogue 4x4 with tow package rated to 6300 lbs (5000 w/o a weight distributing hitch) but definitely hoping to keep the trailer load under 3500 lbs, so I think we should be good with what we are looking at (17 ft Casita Spirit Deluxe or similar).

Definitely doable. These fiberglass trailer hold their value much better than stick built trailers. You are probably looking at a trailer at least ten yrs old...nothing wrong with that. Your tow rig should handle your needs...especially with that tow package. Once you're ready to pull the trigger.....move quickly if you find something interesting....most of these trailers sell pretty quickly if price right and in good condition. Good luck in your serach....wishing you the best.

[Tom Petit]

Kari,
There is a fiberglass camper rally in Tamworth NH in May 2025. You can find the details under Spring Fling in New England. There are usually about 50 Scamps, Casitas, Escapes,Oliver’s and possibly a Happier Camper or a Burro or Trillium. A great place to start. Everyone is very happy to show you their camper and talk to you about their journey.
I have owned a teardrop, 17’ Casita and now a 13’ Happier Camper.
Tom Petit Derby,Vt.

[kari13]

Originally Posted by Tom Petit

Kari,
There is a fiberglass camper rally in Tamworth NH in May 2025. You can find the details under Spring Fling in New England. There are usually about 50 Scamps, Casitas, Escapes,Oliver’s and possibly a Happier Camper or a Burro or Trillium. A great place to start. Everyone is very happy to show you their camper and talk to you about their journey.
I have owned a teardrop, 17’ Casita and now a 13’ Happier Camper.
Tom Petit Derby,Vt.

Thanks! I saw that rally but unfortunately its literally the only weekend in the foreseeable future that doesn't work for our family's schedule. It seems like a fantastic opportunity to see a bunch of fiberglass campers side by side and get real world perspective from owners, so I am bummed to miss it!

I do know Mary and Bob said they will be at another rally closer to us the same weekend so I'm hoping to be able to swing that and at least check out their Casita.

[mary and bob]

[QUOTE=kari13;873567

I do know Mary and Bob said they will be at another rally closer to us the same weekend so I'm hoping to be able to swing that and at least check out their Casita.[/QUOTE]

kari; we will arrive at Brattleboro on Thursday 5/15, probably around 4 in the afternoon, so if stopping by Thursday or Friday works better for you, let us know when it gets closer to that date.

[kari13]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

kari; we will arrive at Brattleboro on Thursday 5/15, probably around 4 in the afternoon, so if stopping by Thursday or Friday works better for you, let us know when it gets closer to that date.

Thank you!