Hi we are the Benn's

[VickiB]

Hello we are Vicki and Jason Benn and we have one furbaby named Stevie(after Stevie Nicks of course!!!) We want to travel more with Stevie so we started looking into travel trailers and found that we love the Fiberglass trailers. My husband is partial to the the Escape and Bigfoot trailers among others and I am taken with the Oliver Elite 2, and the Northern Lights Boreal. But like many people, we either can't find one, and or will have to wait a year or more to have one special ordered. The idea of ordering is daunting to us and we would rather go in to a dealer or deal with a private purchase. We just don't know if waiting to purchase through a dealer or waiting for the right private purchase is the best way to go? We are new to this and have never purchased one before. Should we buy new since we are new to this world? So much to think about and learn!

We are hoping to learn from all of you that are willing to teach us! We want to thank you in advance for your advice,opinions, and for taking the time to share your knowledge and answer questions. We are sincerely grateful!

Cheers and maybe we will see y'all on the road soon,
Vicki, Jason,& Stevie

[ShelbyM]

Welcome! I'd suggest being flexible and buy whatever you can find that is reasonably priced and in good condition. You will have a better idea what you want after a year or two. One good thing about FGRVs is they retain value and you can move on in a couple of years without taking a large financial hit. If you are planning to tow with a vehicle you already own, maybe post what it is to get some ideas of appropriate trailer size.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by VickiB

But like many people, we either can't find one, and or will have to wait a year or more to have one special ordered. The idea of ordering is daunting to us and we would rather go in to a dealer or deal with a private purchase. We just don't know if waiting to purchase through a dealer or waiting for the right private purchase is the best way to go?

Welcome to the forum.

We bought our first molded fiberglass trailer some years ago, around 2015 or so. It was a used Casita 17. Molded trailers were popular enough that they already generally sold in a matter of hour, or perhaps a few days at most when properly priced.

We found one that was for sale on consignment at a dealer in Oregon, maybe 300 miles away. We bought it and paid additional to have it delivered as we didn't own an adequate tow vehicle. The tradeoff was that we paid a bit more than the current market price. But, that's what made it available a week after it had been listed for sale.

Nowadays, the urgency on the part of buyers has made the pricing premiums even higher. You have to judge if the additional cost is something you can bear or not.

The thing I do recommend is to actually see the trailers and to spend as much time as you can learning about them before making a purchase. We had never seen one. While I had correctly visualized how large (or small!) it actually was, it turned out that my wife had expected something larger. So, it was an additional cost for us to buy a replacement trailer and a larger tow vehicle that were a better match for her expectations.

[sunnyone]

Hi Vicki,
We are also new to rv camping, having been tent campers in the past, and we do not have the skills of the talented people that post here about their trailer renovations. We wanted to minimize dealing with leaking windows, electrical problems, and other repairs and renovations (much less scams). So we bought new. I ordered our Scamp13 in 2021, the week before the pandemic hit the US, and it was ready to pick up in 5 months. Of course, the wait time is much longer now. But Scamp will refund your deposit up to the time they actually start your build. So you can continue to look for a good, used camper in the meantime. I know you’re not considering Scamps right now, but perhaps the other manufacturers have the same offer.
I will second Civilguy’s advice to look at the trailers you’re considering in person to get a good idea of what size you will be most comfortable with.

[WaltP]

There are three ways to get to see a trailer model you are interested in. The obvious one is to visit the factory, but unless you are relatively close that can be a major trip and expense. Casita and Escape keep lists of owners around the country willing to show you their pride and joy. Or, probably the best option is to visit a fiberglass rally where you can see many different models and how they compare.

Walt

[Jon in AZ]

How soon do you you want to be on the road?

If you are willing to wait until 2023 or later, then ordering the exact model and layout you decide is best for your needs is a great plan. There are a lot of differences in weight, layout, construction, cold weather suitability, and design/aesthetics among your four choices, so they aren't exactly interchangeable. List your must-haves and your nice-to-haves and start ranking them. It helps a lot to know what type of travel you plan: trip length and season, destination type (developed campgrounds, primitive campground, backcountry), personal needs (wet or dry bath, bed type and size), number of people and pets, hobbies and gear...

Photos and specs do not tell the whole story; you need to get a first-hand look. That may require some creativity, because most of the manufacturers' referral programs are on pause due to the pandemic. Rallies and forum requests ("Who's got a Model ABC near Hometown, ST and is willing to give a demo?") might generate leads.

Consider tow vehicle requirement as you evaluate choices. The largest on your list will probably require a 3/4T truck, while the smallest can be towed with one of the more robust crossover SUVs. Remember that published dry weights can be very misleading because they don't include optional equipment, gear, or the weight of water and propane. The thread "Trailer Weights in the Real World" has good data on actual loaded weights of various makes and models. Post #401 links to a handy spreadsheet. The Boreal is not included (new model), but based on the listed dry weight of 6500-7500#(depending on options), I'd expect a loaded weight of 8000-8500#.

If you want to be on the road this year, then used or dealer stock is your only option (Escape and Oliver do not sell factory direct, so no dealers). You will have to be very flexible as pickin's are slim these days. Good news is molded trailers have historically good retained value, so if your first purchase isn't exactly what you need, you generally won't take a bath to sell and buy another. And you can use your starter trailer while you wait for your forever trailer to be built.

Best wishes!

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by VickiB

Hello we are Vicki and Jason Benn and we have one furbaby named Stevie(after Stevie Nicks of course!!!) We want to travel more with Stevie so we started looking into travel trailers and found that we love the Fiberglass trailers. My husband is partial to the the Escape and Bigfoot trailers among others and I am taken with the Oliver Elite 2, and the Northern Lights Boreal. But like many people, we either can't find one, and or will have to wait a year or more to have one special ordered. The idea of ordering is daunting to us and we would rather go in to a dealer or deal with a private purchase. We just don't know if waiting to purchase through a dealer or waiting for the right private purchase is the best way to go? We are new to this and have never purchased one before. Should we buy new since we are new to this world? So much to think about and learn!

We are hoping to learn from all of you that are willing to teach us! We want to thank you in advance for your advice,opinions, and for taking the time to share your knowledge and answer questions. We are sincerely grateful!

Cheers and maybe we will see y'all on the road soon,
Vicki, Jason,& Stevie

Bigfoot sells though dealers and have them from coast to coast, expect a 12 month wait. Escape sells direct are the best value for the money, which is why there’s a 2 year wait. We sold ours 30 minutes after posting. Oliver lead time is more like Bigfoot but even more expensive, we didn’t like the layout, but the quality was superb. Casitas were too small, as well as Scamps, except for maybe the 19 which has a proprietary hitch, which I didn’t like. We wanted to buy the upcoming 23, but it’s been promised for over a year now and not yet in production. At our age, we can’t wait two years. The Bigfoot is heavier than the escape, but is well made and a 4 season camper with more room than our 21. However we are over 60 for this purchase, which is out of lots of peoples budget. Oliver wound have been over 70 . Scamp, escape, and Casitas are the best value but the wait is long. Good luck. As I said the only dealer sold fiberglass trailers is Bigfoot.

[Doodah]

Hi there,
We found ours used on this site: https://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/
It took a while but we are so incredibly happy. My husband has had to fix a few things and there is still more to do but we are functional and our 95lb furbaby, Gunther, loves it too.
Good luck and happy hunting!