Hi, We're New...

[Rod D]

We're Rod and Jane, coming to you live from Huntington, West (By God) Virginia. Please note that in spite of this being the Mountain State, our town is only 500 feet above sea level, with some nice rolling hills. We have to drive to get mountain air like most everyone else. We're reformed backpackers like so many others we've read about here. In our late 60's, we find the need for thicker mattresses, not having to get dressed in the middle of the night to pee, and we really missed pizza on our treks, so we ordered an oven for our Scamp 16' Standard Layout 4 (hopefully ready for pickup in October). We also plan to travel with our Cocker Spaniel which is another reason to "take home with us"! We are both from construction backgrounds and we plan to void the warranty of our Scamp pretty soon after we get it. We looked at some older motorhomes and trailers which would be wonderful when finished, but then we like the idea of "mechanically new" and being able to focus on changes, not repairs. Enough for now. We are enjoying reading the forums and have gotten many, many ideas! Thanks already!

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Rod D

..In our late 60's, we find the need for thicker mattresses, ...

As you may have already learned, most people (at least those in later life like myself) like to add some foam or even completely replace the bed with a custom mattress because the dinette / bed cushions are good for sitting but rather hard for sleeping on.

Originally Posted by Rod D

so we ordered an oven for our Scamp 16' Standard Layout 4 (hopefully ready for pickup in October).

If they said October.. then October it will be (baring major incident). They have they production schedule down to a science.

Thats what I bought new in Sept 2015, 16 footer, layout four.

Originally Posted by Rod D

We also plan to travel with our Cocker Spaniel which is another reason to "take home with us"!

Again, we are in sync.. My dog takes the front sofa at night.

Originally Posted by Rod D

we plan to void the warranty of our Scamp pretty soon after we get it. ...we like the idea of "mechanically new" and being able to focus on changes, not repairs.

My gosh.. get out of my head!
I started on the modifications within days of getting the camper home. I could not imagine having to do a lot of repairs and rehab before using the camper, and still have a long list of improvements to make it truly my home.

I did have a few warranty issues but none related to my mods. Most of my mods were to the electrical system and if I had a problem with the electrical systems (or anything I changed) after I made the changes then I would handle it myself.

This forum is a great resource but there is so much information here it does take some time to go through it.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by Rod D

We are both from construction backgrounds and we plan to void the warranty of our Scamp pretty soon after we get it.

Welcome aboard. I often tell people that I alternate every five years or so between continuously having wet paint somewhere in the house and attending "remodelers anonymous" in vain attempts to kick the sawdust-manufacturing and nail-bending habits.

Unlike some of the newer trailers with laminated walls encasing aluminum frames, wiring and plumbing, these little trailers seem to lend to being modified. So that pleases me greatly even as others here are more content to basically hitch and haul.

Best of luck to you!

[Doug in Sacramento]

We have a 2014 Scamp 16 layout 4 with a range. We love having an oven but it was our only warranty issue. It wouldn't stay lit and a local rv dealer repaired it. When we ordered our Scamp we were concerned about the oven taking up storage space. Someone recommended that we use the oven as storage when not in use. We keep our pots and pans stored in the oven. It works great.

Our only other major modification was extending the bed into the galleyway so we could sleep front to back instead of side to side. A T bed. It gives us much more room and makes life easier when I have to get up in the middle of the night. Somewhere there is a thread on how I expanded the bed. We also added a inch and a half memory foam pad that makes the bed more comfortable. We roll up the pad every day and put the bed back into the dinette configuration. We still haven't figured out a way to easily make up the bed.

Hope you enjoy your Scamp as much as we are. We're headed to Big Basin State Park above Santa Cruz this weekend.