Hi Ya'll!

[Laurenn]

Southern lady here who has been an avid camper her whole life. Im at an age now that the ground is NOT NICE to my body and sometimes you just need a camper! My boyfriend told me about "egg campers" and I CAN NOT stop obsessing over them!

I will be purchasing my first travel trailer at the end of the year (saving my money up) and Im just here to research as much as I can before I make the jump!

I really love the Scamp, but also love the U-Hauls as well. Im sure I would be smitten with any fiberglass egg type trailer, as Ive been tent camping this long and anything would be an upgrade!

Im in GA and have noticed a majority of these trailers are more north or west in the US, but I cant wait to make the journey, long or short, to purchase my first trailer!

[Jon in AZ]

Welcome to the forum!

Before you get smitten by a trailer, consider what you will pull it with. The smallest 13' molded trailers typically weigh 1500-1800# once you load them up for camping. That means you really need a vehicle rated by the manufacturer for at least 2000# trailer weight. In a few cases and with great care in packing you might get by with a 1500# rating, but it will be close. Do you have an intended tow vehicle?

You can be sure that sellers claiming their trailers weigh 900# and you can tow them with anything have never been to a vehicle scale!

Best wishes in your trailer search!

[Laurenn]

I have a 22 Kia Sorento with a towing package. Up to 3,500 allegedly. We will see!

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Laurenn

I have a 22 Kia Sorento with a towing package. Up to 3,500 allegedly. We will see!

That's good, and it gives you some options up to around 16' or so, though if you tow much in the mountains, I suspect you'll be more comfortable with a smaller trailer.

We love our 13' Scamp, and as another former tent camper, I agree it's a huge step up from a tent.

The small ones are less common in your region, where larger Casitas rule, but keep your go-bag packed and your eyes on the various classified sites. Something will turn up. Have you found www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com?

While you're saving and waiting, read everything you can and familiarize youself with what to look for so you can avoid any unpleasant surprises. The Document Center (in the "More" tab at the top right above your log-in information) has a Buyers Checklist that will help you do a thorough pre-purchase inspection.

[Laurenn]

I will check out the inspection document! Thanks for the heads up!

I already know that Im going to have to make a trip to get a smaller trailer but thats ok by me! I have checked out that website as well as a few other websites that people list on.

[Jon in AZ]

One last thought...

Know that U-Hauls have some quirks. They were designed for the rental market and have some proprietary parts that are no longer available. Something seemingly simple like adding trailer brakes (which you will need with your vehicle) or replacing a broken window or taillight can get complicated. There's a U-Haul group on Facebook, which you might want to join to better understand the challenges of owning that particular slice of molded trailer history.

Scamps, on the other hand, are still in production, and most parts (other than a few older window styles) are pretty easy to obtain, either from Scamp or a general RV parts store. They will even do repairs and upgrades to older units at the factory.

Two biggest issues to watch for on older Scamps are rot in the wood subfloor and door core, both stemming from neglected window seals. Both are pretty easy to spot if you know what to look for and easy to prevent, but hard to repair.

[mary and bob]

[QUOTE=Jon in AZ;845319]One last thought...

Know that U-Hauls have some quirks

We owned one, parts not available, common problems, but not too bad of a camper if all the issues have been taken care of. A late model Scamp 13 is the best option. Spent a lot of time on repairs to our Uhaul, finally bought a Casita and sold the Uhaul.

[Roy in TO]

Welcome to FGRV Laurenn.


Have a look at the Rally Map; link is under the More tab at the top right.


Most rallies have a time where people show off their trailers and give tours. If not, I have found that people are willing to show you their trailer. It gives you an opportunity to see first hand what the different trailers or models are like.



You can get answers to questions like:
What do I need to watch out for?
What options do you want / need?
What floor plan suits you best?
What is common or rare?
etc.

[Laurenn]

Quirks is something i’m not comfortable dealing with….i want something i can actually not worry about rigging when it breaks. The scamp sounds wonderful and many people have advised me on being able to order parts as they are still in production.

I will most definitely make the trip to a rally! I would love to check out various models in person and be able to speak to people in person about their experiences with their campers!

[Rosie in Rockford]

Hello Laurenn and Fiberglass Forum friends. I have been reading this forum for about 4-5 years wishing and learning and learning more and more. I envy you Laurenn, as a former tent camper of many years, I very much wished we could buy a trailer to tow and enjoy camping again. Regretably and being honest, I have come to the realization that purchasing, maintaining and storing an RV is not in our financial picture. HOWEVER, that being said, after my research I can only encourage you to pursue buying a FIBERGLASS rv. There are many brands to consider but take your time. Find out when and where fiberglass rallies will be held. You will meet the nicest people. You will be warmly welcomed and you will learn all about the different types and sizes of trailers. It is a very wise investment of your time and money to learn about fiberglass trailers directly from the owners! There are m a n y aspects to consider when choosing your fiberglass rv. Most non-fiberglass RV sales people promise you the sun and the moon. I have found sometimes I knew more about fiberglass rv construction, when comparing it to their non-fiberglass models, than some of the general salespeople! LOL We experiemented renting a non-fiberglass rv this summer with so-so results. Our dream is still to own a fiberglass trailer. Steve and I are 64. I wish you only the BEST, Laurenn. Happy fiberglass shopping and follow your dreams!

[Melissa T]

Where in Georgia? On occasion I'm traveling and live not too far perhaps. You can see my 13' we love so much. Just thoughts!

Melissa T

[theremin]

I'm headed up to Backus, MN a week from tomorrow to pick up our new Scamp 13. Unfortunately, my wife can't join me on the trip because we have two very elderly cats that require medicine twice a day so we can't both be gone.

We tent camped for years, then got a couple of popups, then 3 Airstreams, and most recently a small "box camper" which we sold last year. These all worked well for us, but having camped together since the 70's (and before that in our pre-married lives), we pretty well know what we do and what we don't use on the road. The Airstreams were super, but way bigger than I'm willing to tow any more, and they're not nearly as light as they'd like you to think. Our last one was close to 7000 pounds dry. But even in those, we basically used the beds, and the inside kitchen only if the weather was terrible. All the rest was unused space/weight.

Scamp 13 looks perfect for us. I can tow it with our 4Runner. We live in the mountains of North Carolina, so I don't know that I'd try towing it with our RAV4. But trailer brakes are definitely a must!

Anyway, good luck on your search!

Dave

[Sir Scampalot]

Laureen, my advice is to by New!
Not because it’s new but because of these reasons:
1). Unless you can drop everything in a moments notice and drive XXX miles to look at a used Scamp by the time you get there it may be SOLD.
2). If you do get there and the fiberglass trailer is still available there is a great chance something will need to be repaired.
3) it could take over a year for something to become available within your price range.
4). If you are worried about your price range and the trailer is “worth it, a lot of other people will be thinking the same thing.
5). Fiberglass trailer hold their value extremely well, buy new and you can easily recoup your money when it’s time to sell.
6). The waitlist for a new Scamp is over a year, it may take you a lot longer That to find something you are willing to drive yo see.
7). The deposit for a new Scamp is $500, which is fully refundable ,You can back out the day you are suppose to pick it up and receive your full deposit back (No Risk)
8). If you are willing to drive to look at used Scamp than might as well spend that gas money on picking il your new Scamp from The factory and have them give you the grand tour of your Scamp and the Facyory
9). If you put your deposit in today, you will have your Scamp 6 months after the end of the year (august 2023). It will take longer than 6 months to find something available (I got our 13ft Scamp 1 month early back in 2019 (9 month wait list back then).
10.) you can customize it for how you want your Scamp and your price range all the way up to about a month before it’s done.
11) during that year you can start saving money and add or subtract features before the final build to cater to your financial situation.
12). You can start making plans for your first Scamp out!
13). Life is short! Don’t waste your time hoping a Scamp pops up, fro
My experience it won’t!

For me I was able to save the money via selling things and extra work in the 8 months I had to wait.

Good luck with your final decision.
Travel safe

[themellowtones2]

This is our second Casita your best is to buy new, we love our Casita. Pulls easy with our Lincoln SUV (6cy) engine. First one after 2 years we sold for the price we pay for, so they do retain their value. Good luck.

[Jon in AZ]

From what I’ve been told, the Scamp deposit is refundable until they start building it. They reach out prior to that to confirm your options list. Either way, it’s a generous policy and yes, that could be a good back-up plan as you search for used. I’ve heard the build time is well over a year now, and it’s subject to price increases.

Prices of new Scamps have risen sharply in recent years (to be fair, some things are standard now that used to cost extra). Used prices were even more insane at the peak of the RV bubble in 2021- sometimes more than new- but they’ve moderated this year, and I see that trend continuing. Late summer and fall is a good time to be shopping. It’s difficult but not impossible.

[John in Santa Cruz]

as a couple in their upper 60s, we find having a bathroom is a total must. but that adds weight, as now you need water, and a black tank. Our first 'egg' was a Casita 16 Spirit Deluxe, that has a gross (max) weight of 3500 lbs, but is like 2000 lbs dry and empty. Ours was very easy to tow behind our Tacoma 4x4.

The Casita 16 Spirit is not suited to tall people, the bed is just too short side to side, and the ceiling is only about 5'10.

[ROBERT ONEILL]

Welcome to the forum.

A cautionary note everyone here will agree with.

DO NOT GIVE ANY DEPOSIT on a trailer you haven't seen..........

There are a lot of scammers out there.

If the price sounds to good it is a scam.......

We have bought 4 eggs over time and got them very cheap because we ran to the seller as soon as they were listed. A 1975 Scamp 13 that was a piece of junk but paid $500 for it did a lot of repair and used it for about 3 months. Sold it for $1000 with a broken frame and I showed the buyer the problem and said it wasn't safe to tow but he bought it anyway and said he could fix it. Saw a listing for a 1978 Trillium 1300 for $1800 and took the cash with us to go and look at it and bought it on the spot. Need a good cleaning and some plumbing and 12 volt electrical repair, repack wheel bearings and a Propane tank hose. We used it for 3 years 16,000 miles and sold it for $3750. Before we sold it we found our current 1980 Trillium 4500 and bought it for $2500. We were looking for a bigger egg and I knew we could sell the 1300 with no problem as people were always interested in it. The 4500 is worth $8000 minimum due to the upgrades but we are not interested in selling it. The frame on all eggs need to be inspected for cracks and rust. We live in the Mojave desert so no rust problem to deal with. If you live in snow or rain country rust can be a problem.

You can see that the value on these eggs increases over time and make them a good investment. When you see someone with a egg stop and talk to them as many of us know about ones that are for sale.

Good luck in finding yourself an egg.

straykat

[Laurenn]

Originally Posted by Melissa T

Where in Georgia? On occasion I'm traveling and live not too far perhaps. You can see my 13' we love so much. Just thoughts!

Melissa T

Melissa that would actually be wonderful as I am located in West GA. I am looking at the 13ft because the bathroom in not a "must have for me". The 13ft standard is right up my alley and also more lightweight that the 16. Please message me as I would love to meet up if possible as the Rally's that were close to me have passed and the one in TN Rally might be possible.

[Laurenn]

Thank you everyone for the advice and wishes! I am going to look into the price of a new scamp as it might be reasonable with me only wanting the standard 13ft no bathroom.

I have also look at the casitas and they are also still on my radar but just less "vibe" as some of my younger friends call it.

I am still deep into my research and weighing the options of being a used fiberglass and doing some renovations myself, or going brand new. I am more of a DIY queen and a used one might be more up my ally. My family has had 3 RV's growing up and I swapped to tents in my 30's! I enjoy the outdoors so much but my tent days are slowly coming to an end and a fiberglass trailer is the next best thing. Can anyone give some advice on having ever bought a "fixer upper".

Some background on my skills, I can do basic electrical (father was an electrician who swapped into the grading industry) and carpentry, as well as a handful of other odd things such as basic handy work, so I'm not to terribly scared to purchase a project, I just would not want to deal with hassle of swapping out the floors or axles.

[Melissa T]

Are you close to Cloudland State Park? I am there one weekend in in October and two nights in November.
I was just at Harrison Bay State Park last weekend and you might could have come there( outside Chattanooga).

Unsure how to give you an email through these threads or what is allowed, but we could communicate further somehow if needed. Away for a couple of hours but I'll check back today.

If that isn't suitable, perhaps, we can allow a viewing another way. I live between Nashville and Chattanooga, if this helps.

I am going to Skidaway in spring but that's too far down the road to wait to view, I'm sure!

I think put in a deposit now is wise, as advised earlier. I had Steve Olsen as my salesman and we really appreciated him.

Melissa T