Looking for 13' to 15' FGRV for Family of 5!

[tinatoombs]

Hello all!

What a great resource for FGRVs! My husband and I have been searching for FGRVs for several months now. We have looked outside the FGRV options a bit as well as a leaky A-liner and a Cozy Traveler 2011. Our preference is an egg camper due to design and weight. We have a 2010 Kia Sedona with 3500 towing capacity of which, we think we should keep the dry weight (or even wet?) of the travel trailer well under 2000 lbs. I read a few other threads about trailer weight, tongue weight, towing capacity including Fred's list of real world weights. All very helpful!

However, another challenge is budget, of course. Our roundabout budget is $5000. Seems like we can only afford a fixer upper and an antique at that! We would like to be able to camp in it asap. But that may not be possible if a fixer upper. A concern of my husbands is that if we opt for an old egg camper due to budget, would the axle be compromised or most of them rusted, etc.?

And...we are a family of 5. Our 3 boys are all under 5 years right now. We are tent campers and originally, backpackers, so we can be comfortable in small spaces. Before we had our third boy, we lived in a 650 sq ft house for 3 years.

Oh and... we would be mostly using the FGRV for weekends and an occasional longer vacation here and there for now.

All comments and tips are welcomed and thanks for having such a great community online!

[Donna D.]

Hi Kristina, to FiberglassRV!


I think your $5,000 budget is reasonable. Especially in the 13' size. As you'll find out, everything has to do with maintenance (was it done?) and location (are they scarce in your area?)


Other than totally trashed trailers, most are usable. Think hard-sided tent. They only need to be safe to go down the road... tires, lights. And CLEAN... your dirt is cleaner than their dirt. You can even camp without interior lights, upholstery or propane.. remember, I said hard-sided tent. If you're a tent camper, you probably have a lot of the stuff you already own to make it work until you have the time/money to make changes.


Best of luck!

[Jon in AZ]

Five in any of the smaller fiberglass eggs us going to be a challenge. We are crowded at four. The main dinette bed in many is only 45" wide. You might fit two small ones in the lower bunk at opposite ends.

If you can find a 15' Trillium with front bunks (rare) you might squeeze one adult and two small kids in the main bed, which is a bit larger than the 13'ers, and another adult and child in the bunks.

If any of the kids are old enough to sleep outside on a small tent that's another option. (EDIT- all under 5, probably not! Don't know how I missed that...).

[DeanCHS1980]

Hi Kristina,

Great to read your enthusiasm! Yes, this is an website/forum for positive energy, enthusiasm, and EXPERTISE. I can't offer much in terms of expertise, since my DW and I are new to this as well. We have only been a part of FGRV.com since August.

It looks to me like you are well on your way in terms of your research and figuring out what would work for you in terms of your Sedona and tow capacities.

We ended up buying a really cool '05 Casita 17' FD. But, we had really been focused on 13' & 16' Scamps. Great job paying close attention to your tow capacities. I also understand budget. Hey, when we were shopping in October/November, we found a ready to camp Scamp 16' Deluxe for $7,000. It was in great shape. But, it was in middle of a very busy semester and we could not get to it fast enough. It sold in no time. Given its quality condition, I bet there are some solid rigs out there for less money that may need a little TLC. Probably easier to find a 13' in your price range, but I would not rule out 15' or 16' rigs as well.

I am sure you are already monitoring the for-sale forum. You can also go back and look at archived threads to get a bead on what you can buy for $5,000.

Wishing your family the best with your search.

Take care,

Dean

[tinatoombs]

Thank y'all!!
Donna D - that's great advice on thinking of it as a hard-sided tent until we make upgrades, etc. Seems like there are more Scamps in Minnesota and Texas (other egg camper brand) closer to their manufacturers. Anything in the Asheville, NC area goes super fast and not too many available. We lived out in Sandy, Oregon in 2009 for just a bit. Pretty!

Jon - I will look out for the Trillium. We do plan on kicking a few out when they get older. haha!

Dean - I appreciate the encouragement on budget. Glad you found the Casita. I don't see too many of those available in the Western North Carolina radius, but they are pretty cool. The Scamps go super fast if they aren't trashed and reasonably priced.

[DeanCHS1980]

Hi Kristina,

You probably already know about this website:

Molded Fiberglass Travel Trailers For Sale | Fiberglass RV's For Sale

I used it quite a bit, but still ended up buying our Casita from a couple that posted it here.

The '03 Scamp 16' Deluxe that we found for $7,00 was posted on the above website.

I think these are your two best resources for finding egg campers. Of course, you find the perfect rig and it sells immediately or it is on the west coast and you are in NC!

However, there are plenty of good used rigs out there. Learn the market, be patient, and it will turn out well!!!

Dean

[tinatoombs]

Thanks Dean - checking out the link you provided now. Patience will be key, especially for me. Oh, and our middle son is named Dean!

[Ttocs M]

5 in a 13 footer? I'm an x-backpacker, too and find 3 cramped in a 13 ft., even sleeping head to toe. If you're going to spend $$$$, suggest you save/spring for a 15 ft w/o bathroom to keep weight down. Your kids will grow very fast and with a 13ft, you'll likely be trading in for a bigger one in a year or two.

Suggest you try renting a 13 ft trailer to test it out.
Best of luck.

[DeanCHS1980]

Hi Kristina,

Always cool to find others named Dean. Actually, I am a "James Dean"!!! But, not very famous.

Dean

[tinatoombs]

M Scott - you can rent an FGRV?

[DeanCHS1980]

Hi Kristina,

Traditionally, I think it is tough to find FGRVs to rent. It is not the traditional choice for companies that rent RVs. However, my brother-in-law has rented Casitas in the past.

However, I wonder if a person-to-person rental of an RV would increase the likelihood of finding a FG rig to try out.

Have you played around with this website? . . .

https://www.outdoorsy.co

It is a clearinghouse that allows private individuals to list their rigs for rent. Maybe you could find a FG to rent???

Take care,

Dean

[Jon in AZ]

Kristina, two other options to keep an eye out for are a Scamp 16 Layout 7 or a Casita 16 Spirit Standard. Both have five real berths: front bunks, side dinette/single berth, and rear dinette/double bed. They're pretty rare and would probably stretch your budget a bit, but just thought I'd mention them. This is the Scamp version; the Casita is similar.


A Scamp 16 Layout 3 would also be worth looking for. You could easily build a child-sized bed in the space where table is shown, making an L-shaped bunk for two with an upper bunk for one more in the front, and the usual double bed in the back. This layout was more common in older trailers, so you might have a chance to find something within your budget.



Since they don't have bathrooms, any of these would be a bit lighter than typical 16'ers, so well within the capacity of your Sedona.

[reeves99]

Kristina
With the Sedona a 13' trailer seems very doable. You or hubby could sleep in the van with one of the children. People forget that young families can be pretty creative. And it sounds like you're pretty good at that having lived in a tiny house. You seem like adventurous people.
I hope you find a trailer in your price range. I'm for anything that encourages family fun and builds memories. Good luck!


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[Pam Garlow]

Originally Posted by reeves99

Kristina
With the Sedona a 13' trailer seems very doable. You or hubby could sleep in the van with one of the children. People forget that young families can be pretty creative. And it sounds like you're pretty good at that having lived in a tiny house. You seem like adventurous people.
I hope you find a trailer in your price range. I'm for anything that encourages family fun and builds memories. Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

I think that Phillip makes a great point. You have a van with a lot of storage capacity. So if someone sleeps in the van, someone might sleep there. However, when I was a youngster (6-7yrs old) that I LOVED being the one to get to sleep under the table in my gmas camper. When you're little, what fun it is to have your own little sleep cubby.
We had 8 crammed into a camper meant to sleep 6. And it worked.
Its fine for sleeping, not so good if its a cold rainy day and you're all inside. But at that point, even a 16 seems too small! Thats the day you go sightseeing! Happy Hunting

[tinatoombs]

Dean - I just checked out the website. Pretty cool! I will be on the lookout for one...

Jon - Thanks for the suggestions on the Scamp & Casita models! I will keep that in my back pocket too!

Phillip & Pam - Yes, I think if we find we have to make do with a 13 footer, we can swing it. And the tip on sleeping in the van is a great one! I hadn't thought of that!

[reeves99]

Originally Posted by tinatoombs

...And the tip on sleeping in the van is a great one! I hadn't thought of that!

Wish I could say it was an original idea, but one time at a campground I talked to a family of 5 with 3 teenagers who were traveling across Canada and back with a 13' Boler. The two girls slept on the front bunks and the boy slept in their van. But I realized that your kids are too young to be left alone so I suggested one of the parents sleep out there too. If it was nice weather a small tent would work as well.
I'm not sure what my kids' memories are from our camping trips when they were little, but my memories of those times are very precious to me


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Jon in AZ]

Actually, if Dad were in the tent (or the van), the boys would probably fight for the privilege!

Once when I was 12, I spent one night in the bucket of a front-end loader. Long story... I thought it was the coolest ever!

This dad is done with sleeping on the ground, though. Did my share of it when I was younger, but now I really enjoy having a bunk in the trailer. On a cold night, I like it that we all fit, albeit snugly. And when conditions allow our girls to have their own tent, my wife and I get to enjoy the privacy of a cozy honeymoon suite!

Phillip, I, too, have very precious childhood memories of traveling all over North America in a pop-up. I was only 5 when we visited the 1967 World Expo in Montreal. I regret waiting until my girls were 6 and 9 to start camping with them, but my wife was the reluctant one until we got the Scamp.

[alan H]

Have you tried this site
Searchtempest
Put in your zip code/distance & make
It will search all Craigslist as well as ebay


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by tinatoombs

Hello all!

What a great resource for FGRVs! My husband and I have been searching for FGRVs for several months now. We have looked outside the FGRV options a bit as well as a leaky A-liner and a Cozy Traveler 2011. Our preference is an egg camper due to design and weight. We have a 2010 Kia Sedona with 3500 towing capacity of which, we think we should keep the dry weight (or even wet?) of the travel trailer well under 2000 lbs. I read a few other threads about trailer weight, tongue weight, towing capacity including Fred's list of real world weights. All very helpful!

However, another challenge is budget, of course. Our roundabout budget is $5000. Seems like we can only afford a fixer upper and an antique at that! We would like to be able to camp in it asap. But that may not be possible if a fixer upper. A concern of my husbands is that if we opt for an old egg camper due to budget, would the axle be compromised or most of them rusted, etc.?

And...we are a family of 5. Our 3 boys are all under 5 years right now. We are tent campers and originally, backpackers, so we can be comfortable in small spaces. Before we had our third boy, we lived in a 650 sq ft house for 3 years.

Oh and... we would be mostly using the FGRV for weekends and an occasional longer vacation here and there for now.

All comments and tips are welcomed and thanks for having such a great community online!

Congratulations on the backpacking trips. When 3 of our girls were 2 at 7 and one at 4 we started them backpacking. The first trip was with two tents, small pup tents, the 3 girls slept in their own tent and mom and dad slept in their own tent. Not room enough in either to put another person.
When they go a 2 or 3 years older we purchased a couple tents for the girls. The youngest slept by herself in own tent the older two shared a tent. We did this, this way for about 12 years. Then the girls were old enough to be their own. One of the older girls and youngest still sleep in a tent together.
My wife and I slept in tent until we were in our 60s, a small backpacking tent.
If not yet there's soon come a time when your boys will prefer to be in own space with mom and dad hovering over them. By the time you get a trailer and get it campable the older 2 will probably be real close to wanting their own space (young boys love tents). Us older boys loved tents until we got old enough that it was a problem getting dressed on our backs.

[redbarron55]

I didn't note where you were, but here is a UHaul in Pensacola, FL.

VINTAGE UHAUL CT EGG CAMPER




Askig price $3500 ---- Not my trailer!