Looking to Scamp in 2016

[Eric Napadirtworm]

Hi Scampers, I'm joining in to learn what trailer will be the perfect fit for my wife and my two kids. My kids are really young so this will be a great way for us to squeak in some quick trips over the winter and summer. I'm somewhat limited in towing capacity as i drive a Honda element (2000lbs) at the moment and don't plan on getting a new car any time soon. We tested teardrops recently and found out that having something that we can walk into was the way to go. We live in California which means I might be taking a road trip to purchase our trailer early next year. Im not afraid to buy a fixer upper as I can do all the work myself. But I look forward to reading your posts following you renovation threads and learning about this sweet campers. Please forgive me if I ask newbee questions for a while, you will see my posting name as Eric Napadirtworm.

[Pam Garlow]

You will be at (possbly over) your tow limits as soon as you load that trailer, and then add passengers to your car. That being said, there are FGRV members that have towed with an element and were satisfied. (not sure if they were a family of 4).
So when ordering your trailer think in terms of keeping the trailer as light as possible. Get the basic model, without a bathroom. Do not go with a deluxe as it adds weight.
Pack lightly for camping, and don't expect to make any fast passing manouvers.

[Eric Napadirtworm]

Thanks Pam, I think I might start looking at some older units then. It looks to me that I can find a 500-600 lbs unit no worries. I wont require a bathroom or a shower, I come from a backpacking background as does my wife. The main focus here is having a place for the kids can hit the round running. We can fit everything we need in my Element, I'm just wanting to replace my tent. Also where we are located in California, we have good close assessable camping without any mountain passes so the element should do just fine.

[Jon in AZ]

If there's such a thing as a sub-1000 pound molded fiberglass trailer that sleeps four (or even two, excluding teardrops) we'd love to learn about it. There are a lot of folks looking for it, but, like most mythical creatures, it remains elusive.

Pam is right. Quite a few people tow with Elements and CR-Vs, but you'll have to pack lightly.

[cchandka]

Eric, I have to say that you are a brave one to tackle a fixer-upper. Hubby and I have always done that with travel rigs and it usually involves replacing at least sections of flooring.
We are hip-deep right now refreshing a 96 Scamp 5er and I have to say, it is more than we bargained for.
My advice is it might make the most sense to strip everything out to see just what you have, rather than fixing one thing just to discover another must-do, kind of like the mushroom factor. Cabinets are not that hard to take out and replace, but working on a floor and installing laminates when cabinets are in place is just maddening. We are remodeling the rig to better suit just the 2 of us and a tiny dog, adding lots of storage for extended trips and strengthening some things that seem to make sense... fiberglass and welding included.
Once we are done I know we will love it but I have to really question whether the "bargain" purchase was the right thing to do, trusting that the seller disclosed everything that could possibly need attention ... imagine, if I'd forked over the $$ for a new rig I could be using it right now.