New and excited!

[SecondEventuality]

Hey everyone!

My husband and I are currently shopping...looking at all new, used and every bit of info we can gather in-between. We have been tent/truck camping for years, but as an anniversary present to ourselves, we are excitedly hoping to purchase our new fiberglass friend soon.

We are in the Philly suburbs area and we usually only go away for frequent long weekends, and one longer vacation (1-2 weeks) during the year. So not full-timer rv'ers yet!

Looking forward to participating in the forums, thanks so much!



Danielle & Kim

[Anders Laurits]

www.olivertraveltrailers.com
The forums have discussions by owners and shoppers that cover many topics that you may have a interest in. It is a double hulled and insulated fiberglass unit. Here is a quick look.

[peterh]

There's a lot of variation in fiberglass (FG) trailer sizes, floorplans, and accessories, and what works for one person may well not work for another. When my wife and I got interested in buying an FG trailer, we scoured through websites, examined floorplans, and decided we wanted a Casita. We just needed to see one to make sure.

You have to go to the mountain. We located a nearby FG trailer gathering, showed up, and asked people to show us their rigs. (Look in the Rallies, Get-togethers, Molded Meets (Upcoming) topic area, find a gathering near where you live.) FG trailer owners are a friendly lot, we found, and are (generally) happy to show off their trailers. We looked at several Scamps, Casitas, and a few other trailers and came to the conclusion that a Casita would be a bad choice for us. The floorplans looked good, but the feel when we were standing inside didn't measure up.

After attending that gathering, we went hunting for a 19' Scamp "5th Wheel." Found what we were looking for online (used) a couple months later, and showed up at the next gathering pulling that behind a pickup truck. That was 2006 . . . and we still show up at gatherings and campsites with that same truck and trailer.

Many (most, even) FG Trailer owners are happy to show you their rigs. My suggestion would be to take advantage of that before you buy.

[frank_a]

Hi Danielle & Kim!

Welcome to the FGRV Forums. It is here where we got educated and made a decision as to what way to go.

We planned to buy new, but had a few considerations. We definitely wanted a queen size bed and a trailer that I could stand up in (I'm 5'11", but have boys over 6'). We wanted AC, heat, a toilet and a shower. We also did not want to travel far or spend $ in shipping a new trailer to us. Long story short, we settled on a ParkLiner made in Gibsonville NC. We planned or ordering a new one last month. Then we found a lightly used one near Trenton last October and bought it.

We have an egg rally just north of Albany NY 3rd weekend in August. Feel free to come on up and kick some tires. Also, we live south of Albany NY just off Exit 22 of the NYS thruway, and you would be welcome to look at ours as long as we can agree on a date.

Best of luck to you!

Frank

[papa-t]

Welcome Danielle & Kim

[SecondEventuality]

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!

Originally Posted by peterh

When my wife and I got interested in buying an FG trailer, we scoured through websites, examined floorplans, and decided we wanted a Casita. We just needed to see one to make sure.

Yes, it is definitely an overwhelming experience, with all the different choices out there along with the fact that, since this is our very first trailer, we really don't know *for sure* what we'd be ultimately be happy with (we can guess, but just like you, have no clue). Couple that with the issue of not being able to see all the choices in person easily, it is challenging to say the least. LOL

Originally Posted by frank_a

It is here where we got educated and made a decision as to what way to go.

Indeed! We certainly have a MILLION+1 questions! LOL

Originally Posted by frank_a

We have an egg rally just north of Albany NY 3rd weekend in August. Feel free to come on up and kick some tires. Also, we live south of Albany NY just off Exit 22 of the NYS thruway, and you would be welcome to look at ours as long as we can agree on a date.

That's very gracious and kind of you, thank you so much! The Parkliners look pretty awesome, and we noticed that 2 ppl can walk by each other and the interior height is probably the highest you can get? Wow! The inside must be a pretty different experience from other FG eggs.

Casita had given us the phone number for a couple in PA that have a 17' trailer that we can see, but we are kinda shy and don't like to impose on folks, so we haven't taken the plunge and called.

My personal experience with travel trailers is extremely limited - my family did not have one growing up, we were tent campers. Kim's experience is more than me - while growing up, his family had a pop-up, then a 28 ft trailer. A few weeks back, Kim and I went to a local RV show (and knew ahead of time that we were not going to see any FG eggs there, but wanted to go anyway to see if we'd even like the stick-built guys, which we did not)...but I got to sit in a small, vintage Serro Scotty for a total of 60 seconds and fell in love instantly with it and knew we were at least heading in the right direction with the FG eggs route since the layouts and head room seems to be similar. We also liked the Little Guy T@G teardrops that were there (surprisingly), but for the price tag, we knew that FG eggs are a better fit for us for the long-term.

To start with, what we are towing with is a 2005 Chevy Colorado pickup that has a Class III hitch, a towing limit of 4,000 and tongue weight of 600 lbs.

We are avid amateur astronomers, so we do attend several star parties during the year, where electric hookups are not an option. So running an a/c unit would have to be via a generator. And we aren't even sure we'd want an a/c unit since we both love the heat, but again, we have no clue!!!

Our gut tells us that a smaller trailer (13') with at least 6'1" of headroom, with no bathroom, but has a front dinette (so the bed can stay set up permanently) and an outside awning would be the best fit for our preferred style of camping. But we don't know and are open to all ideas. We like the decked out 17'ers with the works, too!

Thanks so much for all your feedback and input, we really do appreciate it!

Danielle and Kim

[Jim Bennett]

Welcome Danielle.
You and Kim have made a good choice in going with a moulded fiberglass trailer. Many good reasons for the choice, most of which you have found out, no doubt.

There is a myriad of information on this site, and searching will keep you reading for many an hour. Plus, lots of good input to be had from the membership here.

Lots of options as you realize. As mentioned attending rallies is a good thing. Most owners are going to be somewhat biased towards their choice in trailer, but that just goes to show, it is not necessarily the trailer you choose, but the fun you choose to have with it.

Happy hunting, and fire away with any specific questions you may have.

[jen b]

Hi almost-neighbors...if you ever feel like checking out what a 13' trailer looks like, I'm right across the bridge from you.

I'm been in the Parkliner of one of our members here, and really liked it. I hope they stay in business because if I ever size up, that might be my next stop. Either that or the Escape, like them both.

[mary and bob]

Originally Posted by peterh

Many (most, even) FG Trailer owners are happy to show you their rigs. My suggestion would be to take advantage of that before you buy.

this is usually the case, but we have encountered owners that didn't want to talk or show their trailers. We even got thrown out of a Casita by the husband after the wife invited us in We didn't do any research before buying, just stumbled on a good deal and bought it and modified it to work for us. And we do welcome visitors and questions!

[frank_a]

Aha, astronomy buffs! What's a good link for activities for amateurs?

Best of luck to you with your search. You will get a lot of suggestions here, we're all nuts about fiberglass trailer!

Frank

[Bob Miller]

Hi Second's

Welcome to the group.
By seeing a few hints in your posts it's somewhat easy to narrow down the field.....`

First, take a look in the "General Chat Forum". about the 2nd or 3rd sticky in the index is a link to "Trailer Weight in the Real World". Put all those Manufacturers WAG's about weight and look there for what different makes and sizes weigh when actually being used. While your truck is rated to pull 4000 lbs, you don't want to use up all of that capacity. I trust it's the V6 with an automatic transmission?

Next, you may be wishing for something that doesn't exist in any great numbers. While there are some Egg's that have 73" of headroom, some of that disappears if you add an a/c unit. On top of that, a 6' 1" person may not be comfortable in many of the beds as very few are what can be called "full size".

And there are only a very, very few 13' floorplans with a fixed front dinette and, as far as I can remember, none in recent production. That's a real difficult order to fill.

My somewhat jaded suggestion would be to find an early, single axle, 17.5 Bigfoot. The earlier versions are somewhat lighter than the late ones, prices are fair, space is very good and, if you are careful you won't be bumping that weight limit.

If you got this far, thanks for hanging in there and be sure to ask lots of questions.

[SecondEventuality]

Originally Posted by jen b

Hi almost-neighbors...if you ever feel like checking out what a 13' trailer looks like, I'm right across the bridge from you.

I'm been in the Parkliner of one of our members here, and really liked it. I hope they stay in business because if I ever size up, that might be my next stop. Either that or the Escape, like them both.

Thank you so much, Jen! Appreciate the offer. May I ask why, in particular, you would consider an Escape? We are really 'ing those at the moment, as well!

Originally Posted by frank_a

Aha, astronomy buffs! What's a good link for activities for amateurs?

We would suggest the astronomy version of a local rally, by visiting your local public sky watches, which should be held by a local astronomy group. We LOVE the astronomy club that we are apart of, and they have frequent public sky watches around our state, where you can view the night sky under many different type of scopes. We're sure there is something like that in your area.

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

First, take a look in the "General Chat Forum". about the 2nd or 3rd sticky in the index is a link to "Trailer Weight in the Real World". Put all those Manufacturers WAG's about weight and look there for what different makes and sizes weigh when actually being used. While your truck is rated to pull 4000 lbs, you don't want to use up all of that capacity. I trust it's the V6 with an automatic transmission?

Actually, the Chevy we have is not a V6, but close. It's an inline 5. Yep, automatic.


At this point, we know we can only make the best decision when we actually GET INSIDE all these choices! When it really comes down to it, the overall "feel" of the camper is what sells us...the comfort and whether it fits like a glove, is what we are looking for. If it happens to be the trailer that is bigger and with all the extras, then so be it! We are simple and minimalists, especially since we are coming from a tent, so that's why we are starting our expectations out with the smallest and bare-bones out there. We can do without quite a bit, but certainly wouldn't shun the extras if the price was right and it felt perfect for us.

We are in the process of elimination, so we can see which ones can actually work and then work out the specifics. I think Kim has questions on the hitch height, which may or may not work with some that we are considering and since he's 6'0", we also can't get certain trailers that are tight height-wise inside, such as a Casita 13'. So narrowing down the playing field would help!!!!

Thanks, again!

[peterh]

You can pull just about any 17' and under fiberglass trailer with that Colorado. You could even pull a 19' Scamp 5er, which would certainly give you that permanent bed, bathroom, and full-time dinette. (It's what we love about our 5er!)

Good luck and enjoy the hunt!

[frank_a]

ParkLiners have 6' 4" height inside! And weigh 2100#s dry.

Frank

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by SecondEventuality

Yes, it is definitely an overwhelming experience, with all the different choices out there along with the fact that, since this is our very first trailer, we really don't know *for sure* what we'd be ultimately be happy with (we can guess, but just like you, have no clue). Couple that with the issue of not being able to see all the choices in person easily, it is challenging to say the least. LOL

Keep in mind that some of the manufactures of current trailers do have a referral program with their owners. So if are interested in seeing one of thier trailers but are on the other side of the country or in a different country (such as the case with the ever popular Escape) if you call them they will set it up for you to see a trailer of the size you are interested in as close as they can to you.

[Bob Miller]

I kinda think that your suggestion about the price being right precludes buying a new trailer, and that's excellent advise for a first trailer purchase. Most FGRV's over 10 years old, if bought smart, can usually be resold at or above used purchase price if you find it's not your best fit. New ones will usually show a tad bit more depreciation.

And yep, I forgot about the I-5 engine. I personally prefer the 4.2 V6, so I stick with the earlier GM's such as the 2003 2dr Blazer I currently use for a TV.

Just maybe, if the new Colorado diesel materializes I will buy anew.

[SecondEventuality]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

I kinda think that your suggestion about the price being right precludes buying a new trailer, and that's excellent advise for a first trailer purchase.

And it's also the best advice given, as well, Bob, thank you! Perhaps another thread regarding this would be served better, but unexpectedly, a 4-yr old used Casita came up on the classifieds last night and we jumped on it and it's now ours! The care of this Casita has been immaculate, it was lovingly cared for, and even all the modifications done suit us perfectly. We are so happy!!!

[frank_a]

Good for you guys! You're going to love it.

Frank

[SherryNPaul]

Congrats on your Casita purchase. Happy camping, and star watching!
Sherry