New and exploring fiberglass option

[DebPaul]

My husband and I have been camping in the back of our Tacoma pick-up for years. We are used to very simple camping, but as we age we are considering something that gives us a place to cook and sit inside at night or when its raining. And a bigger bed. We would like a very lightweight, small camper, and fiberglass seems the best option -
Except, my husband is 6'3" and he really would like something that he can stand in without stooping.


I have read through some threads and we have seen the Egg Camper (hard to find) and maybe the Scamp have more than 6'2" interior height. Are there others? I know we need to get to a rally to see various campers, but there are none near us soon, so for now, just trying to educate ourselves online. I thought I saw that one of these new little companies has a taller option, but now I can't find that again. Was it the Meerkat or the Happier Camper? We really want to keep the gross weight under 3000 lbs.

[SnowballCamper]

I’m 6’3” and love our Bigfoot 17.5 with the front bed. No problems standing, just have to duck for the door. It might be on the high end for price and weight for you though.

[gordon2]

I would not worry about the roof height.. you can duck or sit, or go outside..
What REALLY matters is bed size, and IMHO the SCAMP standard bed will not work for someone 6'2".

[Jon in AZ]

Scamp advertises 6'3", but I can't find anyplace in mine over about 6'1-1/2". The beds are fairly short, too, at about 6'4" and confined by walls on both ends. As Gordon says, most people consider beds even more important than headroom.

Happier Camper and Meerkat both spec about 6'1". That seems to be the norm for all but a few trailers, and puts it at the 90th percentile for American males.

Parkliner is your best molded fiberglass bet to check all the boxes. With 6'5" of headroom and a true queen-sized 60"x80" dinette/bed, he should be happy. Unlike the all-electric EggCamper, Parkliners have a conventional LP system for cooking, refrigeration, and heat when you're not plugged in.

Not sure about actual gross weights of Parkliners, but should be close to 3000#, give or take. Weight-wise, your best bet is a 2016 and older 15' model; the redesigned 2018 16' model added some weight. It's actually the same size inside, just has a longer bumper and tongue, along with more fiberglass inside and a few other changes. They are now out of production.

Used Parkliners are pretty rare, but there were a couple for sale recently. Here's the most recent: https://www.fiberglassclassifieds.co...-parkliner-448. This is one of the older 15' models (in spite of what the ad says), identified by the fuzzy brown interior walls and shaped entry door.

Best wishes in your hunt for a trailer!

[John in Santa Cruz]

under 3000 lbs gross probably means forgoing what, IMHO, is the most important feature of a camp trailer, a shower and bathroom.

our 16' casita had a 5'11" or so ceiling, and that never really bothered me at 6' tall, as you just don't spend much time standing up in there, its 2 steps from one end to the other. but the bed in the 16 was too small for the two of us, and the dinette was too small for lounging, OK for a indoor meal in bad weather, and far too small for me when converted to a bed (only 24" wide, my shoulders and belly are bigger than that). and that trailer, with its shower/toilet, had a 3500 lb GWR even if it was under 3000 lbs dry.

we'd looked at an Eggcamper before buying the Casita, but its all electric, which means you can't cook if you're not plugged in, nor do you have heat or hot water without campground electricity. RV parks with hookups are a small fraction of the nights we camp.

We ended up with an Escape 21, which is 4500 lbs GWR, and best towed by an actual truck or RWD SUV, it has a 'full xl' almost queen bed (80" long, 54" wide), and a large roomy dinette, where 4 people can sit up for a meal, or 2 can lounge comfortably. the significantly larger water and holding tanks than the Casita 16, and a great big fridge w/ seperate freezer, and a propane oven round things off to make it work really nicely for us. oh, the Escape 21 has a 6'3 ceiling. the aisle is wide enough that we can both be standing up doing stuff, or pass each other without having to squeeze by.

[Fred-Linda]

I am 6'2" and we chose the "Little Joe" primarily because of the interior height and bed length. I can stand up and the bed is 6'6" long so I can stretch out comfortably. The couches that come together to make a bed are lengthwise rather than cross-ways like the others.

You say you would like something small, lightweight, and fiberglass - the Little Joe is all of that and very high quality. We have everything in it that the big guys have except a bathroom so we just try to always get a campsite near the bathroom in the campground.

We live in the Dallas area and are leaving for Silverton Colorado Thursday.

We love it and it is built right outside of Denver in Henderson. Good luck in your decision-making.

Here is their website: Lightweight Trailers - Compact Travel Campers - Weiscraft Trailers

. . . . . Fred

[Mikmay]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Scamp advertises 6'3", but I can't find anyplace in mine over about 6'1-1/2". The beds are fairly short, too, at about 6'4" and confined by walls on both ends. As Gordon says, most people consider beds even more important than headroom.

Happier Camper and Meerkat both spec about 6'1". That seems to be the norm for all but a few trailers, and puts it at the 90th percentile for American males.

Parkliner is your best molded fiberglass bet to check all the boxes. With 6'5" of headroom and a true queen-sized 60"x80" dinette/bed, he should be happy. Unlike the all-electric EggCamper, Parkliners have a conventional LP system for cooking, refrigeration, and heat when you're not plugged in.

Not sure about actual gross weights of Parkliners, but should be close to 3000#, give or take. Weight-wise, your best bet is a 2016 and older 15' model; the redesigned 2018 16' model added some weight. It's actually the same size inside, just has a longer bumper and tongue, along with more fiberglass inside and a few other changes. They are now out of production.

Used Parkliners are pretty rare, but there were a couple for sale recently. Here's the most recent: https://www.fiberglassclassifieds.co...-parkliner-448. This is one of the older 15' models (in spite of what the ad says), identified by the fuzzy brown interior walls and shaped entry door.

Best wishes in your hunt for a trailer!

Yes The HC1 is 6’ 1” high but due to the fender skirts the bed is 1 inch short of 7 feet probably one of the widest beds for a 13 foot trailer.and if that is not long enough for you you can make 2 single beds the entire 10 ‘ length of the trailer.

[DebPaul]

Thank you all for these replies. This gives me several leads to look into. We are vacillating around what things are most important to us. We know it is not a bathroom. I think we need to get my husband into a few of these to see how important the headroom is to him.

[Borrego Dave]

Deb, you two need to attend a rally so you can see first hand the different trailers and layouts, they all look good on paper.

[thrifty bill]

As the trailers get smaller, dedicating space to a bathroom eliminates some other aspect that you might find more important, like a place to sit other than the bed. A 13 foot FG trailer has an interior that is roughly 6' by 10'. In this space you need an aisle way, a kitchen, a place to sleep, a closet (supports the roof). Space is at a tremendous premium.

To get it "all", people go bigger, which also means larger tow vehicle.

Your experience with simple camping for years should make ANY FG trailer luxurious!

On bed sizes:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...zes-29849.html


Interior Height:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ear-36840.html

[rgrugg]

EggCamper is supposedly going back into production. Propane may be available. We bought the electric version and were not happy with it so had propane furnace and cooktop added.

[Cara B]

We just spent 10 days in a Boler, and my hubby (6'1") found the bed WAY too small. We couldn't sleep in it together.
Standing upright became a luxury he missed since it rained so much on our trip, but not as much as a bed he could stretch out in.
I am also hunting for the right, light, solution!

[DebPaul]

thanks for the links to bed size and interior height; and all the sharing of experience. Definitely need to get inside a few of these.

[DebPaul]

In many ways (except interior height), the Little Joe does look like it has what we need. A long enough bed, a cook stove and sink and seating. But, the GVWR is listed as 2999. I thought I understood the GVWR to be what the camper weighs including the water tank full and average stuff people would pack into it. But, if the camper is 1100 # empty, that seems like a lot more weight than most add to get from their "dry weight" to the GVWR.



Also, if it is 2999# GVWR, I am surprised that 4-cylinder vehicles and hybrids can pull it.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by DebPaul

In many ways (except interior height), the Little Joe does look like it has what we need. A long enough bed, a cook stove and sink and seating. But, the GVWR is listed as 2999. I thought I understood the GVWR to be what the camper weighs including the water tank full and average stuff people would pack into it. But, if the camper is 1100 # empty, that seems like a lot more weight than most add to get from their "dry weight" to the GVWR.



Also, if it is 2999# GVWR, I am surprised that 4-cylinder vehicles and hybrids can pull it.

That seems way high and a weird number to boot; 2000# seems more likely. Typo? "9" and "0" are only one key apart...

Actual GVW will likely be 1500-1700# pounds. It's not a lot lighter than a Scamp, which is a fair bit larger. Sturdier frame and shell may explain part of the difference. The Little Joe is also sold for commercial applications.

Just for fun, look up the GoBE trailer. It's a new expedition-grade unit using the same shell.

[alan H]

FYI
I just had my 2010 little joe weighed ... without water ( holds 6 gallons) and partial filled 20 gal propane tank it was 1350
The only thing we would be adding to take off would be our food/drinks and clothes... the actual weight included bedding & cooking utensils
Just adding this as an FYI
We love the little joe for its queen bed and simplicity

[DebPaul]

what is meant by "expedition grade" for the GoBe Trailer. Does look similar to the LIttle Joe.

[Jon in AZ]

Heavy duty frame, large tires for ground clearance. Not sure if it has a different axle & suspension set-up with shocks, maybe. Been a while since I visited that site. I believe GoBE buys the shells from the company that makes Little Joe, so the resemblance is more than coincidental.

Another member posted that his Little Joe scaled out at 1700# fully loaded. Clearly some people bring more stuff than others!

[John in Santa Cruz]

gwr is the max total weight the trailer is rated for. my casita 16 was about 2000 lbs dry, and had a GWR of 3500 lbs. actual weight traveling would be the 2000 + whatever you actually put in it, including water, propane, and should be under 3500 lbs or you're overloading the frame and axles and tires and brakes.

[Bernese Bunch]

Egg Camper is going back into production and their head room is 6' 7". The sons are starting up.