New trailer, advice sought

[MCDenny]

Greetings from SE Michigan.

I've just joined the forum to learn more about small TTs as we are are contemplating buying our first trailer this summer.

Please forgive the long post but ....

We are both recently retired and want a TT to use as a second home while visiting the kids in Alabama; to escape to southern Florida for a couple of winter months and to travel for adventure out west in the spring and fall.

We want to tow with a RAV4 V6 with tow package. I've pulled a 2,500 lb boat/trailer 5,000 miles so know at least that much weight is comfortable for this car/driver combo. The boat is low, however, so may not impose the aero drag that a TT would. Certainly not as much as an 8' wide 9' high box.

I like the notion of a fiberglass trailer and am thinking of a 17' Casita, Lil Snoozy or Egg Camper. We are leaning toward the Lil Snoozy and hope to visit the factory in early April as we will be nearby anyway.

One big concern we have is the "climb over the other person to get up in the middle of the night" issue. We really want a floor plan to avoid this which means two separate twin beds, probably two 30 x 74 beads running fore and aft with an aisle in the middle. No one, AFAIK, offers this as standard. (I'm a wooden boat builder so would have no trouble revising an interior.)

A second concern is propane vs all electric. Visiting the kids and snowbirding in Fl would be in state parks or private campgrounds (or my daughter's driveway) so I'm assuming 110v electric woud be available. Out west, though, I understand National Parks and many state campgrounds do not have hook-ups AND it can get quite cold at night, especially with some altitude.

I can see living off the grid for several days without hot water, a block of ice in the fridge, a little portable propane stove for cooking and recharging the battery with the car alternator as needed. What I am wrestling with is how to heat the trailer. We used to tent camp and had a Coleman white-gas catalytic heater which I hated because of the smell and fear of asphyxiation. I'm pretty sure we don't want an unvented heater in our new TT.

I already have a quiet Honda EU2000i generator. I wouldn't want to run it all night even if the park rules allowd unlimited generator operation but it could power a little electric heater (which we need anyway for heat with shore power) to get the trailer nice and toasty before bed. Do you who have experience camping out west think this would be an adequate solution? Do parks usually regulate generator running hours? A compact refrigerator only uses about 100 watts when running so an alternative to a block of ice could be an inverter tapping the 12v battery with a daily recharge (maybe??)

With the generator solution I also get AC, refrig, battery charging and hot water and save maybe $1000 over buying a small (Propex?) propane furnace. Getting a two way fridge and water heater might and another $1000. Weight is a wash as the furnace and a full 20# bottle of propane weigh as much as the generator.

OTOH, I know we'ed stay warm all night with a propane furnace.

What say you? Twin beds? Propane vs. all electric? Casita vs Lil Snoozy vs Egg Camper? (especially in view of twin bed mod)

Thanks,

Denny Wolfe

[Thomas G.]

Welcome. I also live in SE MI and will let others answer your questions.

In general, it is difficult to get a list of questions answered, as we all have short attention spans. So, if you don't get the answers you need, you might have better luck breaking your questions down into different threads.

[ColoRockiesFan]

Looks like the Casita Liberty Deluxe offers a twin bed combo ...

Casita Travel Trailers - Our Showroom | The Patriot, Spirit Deluxe, Freedom Deluxe, Liberty Deluxe | Call 800-442-9986

[john warren]

hello from beautiful down town oxford micigan.

we are picking up a new scamp on monday. and i'm sure there are others that would welcome you to take a look at what we have if it helps you make a choice.
one you may also want to consider is the "egg" camper made over by grand rapids, but i do not know what its weight is.

where in S.E. michigan are you?

[MCDenny]

Hi John,

I'm in Marine city, at the intersection of 26 Mile Rd and Canada. Three miles N or Algonac State Park, if you have camped there.

It would be nice to support a Mich company but the Eggcamper appears to have the interior fully formed from molded fiberglass so not much ability to modify the interior layout. I believe the Lil Snoozy (what a dumb name!) has an entirely wooden built in interior, installed after the "hull" is complete so itwould be easier to customize.

[rgrugg]

You could not modify the Egg Camper interior for the reason you stated. Your Honda would work most of the time. Our Egg Camper is all electric and we have a Honda 2000i. If it matters, the Egg Camper is a bit wider and taller inside with plenty of headroom and bed length for a person 6'4" or a bit more and has a quite wide aisle. The dinette can be put down for bed use. The interior is very roomy. Both of us were surprised when we both saw it. We tow with both a Chrysler V6 minivan and a Chevy Silverado 1500 with V8. We've given up towing with the Chrysler though it does a fine job but the Chevy is way more comfortable and gets better gas mileage.

[MCDenny]

Mr & Mrs Ruggles, DO you camp without shore power? If so, what do you do for heat in the all-electric Egg?

[Donna D.]

Hi Denny! Wow, you've got a bunch of good information already from knowledgable molded owners and I don't wish to interfere... just wanted to welcome you to FiberglassRV and tell you that we are here to give you advice and answers to your questions.

[Eddie Longest]

Bob
I had furnace/propane issues while winter camping during hunting season in the NF a couple of years ago. The temp. at night was between 5-10 F at night and about 30 F during the day. I used a Honda 2Ki and a 1500 watt heater to heat an older Scamp 19.
During the winter in the valley where we camp The sun goes down about 5 P.M. and we leave camp about 6 A.M., so thats about 13 hours run time per day. I usually like to change oil after about 25 hrs. use. That means changing oil while camping. Running a 1500 watt heater means the generator will not run in the Econ. mode so the generator is running full speed. A Honda is quiet but not that quiet while you are trying to sleep. When running a 1500 watt heater you only get about 6 hours out of a tank full of gas. Every night I had to get up out of bed, get dressed and go out and refill the generator in the dark. (Not much fun).
Bottom line you have to haul a lot of extra fuel and oil, you have to change oil and dispose of the oil. When heating with the Honda 2Ki it is not that quiet. The worse part is getting up to refuel the gen in the middle of the night. How long do you think the aluminum Honda 2Ki will last running extended hours under load?
Get the propex, some good batteries, and a solar panel. Take the Honda 2Ki for a back up, at least with a furnace the Honda will run in the Econ. mode and you can get through the night on a tank of fuel.
Eddie

[Nancy]

Denny,

You mentioned going down to look at Lil Snoozy. If you could hit Townsend, TN on Sat, Apr 21 you could attend the open house and view many brands and sizes of trailers. I think there are 50 registered.

There are other gatherings in the spring too. Check the rally section.

Going to gatherings before making our decision was well worth the travel.

Verify my date of April 21, that was sort of spur of the moment post.

Nancy

[Warren Shumway]

Originally Posted by john warren

hello from beautiful down town oxford micigan.

we are picking up a new scamp on monday. and i'm sure there are others that would welcome you to take a look at what we have if it helps you make a choice.
one you may also want to consider is the "egg" camper made over by grand rapids, but i do not know what its weight is.

where in S.E. michigan are you?

Hi John, how do you like your new scamp? I picked mine up last week. Drove from Vermont to backus, mn in that snow storm. 3074 miles in four days to pick it up. Love it.

[MCDenny]

Thanks for the tip Nancy but we cannot make the 4/21 date.

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by MCDenny

1. We want to tow with a RAV4 V6 with tow package.

2. One big concern we have is the "climb over the other person to get up in the middle of the night" issue. We really want a floor plan to avoid this which means two separate twin beds, probably two 30 x 74 beds running fore and aft with an aisle in the middle.

3. A second concern is propane vs all electric.


4. I already have a quiet Honda EU2000i generator. ...Do parks usually regulate generator running hours?

What say you? Twin beds? Propane vs. all electric? Casita vs Lil Snoozy vs Egg Camper? (especially in view of twin bed mod)

1. The Toyota RAV4 V6 has been chosen by many in this community as a Tow Vehicle. Item #33 of http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...rld-43010.html topic uses that tow vehicle.

2. The Casita Liberty Deluxe offers a twin bed with aisle arrangement as standard for that model. However the standard beds are only 27" wide; but many owners have come up with simple mods to get extra bed width.

3. Climate control (HVAC) in an all-electric trailer off the grid is a tough nut that hasn't been cracked without generator use. Federal Campgrounds do not provide electric hook-up or campsite water. There will be water available at the campground to fill the fresh water tank in your trailer. Many County campgrounds have water/electric sites, and some even have sewer hookups. Check ahead as not ALL do.

4. Yes, usually "quiet time" is from 10:00PM to 7:00AM.

Eggcamper and Lil Snoozy don't offer twin beds, although Snoozy might be able to custom build one for you. Casita's Liberty model does. Scamp's Custom Deluxe wood interior designs are flexible and they invite customization for a price. I have seen one Scamp Custom Deluxe twin bed interior.

[Deb & Chuck]

Hi Denny,
You should look at the Escape. I have a 19 loaded with all our stuff it weighs 3400#. It is a very balanced trailer with dual axles.
Chuck

[rgrugg]

MCDENNEY... most of the time we are in a spot with electricity but have a catalytic heater for times without a hookup. We also have a Honda 2000i. In colder weather we'll always go for a hookup electric site but not usually in the summer. We use a hookup more than I would like and less than my wife would like. You know that old saying "if mama ain't happy," etc.

[john warren]

Originally Posted by MCDenny

Hi John,

I'm in Marine city, at the intersection of 26 Mile Rd and Canada. Three miles N or Algonac State Park, if you have camped there.

It would be nice to support a Mich company but the Eggcamper appears to have the interior fully formed from molded fiberglass so not much ability to modify the interior layout. I believe the Lil Snoozy (what a dumb name!) has an entirely wooden built in interior, installed after the "hull" is complete so itwould be easier to customize.

very cool, i have camped in algonac , with the tear jerkers on our annual frieghter watch in the fall.
i have also voluntered at the park with dnr stewardship program a few times working on the lake plain prairy recovery project.
pretty sure we will be there again in sept for a camp out. you should look to join us. will be a pasle of tear drop campers, a scotty or two a scamp , even a T@B

[john warren]

Originally Posted by Warren Shumway

Hi John, how do you like your new scamp? I picked mine up last week. Drove from Vermont to backus, mn in that snow storm. 3074 miles in four days to pick it up. Love it.

lol,,,, we don't pick it up till monday morning. but i'm printing out your post...and the first time the wife starts fussing about an 1700 mile run,,,,,i'm gonna give it to her!
i've driven truck to vermont a few times... thats one beautiful state.

[MCDenny]

Thanks to all for your advice.

I think we will need the propane furnace.

I am almost done with an interior floor plan for a lil snoozy. I will post a picture soon.

[Mary F]

Hi, Denny. Welcome to FiberglassRV.com. My husband and I spend time during summer months, off the grid in the Colorado Rockies. We don't run the (propane) furnace at night, just a few minutes in the morning warms up the trailer nicely, so we can get out of bed, make coffee, etc. and get the day started. We use a 3.2Amp solar panel for our electrical needs (the furnace motor in the a.m., plus the water pump for showers. We use lights when we need them, but turn them off when we don't.) We also carry a battery lantern, for ambient light, especially helpful on rainy day(s).

With the fridge on propane, we can go until we need to dump the gray water; and of course, with the propane there's no need to forego hot water. (We have the "on demand" system: when I want hot water, my husband lights the water heater. Nowadays, Casita uses one with electronic ignition, so this would be easier - i.e., I would do it myself.)

FWIW, I'm one of the (apparently) few people I know who likes to cook on the stove in the trailer, where it's not windy and the burners stay lit!

Anyway, ours is a Liberty (deluxe, which means it has the bath) model Casita. We do not use the twin bed arrangement, but I have a couple of friends who have done the modification Frederick mentioned, to make the twin beds wide enough to actually be comfortable. I just noticed a pic of one of them last night, in the Interiors topic.

And, here's another pic of a Liberty with twin beds arrangement, from the same topic. It's not as easy to see the modification (or if it was even modified to widen the beds?)

Good luck with your decision. It's a fun process... and remember, it's all a compromise (or set of compromises)!

[Mike Magee]

If you order a Snoozy, you won't have to modify it much. They will build it pretty much the way you want it. It might not be too hard to figure out a 20" bed extension so you can have the queen mattress turned 90 degrees from usual.

If I were buying one, I'd keep the roof as clear as possible and plan on installing a couple of those 80W stick-on solar panels (from Unisolar, I think?) to power an efficient propane furnace and an efficient DC fridge. And I would only need a generator for AC, if it was too hot out.