Newbie to FBRVs

[MaryPucker]

Hi,

My name is Mary and my husband and I are currently thinking of purchasing a fiberglass RV. We are very active, outdoor people and love to road bike, mountain bike and hike. We are also planning to purchase kayaks to add another dimension to our outdoor activities. I have tent camped and pop-up tent camped in the past while my husband had tent camped. We have been investigating smaller campers but do not want to give up our 2016 Subaru Outback to tow a small, heavier trailer. My husband saw a Scamp being towed through our town the other day and that is what brought us to fiberglass RVs. Our tow capacity is 2700 pounds. Can anyone give me pros and cons to the question of bathroom or no bathroom and the pros and cons to a 13' versus a 16'? We also have a 66 pound lab we would like to take with us on occasion. Our plans are to use the trailer on weekends when we go to organized road bike rides (in order to save on hotel bills and having to eat out) as well as short camping trips of 2-7 days. Thank you for your input.

Mary

[GregandTeresa]

Keep in mind that it is not just tow capacity that is important. Tongue weight is also key, and I believe that is where many Subaru's come up short.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by GregandTeresa

Keep in mind that it is not just tow capacity that is important. Tongue weight is also key, and I believe that is where many Subaru's come up short.

Also GCVR.. and some other ratings that are less important.

But with a tow rating of 2700 I would say the Scamp 16 is out based on that alone. The 16 will be within a few hundred pounds of 2700 (or around 95% of tow rating) and you really want more of a margin than that.

I do recall a lot of discussions on the forum about towing with a Subaru Outback (mostly older ones no doubt). Sometimes a Google search works better for me than the forum's search function.

[Jon in AZ]

Subaru has a tongue weight limit of 200 pounds. With a travel trailer you want the tongue weight to be 10-12% of the trailer's total weight, so that means you are limited to a 2000 pound travel trailer.

Also consider the gear you want to bring- bikes, kayaks,…- as well as a good-sized canine friend. It all adds to the weight.

I think you need to be looking for a fairly basic Scamp 13 or similar. A bathroom is nice if you stay in undeveloped campgrounds, but it does add weight and makes the already-small interior seem more confined (my opinion, anyway). Most no-bath 13'ers have a storage compartment for a porta-potty under the front sofa.

Scamp 13s generally weigh between 1500-2000 pounds loaded for camping, depending on options. Fully optioned (bathroom w/shower, AC furnace, fridge, awning) and carrying the larger battery and two propane tanks in the tongue, it will be well over 200 pounds tongue weight. You'll need to be selective about your option choices.

You might also want to take a look at the Happier Camper HC1. It's more expensive, but the rear hatch fits well with your outdoor sports oriented plans.

Best wishes!

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by MaryPucker

Hi,

My name is Mary and my husband and I are currently thinking of purchasing a fiberglass RV. We are very active, outdoor people and love to road bike, mountain bike and hike. We are also planning to purchase kayaks to add another dimension to our outdoor activities. I have tent camped and pop-up tent camped in the past while my husband had tent camped. We have been investigating smaller campers but do not want to give up our 2016 Subaru Outback to tow a small, heavier trailer. My husband saw a Scamp being towed through our town the other day and that is what brought us to fiberglass RVs. Our tow capacity is 2700 pounds. Can anyone give me pros and cons to the question of bathroom or no bathroom and the pros and cons to a 13' versus a 16'? We also have a 66 pound lab we would like to take with us on occasion. Our plans are to use the trailer on weekends when we go to organized road bike rides (in order to save on hotel bills and having to eat out) as well as short camping trips of 2-7 days. Thank you for your input.

Mary

I can only speak from my experiences. My wife and I have a 13' no toilet or AC or water heater. The weight is about 1700 lbs with 180lbs tongue weight. Check out "weights in the real world" on this site for an idea of what trailer actually weigh. We go on long camping trips minimum is usually around a week, up to our annual winter 90+ day trip to the sunny south west. We've not found the lack of a bathroom a problem. If you've tent camped you'll know it's not a problem.
To us the extra 3' of the 16' Scamp is worth the cost. We spend most of our time outside so hauling the extra weight isn't worth it.
We came into the Scamp from backpacking. When we doing so much backpacking (3 week-ends a month plus 2 weeks vacation) we never found a current bush to run appliances. Now with the Scamp we avoid places and the extra expense that have electricity. Most of the stuff used for backpacking went into the trailer. The techniques stayed about the same except we didn't have to get dressed on our backs.
Call Scamp and get their current price list and options list. Calling Scamp is probably the best way to deal with them. Also ask if there's anybody close to you that has a Scamp you might look at.
Best of luck and enjoy.

[Jimp]

I live in Galena Il. If you are anywhere nearby , I'd be more than happy to show my Scamp 13 .I too came from tents & motorcycle pop-ups (Kompact Kamp ,Bunkhouse,Kwik Kamp ) . I opted for the 13 with a single propane . I wanted to keep weight at min. , but I did add a ref. (glad I did ). Deluxe mod wood was heavier
so I went with standard.I removed the heavy upper bunk . I then replaced the lower bunk with a wider , custom made 4". When alone , I keep table set up & sleep on front bed . I also replaced the heavy stock table with lighter plywood & cut 3" of corners for easier entry . I enjoy playing with ideas , & I'm not done yet .

[Jimp]

What ever you do , wait until you can go to a rally & look at other mods. & talk with other owners . There are many great ideas there , only you can choose your ideal set-up.