Western Pa woes

[CherryHartung]

Hello,
I am new to the forum and have joined for one specific reason. We are interested in a Fiberglass camper such as the Casita, Scamp, etc. but they all seem to be built and sold in West or in Canada. This makes it difficult to purchase or even see a fiberglass camper, and we would definitely not want to spend that kind of money sight unseen. Are there types of fiberglass campers I'm not familiar with being build and sold anywhere closer to western PA than Texas, Minnesota or British Columbia? Also, we would like to join rallies with like minded campers, but again don't want to have to always travel to the other side of the country. Any advice?

[Cathi]

Welcome!
Molded fiberglass companies generally do not use dealers. You simply see one in your area. An Escape owner in PA will show you one and the same for other brands. Have a look through the rally section for rallies near you.

If you want to see a certain trailer and you have not had an offer here to see one, you can call the company and ask who has one in your area.

[starbrightsteve]

We have a 17' spirit delux Casita. We live near Wellsboro, PA. You are welcome to have a look at ours. We have owned two other Casitas and have always bought used. If you only want to buy new, I believe Casita, Scamp and Escape all have some sort of delivery service. You could consider driving to pickup a new trailer the beginning of a new adventure.
Steve

[The Minimalist]

You might look through the registry and find a member in your area who has a trailer you think you might be interested in and PM them requesting an opportunity to see it.
Also, contact the manufacturer. Some, not having a dealer network, may be able to hook you up with an owner in your neck of the woods, so to make an appointment to view.

Good luck. I think you will find many of us who traveled many miles and more than once to find the trailer that suits their needs.

I had never seen or heard of a Little Joe trailer but I saw a two year old one for sale on line . It was 7 hours away. Using the floor plan from their website, I laid out the floor plan in painters paint on the floor of my similar sized utility trailer. After walking around on it for a couple of days, my wife and I decided to chance it, drive to Ft Worth. Went, looked, checked it out and drove it home.

Good luck. The search in half the fun. Try to keep an open mind as to what you want. There is only so much you can do with the inside of these small trailers. As a consequence, I'd say there are more similarities than differences.

[Carl Pa]

Just a few weeks ago a couple in my area called and asked if they could see my 16` Scamp. I said sure and asked how they found my name and they said through the company. They were the nicest people, I was glad i met them. They called back and said they put an order in and that i was going to receive a check from Scamp for showing them the trailer. I myself bought one, site unseen and drove to MN. to pick it up and towed it home to Pa. We made a vacation out of the pick up of the Scamp. The pick up and the cost of delivery were close but at least we saw some of the country. Good luck. Carl

[gordon2]

I feel your pain. I’m over 1,000 miles from both Scamp and Casita. I agree with the other suggestions to call the factories to find some local owner(s) willing to show their trailers, and also look for owners in the various forums and Facebook groups. I did that and talked to one local owner but did not go to see their trailer because it was smaller than I wanted. Then I did a lot of research and decided to put down $500 on a six month wait for one, with the plan to take two weeks to go get it and bring it home. In fact, I only set foot in one (a Scamp) just this week, two months after placing my order. She was 23 years old so not really fair to use it to judge what I expect to get new. Still I feel like a prospective groom. I know the good and bad about my intended. I know that she is not perfect, but still a great catch. I know what her good points and negatives are, and that I can take care of her and we will share many good times together.

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by CherryHartung

Hello,
I am new to the forum and have joined for one specific reason. We are interested in a Fiberglass camper such as the Casita, Scamp, etc. but they all seem to be built and sold in West or in Canada. This makes it difficult to purchase or even see a fiberglass camper, and we would definitely not want to spend that kind of money sight unseen. Are there types of fiberglass campers I'm not familiar with being build and sold anywhere closer to western PA than Texas, Minnesota or British Columbia? Also, we would like to join rallies with like minded campers, but again don't want to have to always travel to the other side of the country. Any advice?

Welcome to the group Cherry, but don't just use the site for finding an egg. We all enjoy answering questions.....well, from anybody. Even long time RVers have things come up they aren't sure of and ask about. Scamp and Casita are Midwest companies, not west coast. There are molded companies on both coasts though. Think only one has a dealer outlet. That's just how it is as the molded group is such a small market. A rally is your best bet to see different rigs and they are all over the country. Also pull up manufactures web sites to see the floor plans, features and options. They all look good on paper but you really need to be in some first. Good luck in your search.

[alan H]

Another thought is to attend a fiberglass rally in your area
Look under that forum heading
That is what we did ..... Seems like most campers are more than happy to show off their trailers .... It is also a great way to see some modifications / upgrades etc

Just my 2 cents worth

Good luck in your search as others may have said
The search as half the fun


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[Carol H]

Originally Posted by CherryHartung

Hello,
We are interested in a Fiberglass camper such as the Casita, Scamp, etc. but they all seem to be built and sold in West or in Canada.

LOL I did not realize the Rice Texas where Casita is built or Minnesota where Scamp is built is considered to be the west!

As others have suggested you can call the companies and they will set you up to take a look at one in your area.

Another option to see lots of different brands is to take a look at Fiberglass-rv-4sale.com and go and look at any of the trailers for sale in your area. Or attend a fiberglass trailer rally near you.

[Evergreengirl]

Cherry, if you look in the "Rallies, Get-togethers, Molded Meets" forum you'll find a list of rallies all over the country and also a link to a rally map. I see there is a rally in NY in August as well as one the same month in Manitoba. Also a meet in PA in Oct. You could see several trailer sat any one of those events. Also, the Lil Snoozy is made in SC, the Oliver in TN, the Egg Camper in MI and the Parkliner in NC. While those might require some travel at least they're closer than the west coast!

[marijke]

Hello Cherry,

Just saw this and who knows this is what you are looking for? Not too far away?

Kind regards and happy hunting!

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...RV+-+Emails%29

[68dave]

Cherry i feel your pain. I searched and searched for a used casita, either too far away or they were quickly sold. That's when i learned how much these lil trailers hold their value so i decided to spend just a bit more and order new. 3 months later we made the trip to Texas, only took me 2 days to get to Rice, and picked up our new egg, couldn't be happier and i'm glad that i decided to buy new. The camping trip home was a blast. Every October there is a casita rally in Lancaster, Pa., we attended last year and will be there this year. Good luck in your search.

[Franswa]

from the company web sites decide on a couple of models you think you'd be interested in.....then place an online ad in your local area "trailer wanted"....what you are looking for is somebody who has not used his trailer that much lately but has not made the milestone decision to put it up for sale...or they may be checking ads to get a feel for the going price of their unit......you could "flush out" a trailer of your choice...or you could just get to see what you thought you wanted......could work (wish I had done that)...these trailers always seem to sell very fast....lots of tales on here of frustrated buyers being "scooped".....so this strategy could save you some grief as well....good luck in your search

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by CherryHartung

Hello,
I am new to the forum and have joined for one specific reason. We are interested in a Fiberglass camper such as the Casita, Scamp, etc. but they all seem to be built and sold in West or in Canada. This makes it difficult to purchase or even see a fiberglass camper, and we would definitely not want to spend that kind of money sight unseen. Are there types of fiberglass campers I'm not familiar with being build and sold anywhere closer to western PA than Texas, Minnesota or British Columbia? Also, we would like to join rallies with like minded campers, but again don't want to have to always travel to the other side of the country. Any advice?

One of the things that's a bit unique about fiberglass trailer manufacturers is that they typically don't use dealers - they sell direct. It's easier to control quality that way, to provide support, and also allows for more customizations per buyer's request. Because of this you have to visit their factory, or view an owner's trailer. Not to worry though - most fiberglass manufacturers have a very robust network of owners who would be glad to show their trailer to you. Just call the manufacturer and ask.

Even brands that aren't sold in high volume (like my Escape) have an excellent owner's referral program. I was referred to an owner here in San Antonio and was able to see one in person the next day.

I would recommend contacting several manufacturers, and getting a look at one of the offerings from each of them via referral. You won't know which one you prefer, and which will meet your needs, without doing so.

[Terry R.]

We have a Casita Spirit Delux and live in north east Ohio. How far west are you?

[cpaharley2008]

Cherry,
There is a rally this fall in Niagara Falls, Ontario see here for details http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...5-a-67497.html
rallies are a good place to see different brands of fiberglass units all together in one place.

[CampyTime]

Hi Cherry,

I understand your feelings too. I looked for a year and a half before driving from my home town in Sanborn ( near Niagara Falls) to Ohio. I used the fiberglass 4 sale website and this forum to help me.


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[emers382]

Wendy of Sanborn - I have driven through your small town a few times enroute Lockport when we lived in St. Catharines.

Cherry - Jim is right if you could make the trip to Niagara Falls for the Wine Escape you would see a good variety of FG's

Carol - your comment about MN and TX being in the west - for easterners both in U.S. and Canada one speaks of being west even if it's not far west, for eg. when in Southern ON we would hear Thunder Bay referred to as "out west" yet it's still in ON! And here in the centre of the country "down east" refers to southern ON, where if you are there down east means the Maritimes. It's all in perspective.

Adrian


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[CherryHartung]

Where are you in NE Ohio? We lived in Painesville a long time ago and my daughter taught for awhile in Bay Village. Maybe we could see your camper sometime?

[CampyTime]

Very true Adrian about what one considers west, north or any direction! Don't have to go too far to be considered "down South" or what have you.

I, too, have driven through your home of St. Catherine's many times in my younger years enroute to Toronto and such. I actually haven't traveled in Canada in many years, but my grandma was born in Throoprown, Ontario (up "North") above Watertown. Her maiden name was also Throop.


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