What size and make do you recommend?

[blodn1]

I'm enthusiastic about the Lil Snoozy. Yesterday, I went to the factory in South Carolina, and met with Richard. He's just great to work with. If you're worried about power, he'll be able to show you the options, including a solar option. And he's REALLY pet friendly, having recently adopted a stray cat and dog.

The trailer is beautiful. It has a bath with a cassette toilet. The cassette is light enough for a 64-year-old granny. The appointments are first class, from the queen bed to the cabinets.

If anyone wants to buy my house on Virginia's Eastern Shore, I'll be another step closer to buying my Lil Snoozy

[Donna D.]

Carl, you're going through one of the toughest phases. Decisions to make and futures to make. It really is more about YOU and less about US. There are no two trailers alike (after Mods) and no two travels made the same way or down the same path.

I wish you well and hope you find the trailer that's perfect for you.

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by cramar

South of Windsor. ... We are use to short-term camping in our van

Try contacting Fiberglass RV - View Profile: Mikmay he is in your neck of the woods with a few different campers in the family. Since you do camp already and are close, come to http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ock-62665.html in mid July - it is one of the biggest rallies around. You will be able to see most of the trailers made. You can meet lots of great people who readily answer questions.

The more I think about it, the 17' Bigfoot comes close to matching your wishlist.

[Bob Miller]

Before you let CanAm set up your Smart Car to pull a 26' Airstream, (or whatever) be sure to talk to your ins company first about what "might" hapen to your coverage should you need to make a claim when towing well over the manufacturers stated towing limits.

If traveling to the 48 southern provinces I would also suggest first talking to a U.S. lawyer. If involved in an accident, no matter who's fault, the others guys lawyer will grab any excuse to file suit down here, and the court will not give a rats patootie about how many over rated weight set-ups someone in Canada has done.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Carl Pa

others say got to have propane but also say can`t use your fridge on propane got to save it, can`t use your heater on propane to loud and you got to save it.
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Carl, as others have said you need to simple get what you believe will work for you. If you discover down the road that you got something wrong it can always be added!

Re the fridge on propane - I personally have found its very efficient on propane so run mine for days without issue. The big issue with running the furnace when off the grid isn't so much the propane use but the battery power the fan uses - got to have a means of recharging the battery if you use the furnace a lot off the grid.

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by Carol H

The big issue with running the furnace when off the grid isn't so much the propane use but the battery power the fan uses - got to have a means of recharging the battery if you use the furnace a lot off the grid.

Unless you purchase an old Trillium, or other vintage trailer, which has a gravity furnace that uses no power. Doesn't make a lot of heat though.

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

Unless you purchase an old Trillium, or other vintage trailer, which has a gravity furnace that uses no power. Doesn't make a lot of heat though.

That loud "Ouch" just heard across the western states was me biting my tongue

[Noreen Bradshaw]

Craig, I second Roy suggestion that you comtact Mikmay. He probably lives very close to you.

Otherwise there is a rally in Cobourg in May and another in July for you to check out FG campers. I believe there are even some Escapes attending as well as any other brand you might want to see.

Even though the Escapes are in BC, they do ship them to wherever you are.....

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

Unless you purchase an old Trillium, or other vintage trailer, which has a gravity furnace that uses no power. Doesn't make a lot of heat though.

We've found that both our gravity furnaces pump out enough heat for us. Typically the pilot light takes the edge off on cool nights, cranking it up to # 2 or so on the dial will handle a freeze outside. Only had them up to # 10 or max to test.

[David Tilston]

My test was done at -13°C, (8.6°F). I was too cold to sleep, unless I used an electric heater as well.

[Roy in TO]

Dems the nights you let the dogs up onto the bed, under the comforter.

[cramar]

Thanks for all the comments. Re. propane, the bottom line is I figure when buying a used trailer if it comes with propane then that is great. If the model only comes setup for electrical, then it would probably not be a deal killer since FG trailers are so hard to find anyway. Buying new is a different matter since you can get what you want.

[Mike Watters]

Having a trailer that isn't set up for propane, doesn't mean you can't use propane. It just means you do your cooking outdoors with a portable camp stove. That's basically what I always do anyway. Although for the last few years, we've gone to mostly bringing things that are grilled - and we use charcoal for that. You don't get the built-in furnace, but there's catalytic heaters which can fill that gap when needed.

To me, the bigger issue is water. Many of the older fiberglass trailers will have had their water systems either removed or busted. Recent model and they're probably fine though. I've done the tent camper version of things (tote water, wash dishes in bins), but I've really come to like doing the cleanup inside the trailer now.

[Kevin A]

Sorry to be late to this conversation. Our UHaul came to us with the water tank removed, so I now use an external tank for those trips where we won't have city water hook-ups. I have a 12 gallon tank that sits on a small fold-up pull cart. When we get to a site without a faucet, I pull the tank over to a common faucet (bathhouse, single pipe along the road, etc.) and fill it. Then I pull it back, position it by the inlet side of the trailer, and hook it to an external water pump that I have mounted on a piece of wood. The pump is then hooked to the city water inlet and plugged into a power outlet. Once pressurized ( a couple seconds), the pump only runs when there is a faucet open in the trailer or when the small water heater needs to refill. I cover the pump with a plastic tub to keep rain and dirt off it, cover the water tank with a silver tarp, and enjoy having water! We have found that this lasts for 2-3 days before we need to refill the tank. When traveling, I just disassemble it and it travels on the trailer floor. Very quick and easy to set up and use.

[Paul O.]

I spent a lot of time on research before I found our 2004 19' Scamp Deluxe, and was lucky enough to get it. The 5th wheel setup is really great for towing, last September we drove from VT to CO in terrible head and cross winds and pouring rain and the setup was perfectly stable and comfortable to drive. The only effect of the head wind was slightly lower gas mileage, from normal of about 16-17mpg. Having two sleeping areas, the loft and the converted seats comes handy if one person tends to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. As pointed out already, the FG campers do not have separate showers, but think of it this way: you can shower yourself and clean the potty at the same time! (The Deluxe has the decent size bathroom.) Re. propane: you can't beat gas for convenience and efficiency, it is a more direct conversion of energy than electricity, by far. Our fridge is gas or 120V AC, I wish it were 12V also, so it would cool while traveling. We tend to do some 12 hour days on the road occasionally, and keep frozen water in soda bottles in the fridge to keep it cool. (The gas tanks must be turned off while traveling in all, I think, of US and Canada.) So if you can be persuaded to get a mid size truck, look at this option. GM, for example, reintroduced a mid size truck after Toyota ate their lunch with the Tacoma.
Paul

[giro53]

Must put in a quibble. We have a Bigfoot 21ft with separate shower stall and double bed. Although it is not large we use it regularly. Tows easily and the two of us spent our winters in the Rio Grande Valley, southern Texas very comfortably and economically. You are right though, good FB rigs seem to get snapped up fast. We bought ours used and travelled 4000kms to pick it up.
Whatever you choose best of luck. Seems like you are on the right track.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Paul O.

Our fridge is gas or 120V AC, I wish it were 12V also, so it would cool while traveling. We tend to do some 12 hour days on the road occasionally, and keep frozen water in soda bottles in the fridge to keep it cool.
(The gas tanks must be turned off while traveling in all, I think, of US and Canada.)

Except for a few very specific circumstances, I've heard of no law in either Country that requires propane tanks to be turned off when traveling. Travel aboard ferries is one such exception- all flames must be extinguished and gas turned off at the tank.

My fridge is three-way, but I never use 12v. I run it on propane all the time including when under way, as do many if not most RVers. That's one reason that gas/electric RV fridges no longer come with the 12v option- people just didn't/don't use the 12v. I do extinguish the flame before stopping at gas stations, of course.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

Except for a few very specific circumstances, I've heard of no law in either Country that requires propane tanks to be turned off when traveling. Travel aboard ferries is one such exception- all flames must be extinguished and gas turned off at the tank.
.

I am also only aware of the requirement to shut off the tanks on the ferry. But I do know when the topic of whether or not people travel with their fridge on or off propane here it often seems to be a split decision. A number of folks such as myself don't travel with the fridge running on propane as there is the risk of having a accident with the propane tank running which could go badly depending on what happens to the tanks. Also some of us have experenced the flame going out while traveling. Being a pee brain its a good bet I would forget to shut the tank off before pulling into a gas station. As a result I simple use a couple of freezer packs in the fridge beside items that need to be kept very cold - such as milk and meats and don't open the fridge while traveling. Has worked fairly well even on trips of more than just a couple of hours & in warm weather. Of course it will only work for you if you have a freezer compartment to freeze the packs for reuse.

[honda03842]

As well as ferries, many tunnels require they be turned off.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[Paul O.]

Originally Posted by Carol H

... Also some of us have experenced the flame going out while traveling. Being a pee brain its a good bet I would forget to shut the tank off before pulling into a gas station. As a result I simple use a couple of freezer packs in the fridge beside items that need to be kept very cold - such as milk and meats and don't open the fridge while traveling. Has worked fairly well even on trips of more than just a couple of hours & in warm weather. Of course it will only work for you if you have a freezer compartment to freeze the packs for reuse.

Well, you learn something every day. I did some googling on the subject of LP gas and driving. Originally I thought the owner's manual recommendation was based on a legal requirement. I am encouraged that some of this stuff is pretty much left to our discretion, common sense and individual choice! The possibility of the fridge flame going out in the 70+MPH wind was on my mind also. Our freezer compartment inside the fridge being filled with ice (in bottles) keeps it all cold for a long time, so I'll keep turning the LP tanks off. Making one stop before pumping gasoline and another after, seems silly. Same for the tunnels. Getting on and off a ferry is different, you have time to do it. Turning the fridge off, and back on, right at the gasoline pump island is surely increasing the risk of an "event", in my opinion.