It’s just me, the wife, and son. All we need is a place to sleep, maybe eat some popcorn, and, well, take a dump inside.
A 13 foot long Scamp looks about right, but I was hoping to not spend more than the truck pulling it cost.
What else should I look or ask for?
Are dealerships okay for this?
I know there’s at least one doper in the trade, wish I could remember their name.
A friend of mine bought an RV and he recommended Kennedale Camper Sales for used RV’s. It is in Kennedale, TX
Need more info:
Truck size (assuming you want a trailer)?
Budget?
Planned usage* (just a few weekends? or major trips to the national parks? or staying in private rv parks**)
There are a bewildering array of bumper-pulls, 5th wheels, hybrids, lightweights, and motor homes out there. It’s best to really get a handle on how you’d use it, then pick the type.
I’d also recommend perusing the beginner sections of the Open Roads forum
pullin
*we average 20-30 nights a year in ours, and spend at least a few weeks covering the national parks. since this results in a lot of mountain pulling, we have more truck than we need. in the flatlands, you can manage with a lesser tow-vehicle.
**many private rv parks now have a maximum age limit on your rv. if it’s more than 10 years old, they won’t allow you to stay.
I’m not sure about the situation down your way, but we have an auction company here with a lot full of RVs of all sizes and shapes, and they’ve had to start renting lot space wherever they can find it after filling up their own property. In a tough economy, the luxuries are the first things that get repo’d, so check to see if there is an auction company in your neck o’ the woods. You might find a good deal.
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Apparently killer bees have to be taken into consideration as well.
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Other than that, what pullin said. Without more details the best you can get is generalized suggestions.
The 5th wheel style is much easier to handle and more stable traveling if that’s an option for you.
Here’s a useful message board that covers Scamps, among others…
Why is that?
A general belief that older RVs are more likely to be in poor condition, making their park look lower-class. Some people live in their RVs, and they run the gamut from old beatup vans to half-million dollar buses. The fancier parks are aiming for the high-dollar crowd.
Paging Chefguy…
If the OP will allow a slight hijack, here’s some observations I sent to a friend after our last big trip in June (regarding the changing travel scene for RVing).
During our vacation we drove 2750 miles at 8.5 mpg. I don’t even want to think about my Exxon bill. Cheapest gas I found was in TX along hiway 287 ($3.76). Most expensive was in Clines Corners, New Mexico (along I-40) at $4.29. Gas was 3.99 for full-service in Grand Canyon National Park (at the north rim). I was accosted by panhandlers at the truck stops and gas stations several times (asking for gas money). We’ve traveled extensively almost every summer since we’ve been married, and that’s the first time I’ve ever been panhandled while pumping gas. I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of this in the future.
'Nuther interesting observation: The medium-sized (20-30 feet) campers pulled by the family truck or van have almost disappeared from the parks. Camping has divided into either small vehicles pulling popups (or just pitching tents), or huge quarter-million dollar motor homes. Very little in between. Maybe it’s a reflection of the dwindling middle-class? Don’t know for sure, but we found it kinda interesting. 5-6 years ago it was mostly the medium-sized campers, with very few of the tiny or huge versions. It would be interesting to find out the actual numbers. The parks were still full, though. I’ll check out this phenomenon during my next stay(s) in the state parks. I can’t remember what I saw last time we went to Texoma (wasn’t looking).
Sounds like we’re being excluded because our trailers are too old and distracting to someone’s aesthetic. Our 26-foot trailer is 22 years old. Sure, the styling back then was different than it is now - gloss white with vinyl graphics just weren’t the style in the 80’s - but the thing is in good shape other than the furnace needs a new ignition. Would those snobby parks that have age limitations actually turn away someone with a restored Airstream?
If someone wanted to hook a trailer to their truck and head out, is there a way to identify those snooty parks that would only say “Ew. Your trailer is too old to stay here!” before we started making vacation plans?
Apparently, we’ve been lucky so far, and the dialog at the gate has been more like “That’ll be $35 a night for full hookup.”
I wonder if the decrease in mid-sized trailers and an increase in large motorhomes might be a reflection of mid-sized trailer folks retiring from their careers and selling their homes so as to afford large motorhomes?
Can you even get an indoor head in a 13 foot Scamp? I thought it was only an option in the 16 foot or 19 ft 5th wheel?
You might look at a Tada, the larger version of a Tab. Not a lot of room by light to pull and tons of character.
We recently got a Gulfstream Amerilite, lightweight and pretty inexpensive (about $11K new in April) that we can oull with a V-6 Ranger with a tow package. It’s got a bathroom, small galley, queen bed, and dinette that converts to a full bed. Might be a good option for slleping/sitting three.
Could be. They seemed to be either old retired folks, or families with young kids. Our guess was the young families were probably borrowing grandpa’s RV for the week.
We rummage thru the Woodalls directory for parks. The ones that have an age limit will tell you when you call for a reservation (they ask the year model of your RV, then decline to reserve if it’s too old). I don’t know how they’d handle restored classics. We’ve been turned away a few times when we had our old 5th wheel. We bought a new one in 2003 so I suppose we won’t run into the problem again for another 5 years. To be fair, some of the high-dollar parks (>75/nite) are gorgeous. Your bagged trash is picked up from your site (you don’t have to carry it to the dumpsters), each pad is pressure-washed between guests (one must always park on pristine concrete, mustn’t one?), food is delivered to your trailer by the restaurant (if you don’t want to go out). Stuff like that.
We enjoy being pampered for a few days, then it’s back to the KOAs for us 
I’m in the same market. TheElf and I go to local pagan festivals that are usually camping events and we are getting too old to sleep in the tent. 
We have a 6-cylinder pick-up with a tow package and we (I) want a small trailer that sleeps 2-3 comfortably. We don’t necessarily need a toilet because we don’t ‘rough it’, but a bed and a dry/warm place to sleep and keep our stuff is the minimum. I would also like to get a small generator or roof-top solar panel so we aren’t tied to the few locations with power at the campsite we frequent.
I’ll be following this thread with interest.
TheFaerie
For power, get one of those little red Honda ultra-quiet generators. Your ears and your neighbors will thank you. They’re a bit expensive, but that’s because they purr quietly rather than make a lot of racket. Unless you know that you’ll need lots of power to run an air conditioner or commercial coffee brewers, the 1000 watt size should be all you need. IIRC, they sell for about $700-800.
If you just want to keep the battery charged while the trailer is in storage, you can get a solar “trickle” charger for about $50-100. These won’t be enough to recharge the battery if you turn on the lights at night, but it will prevent something like a clock from running the battery down.
There’s a lot of good info here. Thanks!
Scamp offers a head/shower closet thing in the new 13’ models. Dunno if I could find one in an older one.
I’m not too worried about age-- In fact at my price range I doubt I’ll be looking at new models. Call it 5 to 7 grand, that would be groovy, as long as it’s not going to drop the whole floor while we’re headed on a weekend trip to South Padre.
Power for a/c is going to be waaaay important.
I’ll be hitching to an Explorer, so it’s gotta be fairly light and small.
And thanks again for the messageboard links.
Those are great! We need some plumbing, enough for washing off the sand and saltwater… But those are just cute!
Something to make sure you do before you buy: Look carefully at the siding (particularly if it’s fiberglas) to make sure there are no bulges. Bulges indicate delamination due to water intrusion, and the only fix for that is to strip it all off and replace it, which is very expensive. Check all roof seams and have a pro reseal them. Ditto for windows. If the trailer has metal siding, crawl into all the cabinets and pull out all the drawers to check for staining or rot from possible water intrusion. Make sure the refrigerator (if it has one) is not one of those that was recalled a few years ago.
Generally, the smaller the RV, the smaller the holding tanks. I would venture a guess that what you’re looking at will have to be dumped every two days, so plan accordingly. If you’re staying in an RV park, then that’s not an issue. Also, when you hook up the water input in an RV park, do NOT turn the valve all the way on. Many older RVs can’t handle the water pressure and you’re going to end up in the repair shop getting your pipes put back together.
Annual maintenance is very important. Check all the seams, make sure you grease whatever needs it, drain out all holding tanks if it’s going to sit for any length of time. If you’re in a winter climate, winterize your RV.