New to the forum, and thanks for letting me in. Current 2009, 17' Casita owner. Love it, but after 2 months part timing on the Cal coast last winter, and our intention to repeat every year, we think a 19' Scamp might suit us better. We see 2007-2009's that might serve, but have some questions:
* Has anyone upgraded from 13" to 14" wheels/tires? The 13" are unacceptable, in my view. The 14" are marginal, and the 15'ers. per my Casita is what is really required. So, any upgrade experiences, including problems with lug pattern, clearance (we would only buy a "lifted" 19', so maybe that's not an issue), tire selection, costs, etc. would be valuable.
* Has anyone upgraded their gas only hot water heaters for gas/electric? We find this very nice for extended stays.
* Has anyone either swapped their 2 way 4.6 ft^3 fridge for a similar 3 way. Or failing that, inverted their 12 volt power to keep the fridge going while traveling?
Appreciate any input. I'm trying to figure out if these details, in toto, push us over the edge to ordering new.
Thanks all, in advance.....
Dear Bigoilbob:
My questions to you are:
Why are 13" tires so objectionable to you?
What benefits are you expecting to receive with 15" Tires?
By-the-way, Welcome to the Clubhouse, may your search for a new (or new to you) Scamp be short and fruitful.
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!
Marginal load ratings relative to how much a fully loaded Scamp 19' would/could weigh. Also, bad experiences with tiny factory tires on other TT's. Lower bearing life. 15" tires would improve road handling , ground clearance, bearing life, and would run at a MUCH lower fraction of their rating. I.e. safer, longer life. Re roadh handling, yes, I'm aware that the footprint is theoretically the same with the same psi. But the bigger the tire the more ovular, the footprint, front to back. Since the coefficient of friction is better side to side, it better resists side forces. 17' Casitas use nothing but.
Thanks for the encouragment. We are undecided between new or used now. It's a matter of penciling out cost/practicality of tweaking out used to our specs....
I got my brochure out and the 19' has 14" C load radial standard. A 3" raise is an option. You should call and talk with them and they will send you the nice brochure and aren't pushy at all when you talk with them. They did one follow-up call to me to see if I had any other questions they could answer. I know I was afraid they would be aggressive but I guess when you have no problem selling them faster than you can manufacture them, you don't have to be aggressive.
Most manufacturers don't do the 3-way frig anymore. I'd still ask Scamp if there was any chance you could get that done at the factory. Never hurts to ask.
Cathy
You are right on everything. The tire availability on new 19'ers. the availability of a 3 way fridge in all but the 1.9 ft^3 choice, and the friendliness of the sales staff. My questions are all related to the 2007-2009 Craigs List ads we are researching, along with new.
I didn't realize that there was a change on the tire size. Gee, I thought Scamp never changed anything since that is what I keep hearing. I guess to me, it makes sense to want the bigger but I am not sure why I would. I could be so shallow as to say the Casita with the bigger tires has a more symmetrical look and I have this weird obsession with symmetry.
We considered the 19' foot, in used, it seemed complicated to find a truck with the back end low enough since all the newer stuff is really tall and for us new is anything under 10 years old. We couldn't figure out how to travel to pick one up and know whether the truck we would have would haul it home without having to get work done at that location. I do think it is a great set-up but too complicated for us to figure it out.
Cathy
Hello, we’re kind of in the same decision making situation here. We’re Casita owners who have just ordered a 19’ DL which will be ready in Dec (Brrr). I, too, would prefer 15” load D tires and the salesman said that for + $250 I could get an axel for those tires. I’m thinking about that but I did order the 3” lift but I can’t see how you can get in/out of the rig we toured yesterday safely. This was a 19’ DL 2013 model. There’s only one high step and no exterior handle. We have the typical hip and knee problems and hope there’s a solution for this deal breaker. Also, this unit had two huge “escape” hatches in the roof and I hope those can be omitted as there’s no way we could get through them and throw ourselves off the roof versus going 4’ to the door.
There are a few things I’m going to miss from the Casita: We regularly used the warm water outdoor shower for cleaning cooking tools/pots, dog washing, and rinsing muddy feet; the head height, my head hit that Scamp 19’ A/C and I’m 5’11”; the kitchen and bathroom sink have short faucets; I had removed the drop down rear stabilizers in favor of quick/easy scissor jacks powered by a drill gun.
The one we toured had separate outlets for the black and the grey waste and those were 7’ apart. The logistics of dumping with that configuration seems awkward and time consuming. I hope there’s a mod to unite the dump fixtures at one place as most RVs have. I don’t know where to store the water hose, various sewer connectors, tools and TV cable. I didn’t see an exterior locking hatch and do I now need to purchase a $$ rear bumper mounted box for necessary things that shouldn’t be inside? I can secure the propane tanks with a locking bike cable but how to secure the $$$ battery when in public storage? Is there a place to wall mount a small TV?
We are really looking forward to our new camper and will appreciate your experience and guidance to make it as sweet a ride as yours. We wish you all safe travels and hope to meet you at some beautiful campsite somewhere.
Best regards, Bob and Judy
PS. I know where you can find a nicely modified, clean, 2010 Casita 17’ DL, twin bed set up in Austin, TX. PM me.
You can get a boat hatch and install it on the drivers side to access under the rear dinette which is normally inaccessable. Plenty of room to store all your set up stuff. I have done this on several Scamps. Get a 5" plastic fence post to store your hose by your grey water outlet. With a 15 ft. Rhino hose dumping is a snap. Put your wheel in the trough, dump your blackwater, then move the hose to the grey water. Rinse and slide it back into the fence post, the 90 degree fitting will also store in the fence post. The Scamp dumps fast not like a Casita. As for the step omit the single step and get a step that can be used as a single or double step. I lifted a S-19 and plan to install a step like that and I am going to install a 24" stainless grab bar for a boat by the door. (Not too expensive.)
Eddie
Good information. Thanks.
I see in an old video that Scamp uses a Coleman Mach but I can't tell what series. There has been extensive talk in the Casita forum about the noise level (esp outside) of Mach 8 and fan blade changes and adding extra gasket, etc. What a/c is in the 19 and is there a db issue with it? I've ordered one with a heat strip and will back that up with a portable when necessary. I intend to put the outside shower where the furnace vent would have been; we don't have much use for a furnace but use our exterior faucets daily. Thanks.