We are in the process, or should say was in the process, of getting our Scamp 5er ready for a long weekend starting this Thursday 5/19/2016. Yesterday the wife was working inside the camper giving it a good spring cleaning while I was outside waxing. I went back this AM to wax the top between the top hatch and the AC doing so through the hatch. Imagine my surprise when I could not open the door, knowing I did not lock it I wrongly accused my wife of doing so but was quickly corrected about that. Retrieving the keys and turning the lock did not work, it still gives the appearance of being locked.
So has anyone else had this happen and if so how did you get in, much less what was the fix? My thoughts are:
- Take the acorn nuts off of the camper body hinges, which should allow me to remove the door and have access to the inside door handle.
- Short of it being broke I will probably bite the bullet call Scamp and order new inside and outside door handles.
While I'm at it I will probably order new hinges too, might as well spruce it up a bit since it comes of age this year (21). Any advise and or thoughts and sympathy comments are much appreciated and welcome.
Took the door hinge pins out, but had to pull one of the door side hinge piece before the door would budge. The brass bushings the door rides on are somewhat round and the hinges are recessed to take the bushings. Once the door was loose on that side where I could see inside door handle had the security pin inserted. ???
Lesson learned, don't clean the door and insert the security pin in the hole to get it out of the way.
Especially if someone has lubed the latch so the door does not have to be slamed to close and engage the latch. Ok back to trip prep.
Michael
SOI-1458
Good that it ended up being something simple. I've read and been practicing always turn the door handle to close the door - helps prevent the strike plate from bending or becoming loose. Supposedly Scamp recommends this practice as well. Anyway, developing that habit would have prevented your lockout, or at least reduced it's chances.
Nice to learn lessons from other folk's experiences. Thanks.
Have fun on your trip.
On our 2015 13 Scamp if the door is locked with the key from the outside while the door is open and the door is then closed it cannot be opened from the inside. My wife unlocked the door from the outside to go in to get something. The key did not come out of the lock easily so she turned the key to the lock position to get the key out. She then went into the trailer and closed the door. She was trapped! She could not open the door from the inside. Luckily I wondered why she hadn't come back and went to see why. We tried this several times and it repeated each time. Seems to me the lock company that supplies Scamp should fix their locks so that they can be unlocked from the inside. AND keep spare keys handy but NOT in the trailer!!
It’s interesting that this topic has come up at this time. While at Scamp Camp Far West this past weekend, a new lookie asked me the same question. “What happens if the door is locked with the key from the outside, will it still open from the inside.” I gave him the key to lock from the outside while I was on the inside. Sure enough it can’t be opened from the inside!!!!! Fortunately he was honest enough to let me out!
- - Earl
Launey had went out to do something and locked the door,I was in there laying down and got up and couldnt open the door,so we always made sure from then on,not to do that again.I do not understand why they would build a lock like that.The lock on our Casita is exactly the same way as that,but it is a differant lock then the Scamp had...Gotta be very careful :-)
Launey and Earlene
I have one of those magnetic cases on the frame under the Scamp, holding a key to open the door.
<p>Doug Allen 2016 Ford F-150 2018 Lance 1575</p>
Doug,
Thanks for the info.....make sure you have cold drinks....and plenty of good eats inside the trailer...
Bill
You rascal! Find me and I shall have plenty for you!
<p>Doug Allen 2016 Ford F-150 2018 Lance 1575</p>
Glad to hear it is not just me. I got locked in, and thank heaven somebody wandered by and I could hand them the keys through the window. What if I had been in the middle of nowhere where there were no people? Maybe I should teach my dog how to unlock the Scamp!
Laurie Ford
Just curious, but I think if this ever happened to me, I'd simply wiggle my way out the back window. (Then again, I'm still small enough so that would work for me. I think. Maybe not everybody's solution.) Then too, I keep a box of tools inside the trailer. I would also try removing all the screws around the latch. Think that could work?
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