"Alaska Trip", pros & cons of Scamp, Blog information

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Gary Lee
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"Alaska Trip", pros & cons of Scamp, Blog information

Hello Everyone,

Well we finally had time for me to try to come on this bulletin board and give you some information I wish to share.  We have been on the road since Saturday, June 7, 2014 and today is Monday, June 16, 2014 on our way to Alaska for my (Bucket LIst) trip of a lifetime..  It is now 6;30 PM here where we are staying at (Indian Campground, in Buffalo, Wyoming).   I am pretty sure this is central mountain time but too tired to research for sure, it is not important anyhow.  We are sure in the mountains I will tell you.

On this bulletin board I will discuss some things repeated in my blog when I can find time to complete compiling it and then post it, I will discuss anything I find on our scamp pro or con on this site only as only us scamp owners will probably be concerned and hopefully interested in.

We are headed to Alaska as I stated, but have information for anyone interested in doing this trip.  We are in a brand new 13' scamp with bathroom facilities, we are cramped a little but here is the history as to why:

1) We are traveling with two Chihuahua dogs, two guinea pigs and two adults.  All the animals are female, lots of estrogen in that little egg!!

2) We are towing with a (6 Cyl) (4.0 Eng) 1995 Jeep Cherokee Laredo, 256,000 miles when we started. (Please wish us Luck)!!  This is not my choice of traveling with a vehicle with this many miles on it but these are the cards we have to deal with and work with and we will.  We take good care of our Jeep all the time, and are now babying her across country but she is peddling a little hard,  We had her completely serviced before we left, all new fluids in every mechanical surface on an automobile, new tires, newly wired for our Scamp for Electric Brakes, (sure glad we got the electric Brakes too).  But she still had some mileage.  My recommendations on this is to have a vehicle newer or will less mileage but you have to work at times with what you got.

This is how we looked at one of the rest stops.

 

3) We are trying to travel 300-350 miles per day but that changes which is good to be flexible where you want to stop and go and this trip will be one of a live time for us both and we are not going to miss anything if we can help it on our way to Pullman, WA. to hook up with our good friend Dave Brawdy who owns a Prevost but I will not hold that against him. LOL

4) We have packed for 4 months of traveling for warm and cold weather.  Our Scamp and our Jeep are loaded, which does not help with the traveling with the extra weight added for the needed extra items needed for our long trip.  I do wish our 13' scamp had more cupboard space above the table area, which is done with the deluxe models in wood.  Our scamp cupboards are in fiberglass to make the camper lighter but I wish the used the space that is open for more lighter storage like bedding etc. which has to be crowded in either our car or in the closet next to the bathroom / entrance door.  There is just so much room in there and then it is gone.  When we get back to Greenville, SC after our trip I will make fiberglass enclosure over the table area and on each side of the other cupboards which has an area of about 14 inches I believe on each side which also is empty space that could hold such things as our medicines which niow are in a duffel bag under the table which we leave in a bed form when traveling.   No sence breaking down and setting up the table / bed for each day when it is just us traveling, and when we stop the dogs love sleeping on the bed anyhow which controls them pretty well except when somoneon comes up and says in a loud voice, (Oh, I love your little camper) and our door is open with the screen closed.

The back of the car was even more packed for 4 months of travel more than this when we actually left.  You have no idea how much stuff we needed and how much we decided not to take as we felt we did not need it.  But you will be surprized how much you have to replace on the road that you do need.  So a lot of thought has to go into what you pack, and not just over one days time, a dry run set up has to be done for a trip like this as well as allowing for storage for the guinea's in day time and night time.  Different cages for their comfort.

 

5) Another reason to leave the table in the bed set up is you have storage for things you have to transfer from your car to make it possible to put the dogs and guineas in the car too!!  So now we have a system at each stop we make for the night, but it took a day or two, I had to train my bride!!!  Hehe  Don't tell her I said that.

6) Now I know the scamp MFG. say that their scamps can be pulled by a 4 cyl car / 6 cyl car but I am here to tell you on the mountains with a 6-7% grade you are in for a rude, I mean rude awakening with stuff needed for 4 months.  We went from 22mpg on our Jeep at normal use at home and not loaded like it is now to 14 mpg average on flat roads which there was very little of.  Now on the hills of SD and Wyoming, that is a different story and we have big mountains ahead of us day after tomorrow.  But when we went up the mountains of SD and Wyoming the grades were miles and miles long all going up, up and up further it seemed.  We seen a sign saying we were 6, 678 feet above sea level at one point today!!  That is a lot of climbing up hill.  I drove at 55-60 MPH when I could, on these hills described above, I had to shift down to Low in my Automatic Tranny by the way and could not get over 35 MPH!!!  So you can probably pull one of these campers on flat roads in (Florida) but in the mountains you got to have a vehicle with a little more power than what I got for sure.  I will make it but at the speed of a snail it seems, I stay behind trucks on big hills, lights flashing just like them but think about it before you load up like we did.  I have no idea how much easier it would have been with a (empty) trailer but with things you need you better think twice before using a 4 cyl, car, and older 6 cyl. cars!!!!  This is just my personal opinion, but a warning for you to consider.

Want to hear something funny, I was just typing this information to you and a bird from a tree branch above me just took a dump on my computer screen!!!  What could that mean, good grief!!

7) OK< now back to my informaiton, It was real cold in the evenings at Custer, SD when we went to bed.  The day time was great, 60-70 deg. nice and comfortable but at night, man it got cold and windy and talk about rainy and thunder and lightning!!  Man oh man it was really coming down.   BUT, we got lots of condensation through the windows as well as the cold from the winds on us.  We had to use  our portable electric heater instead of the furnace.  The furnace just blows you out of the place and it is difficult to regulate it to be comfortable on the fly.  So we use the electric heater which we can regulate the temp and it turns on and off automatically when needed.  It come on a lot as the cold come through the windows big time.  In the morning the windows were so sweaty you could not see out of them, but by 11 am or so the sun dried them all off.  I am not crazy about this now as it will be real cold at times in Alaska, I will probably tape clear plastic over the inside of windows!!!  We did that in the north on our houses and it worked, why not in our Scamp.  But again, this does not make me happy on this particular trip.

8) We also brought a fleece blanket for Alaska but used it last night as it was near the low 40's / upper 30's and we were toasty warm with that blanket,  If you go to Alaska, get one and store it in a (Space Bag) shrunk down until needed, again this take room to have but you need to consider having.  You need heavy jackets as well with hoods, we used that as well already here in SD as well.

9)  Also we awoke and found that our entrance door locking device / inside handle was condensating / dripping with condensation, big time too!!  I don't have a magnet with me but hope this is stainless, but will bet you a dozen Dunkin doughnuts this is a steel device from CHINA.

10) The brass pull handle on the entrance door, yep, condensating like hell.

11) The nuts holding the cupboards on the ceiling of the scamp, YEP, condensated!!  Hope they are Stainless, but I will change them so they are!!

12) Thank God I had the vision to build a storage box on the back of our Scamp for (shore power cord, water hose, sewer connection, wheel chocks and torque gun) to raise and lower the trailer tongue when hooking up or stopping over night and wanting to unhook the camper to travel around. These are needed but no place for stoage on trailer or in car, no sewage stuff in the car.  You need more than just the dump hose they give you.

13) I had 2 screws, AGAIN back out as we traveled,  under the  refrigerator, the wall under it.   I had another screw back out 1" out of the molding that goes around the bathroom door!  This was after it happened before when my camper was delivered and I discovered it, I put wood adhesive on the screw threads thinking it would dry and prevent the screws from backing out but no way, they sure did again.  Have to come up with a new plan especially when we do get to Alaska with gravel roads, I hope my Scamp will stay bolted together.  I will just have to check the screws and bolts after each stop.  I am not sure what to do to prevent the ones I thought I stopped from backing out but will try somethings else after thinking of it more.  Right now I am too tired, will use screwdriver to tighten and hope for the best on that too.   I can not believe they backed out as much as they did???  In fact I am stunned!!

14) Now just a few minutes ago, Linda turned on the 12v pump to pump water to the sink and toilet and shower!!!  The Pump will not shut off!!!  Good grief, now we have to turn it on to flush the toilet, and turn it off when done!!  it is Too cold, too dark to research but again another problem that will irritate me now till I find the problem.  I will call Scamp tomorrow and get advise, how to trouble shoot etc.  This is maddening!

15) I forgot to post that the stabilizer bars I have connecting the scamp to my jeep worked really, really great.  We had side winds for two days about 50-55 MPH and the trailer stayed behind the jeep with no problem at all.  Of coarse I was not going real fast, 50 MPH avg. when I could but with tractor trailers passing me etc. I had no problem with towing the trailer.  I am sure as suggested that a Sway bar would even help more, but I may just not do that as I am satisfied now so far.  Any winds any higher than we just had for two days, I am stopping for the day and night.  Out here in the mid west, the winds are brutal, in parts of Illinois, Idaho and SD there was no trees to slow down the winds and when you had to run into them head on at times it was a bummer to make any momentum.  I saw a lot of Classs 3 campers with the overhead sleepers just creeping too, the wind got under that overhead sleeper and it was like pushing a brick to them I believe in the winds.

I will have plenty of information for you on my blog which when ready to post I will post here the link to go to so you can make it a favorite if you are not bored with this information.  This all takes time to do after a day of traveling, setting up, doing what you can for meals etc. and before you know it I am laying down with the dogs and guineas and asleep I go.  So be patient, but any infomation I add concerning our scamp I will post on this board in this section.

Garylee

 

BDeaton
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Condensation and speed control and screws

Condesation

We have found that the condesation problem can be cut by 2/3s or more by sleeping with the overhead vent cracked open a bit and leaving a window open about 1/2 inch (we choose to have the window at the foot of the bed opened).  The small open crack in the vent cover does not seem to make the little ceramic heater work much harder but there is surely a huge difference in the amount of condesation.  Still do have some tho due to breathing of self and all occupants.

We do have plastic over the large front and rear windows.  It keeps most of the cold air from the lucky dude sleeping against the back wall and the two dogs sleeping on the front couch.  ;>)

We have traveled in winter and summer for eight years now and still think it is really strange to see the acorn nuts inside of the Lil Critter turn into little balls of frost when it gets in the teens outside while we are warm and cozy inside of our little fiberglass abode.  Of course, at those temps we are using the gas furnace for heat!!!

Speed

Use those slow hill climbs to REALLY see the great stuff you are passing by.  (critters, plants, rock formations...)  We love Canada with their many 80k roads.  :>)  We actually have started using that speed here in the lower 48 when on secondary roads (which we choose over freeways when possible).

If the road is obviously being heavily used, we definitely use the 55 to 58 mph speed which the trailer seems to be happy at.  Just drive close to the shoulder of the road so folks behind you can see around you to pass safely.  Pull over frequently whenever possible for them.  I try to remember that they are still working folks still paying into the SS System like I did for 51 years.....and those big rigs behind you are making the world happy with stuff to buy.

Screws

If you have not had the trailer tires balanced...do it!  The trailer will shake its self to pieces with out of balance tires.  I had to tell a local shop owner who insisted it is not necessary to balance trailer tires that I would be happy to bring the trailer to him to have the rivets and screws secured if he wished.  If you still have a serious loose screw problem, have the balance checked...maybe they messed up or you lost a weight.

I use epoxy to reseat any screws that insist on backing out....you will get some no matter what....  After eight years and almost 190,000 miles in Alaska, Canada and lower 48 (north of the Arctic Circle to the tip of the Florida Keys and from the Pacific Ocean at Victoria Island to the Atlantic Ocean at Newfoundland and Labrador) we have even had to replace 4 rivet and two rivet caps.  Actually do not think that is much structural maintenance compared to those stick build pieces of @@@@!

Disclaimer

As usual, not saying we have the best ideas but the above works for us.  You may have different methods and/or results.  What ever gets the job done is the correct way to go.

We absolutely LOVE our "Lil Critter"!!!  Only thing really wrong with her is she will not quit pestering us to GO when we are trying to get stuff done here at home!

Bob D
2005 13' Scamp  "Lil Critter"
Brenda, AZ

Gary Lee
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Bev & Bob,

Bev & Bob,

Thanks so much for the welcome information, experience by others is great and this is a good format to pass on to others as new as us.  Your experience is certainly appreciated and my questions may help others with the same questions and problems that never mentioned to anyone else.  Thanks so much again.

OH, Now I owe Scamp Mfg. an apology here as the problem with my running 12v pump from my water tank was caused by ME!!!  I allowed the tank to get low on water and the pump just wanted to keep sucking to get some and there was none to get.  So, everything is fine on that point and no one happier at this moment than I.  Hate to start the day with a problem and feels good to solve one even if you caused it!!

We will be on the road in minutes on our way to (Little Big Horn), I was never good in history in school but I am sure drinking it up now as you feel the results of going to these places and realize the sacrafices of our forefathers has made it possible for us to enjoy life as we do in the US now.

Bob, I will get tires balanced before we get on the road for our next destination today, I thought about that when we got ready to leave and I noticed there was no balance weights on the wheels and thought, hell those things should be balanced but did not follow through with my thoughts.  Will secure screws as you mentioned, again, and hope for the best.  What about the condensation over time on your door latch inside, did it rust or what did you do other than remove it to paint it?

Thanks fof the advise, will keep you informed of any other problems and I hope to relax and enjoy our scamp more.  I am sure after 4 months I will be a changed person and go more with the flow.

Garylee

Garylee

BDeaton
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Nope, no rust on door latch. 

Nope, no rust on door latch.  However, I am on my 3rd latch assy.  The darn spring inside the thing keeps breaking!!  I turned the outside handle backward thinking to put weight stress (road bouncing) on spring from a different angle.

Bob D
2005 13' Scamp  "Lil Critter"
Brenda, AZ

mccownw
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THANKS to both of you for

THANKS to both of you for sharing your real-life experiences and your recommendations to fellow Scampers. 

Greg A
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Can't wait to hear more

Gary,

Great info and beginnings of a terrific travelogue adventure.  Get us the blog link asap and we'll get it posted under our travel blogs as well. I'm sure many members are going to want to follow your AK adventure.

Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape

Buying or Selling Molded FG Trailers:

Fiberglass-RV-4Sale

Gary Lee
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More information on Scamp Alaska trip

Hello all,

This information below was sent by me yesterday from my wife's Iphone and I do not see it posted anyplace on (SOI) so I want to assume that it was sent to heaven of something like that but anyhow it was saved in my SENT return mail in my computer.  So I am reposting the information I wrote yesterday again today.  I hate trying to post stuff off the Iphone, but we had no internet service since we left SC June 7th, maybe only once.  So I tried to tell you things off the iphone, I hope this will not continue during trip but will do my best to keep you posted here at least on Scamp Information.  Here is the information I sent yesterday:

I have been unable to document trip up to now.  Not many places have wifi or if they have
it, it is so weak you would be better off with carrier pigeon.

I will do my best to get blog for all to have a laugh on soon.  I will post blog
link here for sure.

Now I will try to give other Scamp info before my phone pukes!

Uhaul trailer rental installed my electric brake controller, (Reliance brand), it worked good for
500 miles
.  Then I did not see any sensor numbers on the brake controller when
brakes were applied.  I thought the bulb blew out!! Wrong, who ever installed brake
controller used one of those plastic clamps that join two wires and has a
locking feature that you clamp with pliers to puncture into the main feed.  WELL
this clamp opened up and contact to the trailer brakes / brake lights and Scamp
battery charger was broken. 
Another lesson learned??=if these Mickey Mouse
clamps are used have the installer secure this locking feature with electrical
tape or tie wrap!!!  NOTE:
I also found a floating wire in this area that was
bare and ready for being used on a connector or I really do not know where it come from!!!  I have no idea what this wire
does !!! The wire  I reclaimped with pliers in particular charges your Scamp battery &
operates your Scamp brakes & brake lights!!!.  The Battery on our scamp was not
getting charged, it got down to 10.6 volts.  The Refer no longer was working.

After I found refer not working I put refer on gas at that nights rest stop. We
did not have power hook up.  I could not recharge house battery.  My car battery
was also being used to power new portable elect. Cooler we bought to have extra
refer space, refer in Scamp not much bigger than a lunch bucket.  Lol

We'll, come to find out this cute little extra cooler draws 48 amps!!! Any how,
my car battery (Walmart brand was 4 years old)!!  She was over used on the first
legs of our trip too!!

Back to brake controller, I also did not have any elect brakes on Scamp & did
not have any brake lights on trailer for 3/4 days and we were on the hilliest
roads ever in SD & Montana & I never rechecked our lights each morning before
getting on road!!!!!!  Bad,bad error on my part but another lesson I taught my
self.  Lesson #1=no matter if you never unhook from tow vehicle>check lights for
operation,
especially if you get a warning like I did when my brake controller
indicator light did not show any brake application numbers showing the pressure
applied to your Scamp brakes!!!  I am loaded to the max and jeeps do not stop very
good in the first place.

I Just got a warning "low battery", will have to stop.  We are in Idaho, went to
see Grand Teton Mts.

Will write tomorrow night.

Greg, please place this in are you wish.  Have to go now.

Ga ruler

 

Garylee

Gary Lee
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Scamp bathroom door locking problem!!

Well it is still Sunday, we are at a KOA campground at Deerlodge, Montanna.  It is about a 5/6 out of 10 for excellent campground but we wanted to stay here just to rest overnight.  Well we ate, and we both were ready for a long, hot shower and did just that.  I got done first, came to our Scamp, went to open the bathroom door to put my wet towel on the hooks I screwed onto the door inside the bathroom and the dam door was LOCKED from the INSIDE!!  Yep, got pissed, studied for about a 1/2 hour what to do to get the darn door opened.

I took the right side molding off, affraid the molding  would break but it did not.  I still had a problem, with the molding off the door is flush with the inner wall!!  Took a screwdriver and pried on the door right at the locking handle and finally the mickey mouse locking devise they installed bent and released the door.  I removed the darn locking devise from the handle mounted on the door and now the door will not latch shut because I did.  We can live with that until I get to HD or some other place and find my own type of door handle that will not lock from the inside accidentally or if someone put the handle in lock position and closed the door, boom, you are screwed and end up getting pissed like I did.  I put the molding back on and screwed in the two screws that hold it and quit for the darn day.  OH, the screws backed out again on the right molding on the right side today.  I had the wheels balanced as suggested so now I just have to live with it.

I do suggest you look at your door handle on your scamp bathroom and see if it locks from the inside!?!? This can happen to you in the middle of the night and you need to use the toilet.  Only a suggestion.  I will do another fix it special on my Scamp.  I have over 8000 miles more to go, will keep you informed of new situations which now I expect.

Garylee

Garylee

Gary Lee
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Scamp trip to Alaska, Prons & Cons

Hello Everyone,

Before I continue on complaining of my Scamp I want everyone to know I love our little Scamp and in no way am discouraged we have her.  I am little dissapointed at some of the minor things I have told you of that were not redeisigned years ago on Scamps as I know some one else has had to have problems with their Scamp like we did or found things wrong that would cause problems down the road.  I have written and told Scamp of most of the things I did and found should be addressed but I am not sure my thoughts, or suggestions are appreciated so I will just for some reason discontinue notiying them of what I did and found.  I will tell all of you though so you can see things I seen as a new owner and I hope new owners in particular can appreciate what I have addressed during this trip so far and getting ready to come on it too.  If I had purchased a used Scamp I would expect things like I found and just fix them, but when I bought new and expected top shelf because of the Scamp reputation I got let down somewhat.  But anyhow please don't think I am attacking Scamp as a lemon or anything of the sort, but I do wish the engineers at Scamp would read some of the things on this SOI format bulletin board that    other owners have done like Greg and more like me in the past and say to themeselves, Self, we should imporve our quality and use some of these ideas to make our product the best there can beWho knows, maybe Consita Engineers are probably reading things on our Scamp Forum about the Scamp and doing just that.  Anyhow I just wanted to clear up any thought I was purposely trying to down the reputation of our little Egg, and the more we sleep in at night the more we say as we look up at the ceiling befoe we drift off, (I love this little turd).

Believe it or not this will be short with no complaints on our little Scamp.  We arrived in Pullman, Wa. last night about 6PM at our friends house which is a small ranch as well as home.  The ranch part is rented out to those with horses that barrel race etc.  The weather was nice, for a change.  All our animals are great, no problems with car or Trailer, YEssssssssss!!  Bathroom door works good now with no locking devise in it and never will be again.  I will tell you that when you get off Interstate Highway #90 and start to go towards Pullman, Wa, on Highway #95, You will hit the most ungodly hills we have seen so far in nearly 3,000 miles.  We were in the tail end of Idaho, thought this would be flat for the potatoes we eat to grow but what a surprize when I had to use 2nd gear in my  jeep to reach each summit of at least 6 huge 6-8 Deg. hills climbing up, and up, and up for maybe 4-6 miles each hill.. The ole jeep pulled her guts out but maintained 35 MPH.  Luckly there was not any traffic to hoild up, this trip was nearly traffic free at most times in fact.

Rather than bore you any longer tonight, I will leave now and try to start catching up on my promised Blog Log of our trip so far.  I do not intend to give unfortunate information about problems of our Scamp in my blog, I wish only to share this information with Scamp owners and let them consider if they too should be concerned about anything that has happened to us.  People with motor homes will not appreciate or emulate anything about Scamp trailers when they have 35-45' travel tailers some of them with Tubs in them???  What to heck is that??

Anyhow good night, we will be here in Pullman until the 30th of June is when we leave.  We need the nice long rest, tonight is Linda's & My 31st wedding anniversary so we have the evening planned, later.  Here comers my bride now to joing me here.  Good night all!!!

Garylee

 

Garylee

Gary Lee
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More information on Scamp Alaska trip, Sunday, July, 19,2014

Hello Everyone,

No we have not fallen off a cliff.  We are now in Anchorage, Alaska, it is Saturday, July 19, 2014.  We had a good time crossing Canada, but man if you never done this trip I will not glorify it to make you think it is the best thing this side of Kansas.  The trip through British Columbia was very, very long, (about 9 days at 250-300 Miles per day).  It was pretty for a few days but man 9 days was a long time, very little human contact with anyone, maybe every 150 miles or so.  We had some problems, not serious with the scamp but as I said I would inform you of all.

1) Trip fuel cost to Pullman, Wa.  from Greenville, SC was $986.00 Fuel Only now.

2) Trip Fuel cost from Pullman, WA. to Alaska Border at the begining of (Over the world highway), was $864.00.  The cost of fuel was as high as $1.69 per liter =  $6.42 average per gallon for grade 87 gasoline.  Maybe a little higher in some areas.  My suggestion, do not, do not, do not let your fuel ever get below 1/2 full or 1/2 empty on your vehicle.  Gas stations are few and far between at times, some are closed for holidays etc.

3) The roads were fair, lots, and lots of pot holes you have to watch for at all times.  The speed limits are as high as 60 miles per hour.  Do not try this speed pulling a heavy load, the pot holes mentioned above are 12-18" in diameter, about 2-4" deep and they can puncher a tire in a heart beat and do.  Especially after you cross into Alaska!!  The first 12-15 miles into Alaska the roads are rough, rough, rough with the sharp shale rocks they build the roads with and expect you to pack the roads with your tires.  Be careful you do not slice a tire going near the edge of the road, and the road edge is real soft and give away easily.  If you are being passed in either direction in the begining of your Alaska trip, take a tip, pull over or just stop and let anyone pass you from either way to protect you , and your vehicle and tires.  We seen many flat tires on the fist 12 - 15 miles sliced on the side.

4) Be sure to carry a new spare tire for you tow vehicle and your camper.  Have real good tires on both vehicles too for extra rubber.  The speed limit when you get to Alaska is about 50, you will be lucky to get up to 25 to be safe.  Pot holes like you can't believe.

5) The (Over the Top Of the World Highway) is about 200 miles long if I remember correctly.  Never will I use that road again either.  You have one million 6-8 deg. climbs of over 4-8 miles at times.  This road is a bitch to be blunt.  My traveling companion got (.8 tenths of a mile per gallon of diesel fuel on his 8V92 Detroit engine) and this diesel is about the same cost as Gasoline!!!

6) I just could not climb some of the hills nearly and Dave offered to  pull my Scamp behind his bus which was a blessing, believe me.  The Scamp manfacturer says a 4 cyl. can pull one of these Scamps, baloney, not on the Top Of theWorld Highway)!!

7) My 1995 Jeep, 6 cyl, 257,000 miles on it usually gets 20-23 mpg avg.  ON this trip the best I got was 14 mpg pulling the Scamp, the average was really near 12 mpg. on level ground.  On big hills I dropped down to 6 mpg.  and boy did my car ever have a heck of a time.  We did not overheat but I just had to put my automatic shift in 2 gear and travel for 4-6 miles at 30 mph.  Thank god I had the tranny fully serviced to take this abuse.

I will post this now before losing it and then come back and edit it.  I lost post before, Garylee

Ok I am back now, I just did not want to lose the above info.  Now I may be giving you information out of the occurance of how it happened, this trip is going so fast, at the end of the day you just want to flop and rest.  When you go on line, if you can, there is so little power to send information it is not funny.  Now to continue my information:

8) During the trip, someplace I lost the entrance door to the controls of the refer!  I saw it fly off my camper as we were following Dave so I turned around to try to get it and low and behold, a dam 18 wheeler from no where come up as I was 500 feet from my intact door and this Northern redneck run over my Scamp door right in front of me.  It exploded into smitherenes!!!  Good GRief. Well I believe this may have been partially my fault but have no proof but wanted to let you know how easy it is for this to happen if you do not do a last moment inspection of your rig before starting a trip.  I think I left one of my (mickey mouse) plastic turning locking devises on my door in the open position and the other one holding it just could not hold it against the really high winds we hit in BC.  I mean high winds!!  So I had to improvise and fix our Scamp so we could continue and not fill up this compartment with dirt and I mean dirt from gravel, roads and you will hit many of them.  Many.  I have a small water leak also in this compartment, it has to be from something vibrated from pot holes, rough rocks etc. but this area is so compact I can only watch it each time we stop each night.  It looks like everything will have to be removed to locate the leak, the refer, the whole shebang.  I will not do this on this trip unless the leak gets so bad it makes a real mess.  I keep off shore water all the time.  I only use the pump and our water tank when needed.  I think the shore water pressure will do more damage and this is not the place to do repairs.  You need real deep, deep pockets to live here in Alaska and in BC and the Yukon believe me. 

 

I will have to continue this tomorrow, I have a migraine right now and this photo program is not working right for me.

Garylee

I am back for a few minutes, I want to post photos of what I had to do for immediate coverage of my Refer compartment in case this happens to you at any time.  You may have a better way of doing this so please let me know if you do.

 

I cleaned the area where the old door used to fit and the framing around it and then installed (2) layers of regular cooking aluminum foil taped into position over the door area using (aluminum tape) that will hold up to 200 mph!!  The only thing is that after 150 miles the high winds found a weak spot and started a hole through the aluminum foil.  I suggest 3 layers or 4 to stiffen it up so that this will not happen to you and to reinforce the foil with an "X" pattern with foil to strengthen the foil in high winds.

 

 

" alu

This is my better fix for the opening of my refer compartment.  I had my wife buy two heavier aluminum cake pans from walmat and designed a cover in place of the aluminum foil but using the same concept to protect this compartment.  Again I used 2" aluminum tape to mount these two new covers and they worked real good and nothing was damaged over 400 miles now.  I put 6 small holes on the bottom of the foil door I made for air circulation when I used the gas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am having problems still with the SOI photo posting program so will close for tonight and try to contact Greg about it.

Garylee

Garylee

Joy A.
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Joined: 11/02/2013 - 19:45
GaryLee,

GaryLee,

Sorry for all your troubles.  I wonder about your Jeep.  I went to Alaska in 2006 pulling my 13 Scamp which weighs in excess of 2,300 lbs.  I tow with a 1993 in-line 6, 4.0 litre Jeep Cherokee.  Without the trailer I average 17 mpg's, with the trailer I average 15 mpg's while towing My Little Marshmallow, it was the same for the Alaska trip as well.  I did not do the Top of the World highway as I knew there was no way I wanted to take my Scamp on it.  Now that's basically the only highway I missed on my 3 month trip to Alaska and back.

I live in the Foothills of the Sierra's so I'm used to towing at elevations anywhere from 2,000 to 8,000 feet.  I've only had to drop my transmission from Drive down to 3rd gear, very very rarely have I ever had to put it any lower.  I'd say the only time I took it lower was when I got slowed down to a near halt by some slow moving vehicle ahead of me while traveling in elevation.  My general travel speed is 50/55 mph and that was the case for most of the Alaska trip as well.

Don't know maybe you've got the V6 which is under 4.0 litre so it has much less power.  Some of it also could be that your Jeep is tuned to low elevation so it simply doesn't operate as efficiently as mine which is tuned at higher elevation.  You know there is something to be said about less oxygen as you rise upward.    I think if I recall correctly, you are from the Carolina's which are on the low side.

If you have time you should look into coming back on the Ferry system getting off and camping as we did.  I wanted to see the coastal towns as well because I don't if I'd ever get back up that way.  So we drove down to Haines and took off for Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg and Ketchican, finally disembarking the last time at Prince Rupert, BC.

The only damage I had to my Scamp was a little bit of chipping to the lower front of the trailer.  I had put some of that plasticy stuff, they use for new cars while in transit, on the front of the Scamp.  I put it from the belly band down and around to the door and the refridge compartment.  I messed up on my first try so I ended up running out and that's why that area which received the damage was not protected.  I do have several screws which historically come loose from time to time on the lower part of the sink/refridge cabinet.  They of course were loose periodically while on the Alaska trip.  I'd expect nothing less.  But that is it, no other problems at all with my Scamp.

So I really don't know what to say.  Other than, Good luck to you on the rest of your trip and have fun.

  Joy A. and Lily, too

 

 

Joy A. & Olive

2001 13 Scamp "Puff"

Full-timer

2019 1500 Ram Longhorn

SOI #168

 

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