Hi everyone. I'm brand new here and I have a question that maybe some of you can answer through experience.
Is pulling a 16' Scamp with a solid tow vehicle (2014 Jetta TDI equipped properly) easier (or even much easier) than driving a 26' Class A motorhome? I ask because I am wanting to make my travels all over the place simpler and easier. The wind on my 1999 26' motorhome can be downright scary. And the MPG is really terrible. When there is good road and no wind, it's fine at 60. But I'm hoping to upgrade to "good" from "fine", lol. Are crosswinds really hard on you? Like, white-knuckling type of handling, or is it pretty good?
Thank you for any advice or experience you can share, especially if you have driven both.
Cannot answer for 16 footers but....ours is a 13er and it may sound strange but....our trailer acts like a sea anchor. When a strong wind is blowing, we have a less unstable feeling in the car than when driving without the trailer. I think it comes from the rounded trailer corners and the low frontal area of the trailer....possibly the added weight on the drawbar adds to the stability also.
We currently tow with a 2014 six cylinder Equinox usually with a on roof cargo carrier on the car. The more stable feeling was the same with our previous '05 six cylinder Equinox and also with the 2000 S-10 pickup we started Scamping with. My mileage is 23 without the trailer and 19 with the trailer on calm days. Naturally, headwinds really bang us with the car top carrier (down to 16!). We frequently travel with close friends who drive a 28' class A and they just park it in crosswinds and talk about their all the time poor mileage. I do REALLY like to have them parked on the sunny side of us in the RV parks tho....lots of shade. ;>) LOL
They ride in the car with us after we park and unhook. They do not have a toad so it is really nice for all of us to not have to put everything away just to go sight see or go for supplies locally.
Bob D
2005 13' Scamp "Lil Critter"
Brenda, AZ
I hear ya on driving a MH in the wind! We went from a MH to a large fifth-wheel and it is rock solid in the wind. I pulled horse trailers for years, and I always had a sway control (and brakes) on them. It made a huge difference and was well worth the money. I see the longer bumper pull RV trailers in the wind on the road, and some of them get thrown around quite a bit. 16' is comparatively short, and a sway bar and electric brakes are good investments. Plus, as we found out with our 13' Scamp, keeping your load balanced on the trailer is a consideration also. Too much weight at one end or another will cause instability while towing. After the MH ( I only tried to drive ours once!) I think any good trailer setup will be a much more enjoyable experience for you.
Rhonda Riebow
Haven't driven a motorhome, but towing these molded fiberglass trailers is a breeze.
One big thing on Motorhomes when full-timing or long camping is that if your Motorhome has to go in the shop you lose your home. With a trailer only the car or truck needs to be gone, you trailer is setup in a campground and you can stay in your home. Probably the big reason that 5th wheels are the most popular trailers for full-timers.
Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape
Buying or Selling Molded FG Trailers:
Fiberglass-RV-4Sale
We haven't really towed the Scamp enough to know how it handles in the wind. Our other RV is a class A motorhome and I can say that we don't have any trouble with it in the wind at all. 'Course at 45' and 58,000 lbs, not much moves it except for large amounts of diesel fuel ...
2008 Scamp 16 SC
Ha ha ha, yes I bet a big diesel pusher like that is more stable that the lighter gas 36' MH we had! We ran into a retiree with a brand new MH this summer, and the poor guy was scared to death driving his new ride in the wind. I believe the diesels are built on a more solid bus-type chassis, so they don't flex/shift around like the gas models. I so adore my little Scamp for short fun trips! I can tuck it into any little campsite with lots of trees.
Rhonda Riebow
And that's exactly why we got the Scamp. Fits nicely into those little spots along the river when we're fishing and into the state and national park campgrounds when we want to go there. It doesn't replace the land yacht, just gives us an option.
2008 Scamp 16 SC
Tee hee hee, land yacht. Much classier than what we call our 40' Montana 5er--the Rolling Redneck Palace! I felt a bit sheepish getting a second RV, but apparently there are quite a few people who do that. I can hitch up, tow, park, and set up my Egg easily by myself. I apologize to the original poster for getting so far off topic!
Rhonda Riebow
WE have not had a problem with wind towing our 13 Scamp with a Nissan Frontier. This TV has very stiff springs. Most motorhomes have soft springs. That combined with the fact that most are top heavy make them more likely to sway and get blown around. We also like being able to leave our "home" parked in the campground while shopping or sightseeing.
If you did not already have your tow vehicle limiting your choices, I would say downsize from the MH to the 19 foot 5th wheel Scamp for the most solid ride, regardless of wind.
-Paul
2004 Scamp 19 Deluxe,
2021 Tacoma, Double Cab, 6 cyl. 4WD
Colorado
I have drove both a motorhome and towed a 16 ft Casita.Big differance! huge differance. In the motorhome I hated driving in the winds,are they push you everywhere,towing the 16ft it never bothers me,gas mileage goes down,other then that no problems.Just my two cents worth
Launey and Earlene
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