Great Keith, we too have the furnace and have used it too. Soon I am installing the new digital thermostat ordered from Scamp. I agree, the furnace is absolute! We also have a nice portable electric heater we use as well. Stopping off arrest stops for the night it is useless, so the furnace in the Scamp comes in real handy! Welcome to he corral pal, Scamps are u equaled !
I ordered my 13' without a heater. I live in NM and it can get cold in the mountains. Now I'm reconsidering. I have the bath layout so one concern is cabinet space. Where is the heater located? Also notice that the same 16,000 btu unit is used on the 16' and 19' trailers. Sounds like it might be overkill then on the 13'.
Addition to my original post.
I see there are 2K generators with good reviews in the $3-400 range. The factory heater is about the same cost. It occurs to me that I could use the generator to power a 1500 watt ceramic heater and have the other benefits of having a generator at other times. 1,500 watts translate to about 5,000 btus I think. Would that work?
As you say, it all depends. We have a 16'er, and we do a lot of boondocking, so no electricity. And we go three-season, which is part of what motivated us to move out of the tent. So, yes, we use our furnace. Many nights it's very good to have.
That said, when we're travelling in the colder seasons, we usually carry a small electric heater, and if we go to a campground w/ hookups, or park in front of one our kids' house, we use it. It's quieter, and a lot more even heat than the furnace, which is noisy, and has a pretty wide swing between on and off.
THe 16,000 is overkill in our 13. It is great to warm the camper up quickly but hard to pick a temp as the on to off swing is very large. We too use a 1,500 ceramic for when we can. use it. If you have the standard bed the furnace is directly under the sink about 1/2 of the way up from the floor. I sleep on the side closest to the Bathroom and the furnace is right at my shoulder. Not perfect but is what it is.
Been there done that while on a hunting trip. About 10F at night. Can't run the generator in the ECO mode so it is noisy. Filled the Gen. at about 9 P.M. before turning in. At about 3 A.M you have to go outside and refuel. We were having to run the gen over 12 hours a day. Takes a bit of fuel and an oil change every 4 days. Some complain about furnace noise, I have found the colder it is outside the less you are concerned with the noise. Also with a furnace while traveling in the winter you can pull over and stay at a Wal Mart ,Cracker Barrel or rest stop. You can't do that with a generator. Also when carrying a generator you have to take a fuel can along and maybe an oil change kit. With Solar and LP the only time I mess with a generator is if I need to use my A/C in the summer.People in the south sometimes don't get a furnace and people up north don't get an A/C. Both people pay the price when they sell their trailer. Furnaces and Air Conditioners looked for when people shop for trailers. Just me I would not be with out a furnace,
Where is the furnace located in a 13' with the larger bed? I saw a mention of one with the std bed being in the cabinet under the sink. That cabinet is smaller with the larger bed. Thx.
When we had a truck camper we mainly did 3 season camping. Did we need a furnace? No. But we mainly used it in the morning when we got up and take the chill off and that was nice. One of my biggest issues with tent camping (as I get older....) was I hate to get up be be cold in the morning. Want it nice and warm and sit and have a cup of joe. Once we get going and have the right clothes on, fine; let it be cool. As many have commented the furnaces in most small trailers are overkill; fine; we only ran it for less than 1/2 hour so propane wasn't an issue. Many times we weren't at a site with electrical. So, need it? No. Nice to have and might have a resale value? Yes. But, I don't know that I'd retrofit one in. Good luck!
depends where you camp. i'm camping 3 seasons and doing most of my camping in OH, NY, WV, PA, and MI where it's cold come october/november and even in early spring. so yes the furnace is needed. i had one in my pop up before i sold it, and have one in my scamp. i'm thankful for it. i'm sure if you live in the deep south or southwest you won't need one. but us northerners its a must if you camp outside of summer.
Great Keith, we too have the furnace and have used it too. Soon I am installing the new digital thermostat ordered from Scamp. I agree, the furnace is absolute! We also have a nice portable electric heater we use as well. Stopping off arrest stops for the night it is useless, so the furnace in the Scamp comes in real handy! Welcome to he corral pal, Scamps are u equaled !
<p>Doug Allen 2016 Ford F-150 2018 Lance 1575</p>
I ordered my 13' without a heater. I live in NM and it can get cold in the mountains. Now I'm reconsidering. I have the bath layout so one concern is cabinet space. Where is the heater located? Also notice that the same 16,000 btu unit is used on the 16' and 19' trailers. Sounds like it might be overkill then on the 13'.
Addition to my original post.
I see there are 2K generators with good reviews in the $3-400 range. The factory heater is about the same cost. It occurs to me that I could use the generator to power a 1500 watt ceramic heater and have the other benefits of having a generator at other times. 1,500 watts translate to about 5,000 btus I think. Would that work?
As you say, it all depends. We have a 16'er, and we do a lot of boondocking, so no electricity. And we go three-season, which is part of what motivated us to move out of the tent. So, yes, we use our furnace. Many nights it's very good to have.
That said, when we're travelling in the colder seasons, we usually carry a small electric heater, and if we go to a campground w/ hookups, or park in front of one our kids' house, we use it. It's quieter, and a lot more even heat than the furnace, which is noisy, and has a pretty wide swing between on and off.
Good luck!
Randy
Randy in Paonia
THe 16,000 is overkill in our 13. It is great to warm the camper up quickly but hard to pick a temp as the on to off swing is very large. We too use a 1,500 ceramic for when we can. use it. If you have the standard bed the furnace is directly under the sink about 1/2 of the way up from the floor. I sleep on the side closest to the Bathroom and the furnace is right at my shoulder. Not perfect but is what it is.
2019 Scamp 13 standard
Been there done that while on a hunting trip. About 10F at night. Can't run the generator in the ECO mode so it is noisy. Filled the Gen. at about 9 P.M. before turning in. At about 3 A.M you have to go outside and refuel. We were having to run the gen over 12 hours a day. Takes a bit of fuel and an oil change every 4 days. Some complain about furnace noise, I have found the colder it is outside the less you are concerned with the noise. Also with a furnace while traveling in the winter you can pull over and stay at a Wal Mart ,Cracker Barrel or rest stop. You can't do that with a generator. Also when carrying a generator you have to take a fuel can along and maybe an oil change kit. With Solar and LP the only time I mess with a generator is if I need to use my A/C in the summer.People in the south sometimes don't get a furnace and people up north don't get an A/C. Both people pay the price when they sell their trailer. Furnaces and Air Conditioners looked for when people shop for trailers. Just me I would not be with out a furnace,
Eddie
Where is the furnace located in a 13' with the larger bed? I saw a mention of one with the std bed being in the cabinet under the sink. That cabinet is smaller with the larger bed. Thx.
When we had a truck camper we mainly did 3 season camping. Did we need a furnace? No. But we mainly used it in the morning when we got up and take the chill off and that was nice. One of my biggest issues with tent camping (as I get older....) was I hate to get up be be cold in the morning. Want it nice and warm and sit and have a cup of joe. Once we get going and have the right clothes on, fine; let it be cool. As many have commented the furnaces in most small trailers are overkill; fine; we only ran it for less than 1/2 hour so propane wasn't an issue. Many times we weren't at a site with electrical. So, need it? No. Nice to have and might have a resale value? Yes. But, I don't know that I'd retrofit one in. Good luck!
depends where you camp. i'm camping 3 seasons and doing most of my camping in OH, NY, WV, PA, and MI where it's cold come october/november and even in early spring. so yes the furnace is needed. i had one in my pop up before i sold it, and have one in my scamp. i'm thankful for it. i'm sure if you live in the deep south or southwest you won't need one. but us northerners its a must if you camp outside of summer.
1987 Scamp 16
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