Hello everyone, I have a few questions about a Scamp trailer. I am looking to buy a Scamp 16' with a bathroom and take it up to Montana to live in it. Obviously it will be extremely cold and I know that Scamp trailers are not four season. I want a Scamp because it is light weight and it has a good amount of space to live full time. My question is how to prepare it for a winter in Montana? I will have hookups. What would be the toughest challenges and how might I overcome them?
Thanks,
Zach
Yesterday evening, I was on our deck and heard a loud crack. I looked up and saw a large branch from a red oak hit the roof of our Scamp and bounce off. It hit the roof just in front of the AC. It missed hitting our Durango when it bounced off. I got on the ladder and examined the roof. There was no damage or marks. We got 0.7 inches of rain last night and there were no water leaks this morning. If the branch had landed a few inches farther back, it would have damaged the AC cover and maybe the AC. The AC worked fine today. Scamps are strong. I am glad that I have a fiberglass egg instead of a aluminum box. Four years ago, an insurance agent told me that they have very few accident claims with travel trailers--mostly it is branches or trees falling on trailers. We have a lot of trees on our property.
You will need to park it in a heated building to keep the water system from freezing. Much of the gray water system is under the unit and the walls are not well insulated. .
K
Every time we've camped in below freezing weather, our Scamp 13 has been partially winterized (so it's without hookups).
My concern with any trailer setup for winter and hookups, is that power and heating devices are never 100% reliable. Eventually, whatever is supplying heat will fail and insulation only lasts so long until pipes, tanks, and everything else with water freezes.
Thanks Guys, sounds like it would be tough to pull off. I'm wondering if I had my gray water hose hooked up to the sewer, would the gray water accumulate in the tank or would it go straight out of the trailer into the sewer? I may just use the trailer as a place to sleep. Probably not use the toilet or shower and not use the water tank. But if I needed to put water down the sink, would that freeze or go directly to the sewer?
Zach teal
Since you do not yet have a 16" SCAMP, I suggest you look at other trailers built for winter.
Potentially -20 or lower temperatures, plus the wind and snow in a Montana winter is way beyond anything in my camping experience, but I think there are two angles to your inquiry: Scamp 16 specific and the issues related to any trailer, even those with some degree of winter capability. Suggest getting in touch with RV parks with full-timers in Montana (presuming they exist) and see what they have to say.
We have owned our SCAMP for 48 years: I know that they are not built with winter in mind! I also know that there are other trailers that are built with winter in mind (such as the Bigfoot, which is also fiberglass). Even then, they are likely to be challenged by your winters in Montana.
Thank you guys, I think I will need to pivot on this one.
Zach teal
on youtube search elsa rhae and barron, they live in a 13' scamp in colorado winters and had no issues. i don't believe they even had hookups. they did a woodburning stove in theirs which helped keep them warm. The stove is a Cubic Mini.
here are some videos of theirs. check out their channel, they have a ton of content on living full time in their scamp. i think it's totally doable if you are willing to do the work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od-H_2dHjb8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iwg5BwBdnM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bctlj2Vq9fQ
1987 Scamp 16
Hey guys, thanks for the input. The reason I wanted a scamp was because it was light and I would possibly be able to tow it. I think it would be better to focus on finding a trailer suitable for extreme winters and figure out how to tow it later. I know this is a Scamp forum but I was wondering if anyone knew of any really good trailers for the winter at a reasonable price? I'm still looking to get a smaller one, maybe 16'-20'. And I don't have a ton of money to spend so I was hoping to get something around $20,000. Thanks.
Zach teal
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