for two + years We have been towing our 2019 Scamp 13 with bath mostly with our 2018 Crossterk 152 Hp Manual trans that was barely enough, to my 94 Ford F250 turbo diesel and way too much . So we picked up a new 2021 Outback Onyx XT with the 2.4 turbo.260HP I have almost finished the wiring and Redarc brake controller and Curt hitch. and expect it to pull well. rated at 3.500 tow capacity Should be a no brainer. We are now considering putting a deposit on a 2022-23 16 foot Layout 6 . At 3.500 lb TV Is there anything I am missing that the Outback will be under sized? I realize that HP is only part of the towing puzzle. The Fake 8 speed trans is much heavier duty and tires and deferential and running gear is much larger than my Crosstrek. I will replace the small factory trans cooler with a much larger capacity one for safety.
Thu, 05/13/2021 - 12:26
#1
2021 Outback XT
i think you'll be fine. Scamp 16 weighs 2200 dry. don't drive with water (8 pounds per gallon), other than that it's unlikely you have 1300 pounds of gear.
1987 Scamp 16
I'm looking to move from my 2009 Silverado to the 2022 Outback Wilderness (3500 tc); my 2017 16ft Scamp has never weighed more than 2150 lbs loaded. That being said, the BLM and National Forests lands are good alternatives especially if you plan on carrying a generator and 5 gallons of fuel (highly recommended). Etrailer.com has good prices on those. Scamp store is a bit pricey!
Michael and Jan
Michael,
I do have a generator and there are times it is a good solution.
With 2-100AH Lithium batteries(parallel), 190 W roof solar panel, and 2000W inverter onboard I've only needed the generator if I need to run AC. (once in the last 4 years, don't look for camping in heat) I never carry it any more, and no need for carrying or messing with gas. The Electric side of things never has to have anything to keep it replenished(2 hours of sun or 4 hour tow and back full), plus it's quiet. At my usage level, I can go about 14 days without putting anything back in the batteries, so it's pretty robust.
Folks really like the Honda Gens, and the cost setting up a solar Lithium or AGM setup is not that much more than the Honda's plus continuous gas supply. Not knocking the generator folks, I'm one, but once you go over to the solar, good battery setup it's hard to go back. I now use my generator mostly for working on the trailers in the storage which is quite useful.
Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape
Buying or Selling Molded FG Trailers:
Fiberglass-RV-4Sale
I have always been in the Overkill camp for a TV but todays climate and space does not work any more for me to have a large PU for 5% of the year. So We chose the Outback and hope for the best. I sure wish the Subaru dealers could offer a real tow package beyond lights and hitch installed at the dealer. Adding the Redarc brakes and back up lights was not a fun project on this 2021 XT
I am not bashing E Trailer as I have used them for years with great results. But this time I was disappointed in their shipping Dept. The Curt hitch and Redarc plus wiring, plugs and others were all in stock and never made it out the shipping door for well over a week. so it took nearly two weeks for my items to arrive. When one item came damaged It was another week to get a replacement. So ask about delivery before committing to the order if time is an issue . According to the help people it was the delay before shipping that was the problem. I will continue to use them unless this continues into the future. I prefer brand and vendor loyalty over Amazon lowest price only.
2019 Scamp 13 standard
What a vehicle will tow is one thing, but what it will do safely is Something else. My Volvo 740 is factory limited to tow 2000 pounds, and 200 pounds tongue weight. It gets down the interstate towing the Scamp with no issues. BUT, to make it stable for me, I had to put helper springs and better shocks on the back.
Stopping is another matter. Even with all new pads, it is a chore with the Volvo. After a jackknifing issue two months ago, I will be putting trailer brakes on my Scamp 13, and a brake controller on the Volvo. There are too many crazy drivers that need to be dodged to not have good control of the trailer. I'm guessing that my stopping distance with the Scamp hooked up is easily twice normal.
The Volvo is not a light car. It weighs about 4400 pounds. Without the Scamp, the breaks are more then great. But with the 1300 pound Scamp added, its marginal. Also when descending mountains I have noticed break fade. I will be putting trailer breaks on the Scamp as soon as I can.
I am with the trailer brakes fan club too. With our crosstrek and even the F250 Pick up it was very confidence inspiring to have them. The stopping distance in wet weather or sand covered road is so much better. I also added a Break Away switch that is powered from the house battery in the event something weird happens and it comes loose. Many years ago My neighbors young son unlatched my Snowmobile trailer tongue latch and it disconnected and fell to the safety chains a short distance away from home. We always have a lock in the latch from then on. But weird happens.
2019 Scamp 13 standard
We got our 16' Scamp in November and finally took it out this week. Our tow vehicle is a 2021 Outback XT. We were on a good mix of roads including highway, country roads and at one point due to our GPS picking the 'best route' we were on a fire road! The Outback handled everything well even in some steep inclines out of river valleys and on those country roads with a 12% grade. I need to tweek the electric trailer brakes as they seemed a bit over agressive but other than that, no issues. Now a question back to anyone - we have a small generator and my question is where do you haul it (and the gas as well)? Inside the car, inside the trailer, on a luggage rack on the back, etc.?
Rick
Cheers from SW Michigan!!