[slowmover]

(I didn't actually state the questions as being about context, thus your action to start the thread was ideal. Really. Had I gone any farther out it would have broken that tree branch right off).


I suppose a family of 6 people might sleep in the base model with loft, bunks and dinette layout. I traded the front bunks for storage and the queen mattress for full plus elbow room so more comfortable for the two of us. Now it only sleeps 4+ including the front seat which doubles as a dog bed.


Okay, that makes sense. Won't be whole lotta room, but the point of using one for camping is to be outside unless bad weather or illness kicks us back inside. I can see four-with-a-maybe-stretch-to-six as being a reasonable point of departure for comparison to another RV type. Hard shell, AC, and a durable roof.


These campers are pretty smart on a number of levels compared to many alternatives. They are not for everyone, I know. But I feel they deserve some attention in their own light.

Couldn't agree more. The bigger is better philosophy is okay for a man full-time on the road for a living (job site to job site) where the unit sits most of the time. But it doesn't make so much sense for low initial cost, low lifetime cost (if it can be taken to 20-years), and low operating cost for a family. Plus, this rig is small enough to have some better options for storage between trips than those of us with 30' plus rigs. Not to mention the sheer variety of tow vehicles for a conventional trailer of this type.

The only "real" trade-off is in battery amp-hours, fresh water capacity, propane capacity, and holding tank capacity in comparison to a larger rig.

My ideal, probably not to be realized, is to be fully self-sufficient for two weeks in any weather. The ideal RV is one that will somehow get me closer to that (be it an above 20F winter, or not much more than 100F summer), with some solar to charge batteries and decent other energy and clean/dirty water capacities.

I'd like to have an on-board generator for instance, where that and the water heater, oven/stove and refrigerator could run off diesel (as does my truck) as is seen in sailboats. (Except reefer, I don't know about that). Point is to eliminate propane from the equation. Single fuel source for tow vehicle and trailer. And the point about two-week self sufficiency is to be able to go with the flow in the event of a hurricane (awful) to downed power lines for days and days while at home (have to make life bearable on the Texas Gulf Coast. Not abandon my house, and not to enrich price-gouging hotel owners).

I was laughing at a story earlier today about a lady RV'er pulling up to a Wal-Mart to run a 5-gl jug back and forth to her tank from a water vending machine as she moved from one boondocking site to another. Hadn't thought about doing that partly because the tank on mine is so big. On the other hand . . . necessity being the mother of invention, (and carrying forward that idea of everything needing double use [you married? . . I'm having a hard time with the "cut the handle off the toothbrush" philosophy] making every square inch count ALSO makes for easier living. Nothing gets lost. Or spends years bouncing around the back of a cupboard just in case. . it's surprising what can be left behind. So going to a water vending machine to avoid gyp water makes perfect sense. I wouldn't mind paying for it then.

My lower overall costs can also finance some occasional better food or, (ha!) water.

Maybe I missed it in your links or above: Have you some certified scale tickets to show truck/trailer weight separately and together? That would be useful to others having a look at your rig. I saw some weights, and I know I'm being a booger-bear about it, but there's just nothing like those three-axle readouts -- and another for the tow vehicle by itself --to get a real sense of what we're up against. Maybe someday, huh? Not too likely to run into another guy as well-versed in these as you are.

Also, I see that the SCAMP 5'er is supposed to have torsion axles. Not having familiarity with this brand (but do with the type) does the factory equip them with shock absorbers? (Some brands do not according to design). I know that some brands/designs of these axles don't take well to sitting or to long years: they have to be replaced at some point. Is there consensus among owners on when to replace?

P.S. You indicate having re-modeled. Looks to me as nice as factory where that is supposed to indicate clean, well-thought out, and nicely finished. I really enjoy trailers where the owner gets it just right.


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