"Scamp"ering About
In August of 2008, we purchased
our first travel trailer, and as you can see it is a 16 foot Scamp. We
went to the Scamp
Dealer/Manufacturer with intentions to look at the various trailers and
layouts in person; trying to get an idea as to if this type of trailer would
suite our needs. We have two smaller vehicles, so weight was a critical
factor for us. One of the trailers we were shown was a custom order that
the original buyers had decided not to purchase. The custom options that
this trailer had was a roof designed for an A/C unit, 4.6 cubic foot
refrigerator, blue fabric for the cushions, linoleum floor covering, a regular
size table and a small two person dinette, electric brakes, and a grey water tank for the
sink. Of course the best feature was that it only weighed 1,800
pounds dry: perfect for our cars. After some consideration, we decided to
purchase the trailer. Since we could not take it off the lot that day, we
decided to have them add the A/C unit while they were performing the final prep
work. Two weeks later we returned and took our Scamp home.
As we begin another year of Scamping, I thought I would add a bit about the mileage
we have put on the trailer since we purchased it. I was originally going
to keep track of the exact mileage that we pulled the trailer, but I found that doing
an estimated mileage worked a little better. I did add to this page an ongoing mileage
tabulation (please see below), and I will update that as we travel this year.
A few other things I want to comment on is
the condition of and how well the Scamp has
held up over the last few years.
Other than replacing a couple of trailer
tires, all of the towing equipment is original. The bearings are in good
shape, I have not notice any change in the suspension or the way it tows, and we are
still only putting about twenty percent of the brake power on the electric brakes (this
means they are not worn down. If over the years you are increasing the percentage
of brake pressure, and you are still using the same tow vehicle, then it generally
means your brake pads are getting worn down.) The electrical harness to the
vehicle is in good shape, and the tires I have on the trailer are wearing well.
However, I am planning on rotating those this year. The only thing that I would
change for towing is the lights. I have used LED lights on other trailers and
when they are illuminated, they show up very bright, even on the brightest of days.
When I find replacement LEDs that match what we currently have, I will probably switch
them out.
Another thing I would like to add is how easy on the mileage this camper really is.
One of the reasons we bought the trailer is because it could be towed by our smaller
vehicles. The other reason was that it was a lighter trailer that did not drag our
gas mileage down much while towing it. With the cost of fuel ever increasing, this
is one thing that we do not need to worry about as much. Our mileage may go down
while towing it, but not by much, and after we unhook and set it up, the mileage we get
on the tow vehicle goes back up and saves us money while exploring the areas we chose to
camp. If you have any specific questions about mileage, please feel free to
contact us at
Information@dampenedenthusiasts.com, or
me at
russ@dampenedenthusiasts.com.
Finally, I would like to add that we are not
affiliated with Scamp, or any trailer
manufacturer or reseller of any kind.
This is merely an informational site about
our experience with our Scamp, as well as
travel information regarding camping,
campgrounds, places to visit, etc. from our
own personal travels and point of view.
We do not endorse, nor do we discourage, any
of the places that we have visited. We
lay the information out about the places we
have visited and encourage people to travel,
explore and decide for themselves about
these places. As for camping equipment
and trailers, if you have any specific
manufacturing, or purchasing questions, I
would like to direct you to either Scamp for
Scamp Trailers, or the manufacturer or
retail seller of the type of equipment you
are searching for. Thank you for your
interest in this site.
Current Estimated Mileage (7/11/2022):
48,442
Official Floor Plan of our Scamp
Scamp as it sat on the lot
(Click Thumbnails for Larger Picture)
Bringing our Scamp Home
(Click Thumbnails for Larger Picture)
First Camp - Myre/Big Island State Park in Minnesota
(Click Thumbnails for Larger Picture)
The Scamp's second outing - Labor Day weekend 2008
(Click Thumbnails for Larger Picture)
Adding personal touches to our "Weekend Get-away"
(Click Thumbnails for Larger Picture)
Click here to see our Modifications to the
Scamp
Towing Vehicles
(Click Thumbnails for Specific Information
About the Tow Vehicle)
One of the most common things we have
noticed about Scamps, is the wide variety of
vehicles we have seen pulling them.
With that in mind, I have decided to include
a section covering the types of vehicles we
have used over the years to pull our Scamp.
Other Fiber Glass/Light-Weight Trailers
While this portion of the our website is
dedicated to the Scamp brand trailers and
our travels with it, I do not want to
discourage anyone from considering other
fiber glass, light-weight, popup, or larger
camping trailers. We each have
different ways of camping, different
activities that we enjoy, and different
wants and needs when it comes to enjoying
the great outdoors. Many of the tips
that we provide for camping with our Scamp
are transferable to many of the campers that
you see on the road today.
While we cannot possibly feature all of the
options in today's world of trailer camping,
I would like to take a little time to point
out other Fiber Glass and Light-Weight
trailers available like the Scamp. One
of the other brands you may see on the road
or in campgrounds are the Casita brand
camper. This one strikes a familiar
chord with Scamp, as well as it should.
Scamp started in 1971 producing Bolar
trailers for a Canadian company trying to
get into the American market. This was
a short lived adventure as Bolar eventually
went out of business in 1972. The
Eveland brothers, Duane and Gerald, and
their sister Gladys Coffland, had the molds
to make the trailers, but no marketing
company. They came up with a plan and
started making Scamp trailers. For
more of the history, please visit the
Scamp About Us webpage, the
Story of Scamp.
Casita brand trailers started in 1983 in
the State of Texas. While I cannot
find any definitive information about its
origins, what I have learned is this.
One of the brothers, who started Scamp,
moved to Texas and decided to start building
the Casita brand trailer. They are
very similar in design, concept, features
and layouts. We were looking at the
Casita's when we were considering Scamp, and
our decision was based on the fact that
Scamp was closer for us, and was designed
for camping in colder climates. Beside
that, the Casita brand trailer is still a
wonderful consideration. I do not have
any pictures of them, but if you do and
would like them posted, please contact me at
russ@dampenedenthusiasts.com.
Another brand of light-weight trailers is
Oliver Travel Trailers. I could
not find much in the way or origins or
history regarding this trailer. These
trailer, while similar in design, have a few
more options than the Scamps and Casitas.
They are a bit longer, are made of different
light-weight materials, and have different
layout options. But the same
principles are behind these trailers as are
with the Scamps and Casitas. They are
light-weight, durable, comfortable to camp
in, and can be pulled by a larger variety of
vehicles than most other trailers available.
While this is just a small list of
light-weight or fiber glass trailers, there
are a small number of manufacturers out
there. If you have one and would like
to share information about your trailer,
please feel free to contact me a
russ@dampenedenthusiasts.com.
Scamp Photo Albums
Over the first year of owning our
new Scamp, we decided to document the different places that we had taken it.
Here are some of those photos and the wonderful places that we have been
fortunate enough to stay.
Just
a note about all of the pictures on this site. The reason we have taken so
many pictures and posted them of the Scamp is to help people see how they look
and fit in to all sorts of campgrounds and camp sites. When we were
looking to purchase a camper, one thing we did not find was very many pictures,
outside of the manufacture's catalog, of the Scamps in a normal camping
environment. We will continue to post pictures as we travel around the
country with it, and we hope it helps people make their decision when they are
considering the purchase of a Scamp. Below are the photo albums we have
assembled.
If you would like better quality copies of the photos, or would like more
information about places we have been, please feel free to contact
me at
russ@dampenedenthusiasts.com. |