New Scamp Owners

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Twister2
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Joined: 07/29/2018 - 19:37
New Scamp Owners

Hello fellow Scampers. I'm Tom and my wife's name is Joanne and we are the proud owners of a 2018 Scamp 16 foot, layout # 4. Our tow vehicle is a 2015 Honda Odyssey that we purchased new and had set up with Honda's tow package. 

After some deliberation, we decided to drive to Backus from Maryland to pick up the Scamp. An $1800.00 shipping charge was the biggest factor in our decision. With that said, we decided to make the trip a 3 week vacation. The folks at the factory were very nice (yes we took the factory tour) and soon got us hooked up and on our way. The first few nights we spent at Ruttgers Pine Mountain Camping Resort, just to make sure everything worked. Had a small issue with the door sticking but the folks at the factory got it straightened out and soon we were on our way to Mt Rushmore in South Dakota. We stayed at Palmer Gulch KOA, which is the closest campground to Mt Rushmore. All I can say is that this KOA was very expensive, the staff was nasty and the bathrooms were filthy. Other than that, Mt Rushmore was awesome, especially the flag ceremony after it got dark.

Of course, since we were so close we checked out Sturgis as well as the Crazy Horse Monument. From there, it was off to The Devil's Tower in Northeast Wyoming. Beautiful ride and definitely worth the trip. Then it was off to St Louis to visit the Gateway to the West and from there the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green Kentucky. Then a short stop in Tennessee to visit with family and show off the Scamp. They loved it.  From there we did an overnighter in Wythville VA and then finally home.

All in all it was a great trip. Three weeks and 5000 miles. The camper towed great and we had no issues. In fact there were times I had to keep checking the mirror to make sure it was still back there. 

So when it was all said and done, we ended up naming our little Scamp "Twister2". The reason; we encountered our first tornado as we crossed over from North Dakota into South Dakota. It was just a funnel cloud that never touched down, but still got close enough to give us concern. The second tornado was encountered in St Louis. We were actually camping in Granite City Il, enjoying a nice evening after a day at the Arch, when suddenly an announcement came over a loudspeaker advising to take immediate cover. Everyone in the campground huddled into the two bathrooms to wait it out. Luckily we only experienced some high winds and heavy rains, No damage to the campground or any of the campers. But yes, it was close enough that we heard the freight train.

Glad to have found SOI. Looking forward to making many great memories with my wife and Twister2.smiley

 

Tom & Joanne

 

 

 

 

Greg A
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Welcome

Hi Tom n Joanne and welcome to the clubhouse. 

It sounds like you had quite an adventure picking up the new Scamp and having a good shakedown trip. We look forward to sharing in many more of your travels and making the Scamp your own.

 

Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape

Buying or Selling Molded FG Trailers:

Fiberglass-RV-4Sale

LyleB
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Thanks for your post. I will

Thanks for your post. I will be picking up my Layout 4 in either Oct or Nov. Any comments on things you might change or order differently? I still have time to add/subtract.

Twister2
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Layout 4

LyleB

We purchased the layout # 4 with the option package. We upgraded to a bigger refrigerator (3.7 cubic feet) and added an awning, air conditioning, extra lights over the dining table and a few extra outlets both inside and outside. We also had them install the heat strip with the air conditioning and upgraded to the group 27 battery pack.I had the camper wired for cable TV, but if I had to do it again, I would have added the antenna and the 3 speed roof fan. 

Hopes this helps with your decision on options...

 

charleeb
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Joined: 10/07/2014 - 20:59
We Survived the Weather Too!

Welcome to the group!  We also had an interesting experience in our 16-foot Scamp while visiting South Dakota.  We camped at the Horse Thief Campground in Hill City in 2015.  During our stay, we experienced three of the worst hail storms that I have ever been through in my life.  Believe me, going through a hail storm in a fiberglassed-shell Scamp is terrifying enough, let alone three of them.  Shake some rocks in a tin can and you get the drift. Anyway, numerous other RV's in the park received damage.  Everything from broken vent covers and water leaks to dents in A/C unit covers and such.  In fact, my Jeep Grand Cherokee tow vehicle had over $3000 damage from the hail.  My hood was dimpled like a golf ball.  However, our Scamp came through like a champ!  I ended up with about a two-inch crack in my refrigerator vent, and a couple of small dings in the A/C cover.  That was bad enough, then on the way home we stayed one-night at a KOA in Minnesota.  I left the trailer hitched to the car.  The next morning, a bad thunderstorm cell with damaging winds blew through.  Several trees, branches and limbs came down in the campground, and debris was everywhere.  A trailer next to us was blown off it's jack-stands, and broken awnings were common.  Again, nothing with us.

We love our little Scamp, and have had some fun experiences with it too.  I hope you have a lot of fun in yours as well!!!

Greg A
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Weather

Wow, maybe you ought to name that Scamp something like "Hail Mary."

Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape

Buying or Selling Molded FG Trailers:

Fiberglass-RV-4Sale

Sunnie Daz
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New members here also. Have

New members here also. Have bought an absolute dilapidated 1980 13' Scamp. Broken shell, no floor, Cabinets all out. The whole trailer gutted. We are Martin and Joanne in British Columbia.

Twister2
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Hi Martin and Joanne

and welcome to SOI. Before purchasing our new Scamp, I toyed with the idea of purchasing an older Scamp and refurbishing it. I have the skills to take on such a task, but cost and the time it takes to get a used trailer road worthy again with all the rebuilds and mods, convinced me that I would be much happier buying new and enjoy camping right away.  

Since our initial trip to pick up the Scamp in Backus, we spent 4 days in Hershey PA with our grandchildren. They are age 6 and 2 respectively and camping with children is an adventure all by itself. We had a great time, but I was never so happy to give them back to their parents. LOL

Our next adventure will be a little weekend jaunt to Merry Meadows Campground in Freeland Maryland, at the end of the month to attend an Apple Festival.

I hope your project goes well. Keep us up to date on your progress and post some pics on occasion.

RyanDigital
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Scamp Project

Great Martin and Joanne. Just the way I like them too.  Think of it as a blank canvas that you will make uniquely yours.  I would love to see some pictures now and along the way.  Have fun.  I have lots of fun fixing up my Scamp.

Sunnie Daz
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She's a rough one

She's a rough one