volvo xc40 – Scampgrounds

Reflections on Owning a 2020 Scamp 13’ for Five Years

https://scampgrounds.com/wp-content/themes/osmosis/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 gavin gavin https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/9de79417d52cde759ffedf503509748a?s=96&d=mm&r=g November 23, 2024 November 23, 2024

By: gavin

November 23, 2024

Reflections on Owning a 2020 Scamp 13’ for Five Years (Nov. 2024)

Note: This is a follow up article to one written after two years of owning our Scamp

It’s already been five years since we took delivery of our new 2020 Scamp 13’ from the factory in November 2019! It seems like just yesterday when the friendly Scamp driver pulled up to our house in San Diego after making the several day drive from Backus, Minnesota. Since that time, we’ve taken 39 trips to 148 locations and have spent 266 nights in our Scamp! To see complete articles on every trip we’ve taken, click here. It now seems like a good time to reflect on our decision to buy our 2020 Scamp 13’ and what’s happened over the past five years.

We were very hesitant before purchasing our 2020 Scamp 13’. We never had a travel trailer before, or even camped anywhere. We were used to travelling, but did so by airplane and staying in spiffy hotels. Before getting our Scamp, we had already travelled to six out of seven of the world’s continents (all but Antarctica) — but had hardly seen any places in the U.S. or Canada. We figured that travelling by land would be a great way to see North America. But, we weren’t sure if we would even like camping or towing a trailer. We could have rented a used travel trailer to get some idea of what it’s like, but, instead, decided to go all in without a trial since it had been in our dreams for awhile.

At first, we did a lot of online research until we narrowed our choice to the Scamp and a few other models. We seriously considered other brands, including Airstream, TAB, and Safari Condo, before choosing Scamp. And, we visited dealerships and spent a lot of time comparing models. We even flew to Quebec City, Canada to visit the factory of Safari Condo! For a detailed article on how we compared different trailers, click here. We also visited a local Scamp owner who was referred to us by Scamp who owned a Scamp 16’. She was very friendly and let us check out her trailer and told us stories about her adventures.

We ultimately chose Scamp due to its construction, features and size. We wanted a fiberglass trailer because fiberglass trailers have a reputation of excellent quality and longevity generally not found in other trailer construction types. We also desired a trailer we could fit in our garage and tow with our four cylinder car. We did modify our garage height so we could have our Scamp at home (great for getting ready for trips) and not have to pay monthly storage fees or spend time driving to RV storage lots. Click here to see how we raised our garage height from 7’ to 8’ to accommodate our Scamp 13’. We learned that in California, trailers 16’ or shorter aren’t subject to yearly annual registration fees (it’s just an inexpensive permanent trailer plate fee every 5 years – currently $10), so getting a small trailer made good economic sense as well.

Our concerns about getting a travel trailer were quickly dissolved after taking delivery and experiencing our first couple of trips. Although there was a learning curve, it wasn’t very steep. When something didn’t work like we expected, we figured it out (sometimes by calling Scamp). We also made good friends on trips and a few became excellent references for answering trailer questions. Towing the trailer didn’t take much time to get used to (here are a couple of articles on our experiences towing and how we hitch up — towing and hitching up). We learned a lot as we took more trips and rigorously documented our Scamp journey by blogging so others might benefit from our experiences. Our Scamp blog not only lists all our trips, but also everything we have encountered along the way and all the modifications we have made on our Scamp 13’.

Having a small travel trailer has allowed us to travel considerably more often and more spontaneously than we would have if travelling by air / car / hotel. It’s great being able to schedule a trip on a moment’s notice whenever we want. Although campgrounds can be difficult to get into during peak months, we’ve always been successful at either booking last minute (if we didn’t make a reservation in advance) or finding alternatives. And, it’s satisfying knowing that we will be sleeping in our own comfortable bed with our own clean bedding (and not having to be concerned about extra fees or hidden nightmares). Additionally, the cost differences between taking a trip in our Scamp and reserving a hotel room are substantial. Since we usually stay in State and National Parks, we generally don’t pay more than $40/night for a campsite (and, if you are 62 years old or older, National Parks and other federal lands, such as BLM & Forest Service parks, slash these costs in half if you buy a Lifetime Senior America the Beautiful Pass — currently $90 including fees). A lot of campgrounds in the Eastern Sierra are run by the Forest Service and fees are generally around $32 / night (so, someone who has a Lifetime Senior America the Beautiful Pass would only pay 50%, or around $16/night at these campgrounds).

The average daily rate of a hotel room in the US was $148 in 2022 (Statista). That’s at least a $100/night savings by travelling in a travel trailer versus staying in a hotel. A simple calculation based on the 266 nights we’ve already stayed in our Scamp 13’ over the past five years shows we would have spent at least $39,368 (266 nights x $148/night average) for hotel rooms had we opted to stay in average priced hotels instead of buying our Scamp 13’ (which cost around $18K, including shipping)!!! For an article on how we selected options and purchased our Scamp 13’, click here. And, generally, prices for nice hotels in California are well north of $200/night. And, hotels within National Parks (if they are available) tend to be very expensive. For example, room rates at the Ahwanee Hotel in Yosemite National Park currently range between $578 and $1,347 per night. Travelling in a small travel trailer brings other cost savings as well, such as not having to go out to eat for every meal. We enjoy great home cooked meals in our Scamp for most days of our trips (although we do enjoy going out to eat occasionally). Driving instead of flying plus renting a car can also be less expensive.

Over the past five years, we fortunately haven’t had any significant issues or maintenance costs with our 2020 Scamp 13’. There have been some minor issues (e.g. replaced exterior door handle, bathroom door handle, hookup valve handle, toilet spring cartridge kit, shower drain pump, and shower valve — all of which we installed ourselves), but nothing very expensive. We take our Scamp 13’ to Sonrise RV every two years to have the bearings repacked and greased and the brakes adjusted (about $200). And, we replaced the standard battery with a SOK 100ah lithium battery ourselves (now priced about $300) — click here to see how we did it. We had a shop install a RedArc DC-DC battery charger (about $1,000) for fast charging of our Scamp’s lithium battery when we drive. We have replaced the Scamp 13’ tires once ($50/tire) and plan to replace them every three years regardless of wear (see this article for more details). We do most repairs ourselves, but a local shop could also easily do them for someone not wanting to do work on their trailer themselves. We wax our Scamp 13’ every spring with our favorite marine wax.

Putting aside how doable buying and using a small travel trailer is and the potential huge cost savings small travel trailers provide compared to other types of travel, the main question for us when getting a travel trailer was “will this be fun?”. Looking back over the past five years, the answer for us to this question is a resounding yes! We have had so many outstanding adventures and met so many good friends during our travels, that getting our 2020 Scamp 13’ has been extremely fun and rewarding. And, one of the biggest benefits of owning a small travel trailer is being able to stay in highly desired locations only possible by having one (such as inside a State or National Park). We’ve been to so many beautiful areas with the closest hotel/motel lodging being thirty minutes or more drive away. And, experiencing these places at night takes the park experience to another level (e.g. many animals come out at night and hearing and seeing them is fantastic!). Plus, the quiet spent in nature once the day users leave is very special. For anyone considering buying a small travel trailer, we would highly recommend the experience. Owning a small travel trailer might change your life for the better!

Disclaimer: You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale. These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences. However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer. It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything

How to Replace a 7-Way Flat Pin Socket Connector on Your Tow Vehicle

By: gavin

May 16, 2023

How to Replace a 7-Way Flat Pin Socket Connector on Your Tow Vehicle

On our last trip, the plastic flap covering our tow vehicle’s 7-way hitch socket connector broke. This doesn’t seem like a big deal, but without the flap, the trailer cable won’t stay in the socket since it relies on the flap’s flange to keep it in place while driving. While we were descending a steep hill on our final leg home, our 2020 Volvo XC40’s brakes began to pump. We had never heard this noise before, and then at about the same time an orange warning light lit up indicating a failure with the trailer cable connection. We pulled over and found that our Scamp 13’s cable had pulled out. This would explain the noise of the Volvo’s brakes working hard, since our Scamp’s brakes were disconnected. The trailer cable is essential for the operation of the trailer’s brake and safety light system, powering the trailer’s turn signal lights, brake lights, hazard lights, running lights, and also activating the trailer’s brakes. When the connector broke, all of these critical features no longer worked. Fortunately, we had some zip ties which we used for a temporary fix to get us home.

I called Volvo when we returned home and was told that the connector is molded into the entire Volvo wiring harness and they don’t sell just a replacement flap. They said the only way to fix it with Volvo parts is to replace the entire wiring harness, and the harness cost would be $167 plus labor! This seemed to be a very high cost for just a broken plastic flap replacement. Our 2020 Volvo XC40 has been a reliable workhorse for us, and I wanted to find a simple inexpensive solution to fix the broken flap. Since we sometimes do off road boondocking, we wouldn’t want to have to replace the entire wiring harness any time the little plastic flap breaks. Fortunately, I was able to find another solution at a fraction of the cost. This inexpensive 7-way socket and mini harness currently sells for around $17 on Amazon. I was easily able to replace the broken Volvo 7-way socket connector with this new connector by joining this new mini harness to the existing Volvo wiring harness.

This new 7-way flat pin socket connector should work with most tow vehicles as long as the wiring colors/pin locations are the same as the existing vehicle’s wiring harness colors/pin locations. To make sure everything works well, the first thing to do is test the continuity of each of the new connector’s 7 wires (with a continuity tester) to verify that the wiring and pin locations are identical by color to the tow vehicle wiring. If each of the wire colors is continuous with the same pin locations on the new connectors as the tow vehicle’s 7-way socket connector, everything should work great. I noticed on our Volvo, the center pin wire on the Volvo wiring harness is purple, but the center pin wire on the new connector harness is red. So, I just had to connect the purple wire to the red wire so the Volvo continues to send the correct signal to the center pin of the new 7-way socket connector. All the other wire colors/pin locations on our Volvo’s old connector did correspond to the new connectors’ wire colors/pin locations.

Once confirming wire colors and pin locations are matched, I verified that our Scamp cable plugs securely into the new 7-way socket connector. I then clipped the wires from the existing Volvo 7-way socket connector, unbolted it and removed it from its mount. Once removed, I also verified its wire colors and pin locations with a continuity tester. I then attached the new 7-way socket and mini harness to the Volvo’s existing wiring harness, making sure to pull the new mini harness through the mounting hole before making the connections. I stripped each wire and then used the provided preinstalled butt connectors to join each of the wires (by color, except for the purple/red combination). For the white wire, I used a WAGO connector to connect the two white wires since the white wire on the original harness is already grounded (I just clipped the circular grounding connector from the white wire on the new mini harness and joined it to the white wire on the Volvo wiring harness). After the wires were all connected, I mounted the new connector with the existing bolts and tucked the wiring harness up behind the bumper (and used Gorilla tape to help keep it in place).

To test the system, I connected the Scamp’s trailer cable to the tow vehicle and ran the Volvo’s automated trailer lights check. I observed all lights working properly. The key to doing this installation successfully is to make sure to correctly match each of the wires to the proper flat pin locations.

Project Supplies and Tools:

Anto 7 Way Trailer Plug: https://amzn.to/3xXw11z
WAGO 221 Connectors: https://amzn.to/3Nn2Hr8
Wire stripper: https://amzn.to/3M6CyME
Continuity Test: https://amzn.to/39T82J7
Gorilla Tape: https://amzn.to/3Nh6y9a

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

By: gavin

September 27, 2022

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
September 11^th – 18^th, 2022 (7 nights)

Visiting Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks in the shoulder season is a fantastic way to experience the parks without heavy summer crowds. The weather was very pleasant during our visit in September with highs in the high 60’s (perfect for hiking) and lows in the low 40’s (perfect for sleeping) and the trails were fairly unpopulated. Because of the cool nights, we used the furnace in our Scamp 13’ while sleeping and set the thermostat at 58 degrees, which was very comfortable for a great night’s rest. Because the drive from our home in Carlsbad to these parks is around 8 hours, we stopped halfway for overnights at Bear Mountain RV Park in Bakersfield to break up the drives both going to the parks and on our way home. Fortunately, we brought along our portable AC system, because it was in the 90’s in Bakersfield!

When searching for a convenient half way overnight stop, our biggest priority was finding a place which was along the route so we didn’t add unnecessary driving time. Additionally, since we knew it could still be very hot in the Central Valley in September, we also wanted to make sure the place where we stayed had electrical hookups so we would be able to run our AC system. Lastly, we wanted a reasonable nightly rate since we weren’t going to have time to take advantage of any extra facilities (like pool, laundry room, clubhouse, miniature golf course, etc.) or location (e.g. proximity to the downtown, etc.). Bear Mountain RV Park in the Central Valley (Bakersfield) meets all of these criteria; it’s just a few minutes off the 99 Freeway (located in between farmland), about halfway from our home to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, it offers full hookups, and the rate when we stayed was only $34/night (although they just raised the rate to $39/night). Most of the park is occupied by monthly renters, but the last row of campsites is set aside to accommodate overnight guests. We were assigned site #17 and our friends, Phil & Claudia, who accompanied us on this trip, were parked right next to us. It was hot (about 95 degrees) when we arrived, so we set up our portable AC system which chilled the Scamp down very quickly. The park advertises WiFi, but we couldn’t get a good signal at our location. However, there is a cell tower close by and we got fast internet and good phone service anyway with our Spectrum/Verizon mobile service. HDTV signals were also plentiful and crystal clear here. As an added bonus, we enjoyed evening walks along a farmland path of pistachio trees across the street from Bear Mountain RV park.

Because we were towing a travel trailer, we had to take the longer route, Highway 180, to reach Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. Driving up the more direct route, Highway CA-198E, is not permitted for vehicles over 22 feet long due to severe hair pin turns (our Volvo XC40 is 14.5 feet long and our Scamp 13’ is 13 feet long = our total length of 27.5 feet). The road into the park during the last hour of driving is windy, but not too bad. Because Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks are national parks, a $35 entrance fee is required at the entrance station. We opted to purchase the $80 annual America the Beautiful Pass instead which allows access to all national parks in addition to other government lands for a year. We arrived at Lodgepole Campground in Sequoia National Park to a fantastic site (#160, $22/night) right alongside a creek. This site is spacious and situated in the middle of a beautiful pine forest. There are no hookups here, but, despite the campground being heavily forested, we were able to get all the electricity we needed by using our solar panels. We also arrived with two fully filled propane tanks, which provided all the gas we needed to cook, heat our water for nightly showers, and power our furnace to keep our Scamp’s interior nice and warm in the middle of the night. There is a threaded water spigot close by to site #160 and we used our super hose extender for quick water fills whenever needed! Also, there is a free central dump station at the entrance of the park (only a few minutes’ drive from site #160) which we used during the middle of our five night stay here (quick and easy). So, despite the campsites having no hookups here, one can still experience a fabulous long stay at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks with the right gear and planning. And, Lodgepole Campground is a great location when visiting these parks because it is right at the center of most of the natural attractions. Note: there is no cell phone reception at most places within the park (though, there are payphones at Lodgepole Campground, and Waksachi Lodge – a few miles down the road- offers free very poor quality WiFI [when we visited], but the best value in gifts we encountered within the park ). A ranger informed us that there is a helipad (perhaps the large overflow parking lot at the entrance to Lodgepole Campground) and there are rangers available 24/7 in case of emergencies.

The highlight of a trip to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks is walking among the giant sequoia trees. These trees are among the largest and oldest trees on Earth and are magnificent to behold. What’s amazing too is that they only exist on one place on Earth, and that’s here within a narrow 260 mile path of forest on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains (between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in elevation). Some of these trees are over 3,000 years old! These giant sequoias are awe inspiring and a trip to this national park should be at the very top of everyone’s bucket list of places to see in their lifetime. The main trail to see these giants is the Congress Trail. To get here, one can either hike a 2.8 mile trail from Lodgepole Campground to the General Sherman Tree, or drive to the General Sherman parking area just down the road. The Congress Trail is a gentle 2.7 mile paved round trip path that goes by some of the largest and well know sequoias in Sequoia National Park. The trail begins at the General Sherman tree, which is the largest living tree on Earth and stands over 275 feet tall. Also along the path are the President Tree, Chief Sequoyah Tree, The Senate Group, The House Group, and McKinley Tree. The President Tree, named after President Warren G. Harding in 1923, is the oldest living sequoia tree at over 3,200 years old (about 250 feet tall). Curiously, we didn’t see the famous General Lee Tree name on the path. We speculated that the name was “cancelled” due to him owning slaves and other injustices (which we later confirmed when reading this article). However, Google Maps still listed the tree and we were able to find it unlabeled.

There are also numerous trails which originate from Lodgepole Campground (some tens of miles long and requiring a backcountry permit for overnight camping in the wild). One of the most famous is the Tokopah Falls Trail (allow 2 – 3 hours). It’s a roughly 3.8 mile moderately challenging out and back hike which meanders its way up the Kaweah River and comes to a head at the bottom of a 1,200 cascading foot waterfall (although dry during summer and fall months if no rain). The falls were flowing a little bit during our visit because it had recently rained (hikers previously reported no water flow the week before). The falls are formed as the marble fork of the Kaweah River slides down a magnificent granite face into the Tokopah Valley. The trail has areas with sections of stone steps as well as short wood plank bridges. The last short section of trail is over uneven granite rocks and should be avoided by those with stability issues (the waterfall can still be seen before this section though). It’s a beautiful hike that passes though forest and meadows. It’s also common to see bears near the trail in the early morning. We saw one on our visit. Sequoia National Park is an active bear area for the American black bear. It’s mandatory to use the metal bear food lockers to store your food at the campsite. There are many stories of bear encounters like this one here and this scary one for a camper at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. Be “bear aware” and try never to sneak up on an unsuspecting bear since startling the animal at close range could provoke a defensive attack. Usually, the bears will hear hikers and stay at a distance or move away. If a bear approaches, make yourself look big by raising your arms (and if you are in a group huddle together) and make a lot of noise by clapping and yelling. It’s generally not recommended to try to outrun the bear (unless you have some slower hikers with you!). The same advice applies to mountain lions which like to chase running prey.

Make sure to visit the Giant Forest Museum during your visit. The small free museum has some excellent displays and information on sequoias and the area (as well as a nice gift shop). There’s also a nice one mile round trip meadow hike from the museum. On the south side of the museum is a short paved road which leads to Beetle Rock, a large granite rock which you can climb on and offers nice mountain views to the south and west. It’s a great place to watch the sunset. Speaking of sunsets, if you have time, also plan a visit to Sunset Rock. Sunset Rock Trail can be accessed across the road from the Giant Forest Museum. It’s an easy mile forest trail that leads to a large granite dome (Sunset Rock) which offers superb western views (best visited at sunset). And, speaking of rocks, climbing Moro Rock should be on your radar (as long as you aren’t averse to climbing a bunch of stairs – about 350 steps to the top – or have a fear of heights). It’s considered a moderately challenging hike, but it is fairly short (only about .5 miles round trip) and can be completed in about half an hour without stopping (there’s a parking lot at its base). No serious rock climbing is necessary as this granite dome has rock stairs along with metal handrails to keep visitors safe. The 360 degree views at the top are spectacular, offering sights of an incredible mountain range on one side and looking way out over the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River toward the Great Western Divide of the High Sierra and down to the San Joaquin Valley below on the other (highly recommended).

There’s so much to do in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks that we only scratched the surface during out five night stay at Lodgepole Campground in Sequoia National Park. We noticed some campers left some days to make long drives (over one hour to the Kings Canyon side of the park) to explore areas, such as Mist Falls and Hume Lake, on the Kings Canyon side of the parks. But, with the windy roads and drive time of over an hour to cross the parks, we decided to spend most of our time in Sequoia National park and touch the highlight of Kings Canyon National Park (visiting the General Grant Tree at Grant Grove Village) on our way out of the park on our last day. I’m glad we decided to spend the majority of our time in Sequoia National Park, staying at Lodgepole Campground, because there are more groves of the giant sequoias here. I would definitely consider coming back in the future and staying within Kings Canyon National park to see some of the waterfalls and other natural wonders though (there are numerous campgrounds within Kings Canyon National Park including: Azalea Campground, Crystal Springs Campground, and Sunset Campground). On our way to Grant Grove Village, we refueled at Stony Creek gas station (free WiFi that actually works too!). There is a visitor’s center and gift shop (the most expensive we visited in the park) at Grant Grove Village as well as some RV parking. We avoided the two mile round trip hike from Grant Grove Village to the General Grant Tree and back by driving down the road and parking in the small General Grant Tree parking lot. We got lucky and found a couple of RV spaces to park (there are only around 4 bus/RV spaces). After viewing the magnificent General Grant Tree, which is just right in front of the parking lot, it got a bit crazy on our way out. A large tourist bus pulled in and blocked the exit path for a little while. We were fortunate to have been able to plan our visit to stay during the week and were reminded that, even during the off season, weekends can be very busy in national parks.

Lake Almanor, Rocky Point Campground (PG&E)

By: gavin

July 7, 2022

Lake Almanor, Rocky Point Campground (PG&E)
June 11^th – 20^th, 2022 (9 nights)

Summer is the perfect time to head up to the mountains, relax and have fun at beautiful lakes. The weather is usually nice and sunny and not too warm or cold. On this trip, we chose to visit a relatively unheard of lake, called Lake Almanor (elevation 4,505 ft.), far up in Northern California near Lassen Volcanic National Park (about 5 hours north of San Francisco). Since the trip is a long distance from our home in San Diego, we chose to make some overnight rest stops before and after reaching Lake Almanor. On our way up, we stopped at my cousin Jon’s home in Santa Barbara and spent the night. Our next stop was at my sister’s house in Oakland, where we spent a couple of nights hiking and relaxing with family. The final leg from Oakland to Lake Almanor took us about 5 hours and we arrived at our campsite, site #52, by the lake around 1:30 p.m. Returning home, we stopped first in Oakland and then at my brother’s house in Pacific Palisades. The total trip cost for gasoline was $544 with our 2020 Volvo XC40 tow vehicle averaging around 20 mpg towing our Scamp 13’.

In the Lake Almanor area, Rocky Point campground is one of PG&E’s campgrounds which the utility shares with the public for a reasonable nightly rate. We paid $30/night for our no hookup site (no hookups are available here) and $7 to use the central Dump station. Reservation windows for each season become available at different times in the spring and it’s best to check PG&E’s website for details. It’s also a good idea to reserve your campsite the first morning PG&E’s online reservations system opens. We reserved two campsites on April 25^th (one for us and one for our friends) (the online reservation system actually opened a week earlier but it was only for those making reservations for stays of a week or longer). Here’s a video of the lake and campground area.

Lake Almanor is actually a reservoir which PG&E uses to generate electricity through a dam (hydroelectric project). The lake has 52 miles of coastline and was completed by Great Western Power in 1927 and named after the three daughters of a company executive: Alice, Martha, and Eleanor. Lassen Volcanic National Park is a short drive away (we didn’t visit this time because we stayed at its Manzanita Lake Campground last summer) and its towering snowcapped Mt. Lassen is visible in the distance of Lake Almanor. There are plenty of fun things to do at this under-the-radar location and the nice thing is that there are few crowds to deal with here (unlike at Yosemite National Park). Water activities on Lake Almanor’s 28,000 acres (e.g. boating, stand up paddle boarding, jet skiing, kayaking, fishing, swimming, and sunbathing on the beach) along with hiking and biking on the paved Lake Almanor Recreation Trail (which goes on for miles) are some of the favorites.

We had plenty of engaging activities the four days we stayed at Lake Almanor. And, best of all, our friends, Phil & Claudia, were able to join us on this trip which made for a seriously fun time! On our first day, we took a bike ride on the Lake Almanor Recreation Trail (total length around 19 miles round trip). The ride is moderately challenging with drops and climbs and goes along the lake through forests. We only completed about 10 miles round trip and travelled from the campground to Pratville (closest small town to the campground) and back. This little town is made up of several small businesses which include a general store, Carol’s Pratville Café (all the locals rave about the food and ice-cream here), and some small lakeside resorts and cabins. There are occasional benches on the trail that look out on beautiful views over the lake which make for pleasant rest stops. Our ride took us about three hours and we were tired when we got back to our campsite. After our long ride was the perfect time to try out our new hammock! Lying in the hammock and looking at the lake and sky was totally peaceful and relaxing. We also had a chance to play one of our favorite games, Sequence, with our friends.

On the following days at the campground, we took more walks (and even walked to the dam) and played more games. We watched ospreys feeding and even saw one drop a fish into the lake! We relaxed in our new chairs on the beach and took our inflatable kayak out onto the lake. We enjoyed watching movies at night in our Scamp 13′. The weather was beautiful our entire visit (mostly in the 70’s during the day), but early the morning we left it snowed (mid June)! We saw snow on car’s hoods and a winter wonderland, with the forest blanketed in white powder, as we drove down the mountain! With so many things to do at Lake Almanor, our only regret is not having spent more time relaxing in our new hammock! There’s always next year!!!

Yosemite National Park

By: gavin

May 25, 2021

Yosemite National Park
May 10^th – May 16^th, 2021 (6 nights)

Yosemite is a must see National Park mainly because of its abundance of scenic beauty. Waterfalls, huge granite sheer mountain walls, wildlife, and a beautiful valley with meadows and countless hiking and biking trails add to the immense wonder of the park. If you can reserve a spot at one of the campgrounds in Yosemite, consider yourself very lucky as these spots are extremely difficult to get. For tips on getting a spot, see my previous article “Winning Yosemite’s Campground Reservations Online Lottery”.

The drive from Carlsbad, California to Upper Falls Campground in Yosemite takes between 7 and 8 hours. To make the drive easier, we decided to stop midway both on the drive up and way back home. We stayed at two Boondockers Welcome locations, so the overnight stays didn’t cost us anything (other than the $50 annual subscription fee). We stayed in the driveway of a nice home in Visalia going to Yosemite and at a miniature donkey farm in Bakersfield on the way home (this was our 2^nd visit!). Using this subscription is a great way to make trips easier and get some interesting experiences!

Yosemite has several campgrounds and we chose to stay at Upper Pines. This is a fantastic campground nestled within the pines and having a sheer granite wall towering high overhead. There are 240 campsites at Upper Pines and each has a picnic table, food locker and fire pit. Although there are no hookups, there are bathrooms and access to drinking water from central spigots. There is also a Dump Station at the entrance to Upper Pines campground. We found the Dump Station to be completely empty throughout the day. It gets busier around midday when people are checking in. Although the campground has a lot of shade, there was enough sunlight at our site #126 to keep our solar panels out and charging our Scamp battery. Site #126 was rated for a travel trailer with maximum length of 12 feet. It is the responsibility of the camper to ensure that both the travel trailer and tow vehicle fit on the campsite pad and do not stick out onto the roadway. With our Scamp 13’ and our Volvo XC40 (around 14’) we were still able to just fit by angling our tow vehicle slightly to keep the nose off the road. A longer tow vehicle or trailer might have a problem in this short campsite. So, it’s important to read the campsite description before reserving to make sure your setup will fit!

We made sure to use the Dump Station on entry to Upper Pines campground (which also includes a fresh water filling area) so our Scamp 13’ was completely dumped as well as filled with fresh water. Fortunately, we carried our Holy Grail Portable Grey Water Tank Solution with us so we did not need to move our Scamp 13’ the entire 4 days at the campground! On the morning of the 3^rd day, I filled our 4 five gallon grey water tank jugs and drove them to the Dump Station and poured them out there. We didn’t have an issue with our Black tank as it can generally go for about 6-7 days with two people. Our electrical needs were taken care of by using our solar panel briefcase each day.

For just $26 per day, staying in Upper Pines Campground is a fantastic bargain! It’s an easy walk or bike ride to sites throughout the Yosemite Valley, including Curry Village, the general store, Cook’s Meadow Loop, and Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. And, a lot of great trails, like the Lower Yosemite Fall Trail, Cook’s Meadow Loop, Mirror Lake Loop, Valley Loop Trail, Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall Trails, Mist Trail, John Muir Trail, and Yosemite Falls Trail are all easily accessible from Upper Pines Campground. We chose to walk throughout the valley, but bike rentals are also available. Alternatively, for a nice hotel within the park, plan a stay at The Ahwahnee hotel and expect to pay over $500/night!

The campground was very quiet but populated. We had the opportunity of meeting a nice retired couple travelling in a van from Maryland (tent campers). They invited us to dinner at their campsite one night (great salmon and rice dish) and we cooked them pasta on another night. They are on a four month trip across the country visiting National Parks. We were fortunate with the weather and crowds. Every day was clear and sunny and afternoons were warm but not too hot. We experienced dramatic starry nights and enjoyed watching the climbers’ lights as they scaled the faces of some very high vertical walls in pure darkness. Our days were filled with long walks throughout Yosemite Valley and early morning hikes. Our favorite hike was up to Vernal Falls – the most interesting part is a steep stone staircase that goes up to the top of the falls. A rainbow forms across the stairs due to the heavy mist created by the water fall. We ventured out to Yosemite Valley almost every night to enjoy the stars and engage in astrophotography.

Our four nights at Upper Pines Campground went by very quickly. Yosemite is a great place to get outdoors and also relax. There’s hiking, horseback riding, fishing, biking, boating, climbing, and countless other activities in which to engage. We did speak to one of the rangers and he advised us that it does get like Disneyland in the summer with serious crowding. So, if you can arrange it, go in early to mid-May because the weather should be good (although can be unpredictable), the water falls are generally raging, and it’s most likely going to be less crowded than during the summer months. Yosemite National Park gets 5 stars!

How Easy is Towing a Small Travel Trailer for the First Time?

By: gavin

November 21, 2020

How Easy is Towing a Small Travel Trailer for the First Time?

I had no absolutely no experience towing a small travel trailer when our Scamp 13’ was dropped off at our home by the factory delivery driver. After a quick review of some of the Scamp’s features and signing the paperwork (and handing over a check), the driver left and the Scamp was now in our garage ready to be taken on adventures.

I really liked the idea of all the possible trips we could take by having a small travel trailer and the probable fun we would have. Small travel trailers are a golden ticket into places most cannot spend the night (at least not comfortably), like State and National Parks. In the past, we would stay at a hotel if we wanted to visit scenic outdoor locations. And, hotels at these types of places are typically not cheap! In contrast, most nightly campground rates at State and National Parks are generally very reasonable (often less than $40 / night). For example, a full hookup spot (meaning electricity, water, and sewer are provided at your campsite) at Furnace Creek Campground in Death Valley National Park is currently only $36 / night. In comparison, a room at the Inn At Death Valley starts at around $350 / night in January. In addition, you can prepare all your meals in your small travel trailer, but would likely have a much higher meal cost at the hotel.

Given all the positives, we decided we would just have to learn how to tow the small travel trailer and hoped it wouldn’t be that difficult. The first challenge came up pretty soon after delivery. In order to register the trailer, we needed to tow it to the local AAA as an in-person inspection is required! With no prior experience, and after a bit of research, we hooked up our Scamp and drove it to AAA. It actually was a very easy first drive experience. The Scamp just follows the tow vehicle and, unless you make sharp turns, change lanes too fast, or go over bumps too quickly, it really isn’t a big deal to tow. It is important to allow for wide turns so the trailer following you can clear whatever you are turning around. The only stress initially was changing lanes, but even that has now become as easy as driving without the Scamp attached. You just have to take it slowly and make extra sure the lane is clear before you change lanes.

Advanced research and preparation seem to be the keys for first time towing success. Just like studying for a test, if you prepare in advance you will stand a higher chance for a positive outcome. First, it’s important you select the right tow vehicle before you buy your small travel trailer. Although I did chat with someone who told me he tows his Scamp 13’ travel trailer with a Toyota Prius, I wouldn’t recommend that for anyone. Instead, choose a vehicle that is rated to tow (meaning the transmission and brakes, etc. were designed for towing) and can easily handle the weight of your trailer as well as the hitch (tongue) weight your small travel trailer puts on your tow vehicle’s hitch ball (to be conservative, having at least 30% more vehicle capacity than the weight and tongue weight of the trailer may be a good starting point). In most cases, a decently powered SUV will do the job for towing a small travel trailer (but check the specs on your trailer and desired tow vehicle). In our case, we chose the Volvo XC40 with the T5 AWD engine and factory installed tow package (248 hp, tow rating = 3,500 lbs if trailer has brakes / tongue weight rating = 350 lbs). Scamp lists the approximate weight of the standard 13’ model between 1200 and 1500 lbs. and the tongue weight at 100 lbs. So, in this case, the Volvo XC40 is easily rated to tow the Scamp. The extra tow and tongue capacity allows for potentially higher weights due to carrying gear in the Scamp as well as provides power for steep mountain passes. The tow vehicle should be ordered with a factory tow package if available and the small travel trailer should be ordered with electronic brakes.

We have found the Volvo XC40 to be an exceptional tow vehicle in many ways. First, since it’s only a four cylinder turbo, it gets relatively good gas mileage — we routinely get 20MPG when towing. It also feels incredibly stable to drive and the weight of our Scamp 13’ is not noticeable (even going up steep grades). And, since it is all wheel drive (AWD), it always feels sure footed even on the bumpy sloped dirt surfaces one is likely to encounter at some campgrounds. We picked up the vehicle in Sweden through Volvo’s Oversees Delivery Program (which is a fantastic experience in itself). This allowed us to drive the car around Sweden for a couple of weeks and get to know the vehicle and the country.

Once you have your very capable tow vehicle, it is time to order a capable hitch to plug into your vehicle’s hitch receptacle. We purchased this heavy duty hitch (2 x 2” shank with 2” ball) which is rated to tow 7,500lbs gross trailer weight and 750lbs tongue weight! So, this hitch can easily accommodate a 13’ Scamp weighing 1,500lbs with a 100lb tongue weight! It has a 2” drop, but can also be flipped to give a ¾” rise (note: it’s best to go to an automotive shop that uses pneumatic tools to properly torque the nut if it’s flipped). We started with the 2” drop, but found that the Scamp 13’ was not level with our tow vehicle (slight drop in center, see images) which resulted in the tongue jack plate sometimes scraping driveways and noisy towing (hitch ball rattling). Once we flipped the hitch, the trailer became level with our tow vehicle resulting in no more scraping and a smoother quieter towing experience!

Having both a capable tow vehicle and hitch set up will mean that you are much less likely to encounter towing problems on the road. Of course, it’s always important to plug in your trailer to the tow vehicle so your trailer’s lights and emergency brakes are communicating with the tow vehicle (and check the trailer lights before leaving). In addition, it’s imperative that safety chains be used whenever towing (see images). Getting the ball on your tow vehicle properly aligned with your trailer coupler takes some practice, but gets easier with experience. I taped a ribbon on the tow coupler so it hangs straight down – this lets me see the ball hit the ribbon, which indicates just an inch or so more and the tow coupler is right over the ball. The step of locking the coupler onto the ball is critical. After locking, I recommend pulling up on the travel trailer coupler a couple times to watch the tow vehicle rear end go up and down to make sure the ball is really securely locked into place in the coupler (none or barely any of the bottom of the ball should be visible if looking at it from the side). In addition, I recommend using a coupler lock, not only as a theft security device, but also to help prevent the coupler latch from popping open while driving. I also like to use a hitch lock to securely hold the hitch in place and prevent someone from walking off with it.

The hardest thing about towing a small travel trailer isn’t the towing. I’ve found the biggest challenge is backing up the small travel trailer so that it goes where you want it to. In this regard, it’s always good to have a helper if available so they can stand outside the vehicle and direct you (either with walkie talkies, cell phones, or shouting). Our Scamp 13’ is very responsive when backing up and it takes practice getting comfortable to what type of wheel movements are required to control the trailer. One trick that really helps when backing up is to hold the steering wheel at the bottom and then turn it in the direction you want the trailer to travel. Don’t let the trailer go anywhere close to a 90 degree position with the tow vehicle when backing up as this can cause damage. It’s always better to take your time and straighten out as many times as you need to get your approach angle right. After a few trips, you will find backing up to be pretty easy. Note: I no longer use our trailer dolly in our garage because I’m used to backing our Scamp into the exact position I want in tight spaces (and you will be too after some experience).

In summary, I’m really glad we decided to purchase the Scamp 13’ even though we lacked towing experience and had concerns about the possible challenges of towing. Ultimately, towing a small travel trailer turns out not to be such a big deal. Towing your small travel trailer should be easy as long as you are prepared and get the proper tow vehicle and equipment (and follow checklists when leaving). If you do this, towing your small travel trailer will not be that much more difficult than driving your car. Initially, it may be stressful, but after towing for a trip or two you will be glad you made the purchase and likely will enjoy your trailer and all the experiences it will offer for many years to come.