Casita! Summer thoughts turning to something new

[Cudedog]

Well, here I go again with another long-winded post. But what the hey, it's summer and my feet are itching.

I have thought about getting a Casita to go with my van for the last several years. My van - a GMAC Savanna V-8 - is rated to pull up to 9,000 pounds, so it should be able to handle a Casita, no problem. Still love my van - but maybe time to upgrade to something with a bit more room.

Used Casita's on the left coast tend to be a bit pricey - fifteen, twenty year old Casitas are often priced in the $10,000 +/- dollar range. Often a bit more than this.

I called the Casita factory this morning to get their current price list, they said they would email it - although I have not received it as yet. Looking on the factory website, I see that a new Casita is priced from "under $14,000". This is likely the one without the bathroom, but it is at least a starting place. I'll post again when I receive the factory pricing info.

I started considering new after watching a YouTube video of a full-timer with an older 13' Casita (maybe 15 - 20 years old - see approximate pricing for a used Casita of this vintage above) pull up to a stop sign, then hear a scraping noise from her trailer. Turned out that the frame of the trailer had broken, and that she had to call out someone with a portable welder to do a temporary fix so she could get somewhere to do a more permanent fix. She said on the video that this would probably be the end of her full-timing adventures, but I haven't searched YouTube to see if she is still active.

I have done lots of thinking over the years, and the one major drawback of my van is that I can't stand up in it, and must always maneuver either on my knees or hunched over. My back is starting to not like this so much, and is letting me know.

Don't get me wrong, I love my van and have had some awesome travels in it. I have also thought about a (smaller) used Class A, B or C - but I purchased my van new in 2012, it is now paid for, it is still pretty low mileage (23,000) and I have scrupulously maintained it. Thus I know it's history, unlike what would be the case with a used motorhome.

I am not thrilled at the thought of pulling a trailer (I know I can do it - I used to pull around horse trailers filled with horses, comfortably and with no problem) so this might be the next logical step up for me.

I have also thought about other brands of new small travel trailers, and have looked at them. Those that I have seen in my area (mostly Jayco) seemed poorly built, with low-quality materials.

I looked at a almost-new Casita a couple of years ago and it was love at first sight. I wanted this trailer bad, but I was still working at the time, the $$ would have been a stretch (still is, for that matter) and my available travel time was severely restricted (the joys of working full-time).

Anyway.

I know that one or two of the Forum Sisters have, or have had, a Casita.

Would appreciate any thoughts and input that any of you sisters might have: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Your thoughts on new vs. used.

Please give it to me straight. I will be traveling with my dog, and now probably my elderly cat. I have paid to board her a time or two while I have gone on short trips of a week or less, but if I start in regular traveling, as I am itching to do, I would rather put the boarding fee ($20/day!) towards camping fees.

Thank you.

Anne

[Azusateach]

Have you read RV Sue's blog? She's been full-timing in a 16' Casita for going on 5 years, I believe, and pulls it with a van very much like yours. It might help you sort through more of your questions regarding them.

I think they're cute, but I wouldn't get one without a bathroom. It opens all sorts of options.

Laura

[havingfunnow]

I don't know much about Casitas or trailers with all the amenities, but I do know a little about some of the smaller UHaul molded fiberglass trailers. Fiberglass is astonishingly repairable, and you don't have to be an expert to figure out how to do it. I think most of the molded fiberglass trailers are like the UHauls -- basically, a shell bolted onto a frame. I've heard people talk about putting a new trailer from under the original shell, and they sound like it's pretty straightforward. An older trailer shouldn't be a problem in that way -- although I expect plumbing and wiring might be a concern.

[Joan]

Have you thought about installing a high top on the van. Below is an example of someone who did:
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/conversion ... -your-van/

Lots of youtube videos:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... top+on+van

I think this can be done for less than a used casita. If the issue is not being able to stand up in the van, this would solve that.

[Cudedog]

I don't know much about Casitas or trailers with all the amenities, but I do know a little about some of the smaller UHaul molded fiberglass trailers.

If I could find one of these old UHaul molded fiberglass trailers that was in reasonably good shape, I would buy it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, I have been looking for one for several years and have yet to find one for sale.

Good suggestion, though! Thank you!

Have you thought about installing a high top on the van.

I think this can be done for less than a used casita. If the issue is not being able to stand up in the van, this would solve that.

Thank you for the suggestion.

Actually, there is a serious issue concerned with installing a high-top that you don't generally see discussed: the absolutely critical issue of damaged (or eliminated!) structural integrity.

The standard metal roof of a conventional cargo van has metal roof "ribs" that connect to the metal sides of the van. The metal roof, and the welded metal ribs, are removed during the conversion process, replaced by only fiberglass. With the removal of the metal roof, and the metal roof ribs, the structural integrity of the van is thus severely compromised.

Here is an actual photo of my van, before I began the camper build. Notice the metal ribs in the metal roof, welded to the sides of the van. Read on after the photo.



Further, in a (God forbid!) roll-over accident, generally what happens is that the fiberglass high-top will either shatter (maybe sending flying fragments of fiberglass to inconvenient places) or just shear off. Or maybe both at the same time.

Without the side-to-side supporting structure (the missing metal roof ribs) that previously attached one side of the van to the other, in a best case scenario the walls will just collapse. In a worst case scenario, the unsupported metal walls can flatten and then do a wrap-around (remember, the van is rolling) with the driver trapped inside in kind of a metal taco sandwich.

Check out this article regarding the dangers of conversion vans with fiberglass high-tops:

https://www.robertslawfirm.com/safety-tips/auto-safety-tips/hidden-danger-conversion-vans/

Here is part of the info, click on the link above to read more:

Normally, full size passenger vans and some smaller vans leave the factory with steel roof panels and roof supports welded to the frame of the van. The problem is that to make the conversion, conversion companies are simply cutting the original welded steel roof panels off the van and removing the roof supports. The steel protection is then replaced with a raised roof, made only of fiberglass.

I know that most people don't give too much thought to a roll-over accident, particularly one involving themselves.

On the other hand, when I was a teenager, just learning to drive, and going too fast, I rolled a station wagon on the freeway one time. Probably my sister and I should both have been killed. By some miracle, we were both uninjured.

It's not something I will ever forget.

Anne

[Cudedog]

I don't know much about Casitas or trailers with all the amenities, but I do know a little about some of the smaller UHaul molded fiberglass trailers.

If I could find one of these old UHaul molded fiberglass trailers that was in reasonably good shape, I would buy it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, I have been looking for one for several years and have yet to find one for sale.

Good suggestion, though! Thank you!

Have you thought about installing a high top on the van.

I think this can be done for less than a used casita. If the issue is not being able to stand up in the van, this would solve that.

Thank you for the suggestion.

Actually, there is a serious issue concerned with installing a high-top that you don't generally see discussed: the absolutely critical issue of damaged (or eliminated!) structural integrity.

The standard metal roof of a conventional cargo van has metal roof "ribs" that connect to the metal sides of the van. The metal roof, and the welded metal ribs, are removed during the conversion process, replaced by only fiberglass. With the removal of the metal roof, and the metal roof ribs, the structural integrity of the van is thus severely compromised.

Here is an actual photo of my van, before I began the camper build. Notice the metal ribs in the metal roof, welded to the sides of the van. Read on after the photo.



Further, in a (God forbid!) roll-over accident, generally what happens is that the fiberglass high-top will either shatter (maybe also sending flying fragments of fiberglass to inconvenient places) or just shear off. Or maybe both at the same time.

Without the side-to-side supporting structure (the missing metal roof ribs) that previously attached one side of the van to the other, in a best case scenario the van's walls will just collapse. In a worst case scenario, the unsupported metal walls can flatten and then do a wrap-around (remember, the van is rolling) with the driver trapped inside in kind of a metal taco sandwich.

Check out this article regarding the dangers of conversion vans with fiberglass high-tops:

https://www.robertslawfirm.com/safety-tips/auto-safety-tips/hidden-danger-conversion-vans/

Here is part of the info, click on the link above to read more:

Normally, full size passenger vans and some smaller vans leave the factory with steel roof panels and roof supports welded to the frame of the van. The problem is that to make the conversion, conversion companies are simply cutting the original welded steel roof panels off the van and removing the roof supports. The steel protection is then replaced with a raised roof, made only of fiberglass.

I know that most people don't give too much thought to a roll-over accident, particularly one involving themselves.

On the other hand, when I was a teenager, just learning to drive, and going too fast, I rolled a station wagon on the freeway one time. Probably my sister and I should both have been killed. By some miracle, we were both uninjured.

It's not something I will ever forget.

Anne

[havingfunnow]

Try https://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/ for all kinds of fiberglass trailers.

Also, there is a U-Haul Camper group on Facebook. You have to join to see the posts, but sometimes people do sell their little trailers -- and sometimes they re-post trailers they've seen elsewhere.

[JudyJB]

I also think structural integrity is important. One problem with the Casita is that there is little storage, however, that is why RV sue pulls hers with a van instead of a pickup truck--MUCH more storage. One thing you could do is install a cage of some sort on one side of your van to contain the large plastic bins and give you room to walk down the side aisle, so to speak. That prevents you from having to empty the whole van to find that one bin you want that happens to be in the bottom!

RV SUe, also carries extra water in gallon jugs in the van. It is really much more practical than pulling something with a truck.

By the way, front cab structural safety is one reason why I bought a C instead of an A. I knew that if I were strapped into my seat and rolled it, the rest of the body would be a mess, but I would probably survive in the cab. In fact, when I was in 60-70 MPH winds not too long ago and I was afraid it would get rolled over in the campground, i strapped myself into the driver's seat!