Spring Edition Vol 2 April 2014

SOI News

Scamp Owners International 39506 N. Daisy Mountain Drive #122-310

Phoenix, AZ 85086 info@scampcamper.com www.scampcamper.com

www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com © 2014

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In this edition:

From the SOI Clubhouse – pg 1

2014 Scamp Camp Florida – pg 2

2014 Quartzsite AZ Gathering – pg 5

Featured SOI Lifetime Members - Dave

and Leslie DeBeaux – pg 7

Featured Modification - LED Light

Bulbs - pg 8

Featured Park – St. George Island - pg 10

Scamping Memories – pg 12

Upcoming Gatherings - pg 13

Scamps for Sale - pg 13

From the SOI Clubhouse

Hi Scampers! It has been a busy first quarter

of 2014 for SOI. In February, we had the

largest attendance in history for the 2014

Scamp Camp in Sebring, FL (see the story on

page 2) and SOI sponsored a Ladder ball

tournament and table at the Quartzsite, AZ

gathering (see the story on page 5).

As of this newsletter SOI has grown to 468

memberships which is the largest in club

history. At the current rate, we should pass

the 500 membership level in just a few

weeks. SOI is growing fast!

Speaking of Scamp Camps, we now have 3

official Scamp Camps on the calendar:

1. Scamp Camp Far West– May 15-19

2014 – Pine Grove, CA - 2 spots left

2. Scamp Camp SW – Christmas in

Sedona, AZ – Dec 12-14, 2014

3. Scamp Camp Florida 2015 – Feb 9-

14, 2015 – Sebring, FL

We are working on getting a Scamp Camp in

the Fall. If you host an event or would like to

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and want to make it an official Scamp Camp,

let us know!

You don’t have to wait for a Scamp Camp or

gathering to catch up with your friends or

share information about how to do mods or

maintenance on your trailers. There is a

Scamp Camp going on 24 hours a day 365

days a year in the SOI online clubhouse

(www.scampcamper.com). There is no gas

or campsite fees to join in the online Scamp

Camp and we love to visit with all the

members. If you don’t have a way to get in

touch with a friend you met at the Scamp

Camp, the Online Member Directory allows

you to find them and contact them through

the online messaging system.

We now have almost 1000 forum posts and

growing. In addition, there are numerous

travelogues, blogs and resources that are

available in the clubhouse.

We hope to meet each of you soon in the

online clubhouse or at a gathering!

Keep on Scampin’!

Greg & Janea

2014 Scamp Camp

16th Annual Scamp Camp at Highlands

Hammock State Park

by Dick Freed

Record numbers of Fiberglass trailer

enthusiasts gathered this past February at

Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring

FL. 70 trailers, with 123 campers were

registered for the event.

Although the meet was scheduled for

Monday through Friday, many people came a

few days early. On Sunday evening, to begin

to build community, (and to test out

equipment), a movie The Ultimate Gift was

enjoyed by the early birds.

Monday included registration and set-up of

campsites. The traditional “Chili Dump” was

held that evening as the campers brought

their favorite Chili recipes and added them to

the roasters and crock pots. Along with the

Chili, there were many salads and dessert

items contributed to make the evening dinner

a real feast. A big thank you to Betty

McAdams and Lynda Freed and Gerry

Felker for helping to organize the Chili

dump.

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On Tuesday afternoon, Steve McAdams led

a geocache seminar for those interested. This

was followed by the annual “Getting to Know

You” Pot Luck dinner, with hot dogs and

supplies provided by Dave & Marty Krack.

Later that evening, Ray Meyer led what he

called ABC which is “Alice’s Bingo Cards”

at the Recreation Hall. Participants won

various prizes including the grand prize of a

Visa Gift Card. Thanks to Ray for providing

the prizes for this event.

Wednesday was a busy day for Scamp Camp.

On Wednesday morning, Floyd Clark

started off the day with the “Tech Talk”

where people could ask questions about

fiberglass trailers and problems and how to

solve them. Following the Tech session, the

Open House was held, during which campers

could display the modifications they had

made to their trailers with other campers.

Wednesday afternoon Steve McAdams

gathered the group together for the traditional

camp picture, which he always offers to the

campers for a nominal fee.

Following the picture, a new event “Great

Giveaway #1” was conducted. People

brought in items of a “White Elephant”

variety, wrapped in newspaper, during which

after a person had chosen a gift, the next

person had the option of either choosing a gift

from the table, or “stealing” a gift already

chosen by someone previously. The variety

of “elephants” and the stealing that took place

made for a fun event.

That evening, the volunteer staff at the

campground held the All-camp potluck.

Afterward, Susan & Alan Schroepfer

provided musical entertainment for those

who stayed after. That evening was the only

rain event of the week, with severe weather

threatened, but never materialized.

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On Thursday morning, the volunteer staff

offered breakfast rolls and coffee in the rec

hall. After that, Sharon Cranson taught a

craft lesson about making yarn necklaces.

In the afternoon, the Great Giveaway was

conducted. These were nicer gifts that people

had donated for this event. Thanks to Greg

Arford, (the new leader of the SOI

organization) for all of the SOI shirts, hats,

decals etc. Also thanks to the members who

donated the “free week of camping” at a

campground at Intercourse, PA. The

camping week was won by Augie Birchler.

The Camp volunteers conducted their Soup

Supper at the rec hall that evening, which was

well attended by campers in the park. A

movie event was conducted on Thursday

evening, as campers bundled up to watch the

movie RV, starring Robin Williams.

As the rain had stopped by Friday morning,

Bob Anderson led his informative nature

walk in the park.

Friday afternoon was tagged as a “choose

your own adventure day”. Some went to

Lake Placid to sightsee, and others went to a

local lake for a picnic. My wife and I and

another couple went to the TECO (Tampa

Electric Co) Manatee Observation area to

view the manatees which were enjoying the

warm water discharge from the plant.

Saturday morning marked the end of

programming for the week, as most of the

group packed up to head back home.

My heartfelt thanks to those who were noted

above in boldface print for sharing their

talents to help make the week a success. I

would also like to thank Jim & Kate Filer,

and all the other volunteers for their help in

organizing Scamp Camp 2013. Kate fell and

injured herself at the Wednesday night

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potluck. It is my understanding that Kate fell

again and broke her hip a day or two after

Scamp Camp ended. Prayers for her recovery

would be welcome. My apologies if I missed

anyone who helped… and a big thank you.

Next year’s camp will be held February 9 to

13th (depart 14), 2015. As of the writing of

this article we already have 20 sites

registered. If you want to attend, register

NOW: http://www.reserveamerica.com/

Once you register contact me with your

registration information (name & site

Number) at:

mailto:richfreed@aol.com.

Thanks to all for attending this year. We had

a great camp.

2014 Quartzsite AZ Gathering

Egg Village Dome Rock Quartzsite

The weather was Arizona beautiful. A

record 93 egg trailers were there and a

great time was had by all. Many thanks

to the organizers George and Betty and

the Casita Forum folks for putting on this

great event every year.

The Soup Tent

SOI Lifetime Member Earl and the

Peanut have posted the 2014

Quartzsite Gathering travelogue for

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you to read what went on in much

greater detail!

The First SOI Quartzsite Ladder Ball

Tournament was a hoot and Earl did a

great job putting it together. We had 22

players in a double elimination

tournament. We should have even more

participants next year now that everyone

understands more about the game.

Getting ready to start

The Winners – Left to Right

1st Prize - Mike and Patti, SOI Members,

16 Scamp from CA. They said this was

their first time to ever play, but we’re not

so sure about that. Ha!

2nd Prize - John and Lance

3rd Prize - Mike and Larry

The organizer Earl hard at work!

The Quartzsite gathering has always

been laid back. There are not a lot of

organized activities scheduled and so it

really gives you a chance to visit and get

to know people and enjoy the sunsets.

Several of us would gather around the

campfire in the evening and enjoy the

wonderful music by SOI Members Pete

and Jackie.

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Featured SOI Lifetime Members

Meet Dave and Leslie DeBeaux

By Janea A.

Dave & Leslie DeBeaux

Dave and Leslie’s camping beginnings

were very similar to a lot of people’s, but

then they took a bold step that not many

of us take – full-timing in a 13’ Scamp.

They were living on a ranch in Nevada

when they began doing some car

camping, then van camping. They

started searching for a pop-up or A-liner

and then decided they wanted

something similar to their neighbor’s

Perris Pacer. That is when Leslie

discovered a 1993 13’ Scamp for sale on

E-bay in Kansas City. They purchased it

and began Scamping in June 2003.

They enjoyed it so much they decided to

snowbird for one season in CA, TX, and

AZ in 2005-06. After that experience,

the decision was made to sell the ranch

and everything in it and hit the road full-

time. They were able to sell their house

and the contents within five weeks. They

knew they would miss the people, but

figured “Well, we can always point the

car back that direction.” Once out full-

timing, Leslie said the thing she missed

the most was her washing machine.

Dave’s greatest “miss” was his Ford

tractor.

Dave and Leslie rarely made

campground reservations during their

adventures across the country. They

discovered that with a 13’ Scamp, most

anyplace could make room for them.

Another bonus they discovered with their

small Scamp was when they were

traveling in Idaho one rainy day on a

narrow two-lane road and came upon a

mudslide that had completely blocked

the roadway ahead. They were able to U-

turn with their small Scamp and head

back the other direction rather than wait

hours for the road crew to clear the

debris.

They said their favorite place to camp

was on Forest Service land in NE

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Washington at Lake Roosevelt, right on

the water. Then they quickly added,

“Well, we shouldn’t tell you that. There

goes our best kept secret.”

In 2010, as Leslie’s birthday was

approaching, she announced over

dinner, “Dave, for my birthday I am

buying a toilet with a trailer wrapped

around it.” Dave surely didn’t want to

disappoint her and so responded, “Well,

why wait. Got something in mind?” And

off they went to Benson, AZ to purchase

their 16’ Scamp. They have sure

enjoyed having the bathroom and the

extra countertop.

In May 2011, making preparations for

their older years, they bought a house in

Mesa, AZ, for when the day would come

they couldn’t travel anymore. They

currently spend just a few months there

and the rest of the year at a campground

in Quartzsite, AZ, in their 16’ Scamp.

The first Quartzsite gathering in 2007

was when we had the pleasure of

meeting this wonderful couple. They are

a lot of fun and have many stories to

share with others about their Scamping

adventures. We have always been

impressed that they full-timed in a 13’

Scamp for so many years. They both

agreed that once they hit the road, they

never looked back and had no regrets -

other than Dave reminded us again that

he still misses that tractor.

Featured Modification

LED Light Bulbs -- A Buyers Guide

By Dave W.

Finally, Affordable, High Quality, Energy

Saving LED Bulbs are Available! The

quality of LED bulbs has improved greatly

over the past few years while prices have

dropped into the affordability range.

Quick Tip: When buying LED bulbs, Think

Lumens and Forget Watts!

Historically, we have purchased light

bulbs based on Watts; a 100 watt bulb is

brighter than a 60 watt bulb, which is

brighter than a 40 watt bulb, etc. The

brightness of a LED bulb is based on

Lumens and not Watts. Lumens are

simple: the higher the lumens the brighter

the LED Bulb.

Fortunately, the DOE has produced a

simple guide you can use as a reference

for relating Watts to Lumens (see guide

below). Additionally, if you remember that

a 60 watt bulb is equivalent to 800 lumens

you will have a great point of reference

when purchasing LED Bulbs.

Spring Edition SOI NEWS Vol 2 April 2014

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Quick Tip: Beware, some manufacturers

overstate the "Watts Equivalency" on

their packaging (i.e.: bulb shows 65 Watts

Equivalent on the package with only 700

Lumens of brightness, that's 100 lumens

shy of being a 60 watt bulb, much less

being a 65 Watt bulb! Shame on them!)

Affordability: LED bulbs save energy, they

use 85% less energy than an

incandescent bulb and the new bulbs will

last 22 (plus) years! Prices have dropped

below $10.00 per bulb. When you

consider your 85% energy savings these

bulbs will pay for themselves inside of 2

years and you have an additional 20 years

of energy savings to look forward to.

In addition to the traditionally styled bulb,

LED bulbs are beginning to appear in

Floodlight, Globe, Mini Globe, Candelabra

and many other styles.

Color: the color of LED lights is based on

a "Color Temperature" scale, the scale

ranges from 2700k to 5000k(+).

Basically, what you need to know, and

remember, is: an incandescent light bulb

produces light at 2700k color temperature

and a fluorescent "office" bulb produces

light at 5000k. Both the whiteness and

blueness increase the higher you go in

color temperature. Remember, there is

nothing wrong with a 3000k bulb, or a

5000k bulb, it is just a matter of your

preference and/or your intended usage,

i.e.: you might prefer to use 2700k bulbs

in your living and reading areas, but, you

could choose to use 5000k bulbs in your

laundry room or office.

Quick Tip: Terms like "Warm White, "Cool

White" and "Daylight" are all marketing

terms and have no standardized meaning

or scientific basis for their use. Look at the

"Color Temperature" chart to determine if

the LED bulb will fit your needs.

Brands: Both Phillips and Cree have

emerged as the High Quality/Low Cost

leaders in the LED light bulb market. Their

LED bulbs incorporate the latest

technology and Phillips has begun to

produce exceptional bulbs in unusual

shapes (think Ping Pong paddle). Home

Depot is the exclusive distributor for Cree bulbs

and they offer a wide variety of shapes and

sizes. Cree also offers a full 10 year warranty!

In our next issue we will look at creative

ways to use the "Standard" shaped LED

bulbs in various light fixtures to avoid

spending extra money for "Decorator

Styled" LED bulbs.

Spring Edition SOI NEWS Vol 2 April 2014

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Featured Parks – Campgrounds

St. George Island State Park

By K R. Cranson

Just a few miles from Apalachicola, along

highway U.S. 98, is one of Florida’s great

parks on the Gulf of Mexico. It occupies

the entire east end of St. George Island,

one of several barrier islands along this

portion of the Gulf. With the waters of the

Gulf on the south and Apalachicola Bay to

the north, this park offers a great diversity

of environments.

There are pristine secluded beaches,

sugar-white sand dunes, a slash pine/oak

forest, coastal scrub, salt water mashes

and small freshwater pond communities.

In addition, there is a large variety of

birds, marine life and other wildlife

throughout the park. With water all

around, it is strange that this is an arid

environment.

A fresh water pond along the sand dunes near the Sugar

Hill Campground

St. George Island State Park features nine

miles of sandy beaches along the Gulf side

for swimming, fishing and sunbathing. On

the bay side, canoeing and kayaking are

favorite activities and both types can be

rented at the boat ramp near the youth

camping area. There are many miles of

trails designated for both hiking and

biking throughout the park. One of these,

the East Slough Trail, features numerous

elevated boardwalks and a viewing

platform that overlook the water.

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There are six large picnic shelters on the

Gulf beach along the main park road, each

equipped with restrooms, showers,

cooking grills and tables. The Sugar Hill

Campground includes 60 campsites with

electric and water hookups. Two

restrooms service the two loops with

modern facilities including hot water

showers. The main campground roads are

paved and individual sites are level with

gravel pads - some are paved. Like all of

Florida=s State Parks that feature

camping facilities, a sanitary dump station

is provided.

Campsites among the Slash Pine in the Sugar Hill

Campground - note the Trillium, a fiberglass cousin of

Scamps, Casitas and Bolers

The island has a long history of human

occupation dating back some 5,000 years

where evidence of native people have

been found. The pine forests were used to

make turpentine in the mid-1900 and it

was a training site for troops during World

War II. In the early 1960s the property

was acquired for the park, construction

began and it was opened in 1980. Today,

St, George Island State Park protects

nearly 2,000 acres of the Gulf Coasts

outstanding beaches and sand dunes.

Of course, St. George Island State Park is

a favorite destinations, especially during

the winter months. If you would like to

camp at this coastal gem, it would be wise

to get a reservation in as early as

possible. Camping reservations can be

made through Reserve America up to 11

months in advance of your arrival. By

phone: 1-800-326-3521 or online at

http://www.reserveamerica.com/.

Nightly camping fees are in the mid-$20

range that include electrical and water

hookups. The park phone number is 850-

927-2111 and the address is 1900 E. Gulf

Beach Dr., St. George Island, FL 32328.

Enjoying the view of the beautiful sugar white sand.

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Scamping Memories

My Scamp Memories

By Dalton, 13 yrs old

Dalton and his faithful buddy Jake

In the SOI Winter Edition you read about my

sister’s Scamp memories, so now it’s my

turn. I really enjoyed Scamp when we got it.

One of my personal favorite campgrounds

was Campland in San Diego, CA, though I

wouldn’t suggest going unless you don’t

mind being around a lot of kids. Also, you

will have your car covered in berries by the

time you leave (that actually was pretty

funny!) It’s right on Mission Bay, across from

Sea World, and at night you get to see the

fireworks. They have all kinds of ongoing

activities, one of my favorite being the

sandcastle building contest.

The National Park I enjoyed the most was

Yellowstone, and if you haven’t gone I highly

recommend it. We got a spot right on

Yellowstone Lake with a nice breeze and a

beautiful view. We also saw tons of

interesting animals there as well, even a

Grizzly and her cubs. The bison were

everywhere! It was truly an exciting place.

For those of you who don’t know, the

National Parks have a Junior Ranger Program

for kids or your grandkids. You go around

with a packet that you fill out regarding the

different aspects of the park. When you are

finished, the Park Ranger has a ceremony

where you are presented a Junior Ranger

Badge or Patch and your

parents/grandparents get to embarrass you

by taking lots of pictures. Yellowstone also

has a Science Badge that you can earn. The

Science kit came with an infrared

temperature gauge that you could aim and

shoot into the geysers, which was really fun.

Some of Dalton’s Junior Ranger Awards

Spring Edition SOI NEWS Vol 2 April 2014

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I also thought Sunset Crater National

Monument north of Flagstaff, AZ, was

interesting as well. It’s open starting in May

and you get a good look at an awesome

volcano, a lava flow trail and cinders. We

stayed at the Bonito Campground at the park

entrance and it had really nice, large

campsites for our trailer.

View of Sunset Crater

The Wupatki Indian Ruins are nearby as well,

so you should also stop by and check them

out. President Calvin Coolidge designated

these ruins as a National Monument in 1924

so that these pueblos would be preserved.

This pueblo is four stories & has over 100 rooms!

All in all, some of my fondest memories are

traveling with my family in our Scamp. Thank

you for letting me share these memories

with all of you. As my dad always says, “Keep

on Scampin’!” - Dalton

Upcoming Gathering

Event: ScampCamp Far West

Dates: May 15-19, 2014

Location: Pine Grove, CA

Campground: Gold Country Resort

Call (209) 296-4650 and ask to reserve with

the group of "Fiberglass and Friends."

Limited space remaining.

Scamps for Sale

As mentioned in the prior SOI newsletter, we

are the owners of Fiberglass-RV-4Sale.

These links will take you to the 33 Scamps

listed for sale as of the date of this newsletter:

US: http://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/scamp-trailers-for-sale

CA: http://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/forums/fiberglass-rv-ads-

canada/scamp-trailers-canada

So if you are in the market for a used Scamp

or know anyone who is, make sure you check

the website. Here is a sampling from the

current Scamp listings that might pique your

interest.

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1989 16’ Scamp - $5,700 – Lethbridge, AB,

Canada

http://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/for-sale/1989-16ft-scamp-sale

2012 13’ Scamp - $9,900 – NE Ohio

http://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/for-sale/2012-13-scamp-

990000-northeast-ohio

2010 Scamp 5th Wheel - $14,875 – West

Texas

http://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/for-sale/2010-19ft-fifth-wheel-

1487500

2013 19’ Scamp Deluxe 5th Wheel - $20,000

– Park City, KY

http://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/for-sale/2013-19-deluxe-wood-

interior-scamp-park-city-ky

SOI Club Business

Please email any submissions for the

Summer 2014 SOI newsletter to

info@scampcamper.com

Check out and “like” the SOI Facebook

page! As of the date of this newsletter we

have 100 likes.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Scamp-Owners-

International-SOI/528842760519390

Interested in being interviewed for the

Featured SOI Lifetime Member article? Let

us know and we will get something scheduled

for a future SOI newsletter edition.

Keep on Scampin’!!