Scout Camper

[Eightysix45]

I finally got to see a Scout Olympic at my local dealer today. I’m afraid to say that my impression is exactly what I hoped it wasn’t going to be. The general concept and layout are good, the shell is good, the jacks are great, the interior and workmanship are RV quality. If you are on expedition portal then I trust you know what “RV” quality is.

Lots of sloppy silicone, stapled interior, wood screws into composite panel, missing screws on under cabinet wire loom, cushions poorly velcroed to seat base & back. The solar panel seems to be the flexible type which don’t perform as well, loads of silicone around the panel and a giant loop of wire on the angled portion of roof where the wires go through the roof, first encounter with tree branches and those wires are gone.
I am currently in a Four Wheel Camper that has been around the back roads of the West and Baja Mexico for the last 17 years, it’s had a hard life but I’ll be damned if it isn’t still holding together without any significant issue. I see no way the Scout interior and related accessories will last a year on washboard roads without coming apart. While Scout doesn’t directly bill their campers as off road capable, it’s certainly implied through their relentless social media postings.

if you camp in established campgrounds and stick to occasional gravel roads then this camper will probably work for you. If you take the road less traveled then I’d skip the Scout.

 

[Porkchopexpress]

That's a bummer. I'll still be looking at one in person before making a decision but I was hoping for more positive reviews.

 

[Eightysix45]

That's a bummer. I'll still be looking at one in person before making a decision but I was hoping for more positive reviews.

Obviously you have to see one and decide for yourself. I really wanted to be impressed by the Scout.

 

[svinyard]

EightySix, it's cool that you got into the guts a bit. I'm wondering about how many of those are significant issues or not. While I know a fair amount about the Scouts and have been in a few, I'm not an expert. I'm positive I have some post-purchase-justification as we have a Kenai on order but its also our only option for comfortably sleeping 4 people on a 3/4ton.

1. https://www.renogy.com/175-watt-12-volt-flexible-monocrystalline-solar-panel/
   1. These solar panels seem decent and are now the 175w Renogy instead of 160w for what it's worth. Reviews across multiple sites are very good from what I can tell. I'm guessing these will be good. The guys I know that have one have definitely put it through a lot of trees here in PNW (Acrylic windows are marred a bit) and it was all solid for them at least. Plus they are super low profile, don't require all the holes in your roof and have the same 5yr/25yr warranty as Renogy's rigid ones.​
2. What do you mean by sloppy silicon? It's part of waterproofing the holes/attachments but I'm guessing you just saw too much of it gooped around? I don't like that either. I'm not a huge fan of silicon, I wonder if its just basic silicon or something more modern.
3. What stuff is stapled? I didn't see any of that but wasn't looking under the hood as much as you did I think
4. Are wood screws into the composite improper construction? I'm wondering if they are truly wood screws, hard to tell by just the head. I don't know what's proper or not. I'm interested in seeing how Total Composites recommends mounting things to their similar composite shell/layout.
5. I didn't notice the cushions having any issues with my boys crawling around on them. The material is nice and looks nice too but not super plush or anything. Seemed durable.

I wonder if these are kind of minor issues. Its not like their aren't issues with FWC...a buddy of mine has one and it was less than perfect, to say the least in the PNW. My father-in-law has had about 10 different truck campers, 4 motor homes and 3 toy haulers (highend redneck that owns a body-shop). He said that the stuff that fails significantly are the major components: fridge, structure/leakage/rot, heaters, AC, toilet, electrical system. This is where the Scout shines, its not RV components or RV 1980 style alum structure. Its mostly just a bunch of high quality third-party components with their own warranties, not a bunch of integrated RV stuff impossible to get fixed. Thetford toilet is known quantity good, Yeti power system is solid, Dickenson heater is awesome, National Luna fridge (what I'm picking) is better than anything you are getting in any other camper, Renogy is good. Its not perfect by any means, but I think for its warts...its definitely a nice camper, particularly where it counts. I guess we'll see long term. So far the people I know that have one have freaking LOVED IT, even the Olympic with 3 kids in there lol.

 

[Porkchopexpress]

When I was in high school and college, I worked in a couple upholstery shops to include automotive, marine and I built a couple booths for restaurants. The plywood in the scout looks decent quality in the photos and very open for storage exposing the structure. If staples were used to connect plywood, I would definitely reinforce the cabinets with pocket hole screws and maybe some blocks.
The appeal of the Scout to me is the simplicity. It looks very easy to personalize. As long as the shell is solid, I'm probably willing to accept a degree of rv quality if for no other reason than the lack of competition in this segment.

 

[Eightysix45]

EightySix, it's cool that you got into the guts a bit. I'm wondering about how many of those are significant issues or not. While I know a fair amount about the Scouts and have been in a few, I'm not an expert. I'm positive I have some post-purchase-justification as we have a Kenai on order but its also our only option for comfortably sleeping 4 people on a 3/4ton.

1. https://www.renogy.com/175-watt-12-volt-flexible-monocrystalline-solar-panel/
   1. These solar panels seem decent and are now the 175w Renogy instead of 160w for what it's worth. Reviews across multiple sites are very good from what I can tell. I'm guessing these will be good. The guys I know that have one have definitely put it through a lot of trees here in PNW (Acrylic windows are marred a bit) and it was all solid for them at least. Plus they are super low profile, don't require all the holes in your roof and have the same 5yr/25yr warranty as Renogy's rigid ones.
      -Good to know about the panels being well reviewed. When I did the solar install on my camper (4years ago) the flexible panels didn’t perform as well and run hotter not having air circulation under them-
      
      ​
2. What do you mean by sloppy silicon? It's part of waterproofing the holes/attachments but I'm guessing you just saw too much of it gooped around? I don't like that either. I'm not a huge fan of silicon, I wonder if its just basic silicon or something more modern.
   -Yes, too much silicone gooped all around the solar, the mark of a low skilled worker not a professional.
   
   What stuff is stapled? I didn't see any of that but wasn't looking under the hood as much as you did I think
3. What stuff is stapled? I didn't see any of that but wasn't looking under the hood as much as you did I think
4. 
   
5. -Staples used most on what looked like a very soft wood under the raised floor below the table.-
   
   
6. Are wood screws into the composite improper construction? I'm wondering if they are truly wood screws, hard to tell by just the head. I don't know what's proper or not. I'm interested in seeing how Total Composites recommends mounting things to their similar composite shell/layout.
7. 
   -While I’m not a composite expert, were talking about styrofoam sandwiched between thin fiberglass. Fiberglass and styrofoam have virtually no holding strength when it comes to screws. That’s why Scout through bolts the RTT and soft storage brackets-
8. I’m pretty sure Total Composites says to glue cabinets etc to the interior walls, they will also sandwich metal reinforcement plates in the panels to bolt items to per your spec.
9. 
   
   
10. I didn't notice the cushions having any issues with my boys crawling around on them. The material is nice and looks nice too but not super plush or anything. Seemed durable.
11. 
    very small Velcro tabs are all that hold the cushions, a better way to do it is to have a small lip on the wooden seat base to hold the cushion from sliding out and also use Velcro. The fabric is nice, I think they say it’s Sunbrella which is good stuff.

I wonder if these are kind of minor issues. Its not like their aren't issues with FWC...a buddy of mine has one and it was less than perfect, to say the least in the PNW. My father-in-law has had about 10 different truck campers, 4 motor homes and 3 toy haulers (highend redneck that owns a body-shop). He said that the stuff that fails significantly are the major components: fridge, structure/leakage/rot, heaters, AC, toilet, electrical system. This is where the Scout shines, its not RV components or RV 1980 style alum structure. Its mostly just a bunch of high quality third-party components with their own warranties, not a bunch of integrated RV stuff impossible to get fixed. Thetford toilet is known quantity good, Yeti power system is solid, Dickenson heater is awesome, National Luna fridge (what I'm picking) is better than anything you are getting in any other camper, Renogy is good. Its not perfect by any means, but I think for its warts...its definitely a nice camper, particularly where it counts. I guess we'll see long term. So far the people I know that have one have freaking LOVED IT, even the Olympic with 3 kids in there lol.

the Dickenson heater is cool, but is there no thermostat on it?

Four Wheel Campers were RV quality interiors for a long time, they have raised their quality a lot in the last handful of years and are now leaning more toward a marine type interior.

I look forward to hearing more about your experience with the camper as you get to use it more.

 

[Eightysix45]

Apologies, I posted my answers in the quotes, new to this forum and haven’t figured out the best way to reply to a list of questions/statements.

 

[Eightysix45]

When I was in high school and college, I worked in a couple upholstery shops to include automotive, marine and I built a couple booths for restaurants. The plywood in the scout looks decent quality in the photos and very open for storage exposing the structure. If staples were used to connect plywood, I would definitely reinforce the cabinets with pocket hole screws and maybe some blocks.
The appeal of the Scout to me is the simplicity. It looks very easy to personalize. As long as the shell is solid, I'm probably willing to accept a degree of rv quality if for no other reason than the lack of competition in this segment.

I thought the plywood looked good in the photos as well, in person there are a lot of voids on the edges of the ply and the edges were quite rough, I assumed they used CNC on the plywood, you’d probably know better with your experience?

 

[Chorky]

the Dickenson heater is cool, but is there no thermostat on it?

Four Wheel Campers were RV quality interiors for a long time, they have raised their quality a lot in the last handful of years and are now leaning more toward a marine type interior.

I look forward to hearing more about your experience with the camper as you get to use it more.

The dickenson does not have a T-stat. Their diesel fireplaces don't either. I have one in my RV. Works great though, mine has been on 5 days straight now, with temps below freezing and drastically reduces the amount of time my furnace needs to run. It's basically like any house based propane/natural gas fireplace - those don't have t-stat's either. Theyre just on/off. There is a fan one can use and adjust speed. I made an additional heat robber with 2 additional fans - made a huge difference actually. Not having a t-stat is no big deal since it's a fireplace, not a on/off furnace. the one thing that annoys me most about them is needing a match/lighter, and not having a push spark igniter. Must be a safety issue though?

I'm not so sure though comparing a FWC with a scout is a fair comparison? I suppose comparing quality maybe, but theyre not even the same type of camper.

I'm positive I have some post-purchase-justification as we have a Kenai on order but its also our only option for comfortably sleeping 4 people on a 3/4ton.

When is your estimated delivery? I'm really curious to hear what you think once it's on the truck.

 

[Porkchopexpress]

I thought the plywood looked good in the photos as well, in person there are a lot of voids on the edges of the ply and the edges were quite rough, I assumed they used CNC on the plywood, you’d probably know better with your experience?

If you saw voids and rough edges, maybe they used higher quality materials on the prototype then went with budget on the final product. I agree that CNC cuts are likely because it's a volume product and there is a "scout" logo cut out of the cabinet near the sink, (I don't have any experience with CNC). That would be unfortunate but even low grade plywood is better than particle board. You can fill in voids with wood glue mixed with sawdust and sand it smooth.

 

[svinyard]

Thanks EightySix! I didn't notice any voids in the few models I've been in (a few Olympics and one Yoho), but I wasn't really looking for it (or thought to). The cabinets did look beautiful tho, my wife loved the looks...and that's hard to do lol. Def CNC'd, of the Marine type I think, which I think is a good thing. From my experience in manufacturing, CNC should mean consistency and quality of the cuts aside from some deburring. Harder for a robot to screw it up. Assemblycan be a different story, hopefully mine is dialed lol.

The staples in the floor, that doesn't sound ideal. The only wood in the Camper is the cabinets. The flooring is a HB Compass Removable Marine Flooring...I'm guessing its decent but don't know much about it.

My delivery was supposed to be mid-December but got pushed to late December. I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being late January. I'm fine with that, I just want it to be done right and not shoved out the door.

 

[DirtWhiskey]

I'm pretty sure that there should be no wood screws penetrating a composite panel. Could create a start for shell/foam separation. Total Composite recommends glue (??). I think you can through bolt a panel with proper technique but wood grabbers? Um no. I still haven't worked on a composite panel yet so maybe somebody else can chime in? As for staples on real ply, I'm not so concerned with it.

 

[Victorian]

I'm pretty sure that there should be no wood screws penetrating a composite panel. Could create a start for shell/foam separation. Total Composite recommends glue (??). I think you can through bolt a panel with proper technique but wood grabbers? Um no. I still haven't worked on a composite panel yet so maybe somebody else can chime in? As for staples on real ply, I'm not so concerned with it.

Screws will cause point loads and most likely will create a de-lamination. Just did a short clip and posted it on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/833122350792467

 

[Chorky]

I'm pretty sure that there should be no wood screws penetrating a composite panel. Could create a start for shell/foam separation. Total Composite recommends glue (??). I think you can through bolt a panel with proper technique but wood grabbers? Um no. I still haven't worked on a composite panel yet so maybe somebody else can chime in? As for staples on real ply, I'm not so concerned with it.

Screws will cause point loads and most likely will create a de-lamination. Just did a short clip and posted it on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/833122350792467

Interesting. I believe they say you can just bolt directly to the shell if you wanted to make any additions, and use a backing plate for heavy items.

 

[Porkchopexpress]

Screws will cause point loads and most likely will create a de-lamination. Just did a short clip and posted it on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/833122350792467

I noticed on the total composites website recommendations against painting the exterior in dark colors because it could cause delamination from sun radiation. I assume a coat of line-x type bed liner spray would also cause delamination because it is applied heated?