Campers…

[SNIPERBBB]

If I ever get the money, I'm looking at a camper van

 

[Iron_llama]

If I ever get the money, I'm looking at a camper van

I've toyed with the idea of a slide-in/slide-out unit for a minivan. Pull out the removable seats and pop in some custom-built furniture. A few hiccups:
-This would work best for solo trips, and with MrsLlama and MiniLlama I'm not taking many of those these days.
-MrsLlama is adamantly opposed to owning a minivan, and I'll always have use for a pickup truck.

Some day....

 

[BTaylor]

I've toyed with the idea of a slide-in/slide-out unit for a minivan. Pull out the removable seats and pop in some custom-built furniture. A few hiccups:
-This would work best for solo trips, and with MrsLlama and MiniLlama I'm not taking many of those these days.
-MrsLlama is adamantly opposed to owning a minivan, and I'll always have use for a pickup truck.

Some day....

Show her a sporty model...

 

[htimsds9999]

Pop ups are nice when the weather is nice. It's raining, you get to your camp site. Get out in the rain and try to set it up!

The aliners set up in about 90 seconds. I've camped in mine in temps down in the single digits....no problems

 

[parkersdad]

The aliners set up in about 90 seconds. I've camped in mine in temps down in the single digits....no problems

Same here. I’ve had no trouble with my aliner anywhere.


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[BuffaloBill]

My wife and I were talking about a pop-up camper on Marketplace the other night. I think I'd rather have a hard-shell of some sort, with some indoor plumbing. Y'all with pop-ups... how do they handle the cold? Snow? Anything we get would primarily be a summer toy but I'd want something that could conceivably be used year-round.

We mostly use our pop up in warmer weather. We have camped a couple of times in the fall and a small space heater kept it plenty warm. It has a propane furnace but it was almost overkill.

 

[shmelton]

The number one rule of campers.
When you are camping i it you wish it was bigger.
When you are towing it you wish it was smaller.

Once you pull one a few thousand miles, it like pulling a 5x8 trailer. I used to be scared as hell to take mine out on the road. Now I don’t even think about it any more. The key is having the right tow vehicle. No you don’t need a 3/4 ton to pull a 6k pound camper, but you do need one to pull a 12k pound 5th wheel. Get the right hitch,set your trailer brakes and roll out!

It’s been worth every penny ive spent on it so far. My family has gone all over the South East, we have stayed on the coast or in the mountains for weeks at a time. To me it’s much better than a hotel, and I don’t even have to pack to leave. Non perishables stay in the camper, clothes stay in the camper, everything we need/use stays in the camper. My wife and I both have the luxury not having to report to an office, so if we decide on one day to go to Montana the next day all we have to do is put diesel in the truck, and grab some milk.


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[GeoFish]

Once you pull one a few thousand miles, it like pulling a 5x8 trailer. I used to be scared as hell to take mine out on the road. Now I don’t even think about it any more. The key is having the right tow vehicle. No you don’t need a 3/4 ton to pull a 6k pound camper, but you do need one to pull a 12k pound 5th wheel. Get the right hitch,set your trailer brakes and roll out!

It’s been worth every penny ive spent on it so far. My family has gone all over the South East, we have stayed on the coast or in the mountains for weeks at a time. To me it’s much better than a hotel, and I don’t even have to pack to leave. Non perishables stay in the camper, clothes stay in the camper, everything we need/use stays in the camper. My wife and I both have the luxury not having to report to an office, so if we decide on one day to go to Montana the next day all we have to do is put diesel in the truck, and grab some milk.


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I had a 34 foot toy hauler. Used a 1 ton Ram with a Cummins. Sure going down a hwy is no problem.
But you are limited to;
The camp sites you can get into.
The gas stations you can get into.
The resturants you can get into.
Backroads and small towns can be a issue.

 

[Camelcluch]

Camper van?

Straight Earth Romer!

 

[JoyRyd]

I’ve owned a couple “campers”…….not my thing. I did a little math and soon realized that I can rent a cabin 10 times a summer for 10 yrs and still be ahead! Campers and boats are not a sound financial move (unless you find a good deal like @GeoFish ).
That said, if you can use it for work, get some tax gain on it, save housing rental, and cook home meals…..then you might be on to something. If you’re a weekend warrior, better do some math! JMO and no offense to anyone who enjoys the extra “project”.

 

[thedutchtouch]

My "if I ever get the money" camper idea is to get a utility trailer, but fit it with a hard-sided stealth pop up. Press a button and the top goes up revealing the hidden walls w/ windows and giving you a sleeping loft and 6'6' of headroom underneath.

 

[OspreyZB]

I'm working on building a micro hunting camper on an old 4'x9' utility trailer. Spent 30+ nights sleeping in my truck last season and I need something more comfortable. I spent a couple weeks just staring at the thing brainstorming, but the build is now underway... I'll get some pictures of it and post a "build along" thread soon.

 

[GeoFish]

I’ve owned a couple “campers”…….not my thing. I did a little math and soon realized that I can rent a cabin 10 times a summer for 10 yrs and still be ahead! Campers and boats are not a sound financial move (unless you find a good deal like @GeoFish ).
That said, if you can use it for work, get some tax gain on it, save housing rental, and cook home meals…..then you might be on to something. If you’re a weekend warrior, better do some math! JMO and no offense to anyone who enjoys the extra “project”.

You are 100% correct.
Campers may be the most expensive way to travel. Campsites typically suck. They line you up like Nerds at a Star Trek convention. Most campers today are mass produced junk. That's one reason RV sales are down 53% 1st quarter 2023 to 2022.
But on the plus side. Traveling with Dogs is so much easier. Try renting a cabin or cottage with dogs.
No luging luggage into a motel room. I don't have to worry about what someone did last night on the blankets I am sleeping on.
There are wilderness camping options, hard to find but they are their.
The most expensive way to travel, but I am worth it, LOL.

 

[Bowtie747]

You are 100% correct.
Campers may be the most expensive way to travel. Campsites typically suck. They line you up like Nerds at a Star Trek convention. Most campers today are mass produced junk. That's one reason RV sales are down 53% 1st quarter 2023 to 2022.
But on the plus side. Traveling with Dogs is so much easier. Try renting a cabin or cottage with dogs.
No luging luggage into a motel room. I don't have to worry about what someone did last night on the blankets I am sleeping on.
There are wilderness camping options, hard to find but they are their.
The most expensive way to travel, but I am worth it, LOL.

For me I look at it like this. I get pier diem for work to stay in a hotel. I can save money by buying something and not eat thousands a year into nothing by staying in a hotel.

 

[Camelcluch]

Hydrologic topper lift system

 

[2Sloe]

I’ve owned a couple “campers”…….not my thing. I did a little math and soon realized that I can rent a cabin 10 times a summer for 10 yrs and still be ahead! Campers and boats are not a sound financial move (unless you find a good deal like @GeoFish ).
That said, if you can use it for work, get some tax gain on it, save housing rental, and cook home meals…..then you might be on to something. If you’re a weekend warrior, better do some math! JMO and no offense to anyone who enjoys the extra “project”.

I keep doing that same math. But the math doesn’t account for the the cabin being 40 or 50 miles….or more, from where you are hunting. That gets old real quick. I’ve been thinking of an enclosed utility trailer that can also double up as a motorcycle hauler. I could probably justify that because it’s already kind of nerve racking leaving the Ducati on an open trailer in the hotel parking lot. I could kill two birds with one stone and not have to rent two trailer storage spots either.

 

[TreeMunkie]

I keep doing that same math. But the math doesn’t account for the the cabin being 40 or 50 miles….or more, from where you are hunting. That gets old real quick. I’ve been thinking of an enclosed utility trailer that can also double up as a motorcycle hauler. I could probably justify that because it’s already kind of nerve racking leaving the Ducati on an open trailer in the hotel parking lot. I could kill two birds with one stone and not have to rent two trailer storage spots either.

I am building out an 8x16 all aluminum v-nose to haul our two bikes and our two dogs. Adding and adjusting things as I use it. Just did a trip to Deals Gap and another to Buena Vista, CO. It hauls so much nicer than my old 30ft Keystone that is sitting in storage.

 

[2Sloe]

I am building out an 8x16 all aluminum v-nose to haul our two bikes and our two dogs. Adding and adjusting things as I use it. Just did a trip to Deals Gap and another to Buena Vista, CO. It hauls so much nicer than my old 30ft Keystone that is sitting in storage.

That’s sweet! I would be looking at something similar, but on a smaller scale. The 14er’s around Buena Vista are really nice…Huron, La Plata, Princeton, I climbed those 6 or 7 years ago.

 

[TreeMunkie]

That’s sweet! I would be looking at something similar, but on a smaller scale. The 14er’s around Buena Vista are really nice…Huron, La Plata, Princeton, I climbed those 6 or 7 years ago.

It takes a lot of planning and forethought (neither of which I have) to design and build out the interior. I keep changing my mind on where to put different items based on how they work. I have a lot of respect for those that lay out and design RVs. One thing I have been happy with are the Condor removable wheel chocks I bought. They were expensive and are heavy but they they are held in by one thumb-screw to attach them to the small plate that stays mounted in the floor.

We hiked up Harvard because I wanted to try a multi-day hike/summit. I see why so many people we talked to said it was there favorite. The collegiate peaks are breath-taking.

The funny part was my wife kept talking about how cool those camper-vans are that you can go "anywhere" in . I assume she meant the ones parked in the same campgrounds/state land we were in, having about 100 fewer square feet of space than our trailer, and costing 5 times as much.

 

[shmelton]

I had a 34 foot toy hauler. Used a 1 ton Ram with a Cummins. Sure going down a hwy is no problem.
But you are limited to;
The camp sites you can get into.
The gas stations you can get into.
The resturants you can get into.
Backroads and small towns can be a issue.View attachment 87564

I stay alot of state parks, and I usually have no problem getting my 40’ 5th wheel in. That’s GA and Al state parks though. I’m not sure about other states. Restaurants can be a pain in the ass, so can gas. So we always eat truck stop food when we are pulling. The wife runs in, and usually gets Arby’s while I’m in the diesel line. Small towns can be a pain, especially in a long travel trailer. I just make sure I stay on the state roads instead of side roads.

I have an Autistic 20yr old. I can’t rent condos or cabins, because of the occasional temper tantrum. I don’t like replacing decorations or sheet rock due to the fact he decided he didn’t like the way his day was going.

Yes it’s cheaper to rent a condo, cabin or hotel. But, it’s also great to be able to decide you don’t like where you are, and move on.


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