Campers

[Fantail]

I would tent up again without to much grumble. Heck up untill this year tenting was the game plan, and it was ok. It's just time for something else.

Speaking of, got some work done on the old woodsman. Cabinet under the sink is about done, replaced the lower drawers with a slide out and spare storage. Reframing where the fridge / furnace was for cooler slide-outs and a dry storage area. Salvaged the dc blower motor - should be able to convert it to a bathroom vent. All the lighting fixtures and any exposed wires removed and replaced with lcd.

[Fantail]

Just for laughs ..  ;D

[hunter]

Isn't that LBJ's camper? lol

[fasteddie]

Check out this hitch . You won't find it on the DIY forum

[WNYBuckHunter]

Eddie, I thought I showed you that in confidence!  ;D

[fasteddie]

When that was posted on another site , the license plate was blacked out .

[Doewhacker]

My favorite part is the block of wood from the hitch to the tail gate..Nice!

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Almost time to dewinterize.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Checked mine the other day. No mice, no leaks. Tires and roof look good. I didn't open the beds though. I took some pix.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Very nice Elmer!

I also got mine out a few weeks ago and opened her up. No mice, no leaks. I took pics and posted it up for sale. Ive had a few bites, but they seemed to be just tire kickers.

[Doewhacker]

Its almost camping time fellas!  Gotta go pick our's up next week from storage, can't wait!

[steve863]

Doe, how much does it cost to store one of those things??

[Doewhacker]

It ran us $8 a foot for a pole barn, inside storage was $10 a foot. So for me it was $264 for October to now. I choose to store it so I didn't have to worry about the ten feet of snow we get causing leaks or worse. Plus it takes up 33x8 feet of my drive way on the side of my garage which is fine in the summer when its gets use but not so great the rest of the year. Thank goodness we have a large enough drive way.

[steve863]

The price surely sounds reasonable for all those months.  Storage would be the only option where I live.  I have been thinking of renting one when the kids get a bit older and doing a cross country trip with it, but I read something a few weeks ago on how expensive it's getting to park one of them at campsites these days.  At many campsites it's not much less than checking into a moderate priced hotel.  I know there is the convenience of being able to cook on your own and being outdoors, etc., but I guess I will need to weigh the pluses and minuses before we decide what to do.  I guess it's nice having your own house with you when you travel, but it may not always be so nice having to haul it around and finding a place to park it! LOL

[Fantail]

I see some of you guys have apartments on wheels

Just ribbing - modern campers are expensive and worth protecting. I'll be able to get away with building a slant roof shelter for mine. And replacing a heavy duty tarp every other year or so.

Btw if your not used to running flexable copper tubing it's easy to find out how quick you can mangle 5 feet of it.

While browsing for battery boxes & window hardware I found this site rvtruckparts.com might be usefull.

Ha! hilltop camper link

[WNYBuckHunter]

Steve, most campgrounds are still fairly inexpensive. The most we have paid was @ $45 a night, and that was a private campground with all of the ammenities. Usually we do state parks, and they arent bad at all. Some of the private campgrounds are pretty much RV amusement parks. Then there are the amusement parks like Darien Lakes and Knobel's that have camping. Those can be pretty pricey. We dont go to them, not our style of camping.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Hmmm. Storage seems like a good idea.

I can't wait to get these.

http://www.shotgunshellchristmaslights.com/Shotgun-Shell-Christmas-Lights-LED-LITSSXLED.htm

The salesman at the dealer told me to always tell people that it's my first time camping because people love to help set you up. Haven't tried it yet.

[steve863]

WNY, I would think campsites in national parks (the places we would most want to visit) might not be too easy get unless you prearrange well in advance, and on a cross country trip with kids it might not be too easy to time ones arrival perfectly so private campgrounds in some cases might be the only option.  I agree with you that some private campgrounds are like amusement parks.  Not that I have ever been in one, but I have seen some near roads that looked so packed and I can just imagine how rowdy things could get in there.  I think one might get a quieter night of sleep in a hotel room than at a campsite like that.  My wife and kids are the more quiet and peaceful type so I don't know if they would enjoy a place that could potentially get rowdy.

[Doewhacker]

"...but I read something a few weeks ago on how expensive it's getting to park one of them at campsites these days."

As WNY said it certainly can be pricey, the range for full hook ups seems to run 40 to as high as 80 a night. We don't bother with the super expensive places and tend to run in the 40-50 a night range. And when I say full hook up that means water, sewer, elec, and cable. Some site's are money grubbers too and like to charge for any thing they can including any kind of activity for the kids, we have never been some place that there wasn't a long list of things to do that don't require money like hiking or a beach or whatever. And some sites are noisy, we learned to ask a list of questions before booking a site, are the rules enforced, do you keep it quiet, most places you can get a feel for from online reveiws. I will say that it is much quieter inside a camper than it is a pop up or tent especially if the ac or fan is running.

Elmer, I stored mine at a local fair ground, I'm sure other ones do the same.

"I see some of you guys have apartments on wheels"

I'll laugh myself to sleep while I snuggle in the ice cold AC watching my flat screen tv listening to surround sound..HA! Yea I'm spoiled and loving it. 

[WNYBuckHunter]

WNY, I would think campsites in national parks (the places we would most want to visit) might not be too easy get unless you prearrange well in advance, and on a cross country trip with kids it might not be too easy to time ones arrival perfectly so private campgrounds in some cases might be the only option.  I agree with you that some private campgrounds are like amusement parks.  Not that I have ever been in one, but I have seen some near roads that looked so packed and I can just imagine how rowdy things could get in there.  I think one might get a quieter night of sleep in a hotel room than at a campsite like that.  My wife and kids are the more quiet and peaceful type so I don't know if they would enjoy a place that could potentially get rowdy.

You definitely need to plan in advance to get specific sites, but its still pretty easy to find spots on short notice as long as you arent trying on holiday weekends. If you are traveling during the week, its very easy and most of the time you can pick and choose your spot.

We use a website for booking our spots. Its www.reserveamerica.com and it works great. You can even book a spot while you are on the road before you get to the place if you have a cell phone with a web browser.

[steve863]

I appreciate the info!

[WNYBuckHunter]

No problem steve 

[Fantail]

Just a note: So last week I placed a small order with Hilltop RV and it has arrived. They seem to be a decent source and ok to do business with.

[Single_shot]

Back in 2001 I recieved a used "free but good" 1970 Coleman popup.It would'nt stay cranked up so we tied the crank off with rope to the hitch LOL. What a mouse fest...holes litterally everywhere. Nests,just nasty. I put new wheels and tires on it,repacked the bearings etc. Bought a new tarp that would fit it good because it leaked so bad there are no words to describe it. Loaded that baby up with as much as could be stuffed into it,had to run 2 ratchet straps around it to keep it together, and headed out west to Wyoming for 2 weeks.   What a trip it was! The stove worked good for cooking and heat...didn't have to worry about fumes....it was "well vented"  ;D  I hooked a 12volt light up with duct tape. Geez I think we used almost a whole roll of it to hold the thing together. Yeah..campin' is fun...would'nt trade that trip for the world.

[Fantail]

Hey any of you guys ever recoated or sealed a mobil home or camper/trailer roof?

My camper roof doesn't leak, but it's older and has a few ruff spots. And so instead of building some elaborate roof structure to shelter it I found this recomended product called BLACK JACK Silver Seal 300 Fibered Aluminum Roof Coating. Lowes has it. I need to cover about 110 sq feet. I'm thinking a good sunny day after T-season to get it done. What else might I need?