I have put my foot down and finally got approval to buy a camper.  I am tired of packing for camping.  I am tired of loading random bins into the truck to go camping, but mostly I am sick of tents, I am sick of sticky small tents haha. 

 

I have been looking into used Truck bed campers of the Popup variety.   We do a lot of off the beaten road camping so a large camper isn't going to happen.  We also have goals of getting a horse trailer at some point and going places to ride for a weekend. 

 

So that leaves me with the popup slide in style.  Am I off base here?   We have ~$2000-$3000 budget for this.  I have been looking on Craigslist for a few weeks now and spotted a few that would work, anywhere from $700-$5000.   Most have good roofs and canvas, but beyond that I am not sure what I am looking for.  Anything I should be looking for?  Any brands that I should be avoiding?

3 hours ago, 01cummins4ever said:

good luck on your first outing, I used to have an 8' hard side before I got the 5th wheel, one thing I miss is the convenience of hooking up to what ever trailer I needed, now if I want to take toys I'm usually pushing the legal length limits  by inches

That's why I went with a bumper pull vs. 5th wheel so I can take the ATV (Iron horse) in the bead of the truck and no need for double towing. Unless someone considers the upgrade to a toy hauler 5th wheel or bumper pull.

I think for what Nick got and what he's looking to do it should work out rather well. I'm waiting to hear the return of the first trip. Personally myself I would do a local camping trip near home so to iron out the what I need to stock issues.

Some of my best times are moments up in the mountains, brewing coffee with  a good snow storm outside. Wife gets little scared but I love it.

Edited February 13, 20169 yr by JAG1

Well I am happy to report that we made it through the night.

 

I will without a doubt have to buy a dehumidifier though.  Way to much moisture for my liking.

That happens with mine also. I hope you had a good time and figured out all the little stuff.

38 minutes ago, Me78569 said:

Well I am happy to report that we made it through the night.

 

I will without a doubt have to buy a dehumidifier though.  Way to much moisture for my liking.

LOL... You got to leave a roof vent open just a wee bit. Even in my massive RV two people just can produce a lot of moisture in the air. So even in the cold of nights I'll crack bathroom and my bedroom roof vent just a small amount to allow moisture to travel out.

In my old truck camper idea it was really common to wake up to it raining inside from all the moisture collecting on the aluminum canopy and every time someone rolled over it would shake off on the you in bed.

You'll learn how to keep ventilation going to limit moisture levels.

I installed a muffin fan on the bathroom vent. It's very quiet and keeps the cabin air moving by having another vent over the cab over cracked. It moves the air just enough and the furnace can still keep the cabin warm.

If I had IBM Mobile put in a fan I'd have to pull the towels off the ceiling

Edited February 13, 20169 yr by JAG1

11 minutes ago, JAG1 said:

If I had IBM Mobile put in a fan I'd have to pull the towels off the ceiling

Like one of these...

http://www.etrailer.com/Enclosed-Trailer-Parts/Fantastic-Vent/FV801200.html?feed=npn&gclid=CjwKEAiAxfu1BRDF2cfnoPyB9jESJADF-MdJQLLQeBYqwYEcibMASnWLG1XoGi8U7PIrptE-XRVRthoCZ-Xw_wcB

15 minutes ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Like one of these...

http://www.etrailer.com/Enclosed-Trailer-Parts/Fantastic-Vent/FV801200.html?feed=npn&gclid=CjwKEAiAxfu1BRDF2cfnoPyB9jESJADF-MdJQLLQeBYqwYEcibMASnWLG1XoGi8U7PIrptE-XRVRthoCZ-Xw_wcB

Mine came with 2 of the Fantastic fans. One in the toilet stall with manual on/ off and the other in the living room, That one is on a t stat and a rain sensor. Just set it and the fan does the rest. like to mini attic fans. They are great in the spring and fall when you dont want to use the AC.

There is a fantastic fan in the companion way on mine for warm days but I just needed a small computer fan for the bathroom vent. I crack open the door with it on and rv still stays warm with just enough air movement to reduce humidity.

If you have the heat on, I almost wonder if a vent down low in the floor paired with your roof vent would create enough circulation through convection. 

Edited February 13, 20169 yr by CSM

I might try that tonight.  

Either way, it is a great 3 day weekend!  I've been fighting condensation while living in the south.  Super humid and either cold inside with A/C or cold outside with winter.  Dealing with cold outside is easier.  

If your camper was heated all night, then the surfaces of the camper were cold enough to condense the water out of the air.  To eliminate that condensation, you have three options.  1. Warm the condensing surfaces ( good for heated mirrors, but not practical for campers).  2. Raise the ambient interior air temp significantly above the dew point, (raise the heat) which is not always practical as you keep adding moisture to the air all night.  3. decrease moisture in the air (depress dewpoint) by increase airflow.  Any combination of these last two can be effective for campers with heat. I am a fan of #3 personally, but I like cold. 

Another interesting aspect is that in the winter up there, it is so cold it drives the moisture out of the air and onto most any surface.  In my experience, I tend to let the camper/tent/shelter vent pretty well prior to going to sleep and then if I have a nice heater (pretty much never) I will leave a few vents cracked and set the heater on low.  The heater should keep the dewpoint from becoming depressed and keep the moisture low and CO low, as I've never had a CO or CO₂ monitor. 

Even here for the house. As the temperature fell towards 0*F the glass window even double pane would get cold enough to condense moisture right out of the air. In the RV the living space is smaller and just daily tasks like heating water for coffee, or making dinner can produce enough humidity to condense moisture on the glass windows. So typically the kitchen vent and the bathroom vent I would open about 1 inch enough to allow moist air to rise out. I've got 1 small window by the couch that you can crack open barely and keep the moisture levels controlled. Now I've forgotten a few times and got up to windows dripping wet and running water.

Well I feel like I have turned an important page in my life.

 

I have decided that if I am gonna not catch fish, I might as well not catch big fish.

Life is too short to fish for trout

Edited February 13, 20169 yr by Me78569

Looks like you caught a fish nugget.

12 minutes ago, Me78569 said:

Life is too short to fish for trout

Nothing wrong with trout they make a great breakfast with a side of eggs.

Terrible terrible fish that ain't good for nothin other than their small bones getting lodged in your throat.

 

Give me a walleye, perch or norther  anyday.

We got a local reservoir full of perch. Fish and Game have been trying to get rid of the perch and bring back the trout. If you show up in Idaho I'll take you there.

7 minutes ago, Me78569 said:

[Trout are a] Terrible terrible fish that ain't good for nothin other than their small bones getting lodged in your throat.

Give me a walleye, perch or norther  anyday.

Stop catching the small ones.  pfft. Walleye is my favorite though. 

Walleye is good but I prefer a good cold water northern.

 

This stumbling distance from my mother's house.  Caught it off the dock along with 10 others the same size.

 

I was spoiled growing up living in North Minnesota.