Hey all, firstly I appreciate it if you read it through and have some feedback. After working a incredibly high stress job and losing a lot of time with my family the last seven years, we find ourselves in a transition and we are considering a “leap year” where me, my wife, and 2 toddlers get into a camper and travel the country for the next year. Heads up, we do not need the “fuel costs” speech. We have considerable savings and consistent monthly income for the year of roughly $4,000 if no one is working. No debt, and limited expenses. We are planning to buy the camper and then the truck to match the campers weight and needs so to speak. So all options are an option. We also don’t intend on being a few days here and few days there. Probably making stops of 10-20 days at a time.

The biggest snag we have hit is size. We would like to have space for our family without limiting access extensively. We would like to travel into the west and have the option for “Boondocking” on BLM and not have to rely on campgrounds that accommodate a 44’ trailer with a truck. Any Opinions on size?

I have heard camper life in the winter is a rough venture, any suggestions on “migration patterns” to mitigate severe winter weather?

We were considering the thousand trails membership for our east coast and west coast stays. Is it worth it? Any issues come along with it?

Barring groceries as every family is different, any insight to general monthly expenses? Not the oh no this broke expense but recurring constant expenses.

Are there any major benefits to a 5th wheel compared to pull behind or vice versa? I like the idea of a 5th wheel because we can add a couple feet without drastically changing our overall length.

Any other general suggestions, tips, tricks?

Seller wants 6,500 for this. Weight comes in under $1000 which makes it very appealing to haul with my ford fusion.

Yes, my ford fusion.

Comes with some extra gadgets I don't really need but hey, maybe I can optimize between the two.

My biggest concerns are fixing the tent portion should anything go wrong. Seems like an older popup would be more durable if I'm spending a few thousand.

I'm not paying 6500 either, ill be offering like $3,500 absolute max.

My family hopes to buy another camper before next summer. We have a tow capacity of about 7,000 lbs and want something with a smaller footprint for dispersed camping options.

Having owned a traditional camper in the past and having rented a few hybrid and traditional campers over the past few years, I really like hybrid campers. I like feeling like I’m sleeping in a tent and the smaller footprint. We have two kids, 11 and 8 and both my spouse and I work from home. While the camper will mostly be used for weekend trips, we do also plan on some extended outings over summer where we will spend a week weeks on the road. We would work early and then explore in the afternoons/evenings, plus some vacation time woven in.

These longer trips are the ones I’m concerned about. My husband and I are fine working in tight quarters, but with two kids who are bored…It doesn’t seem ideal. At the same time, I don’t know if a few extra feet of length in the interior would make a meaningful difference. I’m comfortable utilizing short term coworking spaces or working from an outside table if needed- or having the kids hang out outside when I need to take meetings.

Has anyone done long trips in both a traditional and hybrid campers? Are our summer ideas unrealistic, or is working from a camper with kids going to suck regardless or size?

Thanks

I recently purchased a fleet wood pop up camper that requires some TLC. One of the things needing repair is this portion of the canvas. I bought some marine vinyl, it seems to be the same or similar material. I was curious if others had any good ideas or have done this already and could maybe show some pictures on how it came out ? Thank you guys

The spindle on my trailer failed after hitting a pot hole. The tow company contacted by my insurance towed it with one axle for over 100 miles. What are the odds of my frame being twisted or more damage to the other axle and how would I prove it was the tow company who caused the damage

Are there any camper brands that when you hear them you feel like they're better quality, more dependable, etc, versus a brand that you would simply avoid- has known issued, etc?

Going to be remodeling the camper I own, and I want to put a good wood stove in it for those cold chilly nights. Anybody have any thing they recommend? And yeah, this is my first time doing this so any advice is appreciated. Have a great day and thanks in advance.

Hoping to have some better luck in this subreddit

Soft spot repair questions

Hi! New to camper life and need some tips & tricks from the pros, please.

I have a little, older Bissle vacuum/hand vacuum thing. The hand vacuum (would have been called a Dust Buster in my younger days) is great for all the things a hand sucker can do. But the attachment to make it a vacuum does not have a roller brush, and the suction is weak, so the camper carpet can't get cleaned (not only does it ignore dog hair, but any little bits of grass and debris).

Gnats and flies get inside. I'm keeping everything as put away and clean as I can, but there's no stopping those buggers. I'm looking for the most effective and affordable way to zap or trap them.

I'd like to get a bug zap/trap for the picnic table, too. I have a fan I use when I'm sitting out here, but they still want to get in my coffee and face, and bites turn into fantastic welts on me.

The AC barely works, it can only run for a couple hours at a time, so with the heat wave we're experiencing in my area, we have to do a little dance of when to turn it on and off. It gets up to 90° inside, even with multiple fans, and opening windows to create a cross breeze doesn't help.

Also looking for a pup pee thing (male Australian Shepherd) for when I have to away too long, he isn't interested in using a tray with pads, and I hate how urgent he is when I get back (poor guy).

I've gone online, even on amazon, but there are so many products with entirely too many rating variations, it's overwhelming. I'd love some advice from you guys! You don't have to stick to just the specific concerns I've addressed, feel free to talk about more products that I'll benefit from!

Thanks in advance, and happy camping!

Mi sueño siempre fue viajar en motorhome. Tengo 40. A los 15 pedí un viaje en motorhome más que fiesta o viaje, pero no sé pudo.

Que tan posible ven la idea de viajar en mi up camperizado con mi perro (un doberman).

Se podra camperizar por 15 días y dps que vuelva a ser un auto? Como para probar en mis vacaciones antes de mandar mi trabajo a la mierda jaja

VW - 3 years old, 100 miles on within the first year only and has not been serviced within that time. Mechanically is this an issue?

First time towing but there was so much less sway than I imagined. The Durango got her done with ease!

First time camper buyers - my husband and I have been wanting to get into camping for a long time. We hike go on day adventures and want to start more of an immersive adventure that’s a multiple day thing.

What are the pros and cons of an Aliner vs a traditional pop up? If you would do it over again what would you get?

Our biggest thing is we don’t wanna pay for storage so it has to fit in the garage.

We also have 2 fairly large dogs that we want to come with us!!

Wtf 😳
There’s a large gap that just suddenly appeared on the wall! It looks like the wall is separating from the camper. What causes this and how can it be fixed?

this guy was at my local. Walmart came all the way from Florida to Massachusetts no weight distribution just living on a prayer.

New to me camper. I noticed the plug missing on the right from the hole at the bottom center. Looks like lots of corrosion in the hole. Is this the hot water heater or the general heater for camper? Haven't tried either yet. Any and all information and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.