Campers 101

[Great-Kazoo]

Pop-up

POR - easy to tow, maneuver, store

CON - very unsecure . A razor knife can turn your pop up in to a gutted shell. Terrible to heat vs hard side when cold.
LEAKS unless the previous owner[s] maintaind the pop up expect some moldy and or integrity issues with the canvas.

We had 1 pop-up. It was great to tow (lost 1.5mpg) overall. Very easy to set up and store , end of year. HOWEVER it was a security nightmare. Unattended it was ripe for easy access theft.

Pull behind / enclosed unit. Great for all weather use. Security wise, much better than pop-up. A decent hard side usually has a stand up shower / bathroom.

What you decide on ends up being a split decision between you and the spouse.

The best of both worlds is an A-LINER. Little pricier, however it's a good melding of pop-up and hard side.



Another one to look at is a HI-LO. Hard side that cranks up to become a full sized enclosed unit.





Now that you have a basic idea, lets get in to inspection.

Materials to bring with you when inspecting a camper.
Tarp
Ladder
Flashlight
Gloves - work and latex . Latex for inspecting the toilet, shower and sink area (trust me)

N95 respirator. Once again trust me. N95 is worse case scenario. Hopefully you would have driven away (fast) before actually setting foot in a unit that CDC would quarantine.


Once you locate a unit. Start at the roof. Does it look like it's been resealed, does it look like repairs to sky light, around sink / toilet vent have been resealed? If so how many times?

Windows. same for sealed, check for leaks inside. The hidden areas around inside window molding, base of window, show what if any leaks there are / were . IF the window[s] show signs of resealing. was it done 1/2 ass or correct.
1/2 ass / hurry, bead of silicone around window frame.
Correct (money spent) the window will have been removed and resealed between frame and camper shell

LEAKS: The bane of any thing one buys.
Having mentioned windows. Inspect the door AND water fill area for same .
Now lets do a closer check of the camper. If it has a shower / toilet. How do the gaskets look, does the enclosure look like a flop house reseal of seams? Go under the sink area. wet spots, signs of leaks, AGAIN 1/2 seal job of fittings etc. Look at all corners under sink and toilet. Does the floor feel solid, OR some flexing? You can apply the same check around the windows. Is the framing solid or questionable?

After looking at the interior, crawl under the unit (bring a tarp and gloves, latex preferred) look at the material used to cover the bottom. 99% of the time it is a tight somewhat heavy mesh. Intact, good, shows there is minimal signs of rodent infestation. It also shows how they unit was maintained. Did they keep it clean, was it used off road or basic campground weekends. ANY SIGNS OF TORN OR DISCOLORED MESH Means potential leaks, you were unable to detect from the interior. And or Rodents have used the underside for nesting. WALK AWAY IMMEDIATELY. Inspecting a camper is like looking at a vehicle you want to buy.

If you don't know what you're looking at bring someone who does.

You will see a cherry unit. The seller says, we redid the floor and replaced water lines. RED FLAGS Possible the owner failed to winterize, or maintain it. Walk Away.

I mention leaks and repairs a few times. Why, it's the unseen that will bite you in the ass after buying. We have seen more units with MOLD, Mushrooms / fungus , serious piles of rodent droppings etc.

One unit the seller said they redid the flooring, because the hot water heater sprung a leak. Looked underneath, literally 1/2 the underside covered with mushrooms, NOT some small caps. MUSHROOMS, Shittake size caps!!

Spoke with another seller , said their pull behind was CHERRY. Hardly used, mostly for visitors in town. Well after driving behind the cow pasture manure hill, we saw the CHERRY camper. It was painted CHERRY! Broken windows, roof had more water damage then a septic tank. PILE OF RODENT DROPPINGS, LOOKED LIKE ANTS

Regarding a toilet. You pay to dump your sewage. Us we never use the toilet , prefer the utility version of a crapper. Luggable LOO, or any other camping portable unit. Why? easy to maintain, and dispose of waste bags.

If you were close,r i'd say hire my spouse to look at campers with you. We've owned slide in's, pop-ups and pull behind's a few years. Know what to look for and what to avoid. Once you look at 2-3 campers you'll see what i'm talking about.
YMMV

There are other things when looking, i'm sure i forgot to mention.