Best way to store a truck camper

Desertboy wrote:
I store both of mine inside one of my barns. I have wooden spools that cable came on, laying on their side, they are the perfect height to slide under the basement one in the front and one in the back. Then to keep the dust off them I draped a light thin tarp over them because birds like to come in the barns. It also seems to keep the wasps and dirt dobbers away from my refrigerator vent cap. So what's wrong with a tarp as long as there is no condensation underneath? Just curious.

Two problems with tarps...they trap moisture (don't breath), and they rub/chaff on the camper due to flapping in the wind. Neither of those would be a problem in your barn.

I wish I had a barn to store mine in!

Thanks everyone for taking the time to weigh in on my Truck Camper storage question! I think I will call or email Northwoods to see if they have any specific suggestions for support and where on the TC is the best placement.
Deltabravo, which three points on the TC do you suggest for placing the supports?

Gerald

I store both of mine inside one of my barns. I have wooden spools that cable came on, laying on their side, they are the perfect height to slide under the basement one in the front and one in the back. Then to keep the dust off them I draped a light thin tarp over them because birds like to come in the barns. It also seems to keep the wasps and dirt dobbers away from my refrigerator vent cap. So what's wrong with a tarp as long as there is no condensation underneath? Just curious.

I'd pay $100 a month in a second. $200 for heated and enclosed. I can't build and heat a building big enough for my camper for near $200 even in 30 years of payments.

Cinderblock advice about the holes being vertical is good advice as they are designed for maximum strength when placed that direction, but there are load ratings for the blocks both ways....and generally, when split 6 ways...plus 4 jacks...you won't come close to the limit of a cinder block, no matter which way you put them.

As far as your advice about not parking in your driveway due to the way it looks...and your neighbors....I couldn't care less. My property, my right to store what I want. Of course, I don't get along well with HOA's...in fact, I'd never consider buying a place with one. I also could never live in a subdivision with houses so close together. I can't stand other people telling me what to do with my property.

I think most truck campers are people who are independent. We get truck campers because we enjoy doing things outside the campground....not surrounded by the masses.

Open, unheated, covered storage here starts about $100 a month and goes to double or triple that for a nice place (enclosed and heated and less that 100 mile drive one way).

Here in rainy Western WA on a sloped driveway, I have had my best luck with reinforced sawhorses, a plastic tarp (single season use), with a dehumidifier in the camper.

The best suggestion so far was to level the space next to your garage. Good luck.

Buzzcut1 wrote:
I have to disagree with realter

In my town whole neighborhoods were designed with second driveways going back into paved side yards with gates just for storing everything from a class A to a small tow behind. least expensive homes are in the $680,000 range going up into the 1,100,000 range. The yards are immaculate and the toys are used almost every weekend year round. I would venture to say every other home has a boat or an RV in its side yard.

A million dollar house, wow. The average price here is about $160,000. A Realtor could be in the "million dollar club" selling one house! That's why advice from some of us is worthless to some of you, and vice versa. I think some of our overpaid football coaches live in houses that price, and the Cable Guy, but he got 40 acres with his house.
I was in a subdivision in Casper, WY last year where everybody had 4 car garages. Somebody told me they all have fun toys, and like to store them inside because of the extreme climate.
As far as storing on concrete blocks, be sure to have the holes up and down, that is where the strength is.

Best storage is inside storage. Next best, covered storage. Open to elements is better than a tarp. Your cover is good, and I wish I had one. I've not heard of anyone in my area getting more than one year out of one though.

Don't listen to what others say about not supporting the bottom of your camper. Your manual is the same one mine has. Floor must be supported at a minimum of 3 points by a beam that is a minimum of 5" wide and supports across the entire bottom. They even diagram a stack of 2x6's fastened together into a 8x6. Look at your owners manual, or find one online specific for your camper.

Beware of the plywood X, it's a fantastic idea, but not really going to work for any real weight. Plywood is not designed for any shear strength in that configuration, and is difficult to seal properly from the elements making it even weaker.

I've had good success with landscape timbers (4x6), cut to 52" lengths supported by cinder blocks for height, and shimmed to level by boards/shims/leveling plates,etc.

Silver's covers are a fantastic idea, I spent the winter gently sweeping the snow off the roof of my camper every time it got over 12".

I'm really hoping for inside storage by next winter, and ideally would prefer at least covered storage year round. I don't want to have to replace UV worn plastic and rubber roof any time soon.

....we stored our camper outside on the property this winter for the 1st time since new (2005). I built vent shields out of polystyrene XPS (30psi material), and capped it off with 1/2 inch outdoor (exterior grade) plywood (the plywood protected with an 8mil UV treated clear poly tarp "window"; the exterior plywood is heavily coated with marine varnish, 4 raw cut edges saturated with varnish, too). I taped the entire contraption together with special construction tape. I can stand on these vent shields (I'm 170 LBS), and they don't give at all:





Without these over our vents, the 3, 4, 5 foot snowstorms, and the dozen or two ice storms thrown in for good measure, and various and sundry branches that get blown onto the roof over winter (cracking and breaking during ice storms) would destroy completely both roof vents-- absolutely guaranteed. I made a custom woven polyethylene cover that just fits over the roof, and goes about 12 inches down side of camper; this is cinched down over the vent shields, using an elaborate latticework of elasticized tie-downs, and a few strategic applications of very robust outdoor tape (we often have winds here for days on end in the 60 to 70 MPH range on the mountain over winter).

We live in real snow country in eastern Quebec near the extreme north side of Vermont/New Hampshire border (we often have -30 to -40 below temps for many weeks or months on end), where it starts snowing by ~10th of October, and stops snowing in June, and as such, I've had to remove snow and large icebergs off the roof of camper and the 2 trucks at least 60 times this winter. We'll see if we store everything indoors at the marina next winter.

Anyhow, If this were me, I would custom-make a solution for my particular climate situation, and unique camper structure.

....I'm outa' here to shovel another foot of heavy damp snow off the roof of the camper (3rd time today),

Good luck,
Silver-

Old Days wrote:
After the winter we had I am glad my little pop up is in my garage. I agree with the other persons reply rent a storage unit for the winter months,expensive toys belong inside.

I agree

After the winter we had I am glad my little pop up is in my garage. I agree with the other persons reply rent a storage unit for the winter months,expensive toys belong inside.