Life expectancy of pickup campers...

MY old 1984 Lance spent almost all it's time outside except for a few winters.

It did develop one leak at the passenger side window about 10 years ago, but I caught it in time and fixed it myself.
It has a ding here and there and I had to remove the jacks, sandblast and re-paint them a few years ago......but if I wash and wax it, it looks almost as good as new.....it is aluminum.

I recently upgraded, but only did so because I wanted some of the features of the newer campers. (The east/west bed isn't good for us now that we are older and more portly......The hydraulic jacks are getting to be too much hassle for us.....and we wanted a little more walk around room and freezer space.)
If it weren't for the bed and refrigerator, I would have kept it and figured out how to put electric jacks on it.

I think the new on will be stored inside more than the old one.

My Avion is over 45 years old and has been outside it's entire life. I have rebuilt the interior 2-1/2 years ago, and I think the exterior has another 50+ years left in it.

I would never worry about leaving a camper on a truck unless your parking it for months at a time. Which I'd then extend the jacks down and take some of the weight off the truck.

Molded fiberglass is better than alum roofing but you still have holes in it, A/C, vents, and so on. Its really just keeping the seals good and sealed.

We all just know to many people that forgot to go in their rig for a month in the rainy season and find a moldy musty smell before their 1st trip of the Spring....

In a perfect world we'd all have heated shops to park all our toys.....

Perhaps a molded fiberglass would be better able to tolerate storing outside?

Is storing in pickup bed worth saving 400$ year on storage fees? Or will it ruin my truck?

You do what you need to do. Tarp, out in open or whatever. If its outside you'll seriously want it close by and check the inside at least weekly for leaks and get on the roof often and check.

Check everything really really carefully. Be super picky.
$6,700 could be worth it if the bigfoot is the model you want and in perfect shape. That said it is pretty much 20 years old now. It is all about the condition and if everything works.

I would give serious consideration to finding how much covered RV storage would cost. Boise winters and summers can be brutal....my inlaws and sister in law live there.

Thank you for your replies.

I doubt i will be able to fit it in my townhouse garage - with 4 adults living here people may not be happy with me

how about a good old fashioned tarp? I will probably have to pay for parking somewhere unless it is ok to store it fastened to the truck? So I guess I will have to see the variation of costs in parking spaces.

I found a 1995 bigfoot - the dealer said they just put 4000$ into it and replaced all plumbing - they are selling for 6,700. I asked for records detailing exactly what was done and why but haven't received them just yet

Like 2BLAZERS mentioned previously, You can't afford an RV until you can afford the carport/shop/or covered storage for it. I have attached a few photos of our recently completed drive thru RV garage.

Other thoughts:

If you can pay cash, get the best shape camper you can, no leaks, everything works, NO roof soft spots, etc...make sure you have the time and money to keep up the seals on the roof, wax on it, etc...$15 of Dicor caulking is cheap compared to dryroot. I'd pick older solid rig over newer one with frills.

It is often surprising how newish older well cared for campers look. While at the same time, newer stuff looks old cause its not cared for.

If you are making payments on a camper, you really shouldn't unless you can pay to keep it covered. To many people left with 10 years of loan on a worthless RV because of one little leak.

For costs per year: figure on some caulking each year, then wash and wax supplies. Also figure on something needing fixed or replaced each year. Say 500 per year. Might be batteries or whatever. Usually something happens each year. It basically is alittle house with all the house issues and systems.

My dad always said..''we might not be rich but we take care of our stuff so it lasts''..... he was right and drove a 1972 car until the middle 90s cause it still ran like a top. Cause he took care of it.

No RV made is designed to be left in the weather, unoccupied, unheated, 24-7-365; period.

My old 12 year old RV looked new, because both owners kept it undercover.
My current rig has been garaged since it arrived.

Buy the best camper you can, and treat it with care and it can last decades.