Maverick Capri Campers

Pros cheap, cons resale poor construction, stick to a popular brand

805gregg wrote:
Pros cheap, cons resale poor construction, stick to a popular brand

X2. Capri Campers are largely made and sold for cowboys on the rodeo circuit pulling a 3 stall horse trailer. Many of these campers are sold to these cowboys instead of them buying an expensive living quarter horse trailer.

I hear they're under new owners and have a "new attitude". I read it on the internet.
I can appreciate their simplicity. You might want to verify weight of the unit, after adding options, before signing on the dotted line.

To your question ... we own a 2013 Sportsman Grande - bought in Jul13, have spent 80+ nights mostly in US Forest & BLM boondocking; 10-15% required true 4x4. We've put 20,000 miles mostly in UT, ID, WY, NV, AZ, CA. As a hard side, ground to top of camper vent is 12'3" - this is an all wood construction.

Our 2013 Grande is the same floorplan as 2014 Maverick less shower. For options we included cedar wood lining & passed on air condition & TV. We did add a Olympian Wave-3 (3000 BTU) heater, cabinet latches, & upgraded cushions from cloth to leather after purchase.

This is a basic camper with 3-way refrigerator, 2-stove propane, sink, 30-gal water, & single 20# propane tank. At 6'3" I only need to duck when going in or out the door, & can stretch out on the the 84" (east-west) bed. There's a 110v outlet that is pre wired for shore power. There are no: slide outs; grey or black tanks (sink water drains to the ground); oven; sound system; washer-dryer; lazy boy recliner; or even room for 60" flat screen ... it is a camper - not a home or alternative house.

Completely dry it came in at 1327#; loaded we sit at 2554# (we take lots of stuff). We carry on a Chevy 1-ton long bed crew cab (no suspension mods) using Torklift's with simple happijac tie downs; tires are OEM Michelin's. We travel at 65-70 mph (getting to remote locations) & 10.5 - 11.5 mpg.

We are not rodeo cowboys, don't have horses, drag horse trailers (we have a Thule swing out bike rack on the back receiver for bikes & skis), or even fish much. We camp.

More to your question ...
PROs:
-Capri as a company: been in business 35+ years - good customer service
-well built, hand crafted, lots of options
-light weight, all wood (aluminum siding), durable
-easy to work on, basic electrical, nothing complex or even sophisticated
-real easy to use, plenty of storage, sufficient fresh water, no plumbing problems
-plenty of room
-the price was right (brand new under $10k out the door)

CONs:
-not well insulated, under 20F, heater full blast barely keeps it @ 70F
-single pane windows
-vinyl flooring is low grade, prone to scuffs & dings with heavy use
-some storage spaces don't have lips, stuff slides out when going 4x4
-outside tie down brackets have sharp, square edges & will tear shirt sleeves
-need a 4-step ladder to enter
-very few dealers (we had to go to Montana)

So ... this is a basic, solid, proven truck camper, at a quite reasonable cost that continues to hold up well with heavy use ... as a camper.

Carb Cleaner wrote:
I hear they're under new owners and have a "new attitude". I read it on the internet.
I can appreciate their simplicity. You might want to verify weight of the unit, after adding options, before signing on the dotted line.

Very crude looking things. I have seen one off Truck Campers here in Australia, that are vastly better than those Capri's

Thanks all for your answers .

I'm not a camper , but a full time traveller .

I'm looking for something cheap where I can sleep .

If you have any other suggestions , they're welcome.