Depending how spartan you want to get, you could pull a bunch of weight out of a camper, but the second biggest attraction coming from tent camping, after not having to set up a tent, roll out sleeping bags, etc every time you move is the features you're getting rid of was....
Water, with a sink shower and chitter.
Fridge (the best feature)
Hot water
Heat
Storage, storage storage, not living out of a bunch of Rubbermaid totes.
While your budget may low or you think it's low, buying a cheap old camper and then basically gutting it will make all of it sunk cost, as it won't be marketable.
Buying something in nice shape and keeping all the features in tact and keeping it in the same or better condition than you bought it will basically result in zero or near zero depreciation and if (when) you decide to upgrade, you'll get most all your investment back. And camp in much greater luxury as a side benefit.
For reference, we bought our first TC, 8 years old, used it for 2 years and sold it for more than we paid. Bought another one a couple years older for less than the first one and 6 years later it's still worth 80-90% what we paid, maybe more.
If I sold it today for a modest price, would actually make some money overall.
Long term, you could come out better financially by buying a decnwt used camper and not modifying it than buying cheap and making it less marketable
Something to consider.
