First TC purchase, please advise

[work2fish]

Hi Folks,

You have a great forum here. I am a middle-aged geezer who, at 51 and still camping in tents, has decided I need to be a bit more comfortable for these old bones and back.

I've been spending the past few weeks reading as much as I can and have learned a lot. Last summer, I traded in my F-150 and bought a new to me one ton truck in preparation for a truck camper at some point.

I found one for sale, a 2013 Palomino Bronco B-1251 SB that has never been used, and from what I can determine it looks like a pretty good deal. However, I know nothing about what to look for. I've read enough to know that Palomino may not be the best brand in terms of fit and finish/quality, but I just don't have $20K lying around to invest in something that I'm not even sure I will have the time to use very often.

The camper appears to have the main features I am looking for: inside wet bath, popup, lightweight, etc. I am planning to take a look at the camper on Saturday morning and am wondering what I should be looking for? What would you say are the limitations of the Palomino Bronco versus the other popup camper lines? Since it looks like this model does not have a grey water tank, does that mean the 7 gal black water tank holds both? How well does that work and does it severely limit the length of time spent camping before needing to visit the dump station?

Thanks in advance for any help or advice you can provide,

[kerry4951]

I looked at several 2014s at the Hershey RV show this past fall. I was not impressed. One of them had at least a 1/8" gap around the top of the outside water heater frame that was completely opened up for water to get in. The dealer should of been ashamed to bring it to the show.

[MKish]

I did a lot of internet shopping for my popup and there aren't similar reviews for the other popups--at least not in the same ratio. 🙂

Palominos (at least before the new model) are exceptionally affordable and have bad reviews for leaks, durability, and general construction BUT

people who know that do okay. They have nice layouts (I think) and for light use are probably pretty awesome. They ARE so inexpensive that in spite of the bad reviews I didn't rule them out for it. (We don't deal with a lot of rain.) I did rule them out because they required tucking in the canvas to close up. My goal was instant camper (and instant not-camper).

Check it out though. If the price is right, it could be a great way to see if you like a TC--and knowing going in what you could be dealing with can help avoid future issues.

[work2fish]

Thanks again for the post. Yikes, that is a pretty brutal review. I like his comment that if it looks very bad on the interior, then one can only wonder what the structure assembly looks like.

I have read that the 2014s are better, but this one is a 2013. Is there a chance that they made a decent one at 2013 1/2? 🙂 I don't know but I'm going to take a look anyway and see what it is like. If I end up buying another camper, at least I know what to look for in terms of build quality. Thanks for all the tips as to what to look for. I am going to cut and paste these comments and turn them into a checklist that I will take with me.

Cheers,

[TomG2]

I suspect that there are similar Internet reviews out there for all brands. I would like to see one on 2014 models of all brands, not just one on a 2012.

[rottidawg]

These reviewers weren't impressed with the Bronco:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/92420-2012-Palomino-Bronco-Review?highlight=palamino

Nor was I when I was looking before my purchase. In Denver you have Hallmark, FWC, Outfitter, Northstar and Phoenix. Personally, the Palamino wasn't even a consideration.

Used, they do have a low price point.

Like this reviewer said:
"The absolute best thing about a Palomino pop up camper is that they do not have any resale value. Bad for the original buyer, but great news for the subsequent buyers."

[Gr8life]

"If" the price is anything close to that of a 2014, I would opt for the latter. The flimsy two piece rear door has been eliminated as well as several other upgrades. The side walls are now tall enough to allow usage with the top lowered. They now have a power lift that takes the place of the troublesome crank up system. On the other hand, money talks.

[Old_Days]

My oldest son lives west of Denver so we travel to Colorado twice a year. As far as tie downs go on the torklift web site and find the right number for your truck than go to Amazon and check price. They are easy to install yourself. Turnbuckles maybe look on Craigslist or shop Amazon you need spring loaded ones. For install you tube is great. A dealer would be a lot more money.

[work2fish]

Thanks for these replies. I have since learned that a person can buy water tanks to collect the grey water in order to dump it later.

Leaks are probably the biggest thing I will look for and I waited until the day after we had a snowstorm for that very reason. Thanks for those specific tips.

Finally, I wondered how somebody deals with a loading a camper on a truck for the very first time. I do not have any of the hardware to secure the camper and I am imagining that it must be tailored to the camper itself. Will an outfit take measurements of both the truck and the camper and then install something that works? Since I would be buying the camper from a private party and not a dealer, are dealers still the best place to have these modifications done?

Thanks,

Oh, and I love Colorado too! Wisconsin ain't so bad, either though! GO BRONCOS!!!! 🙂

[Old_Days]

I own a Palomino real lite 1603 that we bought last fall and have used a couple times before winter set in. I would look at the corners of the canvas to make sure it has no holes and you want the outside crank to raise the roof. Also check the molding corners by the roof it might need to be re-caulked. This is a very good Forum with a lot of smart people they have helped me a lot. PS I love Colorado.

[dadwolf2]

Since you live in the pop-up capital have you asked Hallmark or Outfitter is they have any used campers for sale?

[KD4UPL]

I had an 8' Palamino camper a few years ago. It was old, probably from the '80s but I wasn't impressed with the materials used in the construction. It had OSB (particle board) used in a lot of places that probably should have had something stronger. The entry door never did latch quite right because it was too flimsy to stay in alignment.
However, it was very inexpensive and I had a lot of enjoyable camping trips in it.
The most important thing to look for is signs of leaks and water damage. That will ruin even a high end camper very quickly.
As for no gray tank, I hope that doesn't mean it just drains on the ground. That's the way mine was. I normally camped out in the woods so nobody really cared. If you intend to camp in campgrounds they will frown on gray water going directly on the ground.
If it were me, I'd be looking at an older higher end camper for the same price. I don't know how much you're looking to spend.
In 2009 I bought a 2003 11' hardside camper with lots of options including AC and generator for $9,500. I don't have $20K lying around either.