Need advice on what I should look for in TC

By the time water is evident in the camper it has done a lot of damage. I would try to avoid anything with any sign of a leak or you will have a lot of work on your hands.

...listen to Steve very closely. I'll say it again: if there is any sign of leaking whatsoever when you buy a unit (new or used), the camper may be near a write-off already (requiring enormous quantities of time to make it road-worthy and safe to camp in: ie. needing rebuilding from perhaps the ground-up = do you have the several hundred hours to throw into THAT ?).

If a camper has no evident signs of leaking, and you inadvertently discover leaking, you are still in grave trouble.

The only 2 campers on the North American market (I'm aware of at all) that have NO wood in the superstructure whatsoever (roof, walls, cabover AND tub), I have learned about, are: late-model Lance campers, and LivinLite. That's it. Don't let a camper with fiberglass on the exterior (or, clam-shell design) fool you into thinking it is bullet-proof (rot wise).

If you can find a used LivinLite (I've seen a few in the used market), you're in the gravy. Late-model used fully aluminum/Azdel Lance units are a bit more difficult to find. If you need to sell a rot-resistant double-used (twice used) camper, you'll have a MUCH greater chance of getting most of your money back out of the venture.

Good luck to you,
S-

michande wrote:
I do 2 very different kinds of camping. When me and my buddy go camping we will snowshoe to 11k and camp in below zero weather with driving winds. We both enjoy the heck out of it and next year will try to do a 14er in Jan. In the summer we will backpack, rock climb, repel and just about anything. But when our wives come with we pack much different and with a lot more amenities. That is why I though a camper would be handy for the couple of times that the women come with.

I found a shadow cruiser that has some leaking in the roof. It is late 80's model and has bathroom AC and pretty much everything I wouldn't be able to afford if the roof wasn't leaking. Now I am pretty handy when it comes to metal work. How hard is it to tear the ceiling down on the bunk above the cab and replace that wood after the leak is sealed? I talked to my father in law and he said it wasn't that difficult but he has a tendency to underestimate a projects size and overestimate his ambition to get into a project.

While reading this forum, I've read about a lot of people interested in a rip/replace due to water damage. Very few of them come to completion. Unless one is more interested in the camper as a project, as opposed to using it outdoors, I'd not buy a camper that has signs of major water intrusion and rot under any circumstances.

By the time water is evident in the camper it has done a lot of damage. I would try to avoid anything with any sign of a leak or you will have a lot of work on your hands. This might be useful:

Repairing my Shadow Cruiser roof

Steve.

I do 2 very different kinds of camping. When me and my buddy go camping we will snowshoe to 11k and camp in below zero weather with driving winds. We both enjoy the heck out of it and next year will try to do a 14er in Jan. In the summer we will backpack, rock climb, repel and just about anything. But when our wives come with we pack much different and with a lot more amenities. That is why I though a camper would be handy for the couple of times that the women come with.

I found a shadow cruiser that has some leaking in the roof. It is late 80's model and has bathroom AC and pretty much everything I wouldn't be able to afford if the roof wasn't leaking. Now I am pretty handy when it comes to metal work. How hard is it to tear the ceiling down on the bunk above the cab and replace that wood after the leak is sealed? I talked to my father in law and he said it wasn't that difficult but he has a tendency to underestimate a projects size and overestimate his ambition to get into a project.

Also, get a catalytic heater for it. The Wave 6 melts me out of my camper, and doesnt use too much propane. I also use my heater buddy to take the chill off during milder nights.

Im a tenter by heart, but My GF loves the extra comfort and I need the TC to camp on the beach I go to.

I have had a Pop up and a Hardside... go with the hard-side. The Pop up is a pain to travel in... you cant just hop in the camper and use the facilities or have some lunch. Under $2000 is going to get you a project... but if you are handy you'll be fine. I bought mine for $600, and have replaced half the wood inside, but its starting to look really nice, and become exactly what I want.

Also, you'll likely find more options for hardside campers in that range (albeit probably much older) than you will a pop-up. I found over here on the east coast I was competing against everyone with a half ton truck with a 6 foot bed to find a good pop-up, when I could have been looking at older 8 foot hardsides (I was sure originally that I wanted a pop-up, which was a mistake.)

Anyways, TL;DR If you do any traveling, get a hardside, and with a small budget it expands what you can find.

If you tent camp you don't do heat anyways so I would not rule a pop up out because of that. My popup has a blanket that can be attached to help better insulate but never needed it and been camping in near freezing conditions. The heater did run a lot but not all the time. I think the bigger issue for your wife is going to be the bathroom. It's hard to find a popup with a real toilet, we have a portable one in ours that works but nothing like the real thing. Hot water for a shower is also nice, ours is external shower but gets the job done. I like the popup because they are light weight and low profile and that helps get you into those tighter boon dock places, hard sides are definitely more comfortable.

It sounds like you are outdoor people and not just campers. The difference here being that you are out all day and need a place to lay your head at night. That keeps you dry and warm under any circumstances with the right bedding. Don't let a pop up feel like it is limiting you. Likewise, a hardside has never been a problem in the wind in my experience and I've camped in a lot of windy places including the Nevada desert and the open plains of Wyoming where 50 + mph gusts happen while I have the camper off the truck. And in that regard, a pop up is typically not capable of being off the truck while you are camping.

You could read up on http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/

There will be a lot of info on smaller lighter more exploration-capable campers there, as well as regularly updated links to recent for sale ads.