New to campers - purchased a 1991 Palomino - Good camper?

[BlissRamblyn]

I am new to campers. I used to tent camp but with a little baby and a heavy work schedule that isn't much of a reality. So we purchased a 1991 Palomino soft side truck camper. It's fully functional and seemed like a good deal at $500 with a set of Happijac tie downs. We got it home and noticed it does have a leak and there is some water damage around one of the jack mounts.

Is Palomino a good brand? Is the system which raises and lowers the top reliable? Do they stand behind there product and are replacement parts for the top mechanism available? Is this a camper worth putting time and money into?

[BlissRamblyn]

SidecarFlip wrote:

BlissRamblyn wrote:
Thanks for all the replies. Of course the day after I bought it I saw a Real-lite 1983 hard side. Original owner, stored in doors, no leaks ever. Only $1100. I'm thinking of grabbing it and selling the Palomino for what I paid. I used to backpack a lot so a truck size camper is perfect.

It might not be......

Real Lites have build issues, well documented on many forums. I suggest you do some searching on them.

No matter what you buy, ANY used camper of any vintage will probably have water intrusion issues, You better look over any used unit real closely, no matter what the price point is.

Oftentimes, what appears to be a 'silk purse' is really a 'sow's ear' inside, between the inner walls and the outer skin.

I've listed in previous threads on this forum just how to look for and what to look for and where concerning water intrusion and the obvious signs of rot and mold.

Sometimes, what appears on the outside to be a nice unit is really ready for the landfill.

Guess that is why I always buy new and even then, there can be issues.

What build issues? Do you have a link or more specifics? I can't find much about them online.

[joerg68]

sorry - double post

[joerg68]

Your Palomino was a decent camper when it was new. But that was 25 years ago!

The fact that the camper is still around says that it can't have been all that bad. But no one here knows what kind of life it lived, how well it was maintained, how many times it changed ownership, if it was used off road and in what kind of weather, how it was stored all the years... If you bought a 25 year old car, the questions would be the same, and you would usually base your decision on the current state of the vehicle, and not on some decade-old sales brochure pictures.

I have seen two of these old Popup campers being rebuilt. For the people who did it, it was a great learning experience. Economically, it was probably not worth it.

Parts can be found or rebuilt, nothing really complicated there. And the internet is here to help.

Only you know if your time is worth it, or if you would rather go camping.

Two things, though: it is always much worse than it looks initially, and it takes much longer to fix than you think it does. But it is fun and you end up with "your" camper that you know inside out.

[BadgerMcAdams]

SidecarFlip wrote:
RV's especially TC's are all built with maximum profit in mind. The way it is. Always amazes me the prices of TC's versus a pull behind or 5er. Same stuff, no wheels and more money.

X2

The first time I saw the price of a TC with slide outs and all the bells and whistles and they wanted $54,999 I honestly thought it was a misprint.

It is unreal the cost of wanting to get out and enjoy the outdoors 😉

[SidecarFlip]

BlissRamblyn wrote:
Thanks for all the replies. Of course the day after I bought it I saw a Real-lite 1983 hard side. Original owner, stored in doors, no leaks ever. Only $1100. I'm thinking of grabbing it and selling the Palomino for what I paid. I used to backpack a lot so a truck size camper is perfect.

It might not be......

Real Lites have build issues, well documented on many forums. I suggest you do some searching on them.

No matter what you buy, ANY used camper of any vintage will probably have water intrusion issues, You better look over any used unit real closely, no matter what the price point is.

Oftentimes, what appears to be a 'silk purse' is really a 'sow's ear' inside, between the inner walls and the outer skin.

I've listed in previous threads on this forum just how to look for and what to look for and where concerning water intrusion and the obvious signs of rot and mold.

Sometimes, what appears on the outside to be a nice unit is really ready for the landfill.

Guess that is why I always buy new and even then, there can be issues.

[SidecarFlip]

RV's especially TC's are all built with maximum profit in mind. The way it is. Always amazes me the prices of TC's versus a pull behind or 5er. Same stuff, no wheels and more money.

[BlissRamblyn]

Thanks for all the replies. Of course the day after I bought it I saw a Real-lite 1983 hard side. Original owner, stored in doors, no leaks ever. Only $1100. I'm thinking of grabbing it and selling the Palomino for what I paid. I used to backpack a lot so a truck size camper is perfect.

[d3500ram]

As stated, Palomino is a generally a low-end, entry level camper (and that is not a slam against it.) But at $500 if you can get a couple of years out of it then it will give you a good idea of the TC camping lifestyle to learn if you want to take it further and step up to a better quality camper down the road.

There are many places where you can purchase common standard parts... Amazon is a good source.

In my opinion I would put money into small simple less expensive things such as the table top mechanism of which you mention, but look closer at the larger items such as the jack mounts or the lift mechanism and evaluate the safety factor vs. cost in order to determine if it is worth spending money into.

I had a '94 NorthStar pop-up years ago and learned the hard way about the lift mechanics and how it was fastened. the rear part where that stuff attaches to the lid was a weak point on older pop-ups if it starts to weaken from rot...This is my canned reply about pop- ups:

The one thing that I would keep a close eye on the pop- ups is the mounting plates at the rear of the top portion of the pop- up roof. The easiest way to see what I will describe is to look at it with the roof about 1/2 way raised. Have someone inside to keep in in this position while you inspect so that it does not fall on your head.... Look at it from the outside at the rear. Push in the fabric and look at the underside where the metal plates attach to the ceiling portion that raises. You will see what looks like plates that are attached to the top roof. There are screws that fasten the metal plates to the wood. Keep an eye on these!

I had one where the screws gave out from rotting wood and they rotated up penetrated the metal roof

I ended up fixing this, but it was not an easy chore as the tension of the mechanism was tough to overcome to bring the plates that rotated back into proper position, beef up the wood and bolt it all into place.

Welcome aboard and have fun with it... even if it might be for less time than you hoped for.

[SidecarFlip]

Well, comparing my old Lance to my new Palomino (I had them sitting side by side for a while), I have to say that doing an apples to apples comparison of the two, the fit and finish in the Palomino..... cabinet fit up, drawer fit, alignment of appliances, plumbing routing and electrical routing was just as good as, maybe a tad better than the Lance and the Palomino builders used no 'plastic moulding' between the counter tops and the walls, like was the norm in my Lance, just a fillet bead of silicone.

I had issues with the Norcold fridge in the Lance (which wasn't Lance's fault) but no issues with the Dometic other than I changed out the noisy extrenal fan for 2 quiet ones. My Lance has a one piece aluminum roof which I prefer but the Palomino goes in the garage during the off season anyway. The Lance didn't.

The outer Filon sheathing on the Palomino is of a much higher quality and much more glossy than the Lance ever was (I wax them). Different suppliers I presume.

External fit up on the Palomino (properly applied sealants and caulk, properly fitted external trim and latches, I give Palomino an 8 and Lance an 8. It's an RV, not a Drexel dining room table.

All the builders are pumping them out willy-nilly to keep up with demand ( something I suspect will level off at some point in the near future), so, putting units together quick, you'll have some issues with build quality, My Palomino was built in the winter so it was a slower time for the factory and consequently, the overall fit and finish is very comparable to the Lance ans in some ways, exceeds the Lance in fit up.

One thing I really like about Palomino and my prime reason for buying one (besides being a PUP and I prefer a PUP for camping off road for the overhead clearance and the lower vertical Cg (very important when negotiating unimproved 2 tracks over hill and dale), is the fact that Palomino is 90 minutes from me and I can deal factory direct for any and all parts that I may need. I just upgraded mine to 2017 specs with the rear door sliding shade and the snazzy valances over the window blinds.. I drive over and get them. No dealer to deal with at all. Nice for me, might not work for you, if you live hundreds of miles away, but, Palomino parts is just a call away and they accept plastic and will ship to you.

Anyway, I'm a happy camper and keeping the unit inside, it will last many years. Owning a PUP makes it fairly easy to store in the garage (8 foot overhead door). I put the unit on a used boat trailer and back it in with my quad, drop the jacks, and it's good all winter.

Additionally, the 2014 and up Reico-Titan electric lift system for the roof is fantastic. Even comes with a remote and all the external hardware (on the camper) is gone. It's all inside (Northstar is now using the same exact RT system on their PUP's). Up and down is a 5 second exercise in pushing the button. Turn on the Fantastic fan, close the door and lower the roof. The fan creates a negative pressure in the camper and sucks the tent in so closing the camper becomes a one person job and, Palomino added height to the side walls and lowered the roof profile so now it's possible to use the camper (get inside to get to the fridge and sit at the table and have a snack without raising the roof and the one piece entry door allows that. The old style 2 piece door, not only leaked, but you had to raise the roof to get inside for anything. Not any more.

A lot of design advancements geared toward convenient use as well as better fit up and better quality cabinets (all hardwood with ball bearing drawer slides)...and the asking price didn't increase either. All good with me.

A hard side don't work well with me. I need a PUP because of where I camp. Offroading with a hardside can be very interesting at time. Been there done that and I prefer the lower vertical CG plus the lower closed profile driving down the road.

Just me I guess.

[mkirsch]

Yep, Palominos are not regarded for being high quality campers, but if your 1991 camper is not a total soggy mess of rotten wood, how bad can it really be? The damage is likely more extensive than what you see, just so you're prepared if you decide to try fixing it.

I've been generally happy with mine. It was 10 years old when I bought it, lightly used, and stored indoors. The issues I had with it were caused by ill-conceived "customizations" to the plumbing and some overdue maintenance.

[Joe417]

We had a '03 Palomino 8801. I had to do some repair when I bought it due to poor maintenance.

I really liked it and it's construction was sound.

As Sidecar said, some say it's an "entry level camper". I think that's a term a lot of people like to use to say "I spent more money than You".

If you like it and it fits your needs then it then it's worth maintaining to a point. You only gave $500. If you built your own camper and bought used appliances you would pay more.

As to whether it's worth fixing, depends on what you enjoy doing.

I enjoy those kinds of project. I replaced the cab-over nose framing, roof framing and plywood over the bath, and put all new rubber on the roof of the 8801 I had. I think the total cost of repair was about $500 and about $100 was in polyurethane glue.

I bought most of the materials at Bontragers' in White Pigeon, MI. They are very reasonable.

[SidecarFlip]

KD4UPL wrote:
I would put Palomino near the bottom as far as quality. I once bought an old Palomino (no idea what year) 8' pop-up TC for $400. It also leaked. I fixed the leak, fixed the furnace, installed a water pump, battery, and inverter and used it for about 4 years. After I got married I determined the bed was too small.
I wouldn't buy another Palomino. I was always fixing something.

Interesting. I think you'll find since Forest River (Warren Buffett) bought them out, the quality has improved greatly.

I have has ZERO issues with my Palomino, nothing, nada. In 2 years of mostly off road camping, nothing has broke, nothing failed, nothing has gotten loose. It don't even squeak and I've twisted the heck out of it.

It don't leak either, but then seal maintenance is paramount, just like any camper (RV). Don't take care of seals and it rots, but then any camper will that has a wood frame.

Obviously, not for everyone but coming from a Lance to the Palomino, I have to say that I'm very pleased and because it's a PUP I don't even know it's back there....

[KD4UPL]

I would put Palomino near the bottom as far as quality. I once bought an old Palomino (no idea what year) 8' pop-up TC for $400. It also leaked. I fixed the leak, fixed the furnace, installed a water pump, battery, and inverter and used it for about 4 years. After I got married I determined the bed was too small.
I wouldn't buy another Palomino. I was always fixing something.

[SidecarFlip]

BlissRamblyn wrote:
I am new to campers. I used to tent camp but with a little baby and a heavy work schedule that isn't much of a reality. So we purchased a 1991 Palomino soft side truck camper. It's fully functional and seemed like a good deal at $500 with a set of Happijac tie downs. We got it home and noticed it does have a leak and there is some water damage around one of the jack mounts.

Is Palomino a good brand? Is the system which raises and lowers the top reliable? Do they stand behind there product and are replacement parts for the top mechanism available? Is this a camper worth putting time and money into?

What I have and I had a Lance before it. It's not a 4 season camper by any shot but it it light and yes parts are available for the tent and the camper itself. In fact Palomino is right here in Michigan, just south of 3 Rivers or west of Coldwater about 20 miles.

I have a new one with a solid one piece door and the Reico-Titan electric roof lift, push button up and down.

Mine is new (last year) but I stay after the seals and caulk every 90 days.

They are wood framed so I'd be thinking about taking care of that leak and repairing any rot.

people say it's an 'entry level camper', but it fits my needs and lifestyle just fine and it didn't cost a fortune either.

Not heavy either. I have the top of the line model with a full wet bath and full of water, 2 full propane bottles and all my 'stuff', it weighs 2200 pounds, way below the payload capacity for my F350 Ford SRW diesel 4x4. I don't even know it's back there. I surely knew the Lance was back there however......

For 500 bucks, you cannot go wrong, even if it needs some repair.

If you need parts, advice or manuals, Goggle up Palomino Campers, Colon, Michigan and get the phone number and ask for Brian, he';s the parts manager and knows about everything about the campers, They will sell you parts direct and ship them to you. I know they do tent repairs there in Colon. Last time I was at the plant, they had 4 older units in the back for tent replacement.

It's not a double / triple slide camper with a sauna and widescreen TV but for the wife and I, it's just fine and being a pop-up TC, no wind resistance going down the road either.

Nice folks to deal with.