bugout camper/trailer ideas

[hard2kill]

So this past weekend we acquired an old pop-up camper from my grandparents. Its been sitting in a car shed since 1988 and I figured I'd pull it out for shits and giggles to see if it was even worth my time to mess with. To my astonishment, it was almost in as good of shape as when it was put away. After some air in the tires, caulking a dime sized hole in the roof and a quick trip to the car wash to get all the red clay dirt off of it, it ended up costing me a little over $5 so I'm happy. I am obviously going to waterproof the canvas and take care of what little rust is on it (all surface rust) my dumbass hasn't gotten a picture of it yet but the basic dimensions are 10'x6' when folded up. Aside from painting it, what would some of your ideas be as far as transforming it into a frequently used camper/potential bugout camper? This isn't exactly mine but same basic size and shape folded up http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9 ... upu74Ikwuw

Sorry if if turns out really small, I'm doing this on my phone.

[jamoni]

That's totally cool!
Ideas, just the basics:
Shelter, water, food, fire, clothing, first aid, communications, defense.
Shelter is covered. Make sure you have plenty of blankets.
Water: if it doesn't have a good sized on board tank, that would be a huge plus. I'd also want a really good filtration set up.
Food: I'd want to stash a ton of dried goods and staples in there.
Fire: make sure you've got a good setup for heat and cooking.
Clothing: Tubs with 4-season clothing for everyone, plus some extras just in case.
First aid: GOOD FAK, not a store bought one.
Comms: For me this would be a mobile 2M HAM rig and a mast mounted antenna. Also some flares.
Defense: I'd probably stash a .38 revolver and a .22 rifle, plus ammo.
A small generator wouldn't hurt.
Tools: I'd put in plenty of hand tools, and a set of rechargeable drill, saw, light, etc. Axes, saws, etc. as well as mechanical tools.

[88sport]

would you be looking to take this on some mild offroad stuff at all? if so, you might want to look at upgrades to make it more trail-ready.

[TacAir]

Buy new tires as a first thing. Esp if it was sitting on the tires for any length of time. Then a inner tube or two of the correct size, patch kit, and a tire pump.

Trailer gotta roll to do ya any good - just say'n.

Cool deal - hope you get some use out of it - take some pics of it in use and share with with the G-P units, I bet they get a kick out of the photos!

[ImfromtheGovt]

Most likely it has a leaf spring suspension. If your tow vehicle is at least mildly off-road capable, you might want to do an "axle-flip" mod to the pop-up whereby you "flip" the spring perches to the top of the leaf springs. This will typically give you 4-6" of lift for almost nothing (spring perches are usually about $5 each, then its just your time and a little welding perhaps).

After that, depending on what creature comforts the pop-up has standard, you might want to go about making them work for "dry-camping" (ie: off-the-grid) for as long as possible. Little things go a long way. Things like swapping out all the lightbulbs for LED replacements will draw about 10% of the power as the original lights and that will make your 12v battery (if it has a 12v system) last a whole lot longer between charges.

I have a 2003 Coleman pop-up that I will be (hopefully) doing these things to in the near future, along with adding at least one (maybe two) additional batteries and if funds allow a solar recharging system.

Oh, and the biggest of all. Get out there and use it as much as you can. Be as familiar with the operation of the pop-up as you can, and you will do that by camping regularly. Plus, you get to go camping... what's not to love about that?!? The more familiar you are with setup, tear-down, and the day-to-day life of using what is in your "bug-out camper" the more any unpleasant bug-out becomes just another fun camping trip.

Enjoy and good luck. Oh, and post pics!

[rpc]

Buy new tires as a first thing. Esp if it was sitting on the tires for any length of time. Then a inner tube or two of the correct size, patch kit, and a tire pump.

In addition, I would repack the bearings. I've been told it's an easy do-it-yourself job, but it's a bit out of my capabilities, so I had my auto mechanic do it. An RV dealer will also do it for you, but they'll charge a bit more. It's recommended to do it annually, which is probably overkill. But after 20 years, it's definitely time.

When you replace the tires, don't forget to replace the spare. Even though it might look pristine, it could be the victim of dry rot.

You might be surprised, and waterproofing the canvas (which probably isn't canvas) probably isn't necessary. But if you decide to do it, test whatever you plan to use on an inconspicuous area.

It sounds like you got a heckuva deal. We love our popup camper. It's easy to tow and easy to store. I don't particularly enjoy having to set it up after a long day of driving, but once you get the hang of it, it will only take a few minutes. And when I'm putting in the supports for the bunk ends (the only real PITA of the whole set up process), I just keep repeating to myself how easy it is to tow and store.

[Boyscoutdreams]

Use golf cart batteries for the DC power and get a charge controller that can be hooked into your car/truck system so that while your driving it will recharge the batteries. Make sure it is an ?isolation? charge controller so when the car/truck is not running the batteries are not still drawing from the car/truck or back feeding into the system. Unless you go commercial Renewable energy batteries the 6vdc golf carts will give you the most bang for your buck but they are not cheap and you need to buy them in sets of two. If I remember they are about 70lbs each. Not really portable. LED lights are great and don't draw much, but also look at CCFL (cold cathode florescent lighting) like these. They are 12v DC and only draw about 1/2 amp.
http://www.amazon.com/WHITE-CATHODE-BRI ... pd_vtp_e_6
Easily the 12" dual tube is bright enough to read by. They do come in various sizes but need to be adapted for your use. The small (4" or 6") red might also be useful because it should not bother night vision nearly as much. They are easily as efficient as LEDs I think when you start comparing light output to power used if what I read is correct.