Where to begin? It's been a long winter and so much has gone on. When I last updated the thread the wife and I were in a debate over what kind of camper to have. Bumper pull or slide in. It was a hard decision because we liked the mobility of the slide in, but the comforts of the bumper pull. It also doesn't help that I use my truck as a daily driver of sorts and don't want or need the camper in it all the time. So we decided on a bumper pull. The slide in was to be sold in the spring or summer and that was that. Well, luck was with us this winter! We found an 18' Springdale not two miles from our home! It had a leak at one point that has left a small soft spot in the floor, but other than that it is in excellent condition. A good friend of mine had it for about three years, and has already stopped the leak. He priced it to me CHEAP! It is exactly what we were looking for.
So as time has passed since we bought our little gem, I have managed to convince my wife that we will be sorry if we sell the slide in. She agreed! So I got to keep it. Best part is I don't have as much money in both of my campers as it would cost to have one nice one. Both of them are banged up and rotten in a place or two- but hey, so am I! So today I went to work on the slide in. I had a soft spot in the floor that needed repaired.....
so I set about removing the rotten wood. The great news is that it was completely dry. Considering we've had enough rain to float the ark in the last week or so I thought that was good. I had sealed the camper last fall and apparently stopped the offending leak. So I set to using some scrap plywood and treated 2x stuff and ended up with this...
I thought that went so smooth it'd be a shame to stop -so I cut a hole in the side of it! I couldn't reach the turnbuckle on the passenger front corner-major problem. I use eye bolts and turnbuckles through the floor of the truck bed since I don't have any hippi-jacks or other fancy anchoring system. It works. My goal was to simplify the install/removal process. This thing has to come in and out as smoothly as possible. I cut the opening...
And cut out a door.
I still need to get a latch, but it's done otherwise.
I also installed a pair of sliding drawer tool boxes next to the tailgate.....
The big chest and fuel tank will come out for the summer and any big wrenches will go behind the back seat. I can put the chest and tank in and out quickly if I need to- I use two big half inch bolts to bolt them down together at the same time. I can leave the two drawer boxes in even with the camper in the bed. The idea is that most of my wrenches never leave the truck. I can come in fast and slide the camper out and immediately go to the field and never miss a beat. Other than the fuel tank I'm going to have a great compromise. Next up is mounting the house battery inside the camper somewhere and installing a 100watt plus panel on the roof. I also need to replace the fridge. I also need to add some simple extensions to the jack legs so I don't need a bunch of blocks. It's all about making it easy to use at this point. I'm sure I've left some stuff out, but I'll be updating as work continues. I still have to re-cover the floor with something...tile? Hardwood? Lots of updates. I also did some work to the ole' powerstroke over the winter too...but that's not nearly as exciting as getting to keep the camper. So I'll get the motor stuff in another post. Carry on campers!
