Living that Skamper Life

traildude

New member
Long time forum lurker I think this is my first post. Just Bought a Skamper 072s for my 08 Tacoma! I researched a bunch of forums before going with this model. I also went deep into how to upgrade my truck to handle the weight. Price was right and even had it delivered to my little town in Idaho. I will be living full time is this for the next 3-6 months.

Here is what I have done so far:
-Recall Springs
-Ride Rite air bags
-Deep Clean
-System Checks (everything works though it is not user friendly)

Here is my to-do list:
-Replace flooring and paint cabinets
-Re-wire entire electric system: over time I plan to copy mbroughton02's set up seen here http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/151996-Another-Skamper-072S-budget-build/page5
-Re-seal roof seam down middle of camper, (any suggestions on product/technique for this?)
-Interior ceiling seams are failing (see pictures) not sure if this is a sign of water damage or just normal. Will replace with stained 1/8 inch ply wood in the next few months.

Here are my questions (I am not very mechanically inclined but I can dig good):
-Any one running the Sailun Terra Max A/T 10ply? Reviews seem good and price is excellent (700 installed) with 40,000 mile warranty.
-Has anyone re-built there Hijacker Jacks? one of mine is leaking and am looking for parts to rebuild
-The rear roof is a little bent/crinkled and corners look a little off but so far no leaks, anyone seen this problem before? Pictures are worth a thousand words.DSCF3831.jpgDSCF3833.jpgDSCF3832.jpgView attachment 388552DSCF3837.jpgDSCF3836.jpg


Thanks for the replies, looking forward to taking this puppy all around southern Idaho this summer.
 
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traildude

New member
Thanks for the replies
It looks as though eternabond was already applied to the center seam, but it has a few bubbles I may just redo it.
Looking further into the corners issue it seems an owner along the way replaced the original plastic corners with cast aluminum, although it is hidious to look at it seems to be water tight so I am going to hold off tearing that all apart.

Wife made a new propane cover for us last night, after traveling to Anthony Lakes we arrived to find our propane was spewing out the vent on our regulator. It was late and I did not have the proper tools to take it apart, needless to say it was a cold night. Our propane tank has 2 regulators, the line had frozen in between, I think this had a lot to do with the fact it was open going down the freeway at 70mph in -10f. Hopefully this cover helps that! Any reason to have 2 regulators?


DSCF3848.jpgDSCF3850.jpg
 
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topofpalomar

Enthusiast
Congrats on the new purchase. :clapsmile

I've had 3 Skampers prior to our current Apache/Sunlite. In fact my first Skamper was a 070S brand new in '83. We had it on an 83 Nissan 4x4.

The seam inside that is coming apart may be indicative of a leak. The Apache we have now started to separate slightly too and I sealed it with clear tape and sealed around the roof vent outside. So far so good.

The back corners look like you should address those pretty soon. These campers tend to put a lot of torque on the back due to the stress of the lift mechanism. Do you see any wood rot if you look under the bottom of the roof where the canvas is attached? Keeping the back corners sealed is imperative to preserving the wood and avoiding rot.

I don't know why anyone would put two regulators on the propane tank. I suggest you get a new regulator and just go with one. They are cheap to buy and easy to install.

These campers are fun and I think you will really enjoy it.

I love that propane cover your wife made. Very cool.

Good luck and have fun with it.

Here's our Apache model. It's basically identical to our old Skampers we had.

IMG_0796.jpg
 

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