We’ve been avid family campers for years and have just recently outgrown our current travel trailer. With 5 of us, including a teenager that is almost 6 feet tall, plus a dog, our camper was just too small to house us any longer. We’ve been talking for a couple of years about what we wanted to do once we outgrew our trailer, and finally decided to buy a pop up camper. I grew up camping in pop up trailers and have always loved them. They surprisingly have a lot of space. And if you buy them used they’re relatively inexpensive, and often don’t really need a lot of work done to them. So this summer we finally decided to make the leap and buy a new-to-us pop up camper.
I was a little overwhelmed at the idea of trying to find a trailer…we’ve had a lot going on here this spring…so my Dad, being the great sport that he is, helped to find the perfect camper for us! A couple of weeks ago this 2004 camper became available and we snapped it up the first day up on Kijiji! It has the perfect layout with enough beds for all 5 of us.
Our Pop Up Camper Before the Makeover
Meet Wilma! Our 2004 Forest River Rockwood Pop Up Camper. She is in excellent condition and really doesn’t need anything done. But…I just can’t help myself…I’ve always wanted to make over a trailer and now is the perfect time. Wilma is getting a makeover!
As you can see the trailer is fine, but the colours just aren’t what we want for our camper. The cupboards are a little dark and the cushion pattern is outdated.But the bones, the structure and the layout are perfect for us.
This camper has 4 beds, including a kingsized bed, a queen and 2 twin beds, so everyone will have a bed…no one will have to have a makeshift bed on the floor anymore! This is very exciting for our youngest 😉
There are 2 sitting areas with tables. One is set up like a sectional couch, and one table is a small dinette, so there’s lots of room for hanging out, eating dinner and playing games.
It’s a fantastic layout. All it needs is a freshening up with some new paint, new cushions and some fun decorations. I can hardly wait to get it finished! Our goal is to makeover Wilma in less than 2 weeks. I think we can do it because really, all we’re changing are aesthetics, nothing structural. I think the hardest part is going to be changing the cushion covers and painting. I hate painting, but it’s worth it in the end.
Our Pop Up Camper Makeover Plans
I thought it would be fun to share our camper makeover with all of you, so I’m going to show you what our plans are for Wilma. You can also follow along on Instagram as we share what we’re up to in real time.
What We’re Not Changing in Our Pop Up Camper
Our camper is in great condition, so there are quite a few things we’re not going to be changing:
We are not changing any structure at all, the camper is in great condition.
We’re keeping the beds, they’re in great shape.
We’ll also be keeping the curtains, they’re also in great shape and I like the colour enough not to go to the trouble of replacing them, I’m just going to wash them. But I will remove all the frilly valences.
I like the drawer and cupboard pulls so we’ll keep them for now. They’re currently gold and the shape is great.
The Makeover Plans for Our Pop Up Camper
Most of our makeover plans are aesthetic changes that shouldn’t be too hard to complete.
Prime and paint the cabinets. We’re thinking either white or really light grey
Add new flooring. We’re thinking vinyl grey peel and stick hardwood.
Do something with the counter and table tops. We’ll either cover them with contact paper or replace them altogether.
Recover the cushions. This is going to be the biggest challenge for me because I can’t sew and we don’t want to pay to have someone recover them. So I’m going to DIY reupholster them with a light upholstery fabric of some kind.
Repaint the outside of the camper. We’re not going to do that this summer though, we’ll tackle it either in the fall or next spring.
Decorating: Purchase new bed linens, rugs, dishes, string lights and decorations.
Our DIY Pop Up Camper Makeover Budget: $1000
Our budget is $1000, but we’re hoping to keep it closer to $500. Our goal is to keep this as inexpensive as possible without being too cheap. We’ll see how it goes.
The budget will only include paint, flooring, cushion covers and that sort of thing. Not the decorations or new bedding.
As we refurbish and work on our camper I’m going to share our progress and DIY projects over here on my blog, so make sure to stay tuned! I think the final reveal is going to be amazing!
After replacing the wood, it was finally time to paint the entire inside of the camper! We painted everything, including the ceiling, in Ibis White from Sherwin Williams. We took off all of the cabinet doors to make the painting go a little easier.
Limited storage: A pop-up camper has limited space, and you will often need to remove belongings from the trailer to fold up appropriately. A pop-up camper storage capacity is ideal for people who travel light. No insulation: The pop-up section of a camper is made from vinyl or canvas, which are thin materials.
On average, pop-up campers weigh around 2,000 pounds. Some smaller pop-up trailers weigh well below 2,000, while larger ones can clock in far above 3,000 pounds. Standard passenger sedans are often best at towing pop-up campers that weigh less than 1,500 pounds.
If you want a water-based paint, I would lean towards using an alkyd enamel paint. I've read that this type of paint has worked well for campers for others. Additionally, most brands of alkyd paint can be used in exterior applications.
Lowe's Sherwin Williams exterior paint did a great job on this project! The exterior paint with primer makes this a fairly easy job. This paint glides on and provides great coverage. However, I do recommend two good coats to make sure that you really get into everything.
Pop-up campers (also sometimes referred to as tent trailers, fold-out campers, and more) are a style of towable trailer that typically has a collapsable roof.
A hybrid travel trailer, at its core, is a fusion of a traditional hard-sided travel trailer and the classic pop-up camper. This unique blend offers the spaciousness and amenities of a standard travel trailer while incorporating the lightweight, easy-to-tow benefits of a pop-up camper.
Pop-up campers are best for solo travel or couples who want to experience the great outdoors as much as possible without the need for more rigid shelter. If you prefer the feeling of a more traditional residence and have need for more storage space, climate control and security, then a travel trailer is the way to go.
A pop-up camper can last as many as fifteen years if you look after it. But, of course, the actual time frame depends on how often you use it and maintain it.
While some people do leave pop up canopies installed in their yards or campsites all summer long, continuous exposure to the elements (including plain old sunlight) will reduce the tent's lifespan.
they will all leak shortly after regular maintenance stops happening. that said there are a lot of 30 year old campers in much better shape than 2 year old campers for this same reason.
Never go faster than 55 miles per hour. Most trailer tires are not rated to go any faster than this, so allow other traffic to pass you instead of trying to speed up. Always make sure your tires on your towing vehicle and your camper are inflated to the correct psi levels to avoid a blowout.
If you have an average-sized driveway, a pop up camper should be able to fit in it. This is a free option that makes it easy to hit the road when you feel like it. Then, once the trip is over you're, you simply return home and drop off the camper.
The RVR5 can take greater weight, with a maximum weight capacity of 5,500 lbs, making it ideal for moving teardrop trailers, compact travel trailers, A-frame campers, pop-up campers, and even big boat trailers.
Interior acrylic-latex paint is the best type of paint to use for popcorn ceilings. Flat or matte is the traditional sheen for ceilings since it reduces light bounce.
however if you're painting RV walls, ceilings, and/or cabinets, using a sprayer will save a lot of time. Especially when you think about having to do multiple coats. We used a sprayer to apply all of the paint inside our RV and ended up doing 2 coats of paint after primer.
Currently, most camper ceilings are made from thin Luan plywood covered with a wallpaper panel, usually in a white, textured look. The purpose of this ceiling layer is to cover the foam panel that is inside the camper roof and give it a finished look.
“It can be more cost-effective and safer to paint over popcorn ceilings rather than remove them,” says designer Tina Martindelcampo. “Removal can be messy, toxic, and expensive if you have to hire a professional to do the job.”
Introduction: My name is Kerri Lueilwitz, I am a courageous, gentle, quaint, thankful, outstanding, brave, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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