Traveling is something that I love to do. In particular, Road Trips. I love riding in the car, with my hubby and doggies, listening to the radio and watching the scenery go by. Taking a drive to a beautiful place to take photos is our favorite thing to do together. And, we have done this A LOT! There are many places that I would love to see and explore that are just too far for a day trip. And, when I look in to accommodations, I most often think of all the better things to spend that money on. When I think of camping, I think of being dirty and uncomfortable.
My first solution was a trailer. My Grandparents came to visit us when I was a little girl and they brought their Shasta. I LOVED that camper. It was like they had their own house with them!! It was cute and comfy and I loved to sit there and talk to my Grandma. Many happy memories. So, I started looking at vintage trailers. Oh my! Have you seen the incredible makeovers that so many have done on vintage campers?? It’s a “thing”. Yes. I drooled, I sighed and I coveted. I wanted. And, I wanted badly. But…. Yes, there is a but. I have claustrophobia. When I would imagine myself in my own trailer, my stomach would suddenly feel upset. I felt the feeling of being closed in….trapped. Then I would think about creating an escape route. A window that pops open. Something, anything. I couldn’t just give up the dream. Certainly, this could be overcome. Right?
Then, I saw it. My first view of a pop up tent remodel. It was glorious. They are open and airy and I don’t feel the least bit squeamish at the thought of sleeping in one. I opened Pinterest and started to see one amazing makeover after another. I was hooked. Really hooked. I needed to have my own! Immediately. I started searching Craigslist every chance I got. I figured that before I bought a trailer, I would need a vehicle to pull it. “TV” in the RV circles. That stands for “tow vehicle”.
One day, we were in the mountains at a photoshoot near a waterfall. I was looking at the vehicles in the campground and I saw several Toyota Sequoias. I knew I did not want a Truck. I need an SUV to be a back up for our mini van. We bring a lot of gear to a photoshoot and it needs to be inside the vehicle. I started searching for a Toyota Sequoia. Oh boy. They are expensive. I decided to buy one with high mileage to get the price down. My mechanic says these cars can easily go to 300k. So, I found one that was at 165k and in great shape. I plan to get rid of it after 50k and get another. That’s the plan. I love my car!! We found it right around my Birthday. So, it is my BP. Birthday Present.
Now that I had the TV, I could literally buy a Tent trailer and tow it home. The only problem is that the TV took all my money!! Back to saving again. Meanwhile, I continued to search on Craigslist to see what’s available. Many Many GREAT deals slipped past me. Every time a great deal showed up, it got SNAPPED UP. My research told me that a really good used PUP would be over 8k – 10k. A decent one that would be older and need some work, but be ready to go, would be in the 3k range. Under that would be the TOTAL fixer uppers that would need some work and $$$$. I set my goal at the 3k range and started to save again. One day I saw a fairly decent 1996 Rockwood for $500. Yes! You read that right $500!! I texted the number immediately and had hubby call. We told the lady that we were on our way and bringing cash. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE wait for us!! She was an hour and a half away and we hopped in the car and went straight there. We knew that it could get snapped up before we got there. It happened more than once when we were car shopping. But, they held if for us! They were so nice. They opened the tent, showed us how to work it. They had all the paper work and the man even helped hubby hook it up to our car. I was in shock at our good fortune!
Our PUP does have some water damage to the hatch in the front. But, hubby assures me that he can repair it. I immediately started planning my new decor. My favorite place for this research is www.thepopupprincess.com Warning! When you go there, you will want one for yourself. These makeovers are amazing! I didn’t have to figure out anything. It’s all there. I chose a color scheme I loved and went in search of fabric. I have plans to take the summer and do one project at a time while taking time to travel too! Hubby will have to repair the hatch before we go anywhere, and I will document the repair here on my blog.
If you want to follow along our remodel and PUP camping journey, subscribe to my blog, friend me on Facebook and follow my youtube channel. It’s gonna be a wild ride!
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