In the fall of 2004, we bought a 1977 slide-in pickup box camper. It was in pretty good shape other than missing glass in a window over the cab and the water damage resulting from that missing glass. Charlie's first priority was to install a vent cover and we went ahead and sealed the roof to prevent any other water damage. Then he began the process of repairing the water damage to the sleeping quarters in the cab over section of the camper. All the boards were rotten and with the help of my younger brother, Shane, they replaced the boards and rebuilt the basic frame. It's now structurally sound and at this point is usuable.
My first priority was, of course, cleaning. There were moths and other assorted insects EVERYWHERE. I took the shop vac to the entire camper, threw out the rotten mattress and some other things that had been left in the camper that were useless to us. I've spent several hours in the camper with a bucket of hot, soapy water and a sponge. It definetely looks better being clean.
We spent about $70 on a bolt of Mossy Oak Obsession fabric. I figure he'll be the envy of every guy with the camouflage decor. Heck, if I have enough material (and I really should!) I might even make curtains for the living room in the house! It goes nicely with our forest green recliner and the tan couch, so why not?
The cushions I plan on recovering (and boy do they need it - see the icky covers that were on it?) with a solid green or tan canvas. Charlie's mom had bought some tan upholstery fabric at a going-out-of-business sale and offered it to us for our cushions. It would go nicely will the Mossy Oak curtains so I just might take her up on it.
It's really set up nicely as far as appliances go: a fridge, stove/oven, and a heater. Everything seems to work alright. The bathroom has a small sink and a toilet (whooo-hooo!). And the table converts into an extra bed (I know two pooches that will make themselves comfortable there!).
We've taken it out camping once now. It was really pretty comfortable. We found that there are a few small repairs to be made but overall it was a nice trip. |
