SunnyandFiona
Member
We love camping, and for years we did so in a tent. As the number of birthday candles increased, so did our required level of comfort. We were tired of achy bones and rained out weekends. Truck campers had always appealed to us because they allowed you the ability to get off the beaten path as well as tow a boat.
We determined our minimum amenities and our maximum budget. Finally, one evening in May, we found Sunny (1988 Sun-Lite Eagle Popup). She came with all her original features right down to the polyester curtains, and was in great shape for her age (except for the roof damage that we failed to see when we purchased her, and sellers failed to disclose). In spite of the fact she had no bathroom, no A/C, no heater, and no refrigerator, we fell in love. No more sleeping on the ground! No more fearing a 20% + chance of rain!
So, the love haze started to clear once we got Sunny home and off the truck. We discovered the whole back end of the roof has rotted to the point where the lift mechanism ripped out the screws and the metal plate erupted through the roof. The three jacks she came with were scary to use, and the wiring for interior lights and external marker lights had a three prong flat plug. A what??? Yep, a 3-flat for which an adapter is impossible to find in this universe. If that wasn't enough, our Toyota Tundra proved itself to be too wimpy to haul Sunny and all our gear. The honeymoon was over and we were ready to divorce our new camper before ever getting to use it.
Fortunately, we are two very crafty lasses with an abundance of tools, thanks in part to our dads. We spent all summer making repairs and convenience modifications. Some of what we learned during our summer backyard education: beercans and jb weld/rv adhesive make good short-term patches; alien 3-flat plugs can be converted; three teetering tripod jacks can be replaced with four on the corners; and our love for Sunny could be rekindled.
Enter Fiona. Remember the Tundra that couldn't haul much more than a wet load of laundry? Well we bit the bullet and traded it for a charcoal 2019 Ford F250 with the camper package. Our justification was that 1) it would be paid off before we retire if we buckle down and stick to our budget, 2) not only would it haul Sunny, but it will haul our possible future upgrade as well, 3) it would last us a very long time because we take care of our things. We dubbed her Fiona, after the adorable hippo of course. She is a big, beautiful beast who motors Sunny around with nary a grunt or groan. They are a fabulous duo!
We've since added memory foam mattress toppers, storage shelves in place of the faux fridge ice box, portable solar panels, an inverter, homemade awning, and an under-the-tailgate, hitch-mounted battery box.
Now, we spend our weekends testing and tweaking our setup (while having fun and relaxing of course), and practicing for our future part-time nomadic life.
Happy trails y'all!
We determined our minimum amenities and our maximum budget. Finally, one evening in May, we found Sunny (1988 Sun-Lite Eagle Popup). She came with all her original features right down to the polyester curtains, and was in great shape for her age (except for the roof damage that we failed to see when we purchased her, and sellers failed to disclose). In spite of the fact she had no bathroom, no A/C, no heater, and no refrigerator, we fell in love. No more sleeping on the ground! No more fearing a 20% + chance of rain!
So, the love haze started to clear once we got Sunny home and off the truck. We discovered the whole back end of the roof has rotted to the point where the lift mechanism ripped out the screws and the metal plate erupted through the roof. The three jacks she came with were scary to use, and the wiring for interior lights and external marker lights had a three prong flat plug. A what??? Yep, a 3-flat for which an adapter is impossible to find in this universe. If that wasn't enough, our Toyota Tundra proved itself to be too wimpy to haul Sunny and all our gear. The honeymoon was over and we were ready to divorce our new camper before ever getting to use it.
Fortunately, we are two very crafty lasses with an abundance of tools, thanks in part to our dads. We spent all summer making repairs and convenience modifications. Some of what we learned during our summer backyard education: beercans and jb weld/rv adhesive make good short-term patches; alien 3-flat plugs can be converted; three teetering tripod jacks can be replaced with four on the corners; and our love for Sunny could be rekindled.
Enter Fiona. Remember the Tundra that couldn't haul much more than a wet load of laundry? Well we bit the bullet and traded it for a charcoal 2019 Ford F250 with the camper package. Our justification was that 1) it would be paid off before we retire if we buckle down and stick to our budget, 2) not only would it haul Sunny, but it will haul our possible future upgrade as well, 3) it would last us a very long time because we take care of our things. We dubbed her Fiona, after the adorable hippo of course. She is a big, beautiful beast who motors Sunny around with nary a grunt or groan. They are a fabulous duo!
We've since added memory foam mattress toppers, storage shelves in place of the faux fridge ice box, portable solar panels, an inverter, homemade awning, and an under-the-tailgate, hitch-mounted battery box.
Now, we spend our weekends testing and tweaking our setup (while having fun and relaxing of course), and practicing for our future part-time nomadic life.
Happy trails y'all!
