Freshening Up Our U-haul Camper

As things age, sometimes they need a little face lift. With a vintage camper, it's a bit tougher to decide what to do. Do you totally overhaul everything with a new look and feel? Or do you try to restore to original beauty? While my primary focus had been updates to the electrical system, I decided to use my new found energy and tackle some other things on the list. 

Curtains 

One of the first things we decided on was a color scheme. Originally, we started with a brown theme for the main bed and fun kid theme for the bunks. We had moved to wanting a more gray and white theme. My wife worked on bedding, sewing some throw pillows, and making new curtains (our 3rd set of curtains). For the curtains, she decided to use cloth shower curtain material since it holds up better to the moisture. Since we live in humid Georgia, and if the camper is closed up for a period of time, moister can build up from the fiberglass walls sweating. We definitely had a set of curtains get ruined by mildew in the past over a winter. I've since used damprid and sometimes a humidifier over the winter in there to try to keep it dryer. She found a shower curtain with a pattern she liked, cut it up, and made new curtains. We used 1 inch rings. I removed the rings and used the hooks with the clamps to hang on the original curtain wires. We got rid of the bottom wires and only use the top wire for hanging curtains now because it makes them easier to move.

Bedding

So we made decision to keep the rear bed full time. I bought and cut 3/4 inch plywood to be a base. Placed it over the seats from one wall to the other. I removed the table top all together. This gave us a bit more height under the bed and made the bed more stable. I kept the original cushions and purchased a memory foam topper. I found a 4" memory foam topper in full size at Sam's Club. I used an electric knife to cut the topper so it fit the curves of the back wall. We put the topper in a zippered mattress cover to help keep it protected. Previously we had a feather mattress topper but the memory foam is much more comfortable and less lumpy. A full fitted sheet fits well around both the topper and the cushions. 

The bunk beds (see previous post on original makeover for smaller kids) have gotten a lot of use with our kids. As they've grown, we've needed to adjust the space a little bit. They got new bedding to go with their new lighting we'd added (see post on lighting updates). We originally had a piece of fabric between the two posts to keep our daughter from rolling out in the night. Now that she's older, crawling into her cave from the end was becoming a bit more challenging. So we removed that and I reused one of the lower curtain wires to string across the top of the posts. My wife sewed two small curtains with ties attached that can be tied to each post or untied and closed for privacy. Our daughter enjoys being able to enter the bottom bunk from between the posts now and still having her private cave. 

Cabinets and Closets

In trying to find a balance between keeping the original feel/charm and updating, I opted to keep the cabinet and closet doors and paint them. I used Rustoleum Painters Touch spray paint in Satin Granite. I am really happy with the way they turned out. They look fresh and you can still see the texture and U-haul name on them. I also replaced the hinges which were starting to rust. The screw holes for the new hinges were just a bit off but the way they cover the old holes it wasn't a problem for me. I went with stainless steel which are a bit more but should hold up for a long time. I also spray painted the upper cabinet inserts and added lighting (see my post on lighting for how I did that).  

I decided to update the closet while I was at it. We've had a 3 drawer plastic thing in there for years, but I wanted something a bit more stable. I wanted to use small clear containers with lids to organize so i could easily see what was inside and have some flexibility with the storage. When doing the lighting updates, I'd put some wood inside the closet to drill into and hold the lights. I took those down and cut some 3/4 inch plywood to form sides and then used some 1/2 inch wood to make shelves. Going with the theme, I painted them the same Satin Granite. 

In an attempt to maximize storage, I removed the old propane heater. It was problematic and loud. This left a large area under the closet that I could work with. I installed a ClosetMaid 11-inch wide organizer that slides on a track. This organizer is 20 inches deep and has a ton of room in it. Since it slides, it also is easy to access. 

Counter

The biggest project by far was the counter. I crafted a wood counter top to fit over the fiberglass counter. I had previously purchased a new Dometic SMEV PI8022 stove years ago. The new stove sinks down into the counter and has a glass top that closes over it to provide additional counter space. It also makes the space feel bigger since there's more room between the top of the stove and the hood. The old hood was rusting and had electrical issues so I replaced it with a new hood. 

Since I had to cut the bolts off the original sink and it was showing signs of wear, I opted to buy a new one that was the same size. The one I bought also came with the drain hardware but it was plastic not stainless. So I went to Lowes and bought a Stainless Steel drain with a strainer/basket to install. I also decided to upgrade the faucet. The old 2-way faucet is the normal one found in pop-up campers. It's designed to pump manually for onboard water, or hold down when city water is hooked up. Since we don't use the onboard water tank, I wanted to install a nice looking faucet that would work with city water. (If I ever decide to use the onboard, I'll look into an electric water pump.) This opens up the realm of faucets to anything on the market for homes too. I found that a bar faucet is the perfect size. It's not a full size kitchen faucet that's super tall, and not a tiny bathroom faucet. It's the Goldilocks faucet. When installing a new faucet, you need to be aware if you have hot water or not. We don't, so that meant I had 2 options for the hot water feed line: cap it off or connect it with a T connector to the cold water line. I opted for the second option since it would allow the water to flow through both lines no matter whether the handle was directed towards hot or cold. If you opt to cap the hot water line, you will find you need to adjust the handle to full cold to get maximum flow. 

I'm really glad that life slowed down enough to get some updates done. We're happy with the results so far and will continue working on our list of things we'd like to update. I'm investigating adding air conditioning to the camper to make it more usable in the hot, muggy southern summer months and there's a few more electrical updates I'd like to tackle. More to come...

Camper Bunk Bed Poles

TopLine Folding/Locking Legs

While looking at some camper parts online, I stumbled on a company (TopLine) that makes folding poles of various sizes that can be used for bunk beds. There's obviously a lot of other options for using these (folding table, etc) but the bunk option is the one that's the most interesting to me. Currently my poles are still in fairly good shape but if I need to replace them, I know where to find some now.

Likewise, if you need replacement poles for your bunk or you're looking to add a bunk to your camper. Check out these, they might work. They come in 4 lengths:

1. 16" [FL3400-16]
2. 24" [FL3400-24] (should fit the U-hauls)
3. 27.5" [FL3400-275]
4. 30.5" [FL3400-305]

You can also see my previous post about pole stability and the post about mods I made to our bunk bed in the U-haul.

Falling in the Cracks...Bedding down in the U-Haul CT-13 Camper

So just like with a house, there's always a project list with a camper it seems. I have a long list and no time to get it all done. Part of that is just the busy stage of life I'm in with little ones and work. One of the things I typically do when I add something to my list of things to update/fix, is to plan it out in stages. Planning in stages means I can take small steps through small periods of time I can find to work on it and not impact the camper to the point where we can't use it till the project is finished.

The bed is one of those things on my list. (See my other post on the kids bunk beds for our other bed tweaks.) So when we first started we just made it up the way your supposed to. You put the table top down and arrange the cushions on top. Then throw some sheets on it if you like and you're ready to sleep. What we have discovered is that we don't really use the table inside. We have adapted to just being outside the trailer and therefore the bed stays made up all the time. I actually like it that way. Setting up and breaking down the bed/table would drive me crazy I think. And then where do you put the sheets and the pillows while your eating or playing cards or whatever?

I know a lot of folks have kept the back table in bed mode and removed the front bunk to convert it to a 2-seat table. Since we need the front bunks for the little ones, that doesn't work for us. If you only needed a single bed up front instead of bunks, you could remove the back of the bunk and build a table that would drop down with a cushion over it to become a bed.

The first thing I was concerned about was the stability of the table top. So i went and measured and bought a piece of PVC (1.5" diameter) pipe that was the same dimensions as the metal table post. I cut that down to a size that would fit under the table while it's down in the "bed" position. This made me feel more comfortable with the stability of it. I just didn't want to break the table top. My next plan is to replace the tabletop with a piece of plywood and I'll probably put a pole adapter on it so I can still use the PVC pipe for stability. I'll put up a post about that when I get around to it with measurements.

The next thing is the comfortable aspect of the bed. My wife ended up adding a featherbed to the top of the cushions and it's a nice addition. Some folks have cut memory foam to fit. Which might still be an option for us in the future. One thing to keep in mind with memory foam is that the colder it is, the harder the foam gets. So if you're going to camp in really cold places, it may not be the best option. We ran into an issue even with the featherbed on top of sinking into the cracks between the cushions during the night. Moving to a solid mattress would eliminate that but in the mean time I needed to find another solution. I settled on a simple man's approach and grabbed one of my cargo tie downs. This has been a great stop gap for the problem. It works well and it doesn't impact sleeping or cargo space under the bed. Simply wrap the tie down around the table top with the 2 cushions on it and cinch it tight. This keeps the two cushions from moving or separating and also keeps the back cushion in place as it's wedged against the wall. This made a big impact. If you're going to keep your table in bed mode the entire time, you could cut a large single piece of foam and cover it to replace the 3 separate cushions.

I'll update as we keep tweaking it to work for us.

Bunk Bed Stability

Rubber Cone-shaped Bumpers

So as I mentioned in a previous post, I've gotten around to resolving one of the issues with the top bunk. The poles from the top bunk do rest in these little indentions and rely on gravity/weight to keep them in there. The problem with this for me is if the lower kid kicks the pole or the upper kid jumps up and down, it feels like they could slip out. Many folks have tried and suggested various options. I want to keep the ability to break down the bunk (so I didn't want to make it permanent). I ordered some conical bumpers that measure 21mm x 12mm. I then picked up some #10 x 3/4 in. wide head screws at the local hardware store. (If you don't have the wood braces under the fiberglass, you should put some in.) I then screwed these right into the wood braces and they worked perfectly. The poles slide on and off easily but the diameter and height of the bumpers is enough to keep them from bouncing off should they be kicked accidentally. Also, the rubber bumpers are low enough to leave there with the cushions down. So no need to take them off when not using the top bunk and there are no sharp or protruding screws/bolts/etc that some folks have used. All in all I'm happy with it and we'll try them out on the next trip. I'll definitely post an update if they don't work as good as I imagine.

See my post on replacement poles for the bunk bed if you're looking for those.

Bunk Bed (Camping with Kids)

So we have 4 people in our family and so it was important to get a camper that would sleep 4. The U-haul CT13 campers do sleep 4. The adult bed is in the back and then the front bench pops up into a bunk.The back cushion is on a hinge similar to a piano hinge and the back cushion swings up. Two poles fold down and each rests in metal indention on the bottom. This style is common across other fiberglass campers.

There are a couple of problems with the design though:

1. There is nothing on the top bunk to keep a kid from rolling off during sleep.
2. A really small kid (2-3) on the bottom bunk could potentially roll off between the poles. 
3. The poles rely on gravity/weight to keep them in the holes. They are not fastened to it any way and can bounce out. Or it's possible for a child on the lower bunk to kick it out during sleep. This could potentially cause the bunk to come down. (Do not drive with the bunk setup; road bounce will make it come down!)

My first concern was to make it safe for our kids. At the time we bought the camper they were 4 and 2 years old. I use the front bench during travel to hold the screen room and our table and some other gear we pack to keep weight up front on the tongue. So whatever designs I came up with would have to be flexible and not impact the ability to break down the bunk to a bench.

The top bunk is backed by a piece of plywood. I picked up a couple of right angle shelf brackets and had an extra board laying around that turned out to be the right size. I used some wood screws to hold the brackets to the bottom of the bunk. I measured them so they could stay attached and be under the bench cushions when it's folded down. The distance measured is between the bottom cording of the top bunk cushion (when it's folded down as the back of the bench) and the top of the fiberglass bottom of the bench with cushions removed. I can put the cushions on the bench on top of the L brackets and you won't even know they're there. I then drilled holes in the wooden board and got a couple of nuts with locking washers and wing nuts to fasten the board. That way I can quickly unfasten it for travel. This provides the protection I needed for my 4 yr old not to roll off the top bunk in the middle of the night. It's been working very well for us. The reason I went with a board was because I didn't want a gap from pvc or other tubing that he'd get his legs caught in. The solidness of the board combined with the small curtain we put up that hangs from the ceiling also help provide the sense that it's his own room. I have a small Tupperware container that I keep in the cabinet over the stove that I put the nuts, washers and bolts in when I have it broken down.

My wife's fun camping fabric.

Close-up from back side

With the 2 year old going to be in the bottom bunk, we were concerned with her falling out between the poles. While discussing how the kids would probably go to bed earlier than us, my wife decided that a curtain would be a fantastic way to divide the camper into basically two rooms. But a large curtain hanging all the way down wouldn't work for several reasons. First it would be too heavy for suction cups and with the curve of the roof we couldn't make a curtain bar work. So we brainstormed and came up with the idea to take a fun cloth shower curtain my wife had found to make new window curtains for the front window and make a short curtain across the top and make a second one on the bottom. The top one is held by suction cups across the top. The lower one we designed to be a panel that slipped over the bars that support the top bunk. We sewed two sleeves that fit perfectly around the poles so you can slide it on. With the poles setup, it's tight and makes the bottom bunk a dark little cave. There's no way she's rolling out of there!

To resolve the issue of the poles possibly bouncing/sliding out of their hole, I looked at rubber bumpers. I have ordered some conical bumpers that measure 21mm x 12mm. My camper has wooden boards under the lower fiberglass to help transfer the weight of the upper bunk poles down through to the frame without cracking the fiberglass seat area. With a screw, washer and these rubber bumpers, I should be able to secure the poles pretty easily by having them slide over the bumpers. I'll post an update when this is done with pics. (EDIT: Post on bumpers.)

Kid's Bunk in our U-haul Camper

The kids love their "rooms". It's amazing with a little creativity how you can divide such a small space into more personal spaces. I close the rock guard on the front window every night to help the top bunk remain just as dark and cozy as the bottom one so my son can sleep good. We got a couple of camping themed twin bed sheet sets for them that we make up the bunk beds with. We also got two husband pillows similar to these that go at the head of their beds (left side of camper) providing some insulation and filling the small gaps. You can see the edges of them in the picture to the left. By adding some small led camp lanterns to light their rooms, they're happy and set. Now they can have their own personal space in our tiny camper to play with dolls, cars, and read books. I'm currently looking at some storage ideas to better organize their little "rooms."

(Update: See my post on replacement poles for the bunk bed if you need those.)

(EDIT: Post on the other bed; the one us adults use. )