Granny_Weatherwax Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 What have you done to your pop up to make it yours? We just purchased a 1994 Jayco in like new condition. This thing is beautiful but dated. The included stove has never been used. The refrigerator has been upgraded. I'm interested in updating the curtains and cushions. Suggestions? I've checked pinterest and there are some great remodel ideas. We don't need to do any repairs and it's in such great shape it would be silly to do cabinet work and such. What extras do you take with you to make trailer camping more comfortable? I have only tent camped (scouts or backpacking) so thinking about camper camping is unfamiliar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 Ee take a folding table and dining canopy with a camp stove so we can cook outside and not heat up the living space. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrittanyM Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 We take a piece of AstroTurf to lay outside the front of our pop up to help keep the dirt out and for a place to put babies when we have them. When we got our pop up last year I outfitted it with the necessary towels (I just put some old ones in there), sheets, pots, pans and utensils so that when we go camping I don't have to pack much more than our clothes. It is so handy and makes my life much easier! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 We have the smallest pop up Coleman made in 1997 so do our cooking outside under the canopy. We bought this item years ago and I love it for storage/usefulness: https://www.amazon.com/Campmate-Organizer-Place-Settings-Green/dp/B0000B15CR May be considered tacky now but icecream lights on the canopy - my now grown kids still love them! Camping as a family is the highlight if our summer and we still all love it! https://www.amazon.com/Ice-Cream-Party-Patio-Lights/dp/B0002F69MQ?ie=UTF8&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&tag=justprofit-20 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 We have the smallest pop up Coleman made in 1997 so do our cooking outside under the canopy. We bought this item years ago and I love it for storage/usefulness: https://www.amazon.com/Campmate-Organizer-Place-Settings-Green/dp/B0000B15CR I love it. it would work for anytime we use the camp stove! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted July 6, 2016 Author Share Posted July 6, 2016 I've spent the last two days scrubbing the interior and exterior. The inside just needed basic cleaning. The outside is a different story. The camper had been parked for 4 years and it was covered in moss, dirt, etc. I used a power washer on low and sprayed it off. It didn't take as long as I thought it would and 99.9% of the gunk washed off without the use of chemicals or cleaners. DH and I opened the trailer after the washing and were happy that everything was dry. No leaks. I was a bit anxious since I was really getting crazy with the pressure washer. I am now moving on to the canvas, the awning and the windows. I've been googling how to clean pop ups and decided to try Protectall to clean the awning. The awning is in great physical shape but it's spotted with grime. In some places it's almost black. I sat in the shade yesterday afternoon and did the Karate kid method of cleaning - wax on- wax off. I was able to clean about 50% of one side. It looks beautiful. I hope to finish it by the end of the week and get it put back on the trailer. The windows are in excellent shape but also a bit dirty. The Protectall says it can be used to clean windows and Googling seems to indicate this is what many people use. I'll attack the windows once the awning is finished. I removed the interior curtains and washed those. All of the pleats were washed out and they hang straight. :( I should have Googled before hand because the curtains should have been drycleaned. Oops. They don't look bad but not great. I want to replace them anyway with something a bit more modern and in a different color. We're hoping to be able to take it out this weekend for a couple of nights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SproutMamaK Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 Total aside, but I would love a link to those pinterest boards you mentioned. We have a pop-up camper and I'm always looking for ideas. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 We have a had our tiny pop-up for 12 years and love it. It was very used when we got it so it was quite grimy and a little banged up. I had big plans to update the curtains and cushion covers but we found out very quickly that the inside of pop-ups are very hard to keep neat so it is always in a state of total stuff-explosion-chaos at any given time during a trip. The color of the interior did not matter so much to me after a trip or two. I have power washed ours a couple of times. It gets very grimy on the outside just from normal use. Ours is so old and grimy now that I have pretty much given up. I hose down the awning once a year or so but never get all of the grime off anymore. The canvas stays pretty clean. The box exterior gets a carwash periodically but again never gets all the way clean anymore. I am only telling you this so you don't put too much effort into shining it up....it will be a losing battle. Like others I keep it stocked with most of what we will need. We practically live in it during the summer, usually without hook-ups of any kind. A couple of things I have learned that make my life easier are: Cook outside whenever you can. Mind the awning when expecting a lot of rain or wind. Get a leveler (BAL is a good one).....it prevents a lot of set-up arguments. If you have trouble with road grit making its way into the box, put your cooking items/dishes in old pillow cases. This prevents having to wash everything before you use it. I store smaller items (silverware, small dishes, cups) in tupperware boxes with sealing lids. If you want to store wine glasses or other breakable items, put them in clean socks. It protects them and if they do break, the mess is contained. Never store food in it when not in use. Chippies and mice can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time. A box of clothespins can be very handy. Aside from hanging wet items you can use them to clip things like extension cords away from sleeping areas or tacky lights to your awning. We clip our headlamps to the curtains by our heads so they are easy to find. If you don't have an AC, small clip-on fans are great both for hot nights AND for keeping mosquitos off of sleepers. Keep a map of what you have in the camper. I always forget what I have and don't have in there from one year to the next. This is how dd ended up with no sleeping bag last week. Sigh. Which leads to the next point.....be sure to UPDATE the map every year. A solar shower bag is great for no-fuss heating of dish water. If you find that you never use your sink (most people don't), take it out and save the space and weight. You can always put it back if/when you sell. This is going to sound gross, but we keep a handful of empty jars with lids in the pop-up for pee emergencies. It never fails that someone has to go during a thunderstorm. Each is labeled with a name and whoever uses one is responsible for emptying and cleaning. Have fun! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted July 9, 2016 Author Share Posted July 9, 2016 The awning is clean. Yay! It took me about 6 hours to clean both sides but it looks great. I need to do some simple repairs: the ties are bad and the exterior straps are showing some wear. I'm going to Google this weekend and see what repairs and replacements I can make/do without having to go to RV or awning stores. Once the blisters on my fingers heal (yes, I blistered from all of the scrubbing), I'm going to clean the interior windows with the Protectall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted July 9, 2016 Author Share Posted July 9, 2016 Total aside, but I would love a link to those pinterest boards you mentioned. We have a pop-up camper and I'm always looking for ideas. :) Here's one link, The Popup Princess. She showcases her remodel but includes many links to other popup remodels. I'll see what I can do about the rest in a bit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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