Not a week goes by that I don’t get an email or Facebook message asking for tips on buying a used pop up camper. I’ve been there before. I know how scary it can be to take the plunge into the world of pop up campers, especially it you’ve never owned one before. While I certainly don’t consider myself the definitive expert on the subject, I have learned a few things along the way that were helpful for us when we purchased our camper. I hope these tips will help you find the perfect camper for your family and your budget, too.
Determine How Much Camper Your Vehicle Can Tow
The first thing you’ll need to do before you even begin to look at pop up campers is determine which vehicle you’ll tow your camper with and just how much weight that vehicle can tow. Your vehicle’s tow ratings should be in your owner’s manual. Don’t guesstimate and don’t rely on answers from people on Facebook groups or even here on the blog. You’ll want to know exactly how much your specific vehicle can tow, and then you’ll want to make sure you are looking at pop up campers that are well below your vehicle’s max tow rating. You’ll need extra capacity for camping gear and passengers, right? 🙂
Decide What Features You Want in a Camper
Hold up! You’re not ready to hit Craigslist just yet! 😉 After you’ve determined how much you can tow, you still need to determine what features are “must haves” for your camper. Do you really need all the ammenities or are you more of a backwoods, dry camping kinda person? It’s important to know what you need in a camper. If hot water is a must for you, you probably shouldn’t be looking at campers with pump sinks. I always advise people to make a list of the things they really need, and to do that, you’ll have to ask yourself a few questions.
- Are you going to be camping as a family or bringing friends along? How old are your kids, and how many sleeping areas do you need? If this is a camper you hope to keep for awhile, then make sure your family can be comfortable in it now.
- Are you going to be camping in colder climates? Then you might want a furnace. We never thought it was a necessity for us, but after our first chilly trip to Yellowstone, we decided we couldn’t live without one. 🙂
- If you think you’ll be doing a lot of camping in warm areas, you may want to consider a camper with an A/C unit. This wasn’t a necessity for us, as we escape to cooler climates during the summer, but I’ve heard from many readers that won’t camp without their air conditioning.
- Will you be cooking inside or outside? If you will be cooking indoors, make sure you have enough space in your kitchen area to cook easily. If you plan on eating inside the camper, you’ll also benefit from having a dedicated dining table that won’t have to be converted to a sleeping space at night. If you plan on cooking and eating in the great outdoors, you might like a camper that has a removable stove and outdoor gas hookup.
- Do you need a potty in the camper? How about a shower? We use the campground bathrooms 90% of the time, but it is always nice to have an indoor potty for late night bathroom breaks.
- Where will you be camping? Do you prefer to stay in RV parks, more primitive sites without electrical or water hook ups, or a combination of both? If you are a primitive camper, but still would like access to running water at the sink, make sure your camper has a fresh water tank.
Of course, price should be a consideration as well. You can read more on that below. If the camper with all the amenities you like isn’t in your budget, though, remember… certain features, like a potty, don’t have to be built into the camper. If you fall in love with a camper, but it doesn’t have a feature you wanted, or the camper you love doesn’t fit your budget, consider how difficult it would be to add it yourself. That’s what Shannon did! Her camper didn’t have a potty, but she added it herself during her remodel. You can see her potty cabinet here. Storage shelving is also relatively easy to add to your camper. You can find our tutorial here. Once you have made your list of “must have” features, and you know how much your vehicle can tow, you are ready to start shopping.
What to Look for When Buying a Used Pop Up Camper
If you’ve been reading our blog for awhile, I’m sure you’ve seen all the wonderful makeovers our readers have submitted. In fact, that’s probably why you are here in the first place. You’ve been bitten by the pop up camper bug, and you want to try a remodel of your own. That’s awesome! There are so many reasons why purchasing a used camper is a fantastic idea, not the least of which is that it can be extremely economical. We had cash in hand for our camper and were able to purchase it outright for what we’d saved. No payments necessary. After our remodel, we had all the amenities and comforts of a new camper, but without the hefty payment. We also didn’t have to worry about how much our camper would depreciate once we drove it off the lot. That meant we could save our extra money for fun activities while camping.
Craigslist is a great place to search for a used camper. That’s where we purchased ours. It may take you awhile to come across the right camper for your family, but be patient. It took us nearly a year to find our Santa Fe, and we looked at a lot of campers during that year. We were beginning to get discouraged, thinking we’d never find a pop up to fit our needs. The day I told Mr. TypeTwoFun I thought we’d need to increase our budget in order to find a camper, our Santa Fe hit Craigslist for $1500 UNDER our original budget. I’m so glad we were patient enough to wait it out for the right camper. 🙂
If you’re purchasing a camper with the intention of giving it a little remodel like we did, you may think you don’t need to be picky about the condition of the trailer. While it is true that you don’t need to be concerned about the cosmetic things like cushions and curtains, you will want to purchase a camper that is structurally sound. This will ensure that the little camper you’ve put so much work into lasts you for several seasons of camping. There is nothing worse than purchasing a camper intending to change a few cosmetic issues, only to find out you have a rotted subfloor that needs replacing. That’s why it is so important that you carefully inspect the camper before you buy it.
Major things that will cost a substantial amount of money to fix are:
- Irreparably worn or damaged canvas
- A leaking or rotted roof
- Soft spots in the floor or roof
- Sagging or cracking roof
- Broken or damaged lift system
- Bent frame
Remember, you can fix just about any issue you may come across. If you don’t believe me, check out Robert’s Pop Up Camper Makeover here. It all comes down to how much time and money you are willing to put into the project. If you are only looking to update a few cosmetic things, though, it’s extra important that you do you homework and know what you are getting into before you purchase anything.
You should have the seller go through a complete setup and take-down with you. The seller should demonstrate that all the amenities–like the hot water heater, furnace, A/C unit–work properly. Always ask how the trailer has been stored, how long it has been unused, whether there have ever been any leaks in the roof or plumbing, etc. Find out how the wheel bearings have been maintained and if they were ever repacked. Have the tires been replaced? If the camper has trailer brakes, when were they last checked? Bringing a checklist along with you is a good way to make sure you cover all the important bases before you pull the trigger on your purchase. Need a checklist? We’ve got one you can download here:
Buying a Used Pop Up Camper Checklist
Make sure you test everything out yourself. As terrible as this sounds, you can’t always completely trust the seller. They may be unaware of items that need addressing, or they may just intentionally mislead you about things. When we purchased our Santa Fe, we were told that the original sellers rarely used the water tank because they always camped with hookups. They told us the water tank was “probably” in great shape, though, because it had been rarely used. When we got our camper home, we discovered the tank had a large hole in it which was not visible from the outside. Had we filled the tank with water, we would have discovered it. The sellers also told us the stabilizer jacks were all “probably” in good condition, but they didn’t have time to put them down for us. When we got home, sure enough–one of the stabilizer jacks was broken and needed to be replaced. At that point, whenever we remembered the seller saying something was “probably” just fine, we knew it wasn’t. Sure enough, we had a missing battery, a ripped section of canvas, a sticky door lock, and several undisclosed roof cracks under the awning when we starting checking more closely. We got an amazing deal on our camper, so I don’t feel cheated at all, but the lesson here is to check everything out for yourself and don’t take the seller’s word at face value.
How Much Should I Pay?
Price is such a hard thing to gauge when buying a used pop up camper. It can vary greatly depending on the area and time of year. Generally, you’ll find better deals on pop up campers once the camping season is over. Fall and winter are great times to shop for a camper. You can get a general idea of just how much a prospective camper is worth by checking the NADA Guides, which is a good place to research camper prices and values. I’ve found that in my area, though, the NADA Guides are always a little low. If you spend a little bit of time on Craigslist, you’ll get a better idea of what the actual prices in your area are. Unless you come across a fantastic deal, don’t purchase the first camper you look at. Take some time to look at campers and get a feel for amenities and condition versus asking price. You might just change a few things on your “must-haves” list once you’ve done a little more research.
I’ve found that you can usually find a smaller camper with the basics for around $1500 or under, depending on the area. Jess lives in Utah and purchased her 1996 Coleman camper for $500. You can see her story and more pictures of her camper here. Elisa spent $1500 on her 1991 Starcraft Nova in California (you can read all about that here). While not set in stone, these examples should give you a general idea of what you should expect to pay for a camper. Generally, a larger camper with a slide-out or bathroom (like Tracy’s here) will run you several thousand dollars more, and a newer camper will cost significantly more. You should definitely take price into consideration when deciding on amenities.
That about sums it up. You should have a pretty good idea of what to look for when buying a used pop up camper. If you are still hungry for more information, remember to check out PopUpPortal.com for more great tips. Anything I missed? Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.
Happy Camping!
another fantastic read – just wanted to add that people should also check out a local RV dealer as well. For us, Craigslist pricing was really really expensive (20 year old pop-up in ok shape for $2K!). The dealers have a lot of wiggle room, can throw in freebies (like the Camco pop-up camper starter kit), offer financing and finally and most importantly a warranty.
Thank you for all the info on what to look for in buying a camper (pop-up). It sounds very wise and alot of what to look for that I never would have thought of. Thanks again. Ozzie
felicidades
Thanks so much for doing this web site… we just bought a 2001 Palomino and have been following just about every post to fix ours up (currently at Custom Canvas in Auburn NH getting one of the canvas windows fixed and new curtains sewn… we did the back splash and modified the fire extinguisher as well as added the foam pads under the new beds (air mattresses with toppers…. next up is to fix the sink and ABS access cover in the front…. and then to hit the road… will send pictures once were done… thank you so much to everyone for their ideas and tips…. oh the bass pro shop mildew remover is basically bleach) – same chemical make up as Clorox (we had to use it to clean the mold out and then re-apply all the water protections…. but it was the only product we found that worked well enough to clean the mold out….
How was the canvas repair? How much was it? I am looking into a used pup and I will do the repair needed but I can’t do canvas
Thank you for the great info Larissa!
We bought a Coleman 2002 Santa Fe on Sunday and plan on taking her out this weekend. Its it very good condition so ready to use as is, but i will make some changes down the track. I hope to god we can reverse her alright, neither my husband or I have ever towed a thing! How hard can it be ????????
We bought ours through Craigslist last weekend and are really happy with our purchase. The most surprising thing I ran across was scammers. They are very savvy and know exactly how to draw you in. I encountered two different scams. The common thread was that they wanted to sell at a greatly reduced price – much below the NADA suggested price, and they wanted to use Amazon or eBay “services” to “protect” both parties. They both asked for my name, address (including zip) and phone number to send to the service to identify me as their intended buyer, and after the initial contact, were very slow to respond with a time and place to meet. One was a widow who’s husband just died and she wanted to sell it fast as it held bad memories. The other was someone who’s work took him away from the camper location and he couldn’t get back to show it. Folks, be careful. If it seems too good to be true, it is! I feel pretty lucky to have avoided the mess, but it was because my husband is a great deal more cautious than I am!
YES we meet up with the same scammer just recently The grieving widow is still out there scamming Poor Claire!!
We just encountered that exact scenario, the widow, on Craig’s List about a month ago, 2 years after your post!
Yes we discovered that same grieving widow this past fall in Central Ca!
We are going to look at a camper tomorrow and I am reading this now. I will be sure to take a copy…thanks so much for providing this! 🙂
Hi everyone, I’m new to this site my wife and I just bought a pop up camper last weekend for the first time we love it our trip to the Grand Canyon for the first time also. What a memorable Labor Day weekend !!
I was wondering how you repaired the zipper on your awning. My zipper is waisted and buying a new awning is too expensive. The awning is fine just the zipper is bad. Thank you.
We had a new bag made for us by Canvas Replacements, Mike. It wasn’t cheap, though, and I’m not crazy about it. I don’t think it was as well made as the original bag. My suggestion would be to call a few local upholstery shops and see if they can repair or replace your bag on the cheap. They should have a machine capable of replacing the zipper. Let me know what you end up doing. 🙂
I hate to say it but you need to add …Be sure tittle matches vin and other info on pop up its self. to you printable checklist.
Good point. Something that is easily overlooked.
Hi Everyone- I love this site!! My husband and I just purchased a Coleman 2010 Senoma and have never used a pop up before!! Would like to take it on a trip later this month. No owners manual was included and I cannot seem to locate one online. I know this may sound like a basic question but can anyone give us pointers on how to hook up everything? Or a webbsite that might be helpful?
Check the PopUpPortal.com for more info, Marla. They have many pop up camper user manuals on their website for download.
Hi all!
We have an older 1985 Starcraft pop up. The front end goes up nice. The back half is another story. I have to push it up a few times. Not sure if there is a fix? As being 5’3 I have issues with it. So thinking of selling and possibly upgrading. Rather keep what we have due to price. Is it possible to somehow have electric pop up.
I have heard of people modifying a drill to crank up the camper. You might want to check out PopUpPortal.com for more info. 🙂
What a wonderful, information-filled site! I just found you today, and will continue to read and learn. We sold our beloved slide-in camper and replaced it with a used pop-up (in wonderful condition) purchased from an acquaintance. We have more ‘moving about’ space in the pop-up and less storage space, so I will be learning from you how to make the most of the space we have!
My husband and I pick up our pop-up on Friday and I am over the moon. I have already bought material and a few things for my little kitchen. I am loving this site and it is so helpful. Thanks!!
I do like that one of the first things you remind readers to figure out is how much their vehicle can tow. After all, that will have a huge impact on the size of the pop up camper that you choose. For example, if you have a very heavy duty truck then you know that you can get a fairly large camper.
How much would you say is “well below” your towing capacity? I am looking for a pop up that I can tow behind our mini van. It’s tow capacity is 3500 lbs. I’m just not sure how much wiggle room I need to leave for gear and other items. Any advice?
Our first Honda Pilot could tow 3500 pounds safely, and our pop up is right around 1800 pounds. This was perfect for us. With gear and passengers, we were very comfortable towing with the Pilot. We had our mechanic install a transmission cooler before we ever even towed the PUP, but it always towed like a dream. You could probably push it a little higher than 1800 pounds, depending on passengers and gear. I personally like having a big comfortable buffer. It is less wear on my vehicle and safer all around. 🙂
What year was your Honda Pilot?
We’ve got a 2006 and a 2017. We’ve pulled our Coleman with both.
Have had 3 Coleman popups, traded our last one straight across for a 23 ft fifth wheel. After many years, sold the 5th wheel to my brother, I want my Coleman, again! Can park it on the side of the house or the back yard, no lot fees! Looking now for one , coleman’s no longer made, not sure of what’s out there. Prefrances ? Do not want toliet.
Coleman was purchased , in a round about way, by Sommerset. They still use the same best in industry lift system that Coleman patented.
My wife and I are shopping for a used popup. We received this email from a “local” seller..The CL phone number yielded a text of an email address of her “mother”.
Hi ,
Thank you for your interest in buying my camper. My 2009 Starcraft Popup Camper been camped in 12 times since purchased new in March 2009. It is in perfect condition, no need for additional repairs, no scratches, dings, rust, special marks whatsoever. The interior looks great. It runs like new and all services are up to date. Also, I need to mention that it was never involved in any accidents, pets free. The price is $1200 (non-negotiable). Because of my divorce settlement, I own this camper and I don`t need it because I’m a single women so I’m trying to sell it as soon as possible. I got a new job and moved to Omaha, NE for a new start. The camper is here and is already at the shipping company in Omaha sealed and ready for the shipping.
My presence won’t be necessary because I prearranged the deal with eBay Motors. The deal includes free delivery and it will arrive at your address in 3 days. You will have 5 days to try out and if by any reason you find something you don’t like about it you can send it back on my expense. If you are interested in knowing more info about how the whole process works, I can ask eBay Motors to send you an email with more information on how to purchase it. eBay Motors will contact you shortly after they have the details with all the information that you need to complete this deal and you will also have proof that I am covered by them and a legitimate seller.
If you’re interested to purchase just email me with your full name, full shipping address including postal code and your phone number, so I can notify eBay Motors that you are selected as my buyer and they will contact you to explain the entire procedure.
Thank you,
********************
Yeah, we have received that e-mail in the past when looking for a camper. It is a definitely a scam. Best to just ignore them or report them to Craigslist. 🙁
I just encountered that same scam through FB Marketplace. She has moved to Maine, this time. And her ex-husband was cheating on her, which is why she has to sell it ASAP.
We have the exact same trailer and I notice you have an awning, how do you take it down in bad weather without cranking down the trailer? My husband and I are both fairly short so once the trailer is up we cannot roll up the awning to put it into the bag, we would have to be much taller to reach! Once we take it down it hangs in front of the door? Am I missing an easy way to take the awning down? It was very frustrating in a storm to be out trying to roll up the awning and put it in the bag, eventually we just took it down and let it flap in the wind and cover the door. Very inconvenient!
If there is an easy to way to put up the awning, we haven’t found it. 😆 I’m lucky in that I have four extra sets of hands to help put it away when the wind starts up. We usually use our camp chairs as stools and roll it up as neatly as we can with the roof up. Once we lower it to pack up camp, we roll it up a little better and make sure it is nice and neat. Not ideal, but it’s about the best solution we’ve found for a quick pack up. 🙂
Your blog has been a serious lifesaver for me! My husband and I are in the process of purchasing a 1996 Coleman Bayport. It is in amazing condition (stored indoors and only used a handful of times), but definitely needs updated. A family friend is giving it to us for only $500 since he would rather see a young couple get some use out of it. Normally I would be intimidated by the many projects ahead, but I can honestly say I feel so confident and I can make this outdated gem beautiful again! Thank you!
How exciting! Make sure to take lots of pictures! 🙂
What is everyone doing about storing their bedding and pillows for when the camper is popped down? What bags are folks using? Are you leaving the fitted sheets on? Are you leaving the bags of bedding in the camper? Do they smell musty when you pull them out? Or do you keep them separate and put the bags in the SUV when it’s time to leave? Thanks!
We use Ziploc flexible totes for all our bedding. I don’t keep it on the beds. I wash it and pack it away after each trip. A couple of dryer sheets in each bag helps everything stay smelling fresh. You can read all about it here.