This next pop up camper makeover is amazing! Jennie’s little glamper will appeal to both men and women alike. She adopted a neutral color scheme and opted to give her PUP a rustic lodge feel. Mr. TypeTwoFun and I were drooling over the pictures. Here’s Jennie to tell you all about it.
Jennie’s Pop Up Camper Makeover
When a group of friends invited us to go camping with them recently, I was flooded with so many great childhood memories. We camped in a tent during that trip, and they had hard-sided campers and fifth-wheels, but I immediately knew I wanted a pop up camper. I went home and told my husband, PJ–who had not been keen on tenting it–all about my renewed love of camping. I suggested we look into getting a pop up. He had never even been in a pop up, so I knew I had to “WOW” him. We borrowed one sometime later from a friend to confirm my feelings, and it was pure heaven. Being off of the ground, having storage and seating, but still being in the elements with only the canvas between us and Mother Nature was amazing. We were hooked! Not that we needed any extra convincing, but my eldest daughter enjoyed herself so much that she cried for two days after we left our first family camping trip in the borrowed PUP. She too had been bit by that camping bug! 🙂
Through the years PJ has gotten me many great gifts–from two Nigerian Pygmy goats to Indian cooking lessons–but by far, this pop up takes the cake. He bought it for me at a dealer in meticulous condition with many modifications already done. The under the seat storage and cabinets had all been replaced with solid oak cabinets with improved accessibility. The popup was as sound and as clean as they come and only needed our personal touches.
My goal was a have a pop up that felt like an outdoorsy lodge-type experience. I loved the idea of glamping, but did not want to have a glamper that reminded us of home. I really wanted my family of five to experience the simplicity of camping. I wanted to build with them the memories and experiences that I did when I was younger while camping with my family.
We decided to remove as much as we could to make it easy to paint and put down the new floor. While we did not have a budget, we did want to do the work ourselves and reuse/repurpose as much as we could. We always find that tackling a project together is a great first step to making memories and creating real value in something.
I learned to sew on my neighbor’s hand-me-down 1970 Singer sewing machine just for this project. A great friend and a sewing teacher helped me learn the skills to make the cushion covers and the curtains. I hand painted and sewed the canvas curtains to reflect a Pendelton pattern, and I special ordered the cushion upholstery fabric from a warehouse in Georgia.
We painted the cabinets in Benjamin Moore Battleship Gray paint, which we had left over from a painting project inside our home. I found a vintage Coleman cooler that is perfect for mixing large batches of iced tea or lemonade for the kids. I loved the idea of the plastic storage for clothes, but did not like the look for my “lodge” so I found the same item in a dark brown with a natural looking “weave” pattern on the front. They look great and they hold all our clothes.
PJ helped my vision become a reality by custom painting everything. He installed our flooring and faucet, which came from Lowes, and replaced all the knobs and hardware. This remodel truly was a group effort. My father-in-law made the table and countertop from black walnut that was locally harvested from a friend.
Larissa’s blog was a great resource to gain insight and ideas. Before finding this site, I had no idea that people were doing these types of renovations on these little gems! We have taken our new little home away from home on a few trips now. We even had a “lobster bake” that we planned one trip when the forecast called for rain. We cooked totally on an open fire in a Cabela’s cast iron camp stove and truly lived it up! While we have camped mostly locally, we look forward to taking the pop up out on a road trip soon.
I just want to say thank you all for sharing your ideas and insights. This blog has given my family a gift that will be everlasting. We’ve shared so many laughs, challenges, and experiences already that only come up when you’re spending time in the woods. So thank you again. 🙂
I’m actually a little teary-eyed, Jennie… I love hearing that. There is nothing better than spending time outdoors with your family, and you’ve got such a lovely little space to do it in. What an amazing job you and PJ did! I’m so impressed. Thank you so much for sharing it with us, as I am sure your makeover will inspire many glampers to come. 😉
Happy Camping!
Happy Camping!

What a beautiful job you all did! I love the color of the cabinets and the antler accent! I am in the process of redoing my Pop up and like your idea of natural looking storage tubs! Thanks!
I love the canvas curtains with the Hudson’s Bay blanket colours…I was initially worried that you had cut up one of their expensive wool blankets to make them. Looks awesome!
Hi there! I love what you did with your pop up. I recently purchased a pop up and hope to make it over with a similar look. I love the curtains. Could you please tell me where you got the fabric that you made your curtains out of?
Happy Camping!
Hi Heather, the fabric is easy, cheap canvas! It is durable and great to work with. I look forward to seeing your pop-up here!
All I can say is, if I had my own PPP-up, it would look very much like this one!! It looks so incredibly comfy and cozy, exactly the way I want to feel when I’m camping!! I am very proud to say Jennie and PJ are my niece and nephew, and anything they touch comes out 1st class and I know they put their heart and soul into it 110%!! I love showing this off to my friends to show them what is possible using your imagination… I can’t wait to actually see it in person and go glamping with you guys!! I know I will be hanging out in there playing games and feeling cozy…love this and all the glampers in this blog!! I think I may have to get one next!!
Thank you! I did learn a lot about the outdoors from you! Let’s go camping!
Love it! I’ve been redoing an older Coleman pop up and also chose a Pendleton/Hudson Bay theme and am having my mom help me make the exact same curtains. Love seeing what they’ll look like finished. I painted my cabinets a similar color and also have a vintage water cooler but mine’s a blue/grey that matches the Pendleton on our ‘master’ had (smaller bed has the striped Hudson Bay pattern.
I love your table! Can you describe the process to get it that way? Is that veneer? Is that a wood slab? Did you seal it? Did you varnish it?
We bought our first pop up today and I want to decorate and renovate just like yours! I love your style! And those curtains! Gah! Love it!
What make/model is the camper? I love the layout!