The "Mobile Man Cave"

I've been wanting a camper for some time now but just hadn't decided what kind or how much I wanted to spend.  I've been wanting to camp and mountain bike more and want a home away from home or a home base while doing this.  The idea of having a nice bed to sleep in after a long days ride is very appealing to me.  I don't want or need a big camper, only something to get me up off the ground and one that has some conveniences on board. 

The goals that I set for purchasing a camper are:
1.  I have to be able to set it up and take it down by myself.
2.  It needs to have enough space so I can stock it with food and clothes before the trip and leave the stuff in there for a few days when I get back home.  I will unload it at my leisure.
3.  I also want to utilize my current truck.
4.  It needs to be cheap.  Or should I say "within my low budget".   

After pondering on which direction to go I decided on a camper that slides in the back of my truck.  I searched flee-bay, the local paper and Craig's List for a few weeks.  I got a hit...Craigs List had a listing for a 1988 Sun Lite slide-in camper.  The ad stated it was in good shape to be an '88 model.  Now that almost scared me away.  The ad also stated it has a gas heater, dc/gas refrigerator, a three burner gas stove, and a 20 gal fresh water holding tank that feeds a sink.  And it was in my price range!  Could it be too good to be true?  Was I already getting my hopes up?  After an e-mail and phone call I had a time and date set to go inspect my find.  Was this a gem in the rough or a piece of junk?  I would soon know.

Amy, Alaura and I set off on a journey to see if this was the camper for me.  We loaded up Big Red and traveled to Corbin which is about an hour and a half drive.  We were only about 10 miles from Cumberland Falls State Park when we finally arrived.  I recommended we buy the camper and head to the falls for a little camping fun but I was out voted this time around. 

As we rolled up the driveway there she was, stored under a shelter, up on jack stands just waiting to be loaded up and hauled away.

 But before that could happen a thorough inspection was in store.  Remember the ad that said everything works?  Well, it took about 4 hours to get everything to actually work.  What the ad should have said was..It worked the last time we used it which was 2 years ago.  Anyways, I was not going to be discouraged by this minor set back.  After all, we got it all working and that was good, right?  By this time Amy and Alaura were getting hungry but I had been working so hard to get all the appliances working I forgot about the need to eat. 
So after the final inspection and a short board meeting I was given the "nod" from the "Boss"...I knew what was getting ready to happen.  I was going to have a Mobile Man Cave!

We spent another hour mounting the brackets under my truck and loading the camper.  It was going home with me.  It was a little gem in the rough. 

It just needed a good cleaning and a little TLC to be ready for the camp site.  Alaura was happy to help with the cleaning.








So it all has worked out.  I have met the goals that were set out by this project and I'm in the process of stocking it for a trip later this month.

I look forward to the journeys that await me in the Mobile Man Cave.  Whether it be an epic mountain bike trip, a family camping trip or me just plain getting kicked out of the house.  I will know that, when the day is done, I will have a nice comfortable place to lay my head.