My camper quest started around the campfire, this past Memorial Day weekend at my Dad’s house in Vermont. My brother and sister in Massachusetts, and their families, came together with me to our old homestead. We had a great time together catching up and enjoying barbecue food. The burgers were cooked over the open fire, and absolutely delicious.

At that point, I was seriously considering taking our family’s vintage camper and making it my new home.

In 2021, I had lived in a tent near Mount Desert Island up through November 5th. As a result, I felt brave enough to try something more sturdy. Perhaps I could make it through the winter this time!

Then my brother-in-law, the handyman in our family, looked it over. He concluded that the camper was uninhabitable. Mice had gnawed it down from roof to floor… and damaged it in so many other ways.

Since this option wasn’t a possibility, I started looking for other campers. As I considered what was out there, I pored through Craig’s List and Uncle Henry’s to find them.

In the end, I didn’t find my new camper home on a website… but looking over those possibilities helped me find it. Since in my mind I was in search mode, when I passed it on the road, I saw it.

And here is the camper I found:

My New Camper in Pictures

Here is my Forest River Wildcat Camper. I bought it used, but in great condition. I am so thankful for my friend who knows campers. He took the time to see it with me, and assured me that it was in good shape.

It has one pop-out for the living room, kitchen and dining room. The place where I have it parked has sewer, water and electricity hookups. As a result, the toilet, shower, kitchen and bathroom sink all work great! There is even an air conditioner.

The camper also has a furnace, water heater, refrigerator and freezer which run on propane gas. Last week, I learned where to refill it, and what to expect when you get there.

I was trying to figure out what would be the best way to heat the water for my shower and for washing the dishes.

On the day of my first shower, I heated the water on the stove, and took a bucket shower. But then I decided to turn on the water heater when I woke up in the morning. I still take a bucket shower, but fill the bucket directly from the spigot in bathtub. That way, I save on propane. Also, I don’t have to keep adjusting the temperature while I take my shower. The temperature in the pipes goes cold fast if I turn off the shower nozzle while I lather up.

After my shower, there is still plenty of hot water in the tank for me to get the dishes washed.

Like most of the camper, the awning is also in great condition! It provides needed shade in this warm season of the year. This keeps the east side of the camper cool for most of the day.

Come on inside, and let me show you around!

Inside my new camper home

Please watch the video below to see what it looks like in my camper:

I’m looking forward to putting the techniques mentioned in Christina’s Winter Camping Course, to extend the season I can stay in the camper as much as possible.

What little tricks do you use to make your camper feel like home? Please let us know in the comments below.