Category Archives: Camper Upgrades

Andersen Camper Levelers — 2 Year Review

Camper Upgrades

Normally I don’t like to do short-term reviews because there are just three important criteria:

  1. Does the product work as it should or is advertised
  2. Is the price consummate with the perceived value
  3. Is the product durable

Seems to me that 10 years of use is a good point to do a real review. In this case, Andersen offers a lifetime guarantee, so as long they don’t go out of business or discontinue the product, durability isn’t a concern for me. At this point in time, after two years of use, I don’t see a durability issue.

I really don’t like to use the term “best” when describing products, but the Andersen Camper Levelers are the best trailer leveler I have used, and I’ve used a few over the decades. Additionally, I’ll state it is one of the best camper products I’ve ever purchased based on my criteria list.

Continue reading Andersen Camper Levelers — 2 Year Review →

Honda Generator Maintenance and Storage

Camper Upgrades, General Talk,

As we near the end of October, many campers are “winterizing” their campers and putting them into storage. Given our location and easy access to year round camping we “winterize” differently. 

This summer we bought a pair of Honda generators as I shared a while back. These were purchased only for use in summer when temperatures are in triple digits (meaning we won’t have any camping neighbors). They also can be used for backup electricity in case of a power outage. We won’t need them for at least 6 months, so it was time to winterize them – meaning to do any required maintenance and prep them for storage. Just in case you have Honda EU 2000 series generators and haven’t read the manual, other than the Quick Reference Guide, here is the maintenance schedule.

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Battery Water Filler

Camper Upgrades

Adding water to flooded RV batteries can be somewhat difficult as the above picture shows on our 2014 Milan 26RLS. The battery bank is behind the propane tanks and the front of the trailer slopes forward over the batteries. This isn’t a problem if you have sealed batteries that do not require topping of the water. I prefer flooded batteries that can be tested with a battery hydrometer as I shared in this post with instructions on using a battery hydrometer. The downside of these flooded batteries is they periodically need to be topped of with distilled water. As with most things in life, there is a proper tool to add distilled water to a flooded battery — the battery water filler. Continue reading Battery Water Filler →

Favorite Gear of 2018

Camper Upgrades

This topic is a favorite on backpacking blogs. Although it is only August, I thought I’d be the first!

Actually my favorite backpacking gear hasn’t changed in years, so there is no use posting that (again).

Since I just finished all my Christmas shopping (yes, I don’t have to worry about it or stress out like most folks do), I thought it might be helpful to share the most popular items that PopUpBackpacker readers are buying – and there isn’t anything related to backpacking – because the majority of readers here buy stuff for their campers, so all the items on this list are camper related. I approve – too many backpackers are obsessed with gear and are in a constant loop of new gear purchases.

Camping stuff, on the other hand, are usually purchases that are made for the long haul. Readers might find some of the stuff interesting or even a great Christmas gift idea. Since Christmas is several months away, might as well start thinking about it before it creeps up on you and you freak out. And to be upfront, there are product links in this post that will earn me a small commission if you purchase something. Don’t buy any of this stuff if you don’t need it! Continue reading Favorite Gear of 2018 →