I've been through the desert...

So, a couple of months ago I alluded to the fact that I'd bought a truck camper. First off, I should explain that we'd purchased a 1996 Chevy truck last August. I call it "The Green Bean". I've had to have quite a bit of work done, including exhaust work, front end work, headlights, rear brakes, and a new air conditioning compressor (ouch!). I think I'm into it about $3000. But here it is, with the camper on:

The camper is a 1980 Rancho El Rae. It's a beast, as you'll see below from the exterior shots. There were a couple of things that I liked about it, though. Because it is big, there's plenty of room for everyone and everything. It has a full queen sized bed, a full sized dinette bed, and a bunk bed over the dinette. I like a truck camper because it's so versatile - you can take it basically anywhere and camp in a parking space. I like that it was made here in Utah (Rancho El Rae was a Nephi company before they went out of business, and they made travel trailers as well as these truck campers). Best of all was the price - $400 for the thing, and I've spent about $1000 getting it where I want it. It doesn't leak at all, and everything works - well, now it does. It was missing a pump for the swamp cooler, which I got online for $20.

Here's some pics of how it looked when I got it:

This first pic is the overhead bunk. It's got a couple of doors on it for access in case you don't want to lower the bunk down.

Kitchen area.

Looking back at the door, which is blocked by the open bathroom door.

This is the cab-over bed area. I'd removed the old bed (it was original to the camper and weighed a TON, besides being horribly stained. Ew.)

This is a little seating nook. There are no seat pads because I'd given them to my sweet mother to make new covers. The existing covers were an awful golden velvet.

The dinette area. I'd started ripping out the paneling in the bathroom.

Here's the bathroom. The previous owners had decided that it would be a good idea to put linoleum on the walls. It seems like a good idea, but as you can see it didn't last. I'm not sure if the dark staining is from mold or from the adhesive leaking through. either way, it was cracked and looked terrible. I ripped it all out, down to the studs, and sprayed it all down with bleach water to kill the mold.

Another bathroom shot.

And one last bathroom shot.

Overall, the paneling was in good shape, and although I hated the color of the wood (it was very dark) I was pleased that there wasn't a lot of damage. So I bought some oil-based paint and after a coat of primer, I went to work. Here's what it looks like now:

Here's the cab over bed. The plastic is to keep the dust off while it's in storage. I had some plastic panels left over from the bathroom job, which I'm going to cut down to make window shades. The curtains are new - thanks Mom! - and turned out very well, but don't block the sun completely like I would prefer in the winter to avoid sun damage.

This is the fridge. It works on electric or propane.

Looking back towards the back door.

Here's the dinette. The table was this very ugly brown marble looking formica, so I painted it. I think it came out OK. And check out those seat covers! I couldn't be more tickled with how they look.

Over-dinette bunk.

Bathroom. I replaced the old paneling with FRP, but I reversed the sides so the smooth side faced in. I'm quite pleased with how it came out - it's ever so much more clean and hygienic...

I bought a couple of these LED light fixtures. They don't put out as much light as I'd hoped, and the light is very harsh - bright white. So I think I'll keep the remaining 12v lights in the rest of the camper. I like the quality of that light better.

I busted the faucet when I was trying to remove the shower, so I replaced it with this one.

The green trim around the cabinet doors is just Rustoleum. I didn't need much, but I think it adds a nice touch.

I'm nobody's painter. Although I took great pains to tape off the areas I didn't want to get paint, somehow it ended up pretty sloppy in some places. But, oh, well. It's a camper, right?

I'm quite pleased with how the flooring came out, as well. It was super easy - it's just peel and stick squares that I was able to cut/trim with my utility knife. And it was less than $1/square foot. Cheap and easy.

Here you see one of the old light fixtures.

Kitchen area. Stove and oven both work well. Although, I am not sure how often the oven will get used. I might try to find a way to put a microwave in there. It seems like that might be more useful.

Looking to the outside. I am really very pleased with how the floor turned out. :)

Outside - driver's side. I only added the stenciled word on this and the other side. Full points if you know the reference without having to google it.