Fishing, Hunting and Camping
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How To Find Pop-Up Camper Parts
Before we get to how to find pop up camper parts, I want to share how we ended up with one. If your in a hurry, jump down to the next section called “How To Find POP UP Camper Parts”.
My wife and I, along with our children are huge campers. I have been camping since I was a child but my wife started when she met me. I even proposed to her on a hike camping trip on the edge of a mountain.
One thing she talked me into was getting a camper which I’m not glad we did. I was a large pop-up camper that we used for almost 5 years. I’m sure you know like me that over time, campers in general get worn, pop-up’s maybe even more. Things break, wear out and get dinged. When it came time to find parts for our pop-up camper, it was like I ran into a brick wall.
See, we had Coleman, they might be known for a lot of camping gear but Coleman is not known for campers. In fact it is harder than you think to find any Coleman pop up camper parts! I wanted to share a little of what I learned on my search.
Where to Find Pop Up Camper Parts
One thing that I have learned is it really depends on what type of parts you are looking for. Many parts are interchangeable like stabilizers, cranks, door parts, etc. Your best bet is always check places like Amazon first (<- already filtered for you). Search the part you are looking for like “pop up camper stabilizer jacks” or “pop up camper awning”. If it is basic parts like this, I have never had any trouble finding it on Amazon.The issue comes when you are looking for pop-up camper parts that are specific to your model. This could be the canopy, part of the plastic body or the canopy pole that goes over the beds. This is where it gets to be a pain. Even when you visit the manufacturer websites, they do not have the parts themselves.I found out that specific dealers get the license to carry parts for each manufacture. That means the only way to get these parts is to find a local dealer that supplies parts for your brand of pop-up camper. This can be quite the task in itself.
How to Find your Local Dealer for Parts
I found out the irritating way that each city can only have one “dealer” for each brand of camper within a certain distance of each other. The reason behind this is so no camper store is competing over customers for the same campers (hense keeping the prices up). Only the dealer of that brand can get and sell parts for it. I will use our current camper as an example. We purchased a brand new 2013 Forrest River (manufacture) Shamrock (brand). We found the camper in Indianapolis at the trade show. Since we live in Cincinnati, we figured we would be able to get that camper at our local dealer (same dealer, different city). But the problem was, our local dealer didn’t carry the Samrock camper because another dealer sold the Rio brand. The Roo camper is the same as camper as the Shamrock, just a different “brand”. So it gets a little confusing. So my local dealer sells a different manufacture so they are not competing with the other in town dealer that sells the Forest River Roo… Have I lost you yet! Confusing, I know.Okay, back on point. To find a local dealer that sells your manufacture, you can contact the maker of your camper. Remember that the maker is not the brand. Forest River also made our Coleman camper, so we would call Forest River and ask for the contact of the nearest dealer. Your camper should have a sticker on it with the manufacture of who made it. You can usually find it near the door or on a window.
My Last Thoughts on Pop-UP Camper Parts
I will also bring up the following point. I also learned that just because pop up campers are cheaper to buy, doesn’t mean pop up camper parts are cheaper. Plan to pay top dollar for any part you need from a dealer. This brings me back to always search Amazon before contacting any dealer. If you can find it there, you will save a ton of money.
Why We Upgraded form a Pop Up camper to a Hybrid
Okay, if you are still with me hear and care to hear, this is why we we upgraded from out pop-up to a Hybrid.Firstly, it was just time. We were outgrowing our pop up quickly. We had two boys at the time and planning on a third. Our oldest boy was getting to the age where he wanted to bring a friend camping with us.The other reason was because finding pop-up camper parts for our year and model was just getting too hard. Plus the price is outrageous. We were paying almost $30 per canopy arm bracket, the little part that attaches to the ceiling to hold up the canopy over the beds. I don’t know why but we were breaking them left and right.We upgraded to the Hybrid I spoke about above, the Forest River Shamrock. Ours came with three fold out beds, a real bathroom and two, yes two pull out. We do love it, but everyone is different. It all depends on what you want.Enjoy the camping this summer!
Forward Moving Self Inflating Sleeping Pad Review
So, we have been on the search for a sleeping pad for our camper. The camper mattresses on the bunks are very thin with no padding at all. My wife and I ended up getting some memory foam for my older son but didn’t want to spend that money on my younger son yet. I decided on getting one of those self inflatable pads to use.
We picked the Forward Moving self inflating sleeping pad over the others for one reason, it is shaped to also fit in a sleeping bag. We figured that he will get more use out of it being able to take it on Cub Scout camping trips as well.
So today, we will take a quick look at our purchase. But a quick note, sorry that I did not use any photo’s of it in use. I do not post photo’s on my children online (just the one of my daughter turned around.
The Company and Purchase
This self inflatable sleeping pad was purchased from Amazon (linked above) for under $35. The pad came in 2 days which is super fast (thanks Prime!). We had it in time for Labor Day weekend 🙂
The company that makes this pad is Forward Moving which I believe is a small start-up company. I could not find much about them online but did find their store. Being such a small company was the one thing that made me a little cautious about going with this one. But between the price which is cheaper than the other self inflating sleeping pads and the good reviews, we decided to take a chance. We also like to support small business!
The Sleeping Pad
The sleeping pad comes in a nice bag that it easy to store. Once out of the bag, you unfold and open the cap. This allows air to be sucked in and expands the foam. Once inflated, I give it a couple blows to the pad to make it a little extra firm. When inflated, just close the cap and it will hold the air in when you lay on it. We then placed it into my son’s sleeping bag and it’s ready to go.
This pad is a good fit for a regular (adult) size sleeping bag. It will be too large for a child’s sleeping bag.
To pack back up, you loosen the cap, fold back up. Don’t forget to close the cap once folded up so it doesn’t re-inflate!
Unlike tents (lol), I was able to have this sleeping pad folded up and fit back into the bag it came with in about 4 minutes. It will take that time to fold slowly to get all the air out. But the important thing here is it actually fits back in the bag it came with which is a plus.
Out of bag and rolled up
So, is it Comfortable?
So a sleeping pad isn’t worth much if it doesn’t work as advertised, right? Before answering this questions, I want to put a couple things into perspective to show you why I came up with the answer I did. You may be expecting something other than I, so want to make sure we are on the same page.
- I purchased this for my 9 year old son
- He is under 80 pounds
When using a sleeping pad while camping, do not expect a blowup mattress. A sleeping bag is to give a little cushion between you and the ground so things are not pocking you. No one like finding a rock sticking in your back once the tent is up!
So with that being said, the Moving Forward self inflating sleeping pad was great for my son, giving him some cushion between him and the bed. He was happy with it the next morning for sure and it will be a good for him until we break down and buy memory foam for his bunk.
Notice it is shaped like a sleeping bag
In the above photo, I placed a small to medium rock under the pad just to see how it would work while tent camping. The photo is of my 4 year old, but I laid on it as well (you don’t want to see my fat butt) and I didn’t feel the rock much unless I put all the weight on it. It defiantly made it bearable laying on the ground.
The one thing that you may want to keep in mind is it’s shape. The pad is shaped to fit into a sleeping bag, so it is skinnier at the bottom. Though you do not have to place it in, the pad works better if put inside.
The Bottom Line
Pros
- Price
- Quality
- Easy to use and fold back up
- Size (fits in sleeping bag)
- Easy to take with you, add to backpack
- Thickness
Cons
- Not a large brand
- Can’t find in stores
If you are looking for a sleeping bag and plan on using it with a sleeping bag, this is a good purchase. It works as advertised and seems to be good quality. If you will not regularly be using it with a sleeping bag, you may want to get a sleeping pad that isn’t shaped like a sleeping bag to give you a little more room.