Tent campers (additionally referred to as pop-up tent campers and tent trailers) are a pleasant go-between for those who nonetheless love tent tenting however wish to be off the bottom after they sleep. The factor is, all types of critters additionally love pop-up tent campers.
Because many folding tent campers function screens and fewer laborious supplies, they’re simpler for pests to invade – they usually love chewing by the screens. That stated, a few of these ideas apply to conserving critters out of all varieties of RVs.
How to Critter Proof a Pop-Up Tent Camper
Here are a couple of ideas that can assist you critter proof your pop-up tent camper, whether or not you’re placing it away for the winter or getting it prepared for a visit.
Store Food Properly
Food is the most important motive critters make their means into your camper. Be it bugs, mice, or one thing bigger, the aroma of one thing scrumptious will convey them out in droves.
Keep meals sealed in hermetic meals storage containers or zipping plastic baggies. Because area is restricted inside most pop-up campers, think about using a hard-sided tenting cooler for sealed meals storage. If your campsite has a meals locker, use it.
When tenting, it’s additionally a good suggestion to cook dinner outdoors when you possibly can. This retains meals odors from lingering inside your tent camper and attracting curious critters.
Additionally, take away all meals out of your RV fridge and pantry for those who’re placing your camper away for the winter. Then, do a radical cleansing to take away aromas. Remember, plastic containers gained’t cease a devoted animal from moving into your RV.
Inspect Your RV for Entry Points
Nearly each RV, together with motorhomes and journey trailers, has gaps for water and LP traces, electrical wiring, and metal cables to function the carry mechanisms. These gaps are sometimes bigger than essential to make set up simpler.
Unfortunately, these make wonderful entry factors for mice and different pesky creatures. Finding gaps requires crawling beneath your pop-up tent camper with a flashlight. You’ll additionally want a accomplice inside to establish entry factors as you shine the sunshine.
Once you discover the gaps, it’s doable to fill them to scale back the possibilities of critters getting into your camper. However, it’s necessary to acknowledge that modifications can void any present warranties you might have. So it’s possible you’ll start by contacting your guarantee supplier to inquire concerning the phrases of your coverage earlier than you proceed.
That stated, critters can completely complete a pop-up tent camper in a couple of brief weeks, so mitigation is crucial. Minimal increasing spray foam blended with metal wool is an outdated, albeit efficient, resolution for filling potential entry factors.
Installing a full stomach plan or small wooden or steel plates over the person openings should be achieved with the utmost care to keep away from damaging plumbing and LP traces, electrical wiring, carry mechanism cables, or your camper’s suspension.
Utilize Rodent and Insect Repellents
Dozens of outdated dwelling cures appear to work for that fortunate man on the message board. Some are literally price a shot. Here are a couple of examples:
Explore Camping World’s full choice of insect and rodent repellents.
Finally, poison can be utilized to mouse proof a camper for those who train excessive warning. Using secure bait stations is a good suggestion for those who select this feature, as they prohibit the dimensions of the animal that may get to the bait.
These should be strategically positioned and monitored, particularly when RVing with kids or pets. The most secure alternative is to put these inside or in beneath compartments when your camper isn’t getting used for an prolonged interval.
Always seek the advice of the producer’s security warnings and use correct protecting tools when dealing with poison for the aim of critter management.
Remove Cushions and Store Your Camper in Travel Mode
For the price of changing a multitude of chewed screens and mattress pads, it’s in all probability price your time to take away the tenting and cushions and retailer them in a secure place for the offseason. Mice love to make use of cushions to steal insulation for his or her winter houses, so eradicating them definitely beats repairing or changing them later.
Whether you take away cushions or mattresses earlier than storing your pop-up camper or not, it ought to at all times be saved in journey mode. That means with the pop-up down and locked in place. Even then, opening and inspecting your camper as soon as a month is advisable to handle points earlier than they progress to a degree the place costly repairs are wanted.
Clean Out Storage Compartments
Speaking of the offseason, it additionally gained’t damage to scrub out your camper’s storage compartments. We’ve seen rodents create shelters inside ski boots, watersports tools baggage, and nearly wherever they will discover a supply of insulation.
It takes just a little further time, however emptying your camper and storing your tenting gear inside a storage can get rid of the temptation for critters to create a seasonal dwelling. If you do maintain your gear in your camper, it’s a good suggestion to pack every part into hard-sided storage packing containers.
Awesome Pop-Up Tent Camper Trailers
Small pop-up campers are an awesome choice for brand spanking new RVers. They assist you to expertise the advantages of RV dwelling with out overpaying earlier than you discover out if that is the proper alternative on your journey wishes.
Here are a couple of in style pop-up tent camper trailers:
Forest River Rockwood Freedom 1940LTD
- Open Length: 20’2”
- Dry Weight: 1,608 kilos
- Sleeping Capacity: Up to five
The Rockwood Freedom 1940LTD is as light-weight and compact as they arrive. It encompasses a two-burner range that may be closed and carried outdoors for those who don’t go for the out of doors griddle add-on. Cooking outdoors is one other nice strategy to cut back the temptation for critters to discover your tent camper.
Shop Forest River Rockwood Freedom pop-up campers at Camping World.
Forest River Rockwood Hard Side A213HW
- Open Length: 21’2”
- Dry Weight: 2,670 kilos
- Sleeping Capacity: Up to three
The Rockwood Hard Side A213HW eliminates most of the problems with pop-up tent campers by eradicating the tent partitions and changing them with hard-sided partitions. That design offers extra insulation, however you’ll discover barely minimized headroom on one finish of the camper due to the A-frame fashion.
Check out Camping World’s Forest River Rockwood Hard Side pop-up camper stock.
Livin Lite Quicksilver 10.0
- Open Length: 20’2”
- Dry Weight: 1,190 kilos
- Sleeping Capacity: Up to five
If you’re in search of a used pop-up tent camper to dip your toes into the RV life-style, the Livin Lite Quicksilver 10.0 is likely one of the most inexpensive choices on the market. It’s additionally light-weight and off-road succesful, designed to comfortably sleep a big household within the two 60” x 84” beds plus a convertible dinette.
Shop Livin Lite pop-up campers at Camping World.
Use Camping World’s Towing Guide to find out the towing capability of your present automobile. That’ll assist you to select a pop-up trailer you possibly can tow safely with out placing an excessive amount of put on and tear in your tow automobile.
Check out this tutorial to find out about RV weight rankings to make sure secure towing.
Do you might have any concepts for pest-proofing a pop-up camper? Leave a remark and tell us.