Meet Mae. She’s the newest addition to our family, a 2006 Starcraft Pop Up Camper. We named her Mae because we purchased her on a lovely May spring day and she is just so adorable that she needed a sweet, dainty name.
Jamie and I started talking about getting a camper of some sort pre-pandemic. After Covid happened it seemed even more perfect for us. We wanted to be able to explore and adventure this summer, but avoid staying in hotels or using public restrooms at campsites. We also wanted to be able to cook our own meals. The camper would allow us to remain completely self contained.
Jamie found our camper on Craigslist about an hour and a half away. We drove up with the kids and I sat in the car with them while he checked it out. He returned and told me to take a look. I walked in and felt at home. There was a really positive, happy vibe. It was cozy and so clean. I could envision our little family in it.
Jamie spoke with the man selling it for a bit and then did a thorough inspection of everything. It all looked good, but he just wasn’t sure about the price or if this was the right camper for us. There were concerns it might be too small or lack some of the features we were hoping for…so we left.
As we drove off, I immediately started crying. I’m aware this is crazy emotional, but it felt like we were leaving something behind. I could just see us in this camper and the wonderful experiences we would have as a family. I’m pretty big on the gut decision and my gut was telling me that this adorable little camper needed to come home with us. We sat in a parking lot and talked it over for a bit. We discussed the pros and cons and if it had what we needed In a camper.
Finally Jamie called the seller to see if the price was negotiable. He was super nice about it, but only took off a couple of hundred dollars. Jamie told him he would call him back but within seconds of hanging up the phone, it rang again.
It was the seller. He said, “I got off the phone and my wife gave me a hard time. She said you really aren’t going to sell that camper to that nice little family?” He said we could thank his wife and he came down on the price a bit more. It wasn’t exactly what Jamie wanted to pay, but it was closer and we both looked at each other and said let’s do it.
Mae is a 2006 Starcraft pop up camper. There is a bed on either end (full on one and queen on the other), a sitting area and table area. There is a small kitchenette with a cooktop, refrigerator and sink. The sink was a must for me. There is plenty of storage. There is no toilet, which was a bummer, but the seller threw in a portable bucket toilet (brand new) which is just about as fancy as it sounds…a 5 gallon bucket with a toilet seat cover. Not incredibly luxurious but it works. It keeps us safe, out of the public restrooms and allows us to comfortably explore places and make memories with our young kids this summer, and because of this I will happily take care of my restroom needs in a bucket.
We finished our first camping trip last weekend and I would call it a huge success. We definitely are still getting organized and figuring things out, but so far so good. I couldn’t be happier with our decision and look forward to a summer (and more) of adventures with my family and our adorable Mae.
Anika filmed a camper tour while we were on our first trip.
