Where We Sleep

“Brownie” Our 1988 Jayco Pop-Up

There she is folks, in all of her 19 foot glory, Brownie, the Jayco Pop up passed down to us from my in-laws when they upgraded to their first travel trailer.

Brownie was a major upgrade from our Coleman tent, even though I did love the mesh ceiling so we could watch the stars as we fell asleep. But it helped us from having to pack silverware, plates, bowls, knives, spatulas, cutting boards, frying pans, etc.

Although she has been good to us and to my in-laws for many years, there’s a lot of downsides too. The fridge is actually an ice box and is used as paper product storage. The beds are made out of 3″ foam, 30 year old 3″ foam. No matter what I do, it still feels like I’m sleeping on a hard sheet of particle board. I’m getting a bit tired of having trouble falling asleep because my hip hurts, or waking up with a stiff neck and back. It’s definitely worse sleeping that on our cots when we tented it.

We’ve been camping with Brownie for about 5 years. We’ve had few leaks, and she’s starting to show her age. We fix he up and she’s still kicking. Honestly, I can’t stand the decor anymore, so I’m working on a little remodel. So far, it’s not going so well, but we did manage to pitch the unnecessary sink and stove flip-over counter that we only used to set stuff on anyways. So far, it’s the best thing we’ve ever done!

The Future

We first saw the Forest River Wolf Pup at the Camper Show at Burlington RV in Burlington, WI about 3 years ago. It’s come a long way since. The image is my dream model, although we’d be getting one a bit less expensive. Inside there is a queen bed, 2 bunks and a dinette that folds down to a bed. The under bunk lifts up and the medium door on the back of the camper opens, allowing you to pack big things, grills, coolers, totes, etc. while you travel. The little thing next to that door, a dog leash hookup. Forest River, you get me, you just get me (tears and applause). The dark door near the front, pass through storage. The little opening with chains near the door, it’s an outdoor mini fridge (cue the mind-blowing action).

It might not be earth shatteringly awesome to most people, but it sure does excite us! Did I mention it has an electronic awning? No more poles and struggle. No more pulling and pushing of beds. No more lugging around 100lb. coolers or running to the camp host or the store for ice. I will be all smiles when we are the proud owners of one of these.