Five years ago my husband convinced me to go camping. In a tent. (Not my cup of tea to say the least). By 3am, I was so miserable, cold and wide awake I vowed to never go tent camping again. The only problem was my kids and husband absolutely loved camping.
I loved being in the mountains, I loved the family time, I loved the slow down and lack of cell service.
So how could we still go camping..but not in a tent? The answer was simple….get a camper!!
So we did. 🙂 I didn’t want to spend a ton for our first camper…so I took on a project! (To say the least)
Enter….the vintage Viking Pop-Up camper circa 1995.
Before
The camper was in decent shape for how old it was. But the style…I couldn’t deal. So I took on the task of gutting it completely and beginning the update!
When was this pattern ever popular? lol. Yikes.
So much teal…everywhere…
The carpet was also… you guessed it – TEAL!
And the floors…simple yet not my style.
Not for long!
Let’s Get to WORK!
I’m not going to sugar coat it. It was a lot of work. But also a project I really enjoyed working on as I was determined to have a comfortable camping shelter that our family could make memories in for years to come.
I started by ripping down all the curtains, valence, and removing the covers. Pretty much anything that had material on it…it went into the trash. Then we throughly cleaned the entire inside of the camper. In preparation for painting!
The one item I did save were the zippers on the cushion covers. I needed them to make new covers.
For material I priced it out at a local craft store, and the price was WAY more then I wanted to spend. So I got creative and used shower curtains! I found them affordable, and easy to wipe off. Also easy to sew and a material that would last!
We primed and painted all the cabinets. We also cleaned the hardware by using vinegar and water.
We also primed and painted the plywood inside the camper.
Next we worked on a new counter top! I found a kit on Amazon (that was perfect for a camper…can’t say I’d use this on my home counters) that gave us a clean white counter! No more Teal!!
I also found some peel and stick floor planks on clearance at Lowes. They were perfect for our color scheme so we installed them! All we needed was a razor blade to make cuts and a measuring tape.
The last project was the biggest…making new curtains, valances and covers for the cushions.
Funny story, about three years ago I purchased a sewing machine on black Friday with the intention of starting to sew again. (I used to sew when I was a teenager but haven’t done it since).
Well three years later, now was my time to shine! lol..and teach myself how to sew again.
I spent many hours in front of that sewing machine, cutting and sewing my time away while watching Netflix shows. (I completed a whole series while sewing!)
For materials, I used old curtains that were in my storage, so I didn’t spend a dime on any of the curtains.
AFTER!
I’ll let the photos speak for themselves! Here is my big reveal of the Pop-up Camper Remodel!
Spray paint used found here! I sprayed the corners and fire extinguisher holder.
Similar Sign found here.
Burlap curtain holders were made from extra cloth I had.
Buffalo Check throw found here.
So clean, so bright, and SO very cozy now!
I am so happy with the outcome! I even like the vintage outside now that the whole interior isn’t so teal!! lol.
(A camping must have! Spork and knife combo! )
Overall it was a ton of work, but it also was sooooo very worth it! On our first trip out, we all enjoyed being inside the camper so much more and had a wonderful trip! We can’t wait to make more memories in our pop up Camper!
A special thanks to all the inspiration I found on the pop up Princess…SO many amazing remodels on this site! They all were inspiring and gave me the will to do my own! Go check them out!
(Pictured at Turquoise Lake near Leadville Colorado)
Happy Camping!
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