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camper for hunting camp

i recently got hunting rights on a very large tract of land in SE Oklahoma. There is no camp or lodging included. i thought about buying a camper and renting a spot at a local camp ground. i am completely new to the camper world, and was wondering what i should look for. I will almost always bring a guest when hunting - as well as my family of 4 would like to utilize it. towing shouldn't be a problem - I have a 2500 Duramax.

It strictly depends on how spartan or fancy you want it and how much you want to invest, and whether you want to buy new or used.

Decide what amenities you NEED, then what luxury amenities you would LIKE to have, how those things will fit in your budget, and go from there. The good thing is that these days there are LOTS of options in lots of different price ranges.

Always check carefully for signs of water leakage. Roof leaks happen frequently and camper frames rot quickly and extensively. The inside walls can often appear fine even though the frame is rotting out. You need to feel around on the wall/ceiling/floor by hand, pushing in, checking for soft spots and looking for any discoloration that might indicate a leak. It is very expensive to repair rotting framing (or very time consuming if you repair it yourself).

Toy hauler maybe?? Will you be taking along a quad or side by side?

For me, I want the garage space of a toy hauler. Don’t need an indoor kitchen, always outside anyway. 2 beds so it can be used on a hunting trip by two non-Bud Lite drinkers. Also a consideration is the suspension - will you be taking it off road? There are campers that are purpose built for off road - most are not.

Can you camp on the hunting ground? I boondock off grid for weeks at a time, summer, fall, and winter. I have a Renogy 100W solar panel that keeps my batteries fully charged. I have a little Honda 1000 inverter whenever 110 is needed. A small Buddy heater keeps the place warm if I don't want to run the furnace, and I can refill the 1 lb propane bottles for about $.80 each. When water runs low, I can refill my tank from 5 gallon jugs and a little $10 battery powered siphon.

Congrats on your lease! I would try to determine how often you will realistically be using the lease. I would rent until you get that figured out and then go from there. I have owned a camper, and they can be nice but you have to keep them maintained or they become a big hassle. I'll echo Aspen Ghost, if you buy used, check closely for evidence of leaking. I go on an annual week long hunting trip in November and I always want the ability to take a shower each night and we used the kitchen to cook breakfast and supper. We rent each year and it works best for us. A 30' with a slide out works well for us. We split the rent between the 3 of us, pick it up and drop it off, and we don't have to worry about anything as far as maintenance, storage, insurance, tags etc. You have a great truck for pulling anything that you need to.

You can go little or you can go big. It depends on how much money you want to spend, how much you think you'll use it and how much comfort you want.

I have a 30' toy hauler that I've had for 4 years. I've gotten a ton of use out of it and have really enjoyed it. I've taken it on hunting trips to Wyoming twice, Colorado once, Arizona once, Kansas 3 times, Iowa twice and Missouri 3-4 times. In addition I've taken it on non hunting trips to Daytona FL once and Sturgis SD 4 times.

I often live in it for a month at a time and probably average living in it 8 weeks or more per year. I really appreciate the comforts like a shower, toilet, furnace, AC, TV, large comfortable bed(s), room for ATV/motorcycle and a chest freezer. It has needed it's share of maintenance but I've really enjoy having it and using it. I also have a Duramax, previously 2500's and now a 3500.

On the other end of the spectrum I also have an old Palomino pop-up pick up camper that I bought used 25 years ago. I've also gotten a lot of use out it over the years. I mainly now only use it for shorter scouting or hunting trips. It has a furnace, fridge, stove top and a water tank and it works fine and is comfortable for one person but it's not as convenient lacking a toilet, shower, etc. Years ago I hunted out of it with a friend and one time I camped in it with my wife and her 2 boys but it can get pretty cramped with more than one person, especially if you have a lot of gear.

Facebook is a good place to start looking. Our last on burnt on Wednesday and the wife had the next one located by Friday. Bought it on Sunday.

Check for VBRO, etc in the area. You might come out cheaper that way.

Check for VBRO, etc in the area. You might come out cheaper that way.

20 foot toy hauler. Fold down and chain up seating. You can get 4 solid queen beds and build it to convert the fold down seating into beds. Have a kitchen with onboard fresh and dirty reservoirs. Air conditioning and heating. Wire it for electric too and run lights and climate control with electric or propane. Build a potty seat. Dig a three to four foot hole. Set it and an enclose with tarp or manufactured tent out house. Line and cover it up before you leave. Use a portable shower too.

It makes for a fine base camp. Warm, cool, and DRY.

Check for VBRO, etc in the area. You might come out cheaper that way.

Craigslist and you can get yourself a righteous trailer. Not sure what your weather is during hunting season but a ac unit might be a good call. You'll be amazed of what you'll save buying a used one. With that trick of your you can tow a mansion, good luck.

i'm gonna go up and check out a few of the local camping locations. would like to leave the trailer there from Oct - December.

if i decide to go this route i will defiantly get one with all the amenities of home - hot shower and smart TV, ETC....

Determine budget first. What are you willing to pay. Then go start looking at campers, look at more and more and more.

We looked at a ton of campers for over a year before we found the balance of luxury and quality etc.

Keys for me in my RV that we use for hunting, ball games/tournaments, camping, family visitors, etc.

1. Larger capacity water tanks and larger grey and black water tanks. The larger your tanks the longer you can stay out.

2. Outside shower is really nice for early archery hunts and warmer weather. Not many people use them be we do. It allows you to shower and not turn the RV inside into sauna

3. More and larger AC units. Especially if you have it ata camp ground with shore power. Ours can easily stay warm when cold, but keeping it cool when hot gets hard. The larger or more AC units the better

4. An out door cook station is very nice. Again cooking inside gets stupid hot, having and outside grill or stove really nice.

5. The larger the Fridge the better. There is never enough fridge space for a week trip etc.

6. Normal sized bed. The RV beds absolutely suck. Which means you will want to upgrade. If the main bed can accept a regular queen you get a lot more options and can get a really nice mattress for less. The RV queen is a special size and has limited options.

7. Get a slide in the main area. It is vital to space and being able to get boots on/off cooking etc.

8. Get the polar package. It will not prevent freezing 100% but it will allow you to have nights below freezing etc. if you get the polar package and have forced air heater then the heater will prevent tanks and water pipes from freezing.

9. A 7 gallon hot water is way better than a 5.

10. Inside shower that is separate of the toilet(wet bath). Test the shower and make sure you fit. Actually get in it and act like you are showering. Many showers are too small and suck.

11. Have the extra bed and do not rely on the table bed. It simply sucks to have to get up and make up the beds before you can eat breakfast. Also sucks to eat dinner and then have to make a bed to sleep in.

Always look at storage. Some have a ton of well thought out storage others have none. More is better.

I am sure there is more… But I can say this, we looked at a 100 plus RV that would work. Then one day we stepped into one and it was the one…

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