Subscribers show their creativity by Dave Newhouse

I am always amazed at the creativity and resourcefulness exhibited by our readers when it comes to making their house a home. In this case the house is the beloved pop-up trailer sitting in the driveway and the home is what they think it should have looked like when it rolled off the assembly line back at the factory.

Perhaps more than any other single group of camping and RV enthusiasts, the pop-up segment of the marketplace seems to have all the creative folks when it comes to making modifications to their trailers so they better fit their lifestyle and the requirements of their family when they hit the open road for an extended vacation of just a weekend at the state park.

Either way, many of the pop-up trailers we observe have had some type of modification that was born out of necessity or just a strong desire to have something in their camper that the manufacturers didn’t think about.

Of course most of this creativity comes from people who really understand the true love of camping and want to enhance the experience by showing off their changes to the family in the campsite next door or bragging about it around the campfire and then inviting everyone back to his or her camp site to show what you can do with a few dollars and a trip to Home Depot or Lowe’s.

I don’t have that kind of imagination so I’m perfectly content to enjoy my pop-up with whatever the manufacturer did include in the unit. While it seems to fit my needs, it is quite obvious that many of our readers do not share this view and have proven to me that they are a lot more creative, and perhaps ambitious, when it comes to working on their favorite hobby.

For me, I just hit the campsite, set it up real quick, and hit the relax button in my brain and forget about everything else. I light the campfire, set up the chairs, and find a cold beverage and a few snacks to nibble on while reading or talking to my neighbors.

Heck, I don’t really care if the paper towels are sitting up on the counter instead of on a roll holder. I can always use a flashlight if I can’t find something in a cabinet or under the trailer. I don’t really need extra shelves or drawers because I’m perfectly content to throw all my clothes in a duffle bag and live out of that for the weekend.

If I have to stop for food on the way to the campground, it will probably stay in that brown paper bag all weekend, except for the stuff that I absolutely, positively, have to put on ice or in the refrigerator.

I certainly dmire, those pop-uppers that want to add their own personal touch to make their camper more enjoyable .... things like a color-coordinated throw rug, outdoorsy curtains with matching placemats, a nice candle and fancy holder to set on the doily, or even a picture or two of the kids or pets to adorn the inside of their palace on wheels hidden under the pine trees. Some of the modifications are quite simple, others very elaborate, and others just leave you scratching your head in amazement that nobody ever thought of it before.

Some campers take it to an extreme with serious modifications or a complete replacement of interior cabinets and shelving, major plumbing changes with drains and vents, custom lighting and enhanced electrical systems for their toys and roof supports and structures to carry a few more things on top of the camper.

It does appear that some of the manufacturer’s have taken note of some of the modifications pioneered by our readers over the past few years.

In an age when we are seeing more back to basic camping models and several over-the-road pop-ups to accommodate the need for backwoods camping for hunting, fishing, or offroading on ATV’s or motorcycles. Many of these campers feature items that we have not seen in recent years on pop-ups and they are specifically designed to enhance the nontraditional camping experience of just setting up the camper and lighting the fire .... like I do!

Our loyal readers frequently send in pictures of their modifications and inventions. One manufacturer was so impressed with an article we published a few years ago about a totally redesigned interior by Nancy Rapa, that they considered hiring her as a design consultant.

Here are some of the better ideas that we’ve seen through the years, but we make no promises or guarantees that the manufacturers will like them as much as you do, nor that your phone will start ringing off the hook with job offers in the RV industry.

What’s nice about this show of creativity is that they all did it for their own personal reasons and for their own personal enjoyment.