Renovating a Four Wheel Pop-Up Camper

Welcome to my site on how I renovated my Four Wheel Pop-Up Camper into something that has become a great joy for me and my loved ones. Many people these days are looking for ways to experience nature, fresh air, beautiful landscapes, and good company outdoors. Even though Four Wheel Campers are top-of-the-line and can last forever with their aluminum frame (wood frames will always eventually rot), the quality of materials for even new Four Wheel Campers is not what it used to be. When you renovate an older one, you can create a beautiful interior by using solid wood, Baltic Birch, superior insulation, improved electrical systems and battery technology, updated lighting, and improvided propane and water plumbing. So the purpose of this site is to show you that it is possible to have a place to sleep off the ground when you go camping (or even use electronic medical devices) and end up with something that pleases you even more than something new, especially if you enjoy using quality materials that suit your personal tastes.

The Start

In early 2018, I purchased a rare, but highly-sought-after Keystone Four Wheel Pop-Up Camper from a gentleman in Cedar City, Utah . It had perfect windows and only a few dimples, blemishes, or worn spots on the outer aluminum. The interior was worn, and had the original plastic-lined paneling. Someone had remodeled the galley, but not very well, and had repainted the cabinets with an unusual paint scheme. But it had perfect bones, working internal hardware and cushions, and a workable canvas. And that is what I needed, based on the background of why I was looking for such a camper in the first place.

With the generous help of the seller, we loaded the camper into my 2000 Ford F150 7700, with less than 1/2" to spare on the width of the back of the slide-in area. In fact, the fit was so tight (and so expertly guided in by the seller), that I wondered if I had just put something into my truck that I would never be able to get out. It turned out to be a warranted concern, especially when you realize that it was done with two, old-style Brophy cable jacks. I speculated on the drive home that if I were unsuccessful in renovating the camper while it sat in the bed, I would have just paid good money to effectively neuter my truck.

I am not a carpenter and this was my first dedicated DIY project outside of my own home. It sat unattended for some time before I started work. Over the course of about 18 months, I dedicated time after work, during each work week, to completing one task on the camper. Then, I also dedicated both weekend days to working on it for just about every weekend. In the end, I got where I needed to be in the Summer of 2020, even though I still had some work to do on the underside of the camper.

Site Organization

This site is organized by project. It took me 8 projects to complete my renovation. If you want to go directly to one of the projects listed on the left side of this page, click the link and you'll see a page that describes how that project was completed.