Sunday, May 13, 2012

Our "Wildernest" Camper

For some time we have remembered the old days when we had a Volkswagen camper bus and used it to travel widely, stopping to sleep whenever we felt the need.
But what we needed now was something compatible with our pickup truck. After some research, we discovered the Wildernest campers, built and sold between 1987 and 1996(?). Low-production items, they are almost collector's items today and finding one that is in decent condition and in the eastern United States almost impossible. After several months of searching, we located on in eastern Massachusetts. The price and condition sounded reasonable and it was a model that would fit our truck's bed.

We drove to Weymouth and picked the Wildernest canopy up in early April. It has required a lot of restoration, but the shell and canvas are in decent shape. Here are two images from its first outing with its new (sixth) owners.
It poured rain, but the tent worked. We love the roominess and ease of setup. Gets hot inside without the sides open. It leaks around the bed seat in front. Bed is a bit narrow for two, but adequate. We plan to get a lot of use out of it.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

What are you using for your bed poles that go to the ground for support? I got some cheap surplus ones and they do not seem to hold that good. Any help would be much appreciated.

Wes Loder said...

We bought a couple of poles at Cabella's that seem to work, although they ten to get corrosion.
WES