We rented the Colorful Camper for a winter trip down to Arizona, and while the camper served it's purpose, it had a few issues that are worth noting for future renters.First, the good: Pickup was easy, and the Owner was very accommodating, meeting us on Christmas Day so we could head out on our trip on the 26th. Interior was cozy, and included basic furnishings like plates, cutlery, and linens. Interior lights all worked, all outlets worked, propane stove worked like a charm (I can't speak to whether sink/shower/toilet worked, as they were winterized due to the time of year). The Owner included a stabilizing hitch to haul the camper, which made the drive so much nicer than it would have been.Next, the not so good:
SAFETY:
- The trailer lights did not work correctly. When everything was plugged in, if my vehicle's lights were off, none of the trailer lights worked (no brake lights, no turn signals). If my vehicle lights were on, all trailer lights were on (brake lights, reverse lights, marking lights, etc). No change when I engaged the brakes, and if I turned on either turn signal, both tail light blinked on the trailer. When I mentioned this to the Owner, he told me several other people had mentioned trouble with the lights, and that he'd had them worked on and was surprised they weren't working, but apparently he hadn't bothered to check if they were functional. he told us previous renters hadn't gotten in any trouble for having nonfunctional lights, totally disregarding the major safety issue posed by the semi truck behind me not knowing I was slowing down or turning. He did offer to reimburse us for the purchase of magnetic trailer lights.
- One of the trailer safety chain hooks was missing the wire spring gate to keep it from bouncing off the hitch mount. We wrapped a paper clip around it to ensure it stayed on, but again, this should have been handled before the unit was rented out.
- The trailer breakaway cable was frayed down to a single strand of wire. If it had come down to it, I'm not sure the cable would have stayed in tact long enough to engage the emergency brakes.According to Outdoorsy's instructions to Owners, rental must be inspected every 90 days. Bottom line, there's no way this trailer would have passed a qualified inspection. I hope the owner will address these issues before renting it out in the future.Other not-so-good:
- The owner turned the camper over to us with a service panel lying unscrewed and open. Upon further inspection, we found an airtag he had been hastily trying to install before I arrived to collect the camper. He neglected to tell us he'd be tracking our location. Needless to say, the airtag stayed in town while we enjoyed our trip. If he chose to tell us about it, I'd be inclined to hear him out, but as it was, he was effectively tracking me and my family across state lines without our consent, which doesn't sit right with me at all.
- The fridge stayed so cold it literally froze all of our food solid, and had no way to adjust cooling temps.
- The window above the sink/stove is screwed shut, and the hood fan is so loud it sounds like it's running on a 2-stroke engine, so hopefully you don't need to get fresh air while you're cooking.
- The curtain rods are all installed with what appear to be picture hanging nails and rattled loose from the walls repeatedly during our drive.All in all, if the safety issues are taken care of, and if you're cool with being tracked, it's a functional funky camper that will probably get the job done.
2 Photos submitted by Jesse E.
