Our 1996 Project - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

us4here · 08-15-2011, 12:53 AM

Hi all we bought this 1996 Funlite as a project for us to personalize to our needs. So far we have ripped out all the propane lines & anything that ran on propane & replaced most things with electric only. We took out the kitchen & made a toddler size couch/bed & removed the dinette but put it back, just sideways like a couch & we use a portable table that stows in the back window when not in use. We also removed the overhead bunk & cut it down & turned it into a portable deck/porch. My hubby had to rebuild the pump box as it was being held up by ratchet straps. The only water source currently is the shower & we will have an outside shower/sink. We made hard walls for the bathroom & a full hard door as well. I know this set up wouldn't work for everyone but again it was bought for us to personalize & just thought I would share. I will add some pics within the next few weeks. We are very pleased with the changes we have made so far & excited about the changes we have planned for the future. Thanks much for reading.

us4here · 08-15-2011, 01:01 AM

I do have this pic that was taken with my cell phone of the toddler bed/couch that is located where the kitchen use to be. This was taken right after we got it done & most of the other things around it were not completed. I will take more recent pics soon

PopRichie77 · 08-15-2011, 04:00 AM

Welcome to the forum. I don't under stand the hard full length door, does that mean that you can't put the top down. You can't tow a Hi-Lo in the up position, it is not designed to this, the cable system can't take the strain. I probably miss understood. Good luck with the project.

us4here · 08-15-2011, 10:13 AM

Thanks PopRichie77 & I think I should have explained or hurried with the pics lol. The bathroom door is a homemade simple door frame & door that stores against the ceiling between where our kitchen & dinette use to be, behind the roof top unit. It acts much like the entrance door on a traditional pop up camper. I will see if I can include pics of them both up & in use. I look forward to chatting with all of you & have read may hours of posts on this forum.

us4here · 08-15-2011, 12:26 PM

Here are some pics

The 1st one shows the dinette area removed & turned along the wall to make another couch/bed but one of the cushions was in the house so its missing in the pic. I had to open 2 cushions, a top & bottom & cut off about 4-5" of foam to make it short enough to reuse the dinette cushions along that wall & we just leave the cut off ends towards the bathroom wall & nobody is none the wiser. The second pic shows the front couch/bed that we made into a U shape by simply removing the metal hand rail & the small section over the fuse box & replacing them with plywood over the existing storage space. I plan to sticky tile over the exposed area & make cushion/pillows so it can also be used as seating. The third pic shows our fridge & microwave area with storage next to the fridge, everything is bolted in so it wont move around during travel. The fridge is a $57 cheap one from Walmart that doesn't have a compressor so its quiet & easy to operate with the electrical system. We will be packing a cooler with all of our cold/frozen items for travel & transfer the items in to the fridge upon campsite arrival. The forth pic shows the wardrobe area in the bathroom ripped out & we moved the wall out some after we removed the bathroom sink to make room for a 20 gallon electric water heater. The last pic shows the full bathroom door in its traveling position up on the ceiling, to give you perspective I was sitting on the potty when I took the pic (not actually using the potty lol) We still have some work to do to finish up & please excuse the mess but I can take some more pics when its cleaned up & done.

us4here · 08-15-2011, 12:54 PM

Here are a few more pics, the 1st one shows the bathroom walls & door up for travel. The 2nd pic shows 1 wall down for use, I will get a pic of it all down when I get stuff cleaned up a bit more as I have things all over the floor right now. The 3rd pic shows the bathroom wall over the shower area in its travel position. The last pic just shows the new faucet that we installed as this is the only source of tap water in the trailer. As I said before I know this set up isn't for everyone but it works perfectly for us so far & I hope we have at least amused you for a few moments

Please feel free to comment & ask questions. Its back out to work on the camper now & I will take pics of our progress as its done. Thanks so much for this wonderful forum & for all of you for posting.

JackandJanet · 08-15-2011, 01:02 PM

That's a clever bit of redesigning. Stowing the door in the ceiling is a perfect solution.

- Jack

us4here · 08-15-2011, 01:10 PM

Thank you, my hubby came up with that one

It has been quite a project but we expect many years of memories in our HiLo.

PopRichie77 · 08-15-2011, 02:23 PM

I take it that you have no plans of camping any where but in RV Parks that have Electric? We are retired and camp a lot in National Parks Camp grounds cause we get in free and camping is only half price but hardly any have electric. We have been in many national parks all over the US and with an electric only camper we could never have done this. Boon Docking is the largest part of our camping, but we have no children that need amenities. We need a Fridge that runs on all 3 power sources, actually we need all the appliances just as they are. We load our fridge, put it on DC and travel hundreds of miles then switch to propane, over night, back to DC and continue on. Food stays frozen and bottom stays cold. We have a trip planed right now which will be close to 3000 miles till we get back home. But everyone is not the same, so have fun and enjoy your Hi-Lo. We love ours.

us4here · 08-15-2011, 02:53 PM

Yeah we do most of our camping in at least a State Park with electric & no real plans on boon docking, but we have a regular cooler & a generator if necessary. Maybe after our kids are grown we will look into more trips like that but for now we mostly camp here in Michigan in private campgrounds & State Parks. Our modifications are more for the weekend warrior types cuz we usually only go camping like 6 times a year & we only go on the weekends

Rolff · 08-16-2011, 01:21 PM

I guess I am confused as to what the advantage is. You took out the kitchen to make a bed and made the bunk into a porch. I am sure the phrase cut the bunk made several people shudder. Removing the entire propane system to replace it with electric. You did a good job on what you did, thanks for sharing.

us4here · 08-16-2011, 02:08 PM

I am sure most people are scratching their heads as to why we have done what we did

The simplest answer is we have our own reasons that makes this adaptable to our needs. The bunk would have been unused & the kitchen as it was wasn't needed for our application. We removed the entire propane system for a few reasons, #1 we stay at campgrounds where electric is free (however we pay for our propane), #2 is way more personal as my hubby sustained 2nd & 3rd degree burns 7 months ago & propane is a combustible & we don't tend to take what we consider unnecessary risks right now. If you have ever been around someone with burns & seen the amount of pain they inflict then you tend to look at the world a little differently, like what may cause injuries in your daily life. Thank you for the pat on the back for doing a good job

cuz it makes my hubby feel pretty good about his skills. This camper has been good therapy for my hubby as he recovers from the burns & skin grafts especially since it was on both of his arms & hands, every project he completes on the camper is another milestone for him. He is now confident that he can go back to work soon due to working on the HiLo. Thanks again everyone for the kind words, even if our modifications don't make much sense

JackandJanet · 08-16-2011, 02:47 PM

Makes perfect sense to me - I might easily do the same thing in your place. Thanks for being so open about what happened. I'm wishing you both a speedy recovery from what had to be a horrible experience.

- Jack

us4here · 08-16-2011, 03:55 PM

Thank you so much JackandJanet

I figured maybe it would make more sense to more people if they knew just a little background info. I can understand how people might not be able to imagine why we mutilated this poor HiLo but it was done with love

We love our HiLo & we are so glad we found it & cant wait to buy our next one in a few years. Here in about 3-5 years we will be looking to buy our next pre-loved HiLo with the tip out couch & bed in the rear, as soon as I laid eyes on that kind I knew I had to have one. And to think we almost bought a TrailManor lol I can't even imagine

sam · 08-16-2011, 10:55 PM

Someone I know took their propane tanks off the HiLo. She was in a house fire as a child. Glad you didn't buy a trail manor,several people in our camping have owned one. They are quite inferior to the HiLo and they leak. Pretty bad when our HiLo dealer won't take one in on trade. Speedy recovery. Won't be long before you are out camping!!

us4here · 08-17-2011, 12:55 AM

Thanks sam, burn survivors are true warriors in my opinion & I am glad to know we are not the only ones to take the propane off our camper.

Yes after doing some more comparisons we found a few problems that we were not pleased with in regard to the TM like the bunk end tracks & leaking & the possibility of the weight being more than listed. We leave for a camping trip next Thursday & we are very excited, I need some sand between my toes

Rolff · 08-17-2011, 01:30 PM

That make prefect sense now. I don't blame you a bit, the purpose of camping is to releive stress not cause it. My Tow-lite didn't have the bunk until I heard the weight limit. It would not have worked for us anyway. I like the way your bathroom turned out. Replaceing the folding wall with a removable solid one is a great idea. We have never used our tub except for storage and I doubt we will. I tell people: When using it, First you fill up the tub, then you add water. Wishing you both a quick recovery and happy camping.
Ralph