We bought a new camper in 2021, and we've enjoyed it now for almost 3 full seasons. We've been all over Minnesota and Wisconsin, putting on thousands of miles.

When you buy a camper, you hope that it will stay like new and not need repairs for the first few years. Oh, how naive we were.

We've enjoyed our camper, but I've also found myself already making repairs, and I'm coming up already on a very expensive item.

Anyone that's owned an RV, fifth wheel, travel trailer, or pop-up camper knows that they need routine maintenance. After the first season, I already needed to replace a few minor things. They're basically homes on wheels that rock, shake, and bounce. They're also built to be as lightweight as possible, so they aren't made with the most solid material.

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A big thing to look out for though could actually leave you stranded on the side of the road: your tires. RV tires carry quite a load, and even if you don't rack on a ton of miles, they need to be replaced sooner than you might imagine.

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The bottom line is that tires should be replaced every five years, no matter how many miles they are on. The reason is they weaken with the weight load and UV exposure. Cheaper tires could need to be replaced even sooner.

Michael Bracewell The Travel Trailer Guy YouTube
Michael Bracewell The Travel Trailer Guy YouTube
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My cousin just purchased a used camper and she was driving it just about an hour away to meet us at the cabin. She only made it about 30 miles before one of the tires blew. The tires were more than five years old.

You may have heard of "China Bombs" in the RV world. People are referring to cheap tires that were manufactured in China at a low cost. People claim that they explode without warning. Some RV dealers may put these on units they sell to save money. It's something to keep an eye on for. It would be a good idea to pay attention to the tire manufacturer and do some of your own research.

We did a lot of traveling the first year we had our camper, going almost every weekend. Our camper came with Castle Rock tires, and after doing some research, I'm going to be replacing them before next season. We haven't had any issues yet with our tires, but I've read some reviews and I would much rather have the peace of mind with a better tire.

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