We said goodbye last month to our 2009 Rockwood Freedom popup camper “Big Freeda”. Lots of fond memories in this rustic little camper, but ultimately she cost us about $500 every time we wanted to take it out. Goodbyes are hard, but let us remember the moments we shared:

• That time we had a blow out on the way home from Dinosaur Valley.
• That time we were packing up at Pedernales in the rain and the dog escaped off leash but came back covered in coyote shit.
• That time we went to Inks Lake and you wouldn’t pop up.
• That time we went to McKinney falls and you wouldn’t pop up, so we used the backup bolt and sheared it off.
• That time we were coming back from Garner and had two blow outs.
• That time we brought it back from the shop and were trying to show our neighbor the inside of the popup but it only popped up half-way.
• That time we were leaving McKinney and the trailer fell off the hitch.
• That time we missed a trip to Inks Lake because you wouldn’t pop up.
• That time we went to Mustang Island and got eaten alive by mosquitos.
• That time we went to Pedernales and the wheel well fell out.
• That time we hauled you up to Georgetown and you wouldn’t pop up.

Sweet memories of camper ownership, each of them. For real, I cherish every one. Every problem was an “Oh shit” moment, a challenge, that our family had to respond to and figure out. Put outside of our comfort zone. In some ways that’s what camping is: endless fighting against the elements or your equipment. While not “fun”, I wouldn’t trade the experiences.

I really wanted to yeet Big Freeda into the ocean, or feed it to a Truckasaurus Rex… but alas, a less dignified sale took place. That’s okay. We’re not done camping as a family, some of our best memories are from camping, but we’re not going to jump right away into a new camper. We want to take some time and figure out the best fit for us going forward.