The dreaded question.... "Can we borrow the camper?"

If someone you know (friend, relative, co-worker) asked to borrow your camper, how would you handle it? I'm not talking about my hoping that Dave and Darlene will borrow mine and do some repairs for me, but someone that might possibly realitively inexperienced with towing and setting up a rig like yours.

Would you show them the ropes and let them use it, or find way to tell them no?

Until I get new lift arms, I wouldn't even consider letting someone else try to set up Miss Danger, as they might get hurt. It's a nice excuse. I wonder what I'd say if it were in good working order. Would I worry that they wouldbring it back messed up? Or broken? Over the years, I've had bad luck with people doing just that with things they borrow.

I remember the ETNCC posts about Stacy loaning out her pup and getting it back with burns on the floor from a weak extension cord hooked to a space heater. They paid to fix it, but it shows how easy something could go wrong.

What would your answer be to the dreaded question?

I don't think that I would allow just anyone to borrow my 5'er. I would let you borrow it Richard, but I would have to set it up for you.

There would only be a few people (very few) who I would loan it to. Then.. it would only be to a campground close to home. I would insist on towing it to and from the CG.. and setting it up. Too much liability in letting them tow.

I would probably have them sign something up front.. saying they are responsible for any damages that might happen during their stay. (been watching too many JUDGE JUDY shows)

chuck wrote:There would only be a few people (very few) who I would loan it to. Then.. it would only be to a campground close to home. I would insist on towing it to and from the CG.. and setting it up. Too much liability in letting them tow.

I would probably have them sign something up front.. saying they are responsible for any damages that might happen during their stay. (been watching too many JUDGE JUDY shows)

Would agree with you Chuck. I would have them sign something saying they are responsible for any damages. I would also take pics of the camper before they used it, to show the condition before.

Well, it HAS happened to us - several times, in fact.

A friend that we church with asked, but said up front that she knew that it was something that most people didn't like to lend and said that it was OK if we didn't want to. That said, her 14 year old teenage daughter has visited us several times when we have camped close and she asked her mother if she thought we might let her use it for her birthday sleep-over.

I know that teens can get kinda rowdy, but we have been on 5 mission trips with the teen and she is quiet, studious and very thoughtful. My girls adore her.

We agreed that she could use it for a weekend at Natural Tunnel and she could have a maximum of 4 teens, plus her mother. We took the TT to NT and set it up on Friday afternoon - they came down about 6 pm, cooked dinner outside over the fire, sat around the fire until midnight. They stayed all day Saturday, but left after dinner, about 8 pm Saturday night. We went down Saturday evening and fixed dinner for Anna (frogmore stew), they went home and we spent the night in the TT.

They brought all their supplies and cleaned up after themselves and other than an extra bottle of shampoo that one of the girls left, we couldn't tell they had been in there.

We have let Butch's niece, husband and teenage children use it while we were on a cruise - we went to Gulf Shores and spent a week, then drove to New Orleans and went on a cruise for a week, then back to GS for another week. The week we were on the cruise, they used the TT. It was already set up - they just paid the lot rent on it while they were there. We had previously figured we would put it in storage, which was $1.50/day.

I have 2 brothers and I would let one of them use the TT. He pulled our HTT to the beach and is experienced with pulling a trailer. The other is not responsible enough and his family is even less so. He's not using it with ME THERE, much less with me NOT THERE. I love him, but.....

I am VERY selective over who I let use it with me not there. They have to be very special and I am not really sure I would let someone pull it on a long trip - maybe my brother, maybe not.

the answer would be "NO but we have a few tents we will let you borrow".

haha! You'll find out just how badly they want to go camping, that's for sure. I've got tents they could borrow if you run out.

I would say no.Just because of the liability if it was to hit someone