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All Terrain Camper Discussion

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#1 DirkWill

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Posted 23 May 2018 - 03:59 PM

Thought I'd pass this story along...  I was camping in some desert area for a couple days and one night heard what I assumed was a mouse in the camper.  It was annoying, I heard the sound change, turned on flash light and saw the little field mouse running all around my camper, doing amazing acrobatics and showing no fear.  I went to sleep, figuring I'd deal with it next morning, thinking it's only one mouse, I think we could share get along another night or two as long as he didn't invite relatives...  Next night noise repeated, I threw shoes etc till I ran out of ammo.  Next morning I lit my stove for coffee and there was practically an explosion!  Flame came out of the second burner to about eye level.  I slammed the cover on, but that did not extinguish the fire.  I grabbed the fire extinguisher and was prepared to blast away, but opened the cover to check the flame.  It had subsided, but was still smoldering inside.  I took a deep breath to give a blast to blow it out...then thought that it wasn't probably a good idea...(!!).  Lots of smoke, still a glow of smoldering.  I got the fan going, opened doors, got screwdriver and took the top off of the stove.  My little mouse friend had a full blown nest going under the stove lid, made entirely of toilet tissue torn into small stripes.  A touch of flame set it off with a bang!  I couldn't believe it!  

 

Although I am not Buddhist, I do have some leaning in that direction, however!  I trapped the sucker without too much guilt.  OK, none at all.  SO!!  Word to the wise...those little bastards can make a heck of a problem!  I envisioned my Bobcat going up in smoke!


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#2 MarkBC

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Posted 23 May 2018 - 04:18 PM

Cool story -- with a a lesson. 

It wouldn't surprise me if critters set up house when my camper was dormant for a long time...but to happen in just a night or two... :o


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#3 alano

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Posted 23 May 2018 - 04:20 PM

Yikes!

 

At first, I thought you had the start of nice children's book about how you and your mouse buddy Wandered the West. Now I'm thinking it's more of a cookbook.

 

Glad you and the camper are safe. The mouse too.

 

Alan


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#4 klahanie

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Posted 23 May 2018 - 04:21 PM

Great story ! No coffee needed after that :o

 

Did you have a mouse trap with you (prob a good idea) or did you rig something up as seen on Survivor Man or the like ?


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#5 PackRat

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Posted 23 May 2018 - 06:53 PM

Maybe just one more thing to add to the Spring Maintenance List.....

# 14 - Open all drawers and doors and put your cat in the camper to see if there is any interest in hunting down some adversary. While you are at it, look behind/under the drawers and check behind your gear in the cupboards.

 

#15 - If you don't own a cat, try to borrow the neighbors' cat and after completing the first steps in #14 the night before, place said feline in the camper to see if there is any interest in hunting down mice.

 

By the way, it is a good idea to check all through-wall openings for things like propane or water hoses or electrical cables to see if the opening was made large enough for a fitting at the end of them which now leaves a quarter or 50ct sized HOLE where the mice may squeeze by that line to set up housekeeping.

 

Check where the seals are for the upper/lower sections of your camper are (the Pirelli seals for the Alaskan) and where insulation at the door jambs may have deteriorated or...been eaten through by Serious Mice. Expanding foam will not only plug up the access points, but seal up your camper against drafts, help prevent dust & dirt from entering when you are on those kinds of roads and help hold in the heat and keep things like mice and wasps/yellowjackets/mud-daubers from trying to move in.

 

Remember that mothballs are for...well MOTHS, not, MICE. Maybe one of the ultrasonic and electromagnetic devices like "PestBye" would work in the off season but you need AC power for it. I guess if you planned on having a 100 watt lightbulb burning 24/7 in there to combat humidity, you could run them both.

 

Or I guess you could keep a BB gun by your bunk at night and if you turned on you RED headlamp, you could probably nail that sucker...but if your Bhuddist teachings give you pause here, I fully understand. Catch & Release is OK too!


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#6 Casa Escarlata Robles Too

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Posted 23 May 2018 - 11:38 PM

Pretty scary moment.

Glad all worked out.

Yes another item to check.

Thanks
Frank


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#7 Wandering Sagebrush

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Posted 23 May 2018 - 11:49 PM

Yikes, a mouse built IED. Not good at all. I’m glad your Bobcat didn’t suffer damage!
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#8 takesiteasy

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Posted 24 May 2018 - 12:57 AM

Wow, exciting! Glad it was a good outcome. We had a pack rat destroy our firewall insulation making a nest on top of the battery. Didn't start a fire, but it did eat the wiring which prevented the truck from starting. Arrgh! $500 deductible got it fixed ($1200 total cost) but what a pain. Those little critters can do damage way beyond their size!


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#9 JaSAn

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Posted 24 May 2018 - 02:45 AM

I am not afraid to camp in areas with big critters (bears, etc.) but am 'concerned' about the small ones.  Rodents can transmit hantavirus in their excretions, and the virus is active even when the carrier has turned to dust.  So I am diligent in keeping the small critters out.  I remove any food attractants and put all clothing and bedding into sealed plastic bins when the camper is stored.  But that doesn't work when using the camper.  I have used laundry dryer sheets in storage areas and have had no mouse problem (that's not indicative that they work).  Someone mentioned (on this site?) they put rubber snakes under the truck to discourage pack rats.  One could use 'wolf pee' stuff gardeners use to ward off deer and rabbits, but that stuff stinks.

 

https://blog.epa.gov...n-be-dangerous/

 

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#10 Bseek

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Posted 24 May 2018 - 02:42 PM

I had one in the Bobcat for a while. I found little bits of paper towel chewed off the roll. I opened up the door and put dryer sheets everywhere. Next day I closed up and have had no evidence of mouse again for two years except that the next time I got the truck serviced, the cabin air filter had a mouse nest sitting on top of it sans mouse. So I can vouch for the dryer sheet thing.  Get the Original scent Bounce. Fortunately no damage. Wow, I can't imagine the catastrphe that fire could have been. 


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