Happier Campers are famous because of the quality of their campers and vans. These are manufactured in Los Angeles, California, and Derek Michael is the founder of the industry. Their famous campers are HC1, HC1 Studio, and HC1 Venture. It has an adaptive system that allows you to adjust the cubes according to your choice and needs. These are heavy-duty molded plastic cubes, and you can remove them to adjust storage and seating space.
Common problems with Happier Campers include poorly installed axle, tire separation, tight interior space, lack of bathroom and kitchen, damaged fiberglass material, bright interior, faulty batteries, and difficulty reversing.
I also purchased the used HC1 camper from my friend because of the adaptive interior system. The floor was made of fiberglass material, and you can see separate large cubes for the refrigerator, kitchen, seating, bed, sink, stove, and toilet. I left the benches and seat cubes at home because I was traveling with my friend, and we did not require extra seating and sleeping space.
| Problems | Solutions |
| Poorly installed axle | Reinstall the axle |
| Tire separation | Inspect the tires |
| Tight interior space | Remove unnecessary cubes |
| Bright interior | Change paint color |
| Lack of bathroom and kitchen | Select new models of Happier camper |
| Damaged fiberglass material | Reattach the delaminated layer |
| Faulty batteries | Replace factory-installed battery |
| Difficulty in reversing | Install rear camera |
Poorly installed axle
My friend also has the Happier camper, and he was sharing his traveling experience with me a week ago. He said he did not face any significant problems while on the road trip, including leakages and electric issues.
The minor inconvenience he experienced while towing them was the back-and-forth movement of the campers. The issue came because of the incorrectly installed axle.
He told me the traveling experience on a rough road was not comfortable because of the back-and-forth movement. Axles cannot support the frame’s weight and maintain the balance.
The axle supports the weight of the overall frame and ensures a smooth ride. The camper cannot maintain the balance when axles are not installed properly.
Poor balance can also increase the tipping-over chances of the campers. Their axles can only carry 3500 pounds of weight.
You can face problems because of manufacturing faults. Manufacturers did not install their axles correctly, which led to poor balance and unstable rides.
In addition, the axle issue also comes because of frequent driving over rough roads. Furthermore, hitting road hurdles and potholes and moving over speed bumps affect the axle’s configuration.
The screws that hold the front and rear axle in their place also become loose. You can also face the issue because of the use of the wrong size of screws that cannot hold heavy loads.
You can hire a mechanic for the correct reinstallation of the axle. You have to raise the front or rear wheel of the campers and chock the tires. Remove the screws, correctly realign the axle and tighten the screws and pins for its correct attachment.
Tire separation
Many HC1 Happier camper users also complain about the sudden tire separation. Sudden tire separation can cause tire blowouts, crashes, and loss of control.
Tire separation issues can come because of the manufacturing defect. It happens when their factory-installed nuts and screws are not tightened properly.
The issue also comes from the defective tires that have worn-out tread surfaces. Worn-out tires can come off from the wheel assembly. You can also face problems because of the overloading of the interior cabin.
My friend also faced the same issue when he overloaded the interior with many accessories to make it comfortable. The overloaded interior affected the tire, which came out from the wheel assembly.
He fixed the tire and removed the extra cubes from the living area, which he added to increase the seating space. Moreover, the issue comes from driving at high speed and overheating of its rubber material.
Inspecting the tire assembly when you hear uneven sounds while driving is necessary. Tighten the lug nuts frequently and avoid driving at high speed for longer to prevent overheating issues.
Tight interior space
Many people complain that Happier campers are luxurious, but the interior space seems crowded because of multiple cubes. The adaptive system sometimes makes their interior look messy because of the poor organization of the plastic cubes.
A tight interior can cause issues because of insufficient walking space inside the campers. One of my cousins, who is 6 feet and 4 inches tall, complained that he had to bow his head while moving near the kitchen area because of the lower height of the roof.
He also complained that king-size beds do not have sufficient width to accommodate 2 to 3 persons. Because of their smaller dimensions, only one person can sleep comfortably on a king-size bed.
You can organize the interior space and free up a lot of walking area by removing the cubes of unnecessary items and leaving them at your home.
Many people prefer showers in public bathrooms, so they remove the cube to free up the floor space.
Bright interior
The interior of the Happier camper is bright, which can affect your sleep cycle. I also faced the same issue while traveling with the children last year. I dropped the window blinds so sunlight could not directly come inside.
The interior became brighter, and my children woke up early in the morning and remained disturbed the whole day because of the disrupted sleep pattern.
Their interior is brighter because of the white paint color. You can only fix it by coating their interior and exterior surface with lighter shade paint to decrease the light reflection.
Lack of bathroom and kitchen
Some old models of Happier campers are not equipped with separate bathrooms and kitchens. Both of these are basic needs during camping for a comfortable traveling experience.
You need a kitchen for cooking fresh food instead of preferring outside camping. People usually use bathrooms at campsites, but it is not a convenient option for all.
You have to wait in long lines, and hygiene issues are common in public restrooms. It is better to select its latest models because they are equipped with separate bathrooms, kitchens, and showers.
Damaged fiberglass material
Happier campers’ roofs, walls, and floors are made up of fiberglass material instead of aluminum to reduce corrosion issues, which are common because of water and road elements exposure.
Moreover, these are specially designed to make the towing easy by reducing their overall weight. Fiberglass material helps decrease their weight and makes their hauling easier.
However, you can see delamination of fiberglass coating from the roof. Fiberglass lamination is thick enough to provide insulation. Cracks and wear and tear of fiberglass material cause delamination of the roof coating.
In addition, extreme temperature changes and poor maintenance also cause this problem. You can fix the fiberglass material by removing the delaminated layer and using the adhesive material to glue the separated layers.
Faulty batteries
Happier campers have batteries to power the interior electric components. These batteries are not of high quality and have a shorter life span.
Many owners complained about the battery’s durability, which does not last for more than 3 to 4 years with proper maintenance.
You can see the red and black wires that go to the positive and negative terminals, respectively. It is better to replace the factory-installed low-quality battery with a new one for a pleasant road trip.
Many people do not want to use large propane tanks for heaters and refrigerators. They use the power supply from the batteries to use heaters and fridges.
Difficulty in reversing
Sometimes, it is difficult to reverse the Happier camper because of the absence of a rear-view camera and hitch joint. You need help from your partner when reversing to reduce the collision and tipping over chances.
Rear cameras are not installed on this camper.
You can install the reverse camera in your camper as an aftermarket addition to reduce issues while reversing and parking in crowded campsites.
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