Flip This Camper #006: Blowouts, Brake Lights & a $175 Miracle
- Trail South
- May 23
- 2 min read
Location: North Carolina ➝ Alabama
Vibe: Duct tape. Highway chaos. Taco truck grace.
I was already on thin ice with the universe after jacking a 15,000-pound fifth wheel off the ground by myself in a Carolina junkyard (see: previous trauma).
Now I’m towing it home.Tired. Hungry. Out of favors from the travel gods.
I knew:
The tires were sketchy
The brake lights didn’t work
And the camper didn’t love me yet
But I had hope.
And Kala had snacks.
Six hours from home — BOOM.
Not a little boom.
Not a “did I run over a soda can” boom.
This was a “there goes my fender and someone’s windshield” boom.
Shredded tire.
Rubber debris flying like it’s Mad Max.
Side panel? Torn off.Wiring? Wrapped like a boa constrictor around the axle.
I pull over.
Pop the flashers (well… theoretically).Water for Kala. Treat for morale.
Time to fix everything on the side of a roaring highway.
But wait - No spare.
Because I didn’t know the tire size. Rookie mistake.(Not anymore — now I roll with two spares of different sizes every damn time.)
I crawl under. Untangle the wiring. Bang the siding back with the emotional force of a man questioning his life choices. Screw it back in with what I have.
And then — like a movie twist — I find it.
A spare tire.
Tucked into a compartment I didn’t know existed.
YES.
Except...
No tool to lower it. Not one. So now I’m on the side of the highway MacGyvering socket wrenches with twigs and moral support.
Then, like an angel in a utility truck:
This man rolls up.
Not highway patrol.
Not AAA.
Some guy with tires, tools, and a smile.
We start talking.
He speaks Spanish. So do I.
Turns out he drives up and down the freeway all day just helping people with tire blowouts.
He:
Jacks up my fifth wheel like it’s nothing
Replaces the dead tire in 15 minutes
Sells me a spare for $75
Tells me the truth:
“If one blew, the other one’s going next.”
He was right.
The second one blew as I pulled into my shop — but by then, I had tools, cold drinks, and revenge in my eyes.
Moral of the Story: You can’t always outsmart a blowout. But if you’ve got hustle, Spanish, and $175 — sometimes a miracle shows up with a compressor and a smile.
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💬 Blown a tire with no plan? Share your highway horror.
We won’t judge. We’ll just recommend twigs, luck, and José.
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