Heavy/HGTV/YouTube Ben and Erin Napier
Fans are swooning over Ben and Erin Napier‘s new home away from home, a luxury camper that the HGTV stars and their daughters have nicknamed “Gru.” Fans were stunned by the size and design of the large vacation home on wheels when Erin revealed their new acquisition in an Instagram post on July 27, 2024.
The Napiers, stars of HGTV’s “Home Town” and “Home Town Takeover,” already have a renovated Airstream nicknamed “Jolene,” which they received as a gift in 2020 from their friends, country stars Chris and Morgane Stapleton. But in her post, Erin said it’s become too small to travel in now that they have daughters Helen, 6, and Mae, 3.
“We’ll never get rid of Jolene the Airstream,” she wrote. “But we didn’t know how to camp with 2 kids the way we built it. So meet our new camper, Gru. He’s ugly on the outside, but real sweet on the inside. 😄 The cheapest beach, lake and mountain house in one.”
Ben & Erin Napier’s New Camper Was Renovated by Wisconsin Couple
After fans inquired about where the Napiers bought their new camper and who renovated it, Erin added new details to her post, writing, “we bought the camper from a family who bought it from @driftless_rv_renovators — who did a beautiful job! we updated the bedroom and bunks ourselves to work for @scotsman.co since he’s a giant and two little girls who love wallpaper and blackout curtains.)”
In the comment section, the Wisconsin couple who owns Driftless RV Renovators answered multiple fans’ questions, revealing that the camper is a 2010 Jayco Eagle Super Lite 30.5 DBSA. For hitting the road, they said, “the slides pull in making it 8 feet wide.” Originally named “Betty,” the camper’s renovated interior is featured extensively on their website.
The couple also chronicled the camper’s renovation on their Instagram page and shared that it was sold in September 2022 for $58,000. It features a bedroom, two bunk beds in the main living area and two bathrooms.
When country star Miranda Lambert commented on Erin’s post, “Camp life is the best life,” Ben replied, “it is the only way I want to travel. Ever.”
Fans were stunned by the size and high-end design of the Napiers’ new camper, including one who wrote, “I can’t believe that’s an RV … I could camp in that!”
Another commented, “okay this is RV goals 😍 I can’t figure out how this is a trailer, looks huge!”
Someone else chimed in, “WOW! This looks incredible. From the first picture, I thought wow that looks like a trailer but it can’t because it’s so lux. It was the fridge that gave it away.”
“This is bigger than our NYC apartment,” another person commented.
Road trips in “Gru” will be easier and more enjoyable for the Napiers, who have tried flying with their daughters in the past. In the summer of 2023, Erin shared on Instagram how messy a flight with their girls had been after traveling to the East Coast for a summer vacation. She noted all the distractions they needed to engage “overtired 2 yr old Mae” and apologized to Delta’s flight crew “for the potato chips and granola scattered in our seats.”
In 2022, the Napiers also bought a “little getaway house out in the country,” Erin told Heavy. The couple renovated the home, located on the outskirts of Laurel, Mississippi — where they also have a home near the small town’s downtown — and featured the transformation on their show late that year.
Ben & Erin Napier Renovated Their Airstream Themselves & Hit the Road in 2020
On June 30, Ben posted a throwback photo of a 2020 camping trip that they took with their Airstream when Helen was two, and said the family was ready to start hitting the road again.
“#35mm photos from a Covid camping trip,” he wrote. “Film captures it better than phones. What are your favorite campgrounds!?!?! Our little Mae is finally old enough that we are ready to start camping again! We don’t like “resort” style camping. We like picturesque with privacy. I don’t want to be able to see into my neighbors camper. Shade is a plus also!”
After receiving the Airstream as a gift from the Stapletons, the Napiers renovated the interior.
In an HGTV video highlighting their changes, Erin said, “The entire trailer, I wanted to feel like the 1970s, but in a very modern interpretation.”
#Jolene the @Airstream_Inc is looking pristine! @DollyParton would be so proud. #HGTVHomeTown #OnHGTV
The Napiers shared the transformation with the Stapletons via FaceTime during an episode of “Home Town” in 2020, and they were shocked by the changes.
In May 2020, Erin wrote on Instagram, “We have had our sweetest memories as a family to date inside this little airplane without wings and I can’t wait to show Helen the USA as she grows up.”
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HGTV Fans ‘Can’t Believe’ Ben & Erin Napier’s New Luxury Camper: ‘Incredible’