How to stop your bumper end caps from falling out
How many times have you gotten to your destination only to find you’re missing an end cap or two from your camper’s bumper? If you’re like us, the answer is likely more than once.
Not only is it annoying when you lose a bumper end cap, but it can also get quite expensive over time. They might be cheap, but after you buy a few sets of replacements, it can really add up. Plus, you don’t want to be cruising down the highway with your sewer hose hanging halfway into the other lane!
If you want to keep your camper bumper end cap in place, here are a few solutions we’ve found that actually work.
Magnetic bumper end caps – top choice
We were skeptical at first to go magnetic. After all, how strong could magnets be if tough rubber or plastic barbs barely stay in? Well, we decided to give it a shot—for science—and discovered that it actually works perfectly!
Our top choice is the Camco Magnetic Bumper End Cap. It has four magnets, one in each corner, that keep the cap held firmly against your trailer or RV’s metal bumper.
Not only does it keep the cap in place, even during long and bumpy rides, but the easy-grab handle also makes it much easier to remove by hand when you need to get your sewer line. That’s right, it stays in place on the road AND easy to remove by hand. No more beating on the cap to get it back into the bumper; it comes right on and off. That’s a win-win if I ever saw one!
Do you hate reaching all the way into your bumper to get your sewer line? Well, the Camco Magnetic Bumper End Cap solves that problem, too. It has a fitting inside that attaches to your sewer line, so when you pop off the end cap, the sewer line is sure to follow.
To make sure a magnetic bumper end cap can withstand any trip, we made sure to put it through its paces. Once we got it installed, we went on a 2,500-mile camping trip from North Carolina, up and around Lake Michigan, and back. No matter how windy, bumpy, or long the trips were, the magnetic cap stayed in place!
Magnetic bumper end caps are a bit more expensive than the standard push-in style. You can pick up the road-tested Camco for about $12 on Amazon (though you can sometimes catch deals). Just be aware this is for one magnetic cap. You’ll need something for the other side, too. We used the magnetic cap for the driver’s side and a squeeze grip for the passenger side—which we’ll get to next!
We can’t say enough good things to say about this combo. It really works! We’ve taken it thousands and thousands of miles without problem, even on those darn pothole-filled roads up through New York and New England. You’ll never lose your camper bumper end caps again!
Pros
- Easy in and out by hand
- Stays in place on the road
- Attaches to sewer line, so you don’t have to stick your whole hand into the bumper
- Screened to keep bugs out of your bumper
Cons
- Doesn’t come as a set – you have to buy another cap for the other side
Squeeze grip
Squeeze grip camper bumper end caps have the same barbs as the standard end caps, except they expand in the bumper to make them more snug. To put the caps in, simply squeeze the middle, insert them into your bumper, and let go. The cap will expand, and it’ll take more than a little wind or a few bumps to knock it out!
We use the Camco Squeeze Grip Cap in the passenger side of our bumper, opposite the magnetic cap. It’s a bit more difficult to remove and insert compared to the magnetic cap, which is why we use it on the side we don’t really need to access.
However, you can use the squeeze-grip as your primary end cap; that sucker won’t go anywhere! It went along for the same 2,500-mile test run as our magnetic cap, and we didn’t see any signs of it even thinking about coming out.
Our suggestion would be to get the magnetic end cap for the driver side (the side from which you usually get your sewer line) and the squeeze grip for the passenger side (the side you don’t typically need to access).
Pros
- Stays in place
- Screened to keep bugs out of your bumper
Cons
- Doesn’t come as a set – you have to buy another cap for the other side
- Somewhat hard to remove
Stop buying camper bumper end caps for good
Buying replacement end caps is no fun, especially if you need to replace your sewer line too because it fell out on the road! If you really want to keep your end caps in place, get the Camco Magnetic Bumper End Cap paired with a squeeze grip cap. It has been our favorite solution to the age-old problem by far and has held up over thousands of miles of trips—literally!
Have you found any better solutions to constantly losing end caps? We’d love to hear about your experience! Drop us a line in the comments below, and let us know what you’ve found.