About Me

I'm Dan Mercer. I worked as an RV service technician for 30 years. I've fixed slide-outs in the rain, rewired more converters than I can count, and crawled under just about every kind of rig on the road. These days I'm retired, and my wife Lisa and I live in our RV most of the year.

Why I started this site

Over the years I watched a lot of people buy gear after a showroom demo or a quick look online, then regret it a week into their trip. Something that feels fine under bright store lights can be a different story at 2 a.m. in a cold camper. I started Campsite Tested to share what actually holds up once you're parked.

How I test

Everything gets used for real nights at real campsites. I use the same rig for every test so the comparison stays fair, and I try one product at a time. Lisa and I both weigh in, and I keep handwritten scorecards along the way. When I write a review, it comes from those notes.