Camping: Any campers here?

Bird · Apr 20, 2014

Currently have a small fiberglass Casita. Best trailer we've ever owned.

I've stopped by their factory a couple of times and would like to have one of those, but they're pretty expensive.

Travelover · Apr 20, 2014

Bird said:
I've stopped by their factory a couple of times and would like to have one of those, but they're pretty expensive.

You can pick up a pretty nice used one for $10K, use it for years and resell it for about what you paid.

Casita Fiberglass Trailers - US | Fiberglass RV's For Sale

jerrybob · Apr 20, 2014

Yea...they are great trailers. Up here in our neck of the woods......I like the fact they don't leak. New ones are in the $18K range.....you can find used but they go real fast if they are in good condition. They do hold their value very well. We travel quite a bit.......only problem we have.....lots of people want to see the inside and ask lots of questions. Oh well.....we've met some great folks!

dave1949 · Apr 20, 2014

Those Casitas do look nice. The 13' model hitched to Jeep Wrangler with a canoe on top would go a lot of places.

I haven't been camping in years, aside from the tent camping I did on our lot for a couple summers before we built. Used to be, hopefully still, the National Forest camp grounds are good for getting close to nature. Some of them are not accessible with larger RVs and don't have electric & water at the camp sites either. Those have shared bathrooms and showers usually.

Directory of Campgrounds in U.S. National Forests and Grasslands - Buy Books, National Forest Forum, News

When my Mom and Dad were full-timing, they "worked" as campground hosts in NF campgrounds for a couple of summers. Hosts keep a eye on things, keep things picked up, answer questions, and have a radio to call the Ranger if needed. IIRC the pay is free camping.

buckeyefarmer · Apr 20, 2014

I have tents of all sizes, and sometime I don't even use a tent. But I finally broke down and got a travel trailer with AC. Tents are nice in the winter, spring and fall, but in the summer it can be pretty miserable if there is no air moving. Course, scout summer camps I take a battery operated fan.

General Lee · Apr 20, 2014

Travelover said:
Me, too. Small fiberglass campers work for me. Don't leak and fall apart in 10 years and you don't need a big truck to tow them. Plus unlike a popup, you can stop at any time and access the camper. And they hold their value amazingly well. Each to their own.

Just started looking at these. They seem very nice but probably out of my budget. Can't seem to find new pricing but looks easy to assume it.

firemailwv · Apr 20, 2014

been camping / Rv'ing ~whatever you would like to call it nearly all of my like. I won't bore you with all of the details, but started as a kid in a 15 foot Lark camper with a metal awning, burlap upholstery and a sink that drained out a hole in the side of the camper. I have so many fond memories of that, I purchased a travel trailer when my wife and I got married. Currently spending as many weekends as we can in a 39 foot fifth wheel.

From my experience, most people that buy pop-ups do one of two things. Either trade up to a travel trailer or sell it and get out of the camper lifestyle. My suggestions would be - Rent a pop-up and spend a weekend camping in it ~or~
- Go with friends that currently own a camper and be involved in the setup and takedown
- If you decide to go the pop-up route, buy a good used one. Remember what I said above, most are either traded in or sold.... There a lot of used ones on the market. Check your local "ad bulletin" or Craigslist.

Have fun! We sure do...

kc5dlo · Apr 21, 2014

The AC works great in our Pop Up. We always try to find a shady spot but that does not always happen. I bought a roll of reflective insulation and cut 2 pieces to cover the top of the tents on the beds. Hold them in place with a few clips. They fold over and are stored under the mattresses when not used. Very comfortable even over 100 degrees. Another thing we did was add 2" foam topper to our bed. The stock mattress alone is a little too thin.

vabiker23518 · Apr 21, 2014

In my 60 years I've camped in about everything. My favorite, however, is to "bike camp" for 3-4 days on rail trails,etc being self contained with a small tent. That said, the wife much prefers to stay in B&Bs!

General Lee · Apr 21, 2014

kc5dlo said:
The AC works great in our Pop Up. We always try to find a shady spot but that does not always happen. I bought a roll of reflective insulation and cut 2 pieces to cover the top of the tents on the beds. Hold them in place with a few clips. They fold over and are stored under the mattresses when not used. Very comfortable even over 100 degrees. Another thing we did was add 2" foam topper to our bed. The stock mattress alone is a little too thin.

If you don't mind me asking, what make and model pop up do you have?