Camping: Any campers here?

[jerrybob]

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.

Call the company's direct. They will send you model and price info. Look at Casita, Escape, Scamp and Eggcamper.

 

[fordmantpw]

I haven't read the entire thread so this may have been mentioned already, but you may try renting a pop up for a few weekends this summer to see how you really like it.

I've been camping since I was 5 or 6 (I'm 37 now) when my parent bought their first camper (a pop up). They progressed up to finally getting a travel trailer just before I moved out.

After my wife and I got married, we went a few times with my parents in their travel trailer, then we bought a tent. After an outing or two with that (my wife hated the tent! ), we bought our first camper, a Jayco pop up. It had a roof A/C that did really well keeping it cool in the humid summers here in MO. We used a ceramic heater for heat and it did an acceptable job. After a few years of the pop up, we upgraded to a travel trailer. After 7 years of that and after adding 2 more kids, we upgraded to our current camper, a 32' fifth wheel. Since we have 3 kids, this gives us all plenty of room to enjoy ourselves when it's raining, or too hot or cold to be outside. No, it's not roughing it, but it's enjoyable and allows us to enjoy the outdoors without resorting to sleeping on the ground or using the woods as the bathroom!

 

[General Lee]

I haven't read the entire thread so this may have been mentioned already, but you may try renting a pop up for a few weekends this summer to see how you really like it.

I've been camping since I was 5 or 6 (I'm 37 now) when my parent bought their first camper (a pop up). They progressed up to finally getting a travel trailer just before I moved out.

After my wife and I got married, we went a few times with my parents in their travel trailer, then we bought a tent. After an outing or two with that (my wife hated the tent! ), we bought our first camper, a Jayco pop up. It had a roof A/C that did really well keeping it cool in the humid summers here in MO. We used a ceramic heater for heat and it did an acceptable job. After a few years of the pop up, we upgraded to a travel trailer. After 7 years of that and after adding 2 more kids, we upgraded to our current camper, a 32' fifth wheel. Since we have 3 kids, this gives us all plenty of room to enjoy ourselves when it's raining, or too hot or cold to be outside. No, it's not roughing it, but it's enjoyable and allows us to enjoy the outdoors without resorting to sleeping on the ground or using the woods as the bathroom!

I've done the tent thing a few times. Don't want a tent. A pop up is an upgrade from a tent and a large travel trailer is not in the plans right now. So really a pop up is whats on the menu. I plan on checking some out this week. I'd like to start out small and basic (a pop up) like most here and upgrade later on if the want/need arises. Good to know the AC works good. That and the ability to scrub my a** is really all I need LOL.

 

[RobertN]

I have/do both. Going out hunting, frequently puts me in places I can't take my 5th wheel. So tent gets used in back country.

I've done the tent thing a few times. Don't want a tent.

 

[Bird]

I've never owned a tent, but when I was a kid in the Boy Scouts, I've slept in a tent.:laughing: However, as an adult, I've certainly "camped" in the open using an old piece of carpet for a bed and nothing overhead but the stars. I've slept on the ground and/or in the bed of the pickup. But then my wife thought she'd like to go with me on some of the overnight fishing trips and our two daughters were 2 1/2 and 5 1/2. Our youngest was bad about sleep walking at night. I don't know how many times I started to get out of bed at night and found her lying in the floor beside our bed. And one night, my wife woke me up, and she was really excited; said she went to check on the girls and the youngest one was missing. I think we turned on every light in the house and started searching. I was getting a bit worried myself before we finally found her . . . . sound asleep . . . . under our bed. So we discussed tents and pretty quickly discarded that option and started with the pickup camper.

 

[kc5dlo]

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

It is a 1997 Palamino. I think it is a 10' box. I wanted to keep the weight down so as to pull with my Nissan truck.

 

[General Lee]

It is a 1997 Palamino. I think it is a 10' box. I wanted to keep the weight down so as to pull with my Nissan truck.

Palaminos are nice, I've been looking at those

 

[caver]

I've owned two canvas pop-ups. First was an early 90's used Coleman/Fleetwood I bought around '96. I had it for a few seasons until it started to fall apart from too many washboard dirt roads. I then bought a new Starcraft with a propane furnace. I never had AC on a pop as I don't camp in summer except out west in the mountains. Bad winds one night at Carlsbad Caverns made me rethink canvas. The constant setup and teardown was also wearing on me. Some get around this by using a hefty battery drill but that's only part of the setup. After one year with the Starcraft I sold it to a co-worker and bought a Chalet Arrowhead. With insulated walls I was much warmer at night and the 30 second setup was a breeze. I had that one for several years. I then scaled down to a smaller Chalet LTW. After a few years I decided to get a small TT 19'. Last year I traded for a 22' with more holding tank/fresh water capacity. I can't take those trailers places I could the popups and A-frames but the camper doesn’t get beat up as much either. Canvas has an R value of squat. I hated them on windy nights. If you move frequently the setup/teardown can be a drag. If you are in a noisy area you hear everything. I really don’t miss the sounds of nature or fellow campers when I’m trying sleep now.
The Chalet was my favorite folding camper but is a bit pricey compared to canvas. I feel the build quality was much better though.
Bets purchase I made while popup camping was a Zodi propane shower.

 

[General Lee]

I've owned two canvas pop-ups. First was an early 90's used Coleman/Fleetwood I bought around '96. I had it for a few seasons until it started to fall apart from too many washboard dirt roads. I then bought a new Starcraft with a propane furnace. I never had AC on a pop as I don't camp in summer except out west in the mountains. Bad winds one night at Carlsbad Caverns made me rethink canvas. The constant setup and teardown was also wearing on me. Some get around this by using a hefty battery drill but that's only part of the setup. After one year with the Starcraft I sold it to a co-worker and bought a Chalet Arrowhead. With insulated walls I was much warmer at night and the 30 second setup was a breeze. I had that one for several years. I then scaled down to a smaller Chalet LTW. After a few years I decided to get a small TT 19'. Last year I traded for a 22' with more holding tank/fresh water capacity. I can't take those trailers places I could the popups and A-frames but the camper doesn’t get beat up as much either. Canvas has an R value of squat. I hated them on windy nights. If you move frequently the setup/teardown can be a drag. If you are in a noisy area you hear everything. I really don’t miss the sounds of nature or fellow campers when I’m trying sleep now.
The Chalet was my favorite folding camper but is a bit pricey compared to canvas. I feel the build quality was much better though.
Bets purchase I made while popup camping was a Zodi propane shower.

Great points Caver, thats the info I'm looking for.

 

[caver]

I forgot to mention that if you go for a popup, there's loads of info on the group called PUX (popupexplorer)
I've always towed with an F150. With a popup my gas mileage dropped about 25%....with the TT it dropped about 50%. I liked my Chalet so
much that I started a yahoo forum from scratch and grew it to over 1100 members until i sold my Chalet and turned the forum keys over to
some other forum members I had met at a Chalet rally. Their competion in the eastern US is Aliner since their factory is in PA. I see Starcraft now makes an a-frame popup too.