# Pop-ups



## Randy (Oct 27, 2008)

For those of you that have them or have had them tell me the pros and cons.  Seems every time I go camping it rains (includning last week in Savannah) and I am tired of getting wet in a tent.


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## Havana Dude (Oct 27, 2008)

Somewhat of a hassle to set up, but not overwhelming. If you got plenty of time and daylight, it's actually a nice change from driving to get there. I never used mine for hunting, but took fam on vacations etc. and there never was enough room for all the girls crap they had to have to "survive". All the packing up and unpacking was a pain in the rear.I suppose in a hunting situation, just guys, it would be fine and especially if you were the only one in it.


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## Paymaster (Oct 27, 2008)

I loved mine and would still have it were it not for my wife wanting to upgrade.I have to admit I enjoy the 5th wheel. The lack of room for a large family was the biggest drawback for us..


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## JustUs4All (Oct 27, 2008)

I have a hard sided hard topped pop up.  It puts up in about 45 seconds flat.  It can be put up or taken down in the rain without getting everything inside wet.  It is a bit more expensive that the soft sided popups, but ever so much more useful for me.  

There are two brands of these things.  One, the Aliner, is aluminum sided; the other, the Chalet, is fiberglass sided.  They are both tee pee shaped and have a lot more room that you might think.  I am 6'1 and my wife and I are very comfortable in ours.  We have a Chalet with an optional 6" extra height in the walls.

Each company has a pretty good website and there are Internet user groups for both.   They are not as rare as you might think and used ones come up periodically.

Good luck.


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## greene_dawg (Oct 28, 2008)

It's nice to pretty much keep everything packed up... Just hitch it up and go. Don't get too fancy though. I, like you, love tent camping and a fairly basic pop up will give you that same feeling with a touch more comfort...


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## crackerdave (Oct 28, 2008)

Why not just skip the pop-up and go straight to a huge motorhome?


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## Paymaster (Oct 29, 2008)

rangerdave said:


> Why not just skip the pop-up and go straight to a huge motorhome?



They are nice but $100,000 to $400,000 or more? I won't ever be in that league.


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## blackmax (Oct 29, 2008)

I love mine.  I even bought it from the this site.  I still enjoy back packing and the occasional trip to Little Tybee but most of my camping now involves the pop-up camper.  I really like the fact that I can park it in my garage.  It also has a rack that I can put my kayaks and mountain bikes on, I do love sleeping in a tent but it sure is nice to go in the camper and turn on the heat after being cold and wet all day from paddling or biking.  My daughter almost vibrates with exitment when we start planning trips.  As far as setting it up, after a couple of trips I can have mine up in about twenty minutes if I'm alone and fifteen if I have help.  I have even been able to get my wife to start camping.  I say money well spent.

Matt


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## EON (Oct 29, 2008)

Cold in the winter, and a pain to set up.


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## wowens1604 (Oct 29, 2008)

We've had one for a year now.  It is GREAT, you can set it up in about 20 mins, and take down in 30.  The 5th wheel that came in next to us took longer to set up than the popup.  

Advantages:
quick set up
king size, and queen size bed, and the table turns into a full size bed.
Air Conditioning
we have heated mattresses and a propane furnace
Most of the stuff stays in the camper.  just add food and clothes.
fits in the garage

Disadvantages:
If you have to pack up wet, you have to pop up when you get home to dry it out

We found a good deal on a 2 year old one, that was like new.  

Give it a try,


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## 2redheads (Oct 30, 2008)

MY opinion--
Pros- 
Easy to tow
Pretty cheap
They fit almost anywhere
You can store in a garage (just in case you have lovely neighborhood covenants)
Used pop ups hold their value pretty good.
OPEN FEELING - feels like your outside.
Compared to a tent = it's the Holiday Inn.
Dry camping is much easier than a travel trailer.

Cons--
Extremely hard to sleep in a rain storm or thunderstorm.  IT'S LOUD on the canvas.
VERY bright in the AM.  Hard to sleep late.
NO privacy -- toilet or getting dressed
Drafty in the fall and spring
Set up time is much longer than a travel trailer 
Beds are not really comfortable
STORAGE- very little
Packing up wet is BRUTAL.  You've got to let it air out once you get home and it stops raining for a day or two.

We started in a tent - after one trip my wife said, go get a used pop up.  Bought one for $3250.  Used it 2 years - loved it. The disadvantages listed above began to aggrevate us.  So we sold the pop up for $2750 and bought a travel trailer. It was a great return on our investment.  We have the best family time on our trips. We LOVE the travel trailer!!  NO regrets!


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## MOTS (Oct 31, 2008)

Alot of good replies here. I had a new 2004 small Fleetwood Tucson that I sold around a year ago. Like others said, it's a hassle packing and unpacking(I didn't have the storage like some of the bigger ones). And usually when you have to be out of the campground by a certain time, dew will be all over the canvas and also leaves, bugs, twigs, etc. and you'll need to pop it up again to let it dry or it will mildew. If a cable breaks or a pully comes off, well that's another BIG disadvantage. We will probably find a smaller trailer where about 98% of what we carry will be already in it. The hybrids(trailer type with canvas pullouts on each end) have alot of living room and are light and reasonably priced. Goodluck on whatever you decide to get.

www.pecocamping.com


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## DoeMaster (Oct 31, 2008)

EON said:


> Cold in the winter, and a pain to set up.



I agree!!


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## blackmax (Oct 31, 2008)

Everything is relative.  Is it more difficult than staying in a hotel?  Of course, it is still camping.  It is no more difficult than putting up a tent but with a much greater payoff in the end.  It takes time to learn to put up a camper just as it takes time to learn to put up a new tent.  How ever after everything is done, I can turn the air or heat on depending on the time of year.  It takes the same care as a tent, if you get it wet you must take appropriate care.  As Compared to a tent it is the Hilton.  As compared to the Hilton, it is a camper.  If you are the same Randy from the Georgia Kayak Fishing web site perhaps I can bring it to an event you guys are having and you can check it out.


Matt


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## Randy (Oct 31, 2008)

blackmax said:


> If you are the same Randy from the Georgia Kayak Fishing web site perhaps I can bring it to an event you guys are having and you can check it out.
> 
> 
> Matt



Yes that would be me.


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## The AmBASSaDEER (Oct 31, 2008)

Pop up beats a tent anyday!


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## savreds (Oct 31, 2008)

Randy said:


> Seems every time I go camping it rains (includning last week in Savannah) and I am tired of getting wet in a tent.



WUSS!!!

I thought you were the one that's been bringing all the rain to the tournaments!


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## Randy (Oct 31, 2008)

savreds said:


> WUSS!!!
> 
> I thought you were the one that's been bringing all the rain to the tournaments!



Which is exactly why I need something other than a tent!  A GOOD friend would have let me stay at his house when it rained.


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## contender* (Oct 31, 2008)

I bought this one, so far I like it. I have some friends with pop-ups that say they hate the set-up part and I have some that wouldn't have anything else. Maybe find a place to rent one and try it before you buy it.

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=240396&highlight=kiwi


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## savreds (Oct 31, 2008)

Randy said:


> Which is exactly why I need something other than a tent!  A GOOD friend would have let me stay at his house when it rained.



I don't think you could have handled a house full of yungins and a flatulent dog!


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## 30 06 (Oct 31, 2008)

Pain in the***to load and unload, once up if it has a port-a-pot and a shower there not to bad. I used an 18 volt drill to let mine up and down. Oh if It rains on canvas you have to open it up back at home and let canvas dry.


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## Oldstick (Nov 9, 2008)

wowens1604 said:


> We've had one for a year now.  It is GREAT, you can set it up in about 20 mins, and take down in 30.  The 5th wheel that came in next to us took longer to set up than the popup.
> 
> Advantages:
> quick set up
> ...



I think this is a very good list of pros and cons.  They are not any harder to set up that a large tent.  The older you get though, the harder that hand cranking is.  But still only takes a few minutes and certainly nowhere near as hard as dragging a deer out of thewoods.


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## badkarma (Nov 10, 2008)

Three of us went elk hunting last month in CO.  Rented a pop up.  Pulls great, its dry, so-so on the room.  But it started to snow....HARD, and we had to pack up quickly or we were going to get trapped.  The huge disadvantage I saw was that we could not simply hook it up and pull out.  We had to remove all of our stuff and cram it into the truck because you can't leave it in the camper.  There is a small amount of room right inside the door, but one cooler fills that up.  It was a big pain.  I would choose a hardside if I could afford it.  also, replacing canvas is expensive.


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## bruceg (Nov 18, 2008)

*I went and got a used one.*

Not so much a pop-up, but a tent in a box. I picked up a '66 Apache Eagle tent trailer. It weighs about 400 pounds. Tongue weight is right around 40. Aluminum box, canvas tent. No sink, no stove, no fridge, no heater. It does have one electric outlet - so I guess if I had electricity, I could use a fan or a small heater.

Pics from the previous owner are here (I posted them under my account): http://picasaweb.google.com/bruce.griffis/66ApacheEagle#

Towed just fine behind my Toyota Corolla. Did okay on a 240 mile trip on highways from Tennessee. Corolla had no problem with it on hills, and did a steady 60-65.

The main idea is to get us out of the rain when we camp. It's also way too crowded camping with everything tossed in a subcompact car - so we'll toss the sleeping bags, pillows, clothes and coolers in the Apache.

Haven't tried it out yet. Hoping set up and tear down isn't too much of a hassle.


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## allenww (Nov 18, 2008)

Thank you for the pictures.  Another alternative to a traditional pop-up.  Got a picture ready-to-be-towed?

        wa


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## papasmurff (Jan 19, 2009)

we love ours i bought mine when i had isuzu rodeo, i added airs bags to rear end just to keep level, but it towed with no problem.  they give you the feeling of sleeping in a tent w/o having to worry about the rain running in through your tent.
we are looking at a hybrid (part popup part hard shell). i now have a full size truck.


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## Tank1202 (Jan 26, 2009)

I have a Fleetwood Evolution 2. Nice big storage area towards the front of camper. Big enough for 2 dirt bikes or 1 4wheeler. Also I do believe that they make one now that will haul 2 4wheelers. These campers are set up for off the beaten pathes. But you will need a full size truck!


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## biggsteve (Jan 27, 2009)

i'm so tight, i squeek when i walk, so i just tow a 5x8 flatbed trailer with me.  all my gear & boat is on it.  after i unload everything, i set up the tent on the trailer plywood bed. i'm high.  i'm dry.  i'm cheap! lol


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## Allen Waters (Feb 3, 2009)

advantages are:

light weight, can tow with 6 cyl.
take up less space when stored
low towing height is a plus too
has that tent camping feeling
new ones have all amenities of fullsize camper.
some have same space as big pull behinds with smaller closed tow package.

disavantages:

have to air out if packed wet.
little more care for canvas
thats all i have seen from owning both types.

i have an 05' model Jayco Select so i am a little pop up spoiled. its loaded with heat and air, full kitchen including microwave and fridge/freezer, toilet and shower, slide out for table area, king bed, queen bed, stereo system, retractable awning, plenty of storage too.  oh, and this one will be for sale soon since i have some new toy ideas in my head.  but i would buy another one in a heart beat. MUCH easier to tow on a trip.


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## Crimson (Feb 3, 2009)

I have a pop up and a 24 ft. tow behind camper.  I like my pop up better.  I sleep better in it.  I leave mine up all year long at deer camp and I keep a tarp over it all year long.  I never get wet.  

The only negative is when my buddies sleep in the pop up with me.  They all complain that I snore too much.  I have a starcraft but we renamed it the "snorecraft".  

I like the outdoor feeling that you get in the pop up.  It gets cold but I just turn on my propane heater and there you go.  Can't beat um' I say.  Plus I bought her on the cheap-cheap.  Beats a tent anyday.


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