Add A Room or an EZ UP?

[BigDaddyRog]

Im gonna need a screen room since my stupid dog has completely destroyed mine.

Those of you with pop-ups....would you suggest an Add-A-Room or a seperate Screen room/Canopy. Ive heard the Add-A-Rooms are a PIA to set up...are they really that bad? Have you ever had a problem with a site not allowing enough room for the add-a-room and wished you had a screen-house to set up in front of the pop-up instead? The tents over the beds in my popup have LOTSA slapped bugs because everytime the door opens,the mosquitos RUSH IN, and its either KILL'EM or BE KILLED! I have to assume the add-a-room would prevent most of this...any opinions or experiences are appreciated!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I never had an add a room when I had pop ups, Rog, but I think the ez up will give you more versatility and can be transferred to another RV should you ever decide to get a new one. You may not think you will be getting a new trailer any time soon, but that's what I thought about 3 trailers ago. As far as room, if you have enough room to put up your awning, you would have enough room for the add a room feature.

 

[We4mickey]

Personal preference, but we go with a separate ez up. We actually have several, with and without screening depending on what we have going on. We do have an awning on our pop up, but did not want the tent part of it. What we do sometimes if there is room is turn the camper across the campsite with the door facing the area the car is in. Put the awning out and the ez up in front of it, so that we have coverage for cooking and room for the picnic table and chairs under the tent. I'd show you a picture, but there is no rhyme or reason to how DH has the pictures saved and I cannot find one.

 

[AuburnJen92]

A really good person to ask would be millermousekateers. The Miller's have a add a room on their pop up right now at the Fort and have dealt with the bugs like we did last week. I think they are there until the 17th. Pm them or ask Donnie what their cell number is. I am sure she can give you a first hand account of the pros and cons of the screen room from the Fort. Her husband sure put the room up quickly. Hope that helps you Rog.

 

[Shan-man]

I LOVE my EZ-Up, but I wouldn't skimp and get a look-a-like... been there, done that, not going back! They are exceptionally well-made. The only problem is the size when folded, but you have a truck bed, so no problem for you. Mine occupies my shower, which is less than ideal for a multi-day drive.

 

[DaddyDon]

Rog...I had a add a room and gave it away!!!I much perfer my first up that i got from wally world..My so called eazy up was a pain but me and my 11 dd can get my first up with no problem...Everyone has there preference but i would go with a eazy up type any day than a add a room.You can do so much more with them!

 

[Labdog]

When we had our Coleman SantaFe we bought the AAR and used it for the first time at the Fort. It is a love it or hate it thing with the AAR, we loved ours and used it every time we went camping, didn't matter if it was a week or weekend. The AAR gives you so much more living space and a sense of privacy that we would miss if it was not up. We have already closed the privacy panels opened the popup door and set a fan in the doorway of the popup and air conditioned the AAR, it didn't do a great job but it would make cool enough to enjoy a hot - HOT day at Myrtle Beach. I could set the AAR up myself with no trouble but 2 people made it very easy and would not take much time at all (20 min.) Last year we upgraded to a TT and bought an AAR for the TT, it goes up quicker than the popup but it is a 2 person job. If you have any specific ?s I will do my best to answer.

 

[ntsammy5]

We had an add a room once that was HUGE and took 3 men and a boy to put up - but I loved it - for ease of use though an EZ up can't be bat. we use ours all the time - not just camping - since I don't go backpacking much anymore whatevr fits in the car is fair game

 

[Shan-man]

We use our EZ-Up all the time too. Ours is setup in the backyard right now with one privacy wall on the west side to provide a relaxing, shady retreat at the end of the day. We had a FirstUp before and had the thin canvas top disintegrate. I found the metal frame quite flimsy as well, especially in comparison to the EZ-Up. Of course, the beefy frame and heavy canvas means more weight, but I think it is worth the back pain!

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Labdog...it seems like you are exactly right....Ive been through most of the popup site forums and, its true...people either LOVE them or HATE them....not much happening in between!! But in all fairness, it seems like the ones that hated them only used them ONCE........Practice makes perfect. Had they given the AAR a fair chance and set it up a few times, Im sure it would have gotten easier with each set up.

On the flip-side....it takes me about 45 minutes to back the camper in, and have it cranked up, cranked down, slid out, plugged in, and ready for camping in...that extra 20 minutes MAY be more than anyone really WANTS to endure, especially in the southern heat. Im a bit more durable than that, I wouldnt mind doing it once Ive accepted it as a part of the set up process and didnt look at it as EXTRA work.

But the flexibility and ultra ease of the EZ-UP, a lazy mans answer! The convenience and quickness is VERY tempting too.

Jeeze...thanks ya'll....now Im more confused than before I asked!!!!!!

 

[stacktester]

Labdog...it seems like you are exactly right....Ive been through most of the popup site forums and, its true...people either LOVE them or HATE them....not much happening in between!! But in all fairness, it seems like the ones that hated them only used them ONCE........Practice makes perfect. Had they given the AAR a fair chance and set it up a few times, Im sure it would have gotten easier with each set up.

On the flip-side....it takes me about 45 minutes to back the camper in, and have it cranked up, cranked down, slid out, plugged in, and ready for camping in...that extra 20 minutes MAY be more than anyone really WANTS to endure, especially in the southern heat. Im a bit more durable than that, I wouldnt mind doing it once Ive accepted it as a part of the set up process and didnt look at it as EXTRA work.

But the flexibility and ultra ease of the EZ-UP, a lazy mans answer! The convenience and quickness is VERY tempting too.

Jeeze...thanks ya'll....now Im more confused than before I asked!!!!!!

I'll tell ya who can give you some good advice is TCD. He has an AAR and I've seen him set it up even on 3 day weekend trips. He hasn't been on but I'd PM him.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

After giving this alot of thought and consideration...carefully weighing both sides....and realizing tha an Add-A-Room cost about 3 times more than a ez-up(holly cow...I didnt know they were so expensive!!!),I think I'll be going with an ez-up,at least for the time being...maybe I'll run across a good deal sometime in the future on a AAR. Ive seen them on craigslist from time to time for what is apparently a really good deal from those that have used them once and hated them!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Check with some Coleman dealers, too, Rog. Sometimes they'll have a new one kicking around that somebody ordered and then decided they didn't want and they'll cut you a deal on it.

 

[ntsammy5]

Check with some Coleman dealers, too, Rog.

Colston dealers? COLSTON DEALERS. Oh Coleman dealers Nevermind.

 

[Memph1s]

We chose the ez up type also. Our camper only has a 10' box so the awning is only about 8 1/2' x 7'. When you have the outside stove on the side of the pup and our Colman's large fold down door step there really is not a lot of usable space left under the awning. I recommend the straight leg type ez ups with at least a 10x10 canopy that you can put either in front of or beside your regular awning to greatly increase your outdoor living space.

 

[mrsscooter]

BDR......we too were tossing around the AAR v. EZup, and after hearing my parents complain about theirs, and then seeing how much they actually cost........we too went with the EZup. Like it was said earlier, you wont have this pup forever, so save that money and maybe invest in one down the road when you get your "dream camper"....LOL We just bought ours on Friday at Ocean State Job Lot, and actual EZup brand, its a 12x12 and we loved it camping this weekend. We just replaces our awning fabric and bought those nifty reclining chairs.....couple that with our new ezup, man, our camper doesnt feel so redneck anymore! LOL Keep an eye out for sales, we got ours with a nice canvas bag on wheels for 129.00, they are normally 200 or more. Good luck! See you in October!!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

BDR-

I know I'm late to respond, but since the Mayor suggested that I add my $.02, I will.

I have had an AAR since I bought my PUP new in 1999. I used to only use it on longer trips. but now I do use it almost every time out. I like it. I don't love it. I don't hate it. I just like it. It is a bit of a pain to set up, and take down, but it makes the awning area so much more useful. I especially like it on cooler weather trips. On a cold evening or morning, I can put the flaps down, and heat the space nicely with a space heater. Although I haven't tried it, I'll bet it wouldn't be too hard to rig an A/C unit up, and air condition the space, too.

It is also great when camping in "buggy" weather. It does a great job of keeping out the mosquitoes.

And, I like it on rainy trips too. It helps keep the water out of the area covered by the awning, and gives us a dry place to hang out when it's raining.

On my last trip to the Fort, I even slept out in the AAR, because we had too many visitors one evening.

I do agree that it is pricey. If I had to do it all over again, I would still buy an AAR, as it has proven to be very useful for us.

I think an EZ up is nice, but for a pop-up camper, I really think the AAR is worth the extra cost.

If you can swing it, I would get both. Put the EZ up over the picnic table. Then you will have everything covered. Literally.

TCD

 

[ftwildernessguy]

What is with all these After Action Reviews? AAR has a whole different meaning to guys like Al and me.

 

[clkelley]

Tell me about it Jim!!!!

I live in acronym HE double hockey sticks most of the time!!

Right now I'm working a Chem Bio project, talk about some weird words and acronyms!!!

 

[clkelley]

Back on the subject, I LOVE my EZ-Ups. I was using Wal-Mart First-Ups that I had gathered over the years on sale, but the Memorial Day trip proved they were well past worn as far as waterproofing.

I just recently purchased a 10x20 shelter off eBay that is really great!!

Here is a link to a current one they have listed

http://cgi.ebay.com/20x10-EZ-Pop-Up...id=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=|293:1|294:30

This one happens to be Blue, they have several other colors.