Camper question

[jwo1976]

Need a little advice. We are a family of 4 looking to get a camper. We have a 3,500 lb towing capacity. So the big question is Ultra lite TT or Pop Up. Also can anyone recommend a good rv dealer nearby to Birmingham AL within 2 hrs?

 

[Jeepin Dad]

In that weight range I'd recommend a popup, you will end up with more space and the popup will have less wind resistance and be easier on your vehicle while towing. Good luck in your search and have fun shopping.

 

[bama_ed]

Need a little advice. We are a family of 4 looking to get a camper. We have a 3,500 lb towing capacity. So the big question is Ultra lite TT or Pop Up. Also can anyone recommend a good rv dealer nearby to Birmingham AL within 2 hrs?

Burton Campers in Calera just off I65. Thats who I bought my Jayco popup from years ago. They also serviced it while I had it.

Bama Ed

 

[jwo1976]

So we have decided on a pop up. Now the decisions. Potty/shower or not? We have 2 girls (4 & 10). Maybe just a porta-potty for late night convenience? But sometimes the campground facilities can be a bit lacking ( ie... state parks). Do they make them able to connect to sewer or only cassette type? So many questions. Being the engineer I am, I tend to over think things. Growing up we had a pop up with nothing, just a tent on wheels so kinda new to all the options.

 

[bama_ed]

So we have decided on a pop up. Now the decisions. Potty/shower or not? We have 2 girls (4 & 10). Maybe just a porta-potty for late night convenience? But sometimes the campground facilities can be a bit lacking ( ie... state parks). Do they make them able to connect to sewer or only cassette type? So many questions. Being the engineer I am, I tend to over think things. Growing up we had a pop up with nothing, just a tent on wheels so kinda new to all the options.

I would. I had one in my Jayco popup that I just traded in.

For us it was convenient for evening or overnight #1's only. If you had to do a #2, it was in the bathhouse. We never used the shower as we were in state parks also. It was a cassette toilet but the shower drain went to a small gray tank. If yours is the same you can just open the drain plug while showering if you are hooked up to a sewer connection.

More than that, though, as our kids got older, we used the potty/shower area (had a curtain that hung from the ceiling) as a clothes changing area. So I would set it up in the evening as we were getting ready for bed and after everyone was up and going in the morning after breakfast I would drop it down for the day. I wanted to recapture the wide open feeling inside the popup.

I, too, am an engineer (Mechanical by training) so don't make excuses for asking questions. It's okay.

Bama Ed

PS - If you end up with a popup here in the Birmingham area, I'll make you a deal on a Prorac bicycle rack designed to be used with a popup so you can take the bikes camping....

 

[Napria]

I don't know if pop ups have changed, but 10 years ago when we bought our pop up (brand-new), pop ups did not have sewer connections. If you have an rv without a sewer connection you cannot claim it on your taxes as a second home.

Have you considered a hybrid? That's a trailer with bunks that fold out... And a sewer connection. This is well within your tow limits:

http://www.forestriverinc.com/Hybri...=floorplandetails&floorplanid=4002&RVType=HYT

 

[bama_ed]

Napria, maybe they ALL didn't have a sewer connection but all the Jaycos I looked at did in the summer of 2004 and I bought one. I think the OP wants to stay within the limits of the tow vehicle. The link you had has a UVW of 2969# and a CCC of 853# which would give a GVWR of around 3822# which exceeds the OP's tow limit by about 10%.

The hybrid is cute though.

Bama Ed

 

[Napria]

My bad. I looked quickly and thought the UVW was the GVWR. Definitely pop up

 

[jwo1976]

Bama Ed is right about the weight. To get a hybrid light enough it would be to tight. The pop up will give us more space and hopefully we will be able to store it in the driveway. Hopefully we can find a good deal on a used pup with a potty/shower combo.