Pop-up camper wannabe

[lpoeppelman]

Hi... I'm new to this thread and have some camper questions... I was hoping all you camping experts could help.

My family and I are looking at getting a pop-up Jayco camper. We are new to campers and I have a couple of questions. If you can help, I'd be so grateful! Thanks!

1. Is there a way to pull 4 bicycles with a pop-up camper? Can you attach a rack on your vehicle -and- still be able to tow the camper (will you have enough room to tow?)

2. What are your pop-up camper tips, advice, lessons learned? I'd love to know!

I'd love to have a bigger camper, but with a small budget and small storage area, I just can't afford or store a bigger camper. I hope the pop-up can provide us with some comfort. It's got to be better than sleeping in a tent... right?

Thanks for the info!

 

[becky1960]

I have seen various setups while traveling, I have seen 4 bicycles, on the top of a minivan, bicycles on the back of popups with a rack built to it and bicycles mounted on the front of the popup. I have also seen them on the top of popups, but I would make sure the top would support them. The rooftop car carrier looked sturdy.

 

[clkelley]

Depending on your tow capacity, the best thing to do is to get a double hitch receiver.

Something like this.

http://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Receiver-Adapter-Extender-Extension/dp/B000P6CJ9O

Then you can get a standard receiver-mounted bicycle rack for 4 bikes.

Just carefully watch your towing limits and toungue weight. The dual receivers reduce your towing capacity some.

I use the following bike rack, but only have to haul 1 bike.

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/pro...r_2_Bike_Carrier&merchID=1008&str=hitch biker

 

[We4mickey]

We have a Yakima system that is on the top of our pop up. We don't like to have something in the way of getting into the back doors of the van when we are traveling. It always seems you need to get into the back for something. We can hold up to 6 bikes on our rack. We have had it over 10 years and haven't had any problems with it.

 

[YellowXterra]

Are bar and rack system on the pop up roof is the only way to go, Having done it both ways with 4 bikes. The hitch exterder way will make your truck / van sag a lot more which is not good.

 

[2goofycampers]

Are bar and rack system on the pop up roof is the only way to go, Having done it both ways with 4 bikes. The hitch exterder way will make your truck / van sag a lot more which is not good.

I have also heard the bike racks on the popups are the best way to go.

Pop-up advice if it's damp when you fold up be sure when you get home to open up and let it dry out before storing.

 

[tim5055]

What are your pop-up camper tips, advice, lessons learned? I'd love to know!

Pop Up Camping Frequently Asked Questions

 

[PolynesianPixie]

Hi... I'm new to this thread and have some camper questions... I was hoping all you camping experts could help.

My family and I are looking at getting a pop-up Jayco camper. We are new to campers and I have a couple of questions. If you can help, I'd be so grateful! Thanks!

1. Is there a way to pull 4 bicycles with a pop-up camper? Can you attach a rack on your vehicle -and- still be able to tow the camper (will you have enough room to tow?)

We put ours in the back of the truck, but there are double hitch receivers as well as racks for pop-ups.

2. What are your pop-up camper tips, advice, lessons learned? I'd love to know!

Put up your awning before poping the camper all the way up-much easier!

I'd love to have a bigger camper, but with a small budget and small storage area, I just can't afford or store a bigger camper. I hope the pop-up can provide us with some comfort. It's got to be better than sleeping in a tent... right?

Absolutely! Pop-ups are a great way to travel!

Thanks for the info!

Good luck!

 

[Flametamr]

My advice is before you ever go camping practice setting it up a few times at home. Take your time and develope a routine. It is much easier learning without all the stress after a long drive or doing it in the dark. Also be aware of the canvas getting into the slide rails. Nothing is worse than tearing a brand new canvas. It happens easier than you would think. My dealer had to send me a new end section for mine. Apparently they failed to clear the canvas when they opened the slide and punctured it. It was below the matress level so I just patched it and put up the new one for future use.

 

[Flametamr]

I forgot to add that I own a 2008 Jayco 1207. I like it a lot. It has plenty of room and tows easily with a small V-6 truck. If I had one my choice I would prefer the inside shower potty option. But other than that I love it. Just with I could go camping more often. Here is a picture of my set up below.

 

[SoundDude]

check out popupexplorer.com for more tips and advice...

as long as you have the right tow vehicle (ie towing capacity), you have lots of options for bringing your bikes...rack on the TV roof, rack on the back, rack on the popup.

popups are great for keeping you warm(er) and dry(er) than a tent but without the sheer bulk size of a TT. you'll love it, especially with your kids.

my advice is get the floorplan and options you want and don't sweat the brand name. each manufacturer has their dedicated fans but the layout and equipment that suits you best is the way to go.

my one "gotta have" tip is the water heater. thats the single biggest improvment over tent camping IMHO, with sleeping 4' off the ground a real close 2nd.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

SoundDude...you in the Lights and Sound profession?

 

[LarryJ]

Let me preface this with the fact that I have never faced this, but I would think keeping the bikes off the pop up and on the roof of the TV (not the front or rear with hitch arrangements) would be the best. First it won't add a lot of rear end weight to the TV and reduce the load on the lifting mechanism in the pop up and also not cause interference problems in some sites if the bikes are on the pop up when raised. My non experienced opinion is to keep them on the roof of the TV with some sort of storage system.

Larry

 

[poohbearwithme]

I forgot to add that I own a 2008 Jayco 1207. I like it a lot. It has plenty of room and tows easily with a small V-6 truck. If I had one my choice I would prefer the inside shower potty option. But other than that I love it. Just with I could go camping more often. Here is a picture of my set up below.

This site looks familiar
Is this at Gulf State Park?

 

[rbork]

POP UP owner here. I've seen plenty of arrangements for bike but are still looking for the best way for myself as well... Tried the Double/extended bike hitch thing BUT...it limited the turning radius/clearance between the pop up and truck AND it tipped the pop up when on the ball as it wasn't the right height and made towing akward. Leery of putting the rack on the roof as drilling in the roof would void the warrenty. We do have a once piece roof and it's very strong but still didn't want to void the warrenty. Looking at something on the back of the pop up possibly next. For now we just throw the bikes in the back of the truck.

2. Best thing we did was GET THE A/C option!

 

[Millermouseketeers]

We have a 2007 Fleetwood Niagara. It was used and came with the add a room which we really like for the extra space. Ours has the shower/ potty which we really like, especially at night. So the only thing I recommend is the bathroom, especially with kids and middle of the night trips!

 

[TG4AKV]

We have a big Fleetwood PUP. Love the big space, big beds, big fridge, microwave, shower, potty, heater, AC and add-a-room but be aware all these things add additional weight. We used to tow with a minvan but were very close to the maximun tow capability which made us nervous. We just got a new F-150 last month and now have lots of tow capability. The truck probably won't even notice the PUP on the back!

 

[bama_ed]

Hi... I'm new to this thread and have some camper questions... I was hoping all you camping experts could help.

My family and I are looking at getting a pop-up Jayco camper. We are new to campers and I have a couple of questions. If you can help, I'd be so grateful! Thanks!

1. Is there a way to pull 4 bicycles with a pop-up camper? Can you attach a rack on your vehicle -and- still be able to tow the camper (will you have enough room to tow?)

2. What are your pop-up camper tips, advice, lessons learned? I'd love to know!

I'd love to have a bigger camper, but with a small budget and small storage area, I just can't afford or store a bigger camper. I hope the pop-up can provide us with some comfort. It's got to be better than sleeping in a tent... right?

Thanks for the info!

I have a 2005 Jayco 12HW popup and use the PRO-RAC bike carrier. Here is the link http://www.prorac.com/tenttrailerpro.php. My setup is like the top picture on that link where the back wheels of the bikes sit on the front storage compartment. In fact, I ordered two extra brackets because you can squeeze 6 bikes on it (there are 5 of us). True, the front wheels have to come off and go inside the popup door when it's closed up but that's one concession I made. I didn't want to drill holes in the roof of the pup and void the warranty in doing so. Our Jayco has a slide out dinette which opens up the interior somewhat.

It looks like you have 4 kids so space may not be an issue now. How much camper you buy might depend on how long you plan to hold onto it. What might be big enough for 4 little kids may not be enough space for 3 teens and 'tweener in a couple years.

As others have replied, your tow vehicle (TV) is your limiting factor. Don't try to pull too much weight as the manufacturer of the TV recommends. Go to RV shows, check out the message board at http://www.popupexplorer.com, and try to talk to other pup owners. We like the pup because we are off the ground (tent), have A/C and a hard roof for 3-season camping in all weather, but having canvas over our heads while we sleep means it still feels like camping. I can still wake up to birds singing and hear the breeze blowing (true, I also hear the guy in the next site over drive off in his big diesel truck at 5 a.m.) All in all, it's still the way I like to go.

We hope to see you at the Fort someday!

Bama ED

PS-good question about the bike rack. We camp 25-30 days a year in the pup and the kids (15-13-10) wouldn't dream of not taking their bikes on even somthing as short as a weekend trip.