Pop Up Opinions

[jessica52877]

We are looking at buying a pop up. I live in GA and the main things I see being sold new are Jayco and Starcraft. I was looking originally for a Fleetwood. So far looking online the layout I like best is a coachmen. Can anyone tell me the good and bad about any brand! I really want to buy NOW but what I what is in Utah. Thank you for any helpful tips.

I'm not looking for anything over the top. Small and simple seems good for us to try out.

 

[2goofycampers]

Jayco and Starcraft have good reputations for popups, in that order. I've been told Jayco has the best "up" and "down" system in the business.

 

[Disney Bunny]

We are looking at buying a pop up. I live in GA and the main things I see being sold new are Jayco and Starcraft. I was looking originally for a Fleetwood. So far looking online the layout I like best is a coachmen. Can anyone tell me the good and bad about any brand! I really want to buy NOW but what I what is in Utah. Thank you for any helpful tips.

I'm not looking for anything over the top. Small and simple seems good for us to try out.

Our first camper was a 1997 Starcraft (brand new when bought). We loved that camper and owned it for almost 5 years before we traded up for a travel trailer. In all the time we owned it, we only had 2 problems......fridge went out and we had a problem with the lifts (which turned out to be a wiring problem and once fixed worked like a champ). It was a very basic pop up and held up really well (we didn't take extraordinary measures for upkeep). The one thing that I highly recommend, no matter what you buy, is that it has an air conditioner. Our friends were the first ones to buy a pop up....without a/c.....and only kept it one year for that reason. It was HOT in that pop up....even with all the windows open and a fan going. We live in Virginia.....I see you are in Georgia.....so I suspect that our summers are very similar.

 

[Readerbug]

Jessica, the irony of distance. The pop-up I want is in GA! And I'd love a Jayco 1207, but only Fleetwood/colemans seem to show up here. We're also going to buy.

But I have learned that the floorplan I want is copied or tweaked in lots of different brands, not necessarily the newest model, though. Scince I am going to get our first pop up preowned, with just the cash in hand, floorplan, past care and condition, is more important to me than the general reputation of the maker as a whole, or what the reputation is now, versus what the maker's reputation used to be.

From general reasearch and heresay in the pop up camper forums, Pop Up Explorer and Pop Up Portal, to me it seems Coleman Fleetwood had the best reputation before folding. Some of that is brand recognition, some is simply, if we like what we have, we recommend it, and most pop up owners were Coleman owners due to market share.

Well kept older starcrafts have a stellar "light, big, and built to last" following, and now Jayco wins the steady Dependable Eddy award. After Jayco, was Viking, then Coachman clipper, then Forest River with flagstaff and rockwood, and Palomino last. But being a western brand, not having good visibility, I think that last place is not a true reflection of whatever the Palomino quality is. And I don't know where Dutchman fits in. haven't read much about them good or bad. But I just found a lovely one.


Are you sure you want to buy new? If so, I heard some say, the reputation and service of the dealer may be more important to you in the long run than the model.

Are you solid about what features you want/need most, in what order of priority? I changed my thinking a lot from when I began to seriously look.

Are those features/layout that you like in the coachman model avail in other year models of other brand-names?

My priorities, after reliability, are storage space, max bed/seating space, counterspace by sink, separation of cooking/seating areas, no inside toilet or shower, and big. Max Big.

Since I need that, I don't mind that the kids will be climbing on benches to get to the beds. I'll have to have that as a trade off.I like the layouts of the late 90's early 2000s Fleetwood Colemans/ the largest of the basic Destiny Series(that didn't have mass roof problems): Sun Valley, Tacoma, Westlake, Bayside, Bayport, Mesa, Natchez Stony Creek models for those reasons. And I just found a Dutchman and a Coachman Clipper both in lovely condition with similar features...so who knows what we will end up with...

But if someone entered me in sweepstakes for a spanking new Somerset Utah, Niagara or Sun Valley, I wouldn't turn that down, either!

Priorites. It depends on...

What is most important to you in a camper, and in the manufacturer.
What do you need?

Then maybe folks will comment on their experience, based on what you want most to find.

Happy Hunting!

 

[bama_ed]

Jessica,

Are you planning to buy a new popup as you mentioned in your original post or will you also consider used? Couldn't tell.

Generally, the last 5 years or so have been hard on popup manufacturers as it has been on all RV manufacturers.

The Fleetwood/Coleman line shut down about two years ago so there is no more warranty work, spare parts (other than remaining inventory), or dealer networks to rely on any more. They also had a manufacturing problem a little more than 10 years ago that took about 5 years to work through (a sagging roof and delamination occurred in a high percentage of cases). So beware used units from that time span.

Starcraft was bought several years ago by Jayco and they operate Starcraft as sort of their "Chevrolet" line while the Jayco line is more the "Cadillac" line. Jayco has a lifetime warranty on their lifter system, roof, floor, and frame and is generally regarded as the best in build quality (certainly the best warranty whose reputation has been earned in the marketplace).

Forest River is a big RV company that is owned by Berkshire Hathaway (think Warren Buffett). Forest River has two popup lines, Flagstaff and Rockwood (basically they are the same but I think one's dealer network is primarily in the eastern US and the other in the western US). Forest River owns the Coachmen line you mentioned which has popups but I have never seen or heard of them.

If buying new I would lean toward the Jayco line first and Starcraft second. Also note that in most cases any warranty may only apply to original owners but some parts may be transferable. So it depends I guess (new or used) on how much you want to spend, how often you plan to use it, and how long you plan to keep it.

I bought a Jayco new (a highwall 12 foot under the roof) back in August 2004 and that part of the Jayco line (highwalls) was dropped this year because its retail price was approaching that of the smaller hybrids. So now I kind of own a dinosaur (but I still love it).

Any used unit should be closely inspected and you could find that one solid unit in any brand line that is just fine. We have a thread on down the board about looking at used units.

Good luck!

Bama ED

PS - As I near the empty nest period in my life I am thinking about my next trailer. I personally am keeing my eye on the Aliner Expedition line. I used to think I wanted a small hybrid next but the Aliner has several advantages over that...

 

[GoofyCampers09]

We owned 2 Rockwood's one a pop-up the other a fifth wheel & loved them! Never had a problem with the pop-up, fifth wheel had a leak but new owner error didn't know you had to check the seals every year! Enjoy searching!

 

[~Kristina~]

We had a Fleetwood which is Coleman and LOVED it! No complaints at all.


ETA: I didn't know they stopped making them.

 

[bama_ed]

We had a Fleetwood which is Coleman and LOVED it! No complaints at all.


ETA: I didn't know they stopped making them.

http://www.rvbusiness.com/2011/01/coleman-popup-builder-ftca-inc-closes/

Yes, it was an iconic brand.

Bama ED

 

[jessica52877]

Thank you so much for all the advice and opinions. I have learned so much in the few responses. I was at a loss and I can search the internet all day long but I feel like the dis people always know everything!

I personally think I prefer new for a few reasons but I am not against used IF it is clean. I know I can clean it but I don't want to see yucky in it. To me if it wasn't kept clean then it wasn't treated well, but more then that I want a pet-less one and I do not believe all salesmen will be honest with me. I am also worried about a used one and the roof leaking and mechanical parts. I buy new cars, that way I know what has been done to them and how they were treated. I look at buying a camper the same way. I know this isn't the best value for my money. We have looked at a few used ones and so far none of them have given me a reason to want to think about buying used.

I think as far as most important to me is not fancy at all. I do NOT want a bathroom in it like a previous poster also mentioned. Seems like a lot of wasted space. We tent camp all the time, often times with the scouts in the middle of no where. I can walk to a bath house or worst case scenario I'll get a little toilet from the camping store just in case.

An air conditioner is on my list of wants. I can't imagine having one without otherwise it is just so hot and uncomfortable after a night or two. I also want this for Disney.

Other then that I don't really have any wants. The one thing I don't like is the table in front of the one bed, that just seems annoying and you seem to lose any type of storage which I think would be useful.

I want to start very small. I am not positive anyone will enjoy pulling the popup for 8 hours (to Disney) and if we don't use it there it won't be used a ton. Here and there maybe but we enjoy tent camping. DH wants to start off bigger but I don't because I tend to do most of the driving and am very concerned about pulling it.

We have 2 dealers fairly close to where we live, both are probably within 20 minutes. The one we visited the other day had most of their inventory at the rv show but they seemed to not carry new pop ups nor was he very interested in showing me them. He kept going bigger and better. I think they will happily work on anything, he made it sound that way. The other we plan on visiting in the next day or so, it sells mainly Jayco new. It was mainly the Jayco's I didn't like the layout of, the one I felt was best suited for use had the table in front of the bed.

I didn't think about the parts for a Fleetwood. Thank you for pointing that out. Something to consider for sure. They seem very rare around here anyways.

 

[jessica52877]

I know this is probably a stupid question but what is the difference between a pop up site at disney and full hook up? I assume it is more electrical related (and slightly size related).

Also, we are a family of 3, me, DH and DS10.

 

[2goofycampers]

I know this is probably a stupid question but what is the difference between a pop up site at disney and full hook up? I assume it is more electrical related (and slightly size related).

Also, we are a family of 3, me, DH and DS10.

Pop up = no sewer...... full = sewer.

 

[jessica52877]

Pop up = no sewer...... full = sewer.

Thank you! I don't think I've ever been so clueless in my life!

 

[North of Mouse]

jessica.

I, too, felt like you about towing initially, but all through the years I have taken turns with my dh towing everything from a pop-up to a 27" TT. It really isn't hard at all. The main thing is remembering that it is *back there* and allowing passing room, and watching large trucks as they pass you - they tend to *pull* you toward them, and I would just automatically pull over as far as I could to give more space between us. They are usually pretty good also about moving over.

We have had MH's for the last 10 years, and I have drawn the line at driving them, but dh is used to it and says they just drive like a large van

We, too, like you, would rather buy new, than used, but we definitely get our money's worth out of ours, and always trade with good value. We did look at a few used ones, but we have been lied to about previous owners having pets, and I can *smell* them a mile off, LOL. Absolutely no offenses to anyone with pets (to each their own) but I do not want pets in our RV or home, neither our vehicles. And yes, if you don't have one, you *can* smell them no matter how clean they are.

Good luck in your venture to find the *right* pop up. I know how hard it is to make that decision.

 

[FortForever]

From the mid 90's until 2003, Coleman Fleetwood was making their PUPs with ABS plastic roofs. Steer clear of them at all costs. They crack, they get weak with prolonged exposure to the sun. They are very hard to repair and will just continue to deteriorate.

 

[rock_doctor]

We had a Fleetwood which is Coleman and LOVED it! No complaints at all.
ETA: I didn't know they stopped making them.

I also have a Coleman Utah, great pop-up. Super comfortable! Has never given us an issue but as stated some later models had roof issues (my 95 has an aluminum roof) and the screw mechanism wears out fast. The whiffletree block is plastic and it can strip out. There is an aftermarket repair part, there are a couple different ones but i posted this link because they have the service manual posted for the lift mechanism... The nice thing about the Coleman...the wall sections are all metal. No wood except for the floor and the paneling. Seriously well made trailer.

Fleetwood is no more but almost the entire staff moved to the new company (Somerset) and they do use some of the same parts in the new trailers.... http://somersetrv.com If i was in the marked again i would not look any place else.

 

[bama_ed]

The company changed hands so it is no longer fleetwood but almost the entire staff moved to the new company and they do use some of the same parts in the new trailers.... http://somersetrv.com If i was in the marked again i would not look any place else.

Interesting.

I saw a press release on them that said they did limited manufacturing last year while they came on line with the new company and last month (Dec 12) they went to normal manufacturing capacity.

The company that makes the Aliner is the one that makes the Somerset line (Columbia Northwest).

Bama ED

 

[rock_doctor]

I miss-spoke Fleetwood did not change hands they went out of business but Somerset opened its doors they hired a good chunk of the Fleetwoods employees... In turn some of Somersets trailers use names that were originally Fleetwoods and some of the parts are the same or close enough they can be modified to work on a fleetwood folding trailer. I find it interesting that a pop-up has a slide out...

 

[North of Mouse]

Basically, pop ups have always had a slide out on each end. A lot of them now have a third slide out on the side - makes them have much more room. The only thing is they keep adding things and a lot of them are the price of a nice TT - the weight also!

They're sort of taking away any advantages of smaller/lighter.

 

[Southern Bell]

We didn't buy from any of them because my husband wanted to buy near our home, but Peco Camper in Atlanta Ga is a good place online and to go and see campers onsight & Campers World is another good place to look at campers! In the past Pecos have had several pop ups let up inside a building. Should be a few campers shows coming up also! So I would check on them, too. The one thing my husband hated on our last pop up, and the reason he sold it, was he didn't like how heavy the air conditioner had made the roof to let it up! Our previous one had no air conditioner and was fairly easy to let up. The year we bought our starcraft we ask for them to put the button, lift or whatever (don't know what you call it) on to easy lift the roof and they wouldn't put one on for us because it made the warranty void. We bought new, kept a year, lost in trading after just a year, but made hubby happy and saved his back! LOL!

 

[natmom]

We have had a rockwood for 5 years. We love it.