pop up or tent?

[phins_jazy]

I need your expert advice. We currently have a 10 man tent and a ez-up screen shelter. I've been wanting to get a used pop up camper. I had one growing up and I loved it! DH is not so keen on the idea. I've been looking for days on craigslist and ebay and haven't really been able to find what I'm looking for. My budget is about $1500. So DH suggested tonight how bout we use the 1500 and buy additional camping equipment and just keep going with the tent. New air mattresses, camping kitchen, electric blankets, another ez up screen shelter or two, heck we could even throw in a portable ac unit! I dunno what to think. What would you do if you were in my position?

 

[DisneyFanGuy]

Well, we tent camped for 5 years and then upgraded to a pop-up camper. The difference was amazing. We never worred about getting flooded out anymore, and storms were enjoyable from inside the unit. We finally sold our pop-up a couple of years ago prior to a cross country move (weren't sure if we could store it any longer) and have regretted that decision every since. So place me firmly in the pop-up group.

Do your research and watch the used ads. Decide exactly what you want. There are lots of options and differences between brands and models. We went to shows for years before we bought. There is a real skill to master in parking the units, leveling them, and setting them up. It's not hard at all, but it takes a little getting used to.

Last, be sure your auto can pull the unit you are looking at, plus about 300 lbs in extra cargo. Sometimes they can't and you may not be able to get a unit until you upgrade your auto.

One of the nicest features is that most have heat, and you can easily add AC to them at any time.

My wife and I are probably going to get another Pop up at some point.....even though our kids are older now.

 

[Shan-man]

I just wanted to recommend, for all of you Craig's List shoppers, a very helpful website: Crazedlist.org. This site allows you to choose multiple Craig's List local sites and search them all at once. This is a big deal for me since I live within a 2-3 hour drive of about a dozen localities. I wouldn't drive that far for something cheap, but to save a couple hundred on a camper, oh yeah!

Note: crazedlist is a bit finicky about which browsers it'll work with, it didn't like Safari on the Mac, but it is worth installing a second browser. I now have Firefox installed JUST for crazedlist! Hope some of y'all find it helpful.

 

[bama_ed]

I have literally hundreds of nights of tent camping/sleeping on the ground thanks to Boy Scouts both as a boy and adult leader. Now I own a pop-up (and just passed 100 nights in it in 4 years). There is NO comparison - even gussied up, tent camping is always surpassed by a pop-up (pup) unless you're a hard core outdoorsman.

Since you had a pup growing up and want one now, you are very likely to get a pup at some point. I'd say $1500 saved is a good start but I would suggest trying to save a little more to improve the quality, age, or options of what kind of "new-to-you" pup you can get.

I like my pop-up because it extends our camping season and our experience while maintaining a certain level of comfort. We tent camped in spring-summer-fall but the edges of that time period could be cold, wet, or cold+wet. With the pup and its furnace and electric gadgets you can still survive cold+wet in some comfort. Also when staying for long stays you can make it through that down-pour relatively unscathed.

Trying to recreate the pup experience means more stuff to load at home to take on the campout, more stuff to unload at the campground, more stuff to load to go home, and more stuff to unload once you get home. With the pup I simply roll it in the garage and grab my laundry.

I would advice a little more patience and, as they say, buy your second pop-up FIRST!

Bama ED

PS-my last tent trip to the Fort in Oct 2003 I was setting up all the tent stuff and the bottom fell out and it rained HARD for about 3 hours and regardless of the coquina pad, my experience at keeping things dry, etc. lots of stuff got wet. The rain drops hid my tears, though, and we spent that night in a hotel on Hwy 192 and came back the next day after I had composed myself. The next year we got the pop-up.

 

[FlaFortCampster]

IMHO, the most important consideration is exactly what DisneyFanGuy say, what can your current vehicle tow SAFELY. Once you establish this and if your current vehicle can handle a popup, next question. Is your DH comfortable towing stuff? Some people aren't.
These questions having been asked, I too am in the Pup group.
Case in point, last week at the Fort, I watch the poor tenters get rained on for almost a full 24 hours and then it turned cold. Everything was drenched, even in a large tent.
Here I was in my popup with heater, cable TV, laptop, frig, microwave, coffee maker, heated blanket, etc. I had experienced the tent thing one time too many in 07 when the heat in Sept. was miserable.
Backing into the space is a challenge and I'm doing pretty good now as I can do it in about 5 minutes. Practice, practice, practice. (I don't feel so bad now though after watching a guy pull one of those monsters OUT of a space over in the 1400 loop. Took 10 minutes 4 helpers and several close calls.)
One thing I have noticed, the popups in the South tend to come with AC installed and the popups from the North tend to come with heaters installed, logic dictates the reasoning behind this, the weather.
Popups spoil you and make the trip so much more enjoyable. Good luck with the decision.

 

[Cindy F]

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[phins_jazy]

Thanks for the input guys! I think I'll keep on dh about the popup. I'm driving him crazy with it!

 

[kaguilbeau]

To the OP - go back up to post by Cindy F. in #6. Click on "Get the Popup". It is a link to the cool work she did on her pop-up. Shows what miracles can be done with an older, less expensive model.

(Cindy - I wondered if you'd post your link and was surprised when I didn't see it! Then I found it! -)

 

[Cindy F]

To the OP - go back up to post by Cindy F. in #6. Click on "Get the Popup". It is a link to the cool work she did on her pop-up. Shows what miracles can be done with an older, less expensive model.

(Cindy - I wondered if you'd post your link and was surprised when I didn't see it! Then I found it! -)

That was a kind thing to say, thanks for the compliment!

 

[kaguilbeau]

It's funny about the love for a pop-up. we got one while I was pregnant with my fourth child (the other kids were around 6-10 yrs) and it was alot of fun. (Much better than the one time I slept in a tent!).

As the kids got older, we advanced to a fifth wheel. I liked being able to set up quicker and having a larger awning.

Now - it's 10 yrs later and only the youngest travels with us. I'm finding myself actually wanting a pop up again!!

Cindy - you don't give yourself enough credit! What you did was wonderful - and creative too!

 

[69RoadRunner]

The only reasons I can see for not wanting the popup are:

1. You don't want to spend the money.
2. You don't have a place to store it.
3. You don't want to do some maintenance on it.
4. You can't/don't want to tow something.

Buying the popup does NOT prevent you from ever tent camping again (although you may enjoy the popup enough that you may CHOOSE not to tent again).

 

[Cindy F]

.....Now - it's 10 yrs later and only the youngest travels with us. I'm finding myself actually wanting a pop up again!!....

That's exactly why we're going with a hybrid! We need to get a bigger camper by Christmas 2010 but can't bear to part with the bunk ends...so hybrid, here we come!

We can have the ease of an "already up" travel trailer but still not part with what we love the most about a popup-the bunk ends!

It sure is going to be hard to part with our "baby" though