Possible future camper/pop up trailer?

[LONE-STAR]

Not sure if these are in your price range but here is a link to a lightweight TT.
http://www.casitatraveltrailers.com/home.html

 

[Mike Whitehead]

Here is a good source for camper info rv.net

 

[YellowXterra]

I don't make it a habit of taking pictures inside of bathrooms but I had never seen such nice clean bath houses in all my camping life.

 

[YellowXterra]

We have a Fleetwood Pop Up which I think is the best made out there, however they are very heavy. You need something in the 2000 Lb range with your tow rating. Electric brakes is a MUST. The porta potties are great for midnight use and only for number #1s AC is a must! Tow ratings are based on having a driver only and a full tank of gas. Extra people and cargo add up really fast and take away from the true tow rating. Example of what our set up is. 2008 Nissan frontier rating of 6500 Lbs camper loaded is 3500 Lbs. Just 2 of us plus firewood and cargo in the truck and we are in great shape and have no problems. We used to tow with an Xterra tow rating of 5000 Lbs plus 2 teenagers and it was all it wanted as I am 100% sure we were at the max !

 

[lostacresfarm]

What people have said about the tow rating is true - the maximum that is publish is with the tow package, probably not as the vehicle was purchased. You can generally add equipment to the vehicle to bring it up to the tow rating.

To upgrade, we went to our local dealer (we also did not want to void our warrentee). We got our Chevy Venture mini-van upgraded to handle 3500 lb. All we had to add an additional transmission cooler - about $350 in Connecticut. You may need one or more other upgrades depending on what you had as original equipment.

The rule of thumb is that you need to have 25% extra capacity on towing. For example, if your camper weighed 500 lb. and you planned on a maximum of 250 lb. of stuff (750 lb total), you should have a towing capacity of 1000 lb (25% more than 750 lb). ‘with 3500 lb capacity, you should be able to pull most pop-ups comfortably under this rule of thumb.

We tow a Jayco 10X. We have been from Connecticut to Jacksonville as well as SC twice without major incident. With the weight of the vehicle and stuff, we are still 25% below the 3500 lb. maximum.

When we bought, we went looking for used at first. At the time, used were almost as expensive as new so we went with a good deal on a new one (Spring) leftover from the previous year. My brother did the opposite and found a good deal on used (Fall). If you go used, buy from someone you know – or else you may get one that has been used hard or has a ton of mileage (no mileage counter on a pop-up).

I did lot of different camping growing up, including pop-ups, but my dad did the driving. Our first trip was from CT to SC. We were on the Jersey turnpike at 4:00 AM driving rain, trucks and some ice – not a good way to start your first trip. My advice, try a practice run first.

 

[nessz79]

Thank you! We live in SW Florida so our first "run" would probably be within Florida. So no ice to worry about...but we are coming up on rainy season. As well all know those summer storms can be pretty heavy!

I posted another thread about an aliner. No experience so we're really looking at all our options.

http://www.aliner.com/design/products_detail.php?prodid=3

 

[nessz79]

I don't make it a habit of taking pictures inside of bathrooms but I had never seen such nice clean bath houses in all my camping life.

You're right! Those look very, very clean! Maybe I can convince DH that we should only camp at FW.

 

[AuburnJen92]

Thank you! We live in SW Florida so our first "run" would probably be within Florida. So no ice to worry about...but we are coming up on rainy season. As well all know those summer storms can be pretty heavy!

I posted another thread about an aliner. No experience so we're really looking at all our options.

http://www.aliner.com/design/products_detail.php?prodid=3

I would think you would outgrow that in a hurry. We only have one and he started bouncing around the place in our popup. I am not trying to talk you out of it, but I would sure go and look in one first before getting my hopes up.

 

[YellowXterra]

Here goes, Look around and find what you think is the perfict camper for you and then DON'T buy it. Always buy your second camper first! If someone had told me this I would not have bought 3 pop ups in 2 years. Now that I have the one I want I have kept it for 6 years

 

[nessz79]

Here goes, Look around and find what you think is the perfict camper for you and then DON'T buy it. Always buy your second camper first! If someone had told me this I would not have bought 3 pop ups in 2 years. Now that I have the one I want I have kept it for 6 years

LOL- I have a feeling that will be us!

If anyone has the patience to look at yet another model...

http://www.fleetwoodcampingtrailers.com/model.aspx?mid=3&sid=1&sn=Destiny&mn=Sea+Pine#

This one is relatively light, but seems pretty spacious.

 

[AuburnJen92]

Here goes, Look around and find what you think is the perfict camper for you and then DON'T buy it. Always buy your second camper first! If someone had told me this I would not have bought 3 pop ups in 2 years. Now that I have the one I want I have kept it for 6 years

hmm, that sounds strangely familiar, popup, tt and motorhome in 4 years

however, i don't plan on trading in the ol' lady for quite some time...unless i win lotto of course

darn, forgot to play last night...geesh!

 

[nessz79]

If there's anyone still out there, what about tent camping in the summer? I've heard people say they use a portable a/c unit for their tent. How do you keep it from being ruined by rain, etc?

Still exploring our options since we're such novices.

 

[bama_ed]

That Fleetwood you posted would probably work for 4 people. I would also advise getting a pup (new or used) that has a local dealer near you for service and support. I would like to have a sofa/couch inside and don't but that is nice. Sometimes you get tired of sitting at the dinette table. I have a Jayco and we've had no problems with them but Fleetwood is also a popular brand (bought out the Coleman line - same thing).

You can tent camp one more time at the Fort this summer. Like YellowXterra said, buy your second camper first (he means, take your time and do your research). We heard the same advice and we're glad we did. I'll keep this camper for a long time.

BTW, how would you plan to store it? Do you have a garage to store it in, or would you park it outside (learn to winterize it), or in a storage yard? We roll our pup into the unfinished portion of our basement which is open to the garage so keeping it indoors means you don't have to winterize it, the roof caulk wont dry and crack as soon, and it won't fade and get dirty sitting outside.

And WHATEVER you do, always, ALWAYS put some DAMPRID in it when you close it up. Damprid absorbs moisture on the inside which can create a moldy smell and stain the inside of your canvas. Moisture from rain, moisture from condensed breathing while you sleep, A/C condensate, any kind. Using Damprid from Day #1 was the 2nd best piece of advice we got.

Bama ED

 

[nessz79]

BTW, how would you plan to store it? Do you have a garage to store it in, or would you park it outside (learn to winterize it), or in a storage yard? We roll our pup into the unfinished portion of our basement which is open to the garage so keeping it indoors means you don't have to winterize it, the roof caulk wont dry and crack as soon, and it won't fade and get dirty sitting outside.

And WHATEVER you do, always, ALWAYS put some DAMPRID in it when you close it up. Damprid absorbs moisture on the inside which can create a moldy smell and stain the inside of your canvas. Moisture from rain, moisture from condensed breathing while you sleep, A/C condensate, any kind. Using Damprid from Day #1 was the 2nd best piece of advice we got.

We would store it outside (we have plenty of land for this) for now. We live in SW Florida. I don't know if that changes "winterizing"?

Thank you for the advice on the Damprid!

 

[bama_ed]

If you're in SW Florida you probably don't need to winterize but I would defer to some of the locals who live down where you are. Winterizing is draining all the water out of your tubes/pipes/water heaters/etc and replacing it with a antifreeze mix that won't freeze. Water turned to ice will expand and cause cracks/leaks when it thaws. However, when it's winterized, your camping is limited in theory (as long as you don't want to run any water, I guess you could take a winterized camper out).

I also like storing mine indoors to avoid winterizing but we camp almost in any given month. In winter months if we get a warm streak at the Gulf coast I'd like the freedom to "grab and go". So you would have likely year-round camping available to you which our northern friends don't.

Even at the Fort it might get below freezing. Lowest I've ever had there in January was 39F but you never know.

Bama ED

 

[Thumper_ehhhhh]

We would store it outside (we have plenty of land for this) for now. We live in SW Florida. I don't know if that changes "winterizing"?

Thank you for the advice on the Damprid!

Being you are so far south. You prob dont need to use the pink antifreeze. I would drain and blow the lines out with no more than 40lbs of hp air.

 

[PanFanAL]

Welcome to the world of camping you are gonna love it. As for a camper for you. I have a Pontiac Aztek, which is the same vehicle, but with different body panels. Same engine, transmission, frame, chassis, everything. Anyway, you are gonna want to stay around an 8' box. It is small, but will be better for towing. I have a 10' Coleman Santa Fe, and I would not tow it far with the Aztek. Not that it couldn't do it, but it would be a strain on the transmission. And like others have said be sure of what you want, we are trying to sell the pup after less than a year, because we bought a TT. Loved the pup but had more problems than we thought and I don't want to work on it anymore. So we bit the bullet and bought an 06 Fleetwood Mallard. A lot less problems.

 

[abbdrey]

Hello - We have a 2007 Fleetwood Cheyenne. We fit 2 adults and 2 children in it very comfortably. An A/C is a must!!! It gets really hot and muggy at the Fort sometimes, so it is nice to have the air conditioning.

We are very happy with the pop up. A tt has not been an option for us, as we like storing the camper in our garage. A tt would not fit. The Fleetwood Cheyenne has a great layout.

Good Luck in your search.

 

[nessz79]

Thanks everyone!

 

[PanFanAL]

I forgot to mention I tow the TT with an F150 not the Aztek. Way too heavy for it. But like I had mentioned a small pup will be fine to tow. And you can get a pup with an 8' box that still has 3 beds.