What do you have for a pop-up? looking to buy one, many questions!

[phorsenuf]

We bought a used 1977 starcraft starmate last year to give a pop-up a try. We really like it alot and are now thinking about getting a new one. What does everyone have? Would you recommend it to others? What made you choose the manufacturer you did and what should we be careful of? Why do you like the one you have (extras, layout, etc.). Does anyone have one with the cassette toilet in it? Do you like that feature?
I don't think we will go with starcraft again because the ones we looked at on the lot seemed cheaply made compared to the coleman/fleetwoods.
We have a dodge caravan so weight must be considered.

So all you experienced and knowledge filled campers....fill me in!!!!

 

[Wyndale]

We love our Coleman, and I'm looking forward to a trip to WDW in the near (not soon enough) future.

I admit we jumped in with both feet on our purchase. We only looked at Coleman and Jayco, 2001 year end models. There is just the two of us, and didn't go with any pull outs, but in hindsight, the extra space would have been nice, even if the price wasn't.

It didn't have a potty, but I have a portable one, and wouldn't do without it now! (I don't like the hike in the night, no matter how close!)

Our's has plenty of storage space, that I fill with too much stuff, and the AC is great! I opted for the delux extras, (better mattress, vanity, custome sheets, storage bag, etc.) but ended up thinking I could live easily without that too! I purchased a foam pad to give us better sleeping conditions, and use sheets from home which are nicer! And the storage bag just got in the way!

Hope this helps, and good luck!

 

[phorsenuf]

Thanks for the quick reply. What do you tow yours with? I really like the Cheyanne model from Coleman. What do you use for a portable potty? Could you explain all that to me because I hate those late night walks too! Of course I tell the kids if we get one that has a toilet it in, there will be rules about when you can use it and how (if you get my drift) My concern is the smell.
How do those toilets work? Thanks so much!!

P.S. I'm hoping we can escape the NH winter in Feb with a camping trip to Ft. Wilderness. We got away last Feb and it was such a great way to break up the long winter. I have a hard time with my health in the cold months so it really seemed to do me some good!

 

[Memph1s]

We have a 2001 Coleman Cheyenne and tow with a Ford Windstar. The Windstar does OK down here in Florida but I would not think of towing through any hills and forget about going to the mountains. We like our Cheyenne but it does have some short falls. It has very little counter space. So the table must stay inside for counter space. I would rather put it outside and gain some floor space to make moving around in the camper easier. Since it is only a 10' box the awning and screen room if you get them are rather small. We do love the storage trunk but I think I could live without it and just use the floor space in the camper. Almost everything we store in the trunk comes out when we set up camp anyway. If you only need one bed you could take the small mattress out and use the bunk end for counter space but we need both beds. We could have bought a Sun Valley with the same options for $300 more and I think it would have been a better rig for us. It has a 12' box, 2 king beds, a fold out galley that gives you a little more floor space and you can access the refrigerator when the camper is closed. We really wanted the Westlake with the shower and cassette toilet but it would not fit in our garage. (It's 2' longer) Plus I knew I was pushing the tow limit of the Windstar. Coleman did have issues with their roofs in the late 90s through 2000 and some of the 2001s especially the 12' roofs so maybe we are better off with ours but I think the new roof system they went with has fixed the problem. (sagging roofs) We use a thetford 155 port a potty and it works great. Check out thier website for details. Thetford I think the built-in cassettes with showers are great but they do take a lot of room and add a fair amount of weight. Good luck with your shopping.

 

[murph103]

Here is a web site for pop-up owners with great message boards that will give you tons of information.

We have a 2001 Palomino SC with A/C and a shower/cassette toilet and we tow it with a 2002 Ford Expedition.

We only use the toilet for #1; for anything else, we walk to the bathhouse. Never have had a problem with odors. Having our own shower is wonderful too. I wish we had gotten one with a slide-out dinette because that would have given us more floor space inside.

Good luck in your search for the perfect one.

 

[phorsenuf]

Originally posted by murph103
Here is a web site for pop-up owners with great message boards that will give you tons of information.

We have a 2001 Palomino SC with A/C and a shower/cassette toilet and we tow it with a 2002 Ford Expedition.

We only use the toilet for #1; for anything else, we walk to the bathhouse. Never have had a problem with odors. Having our own shower is wonderful too. I wish we had gotten one with a slide-out dinette because that would have given us more floor space inside.

Good luck in your search for the perfect one.

Thanks so much for your reply. Unfortunatly you forgot the link for the web-site! LOL
Looking forward to gathering info!

 

[murph103]

Good grief!!

Here it is:

www.popupexplorer.com

 

[tim5055]

Actually, I have found seven web boards devoted to (or with single forums) for pop up campers:

The oldest soruce of information is alt.rv.pop-up-trailers which is a totally unmoderated news group

The next is PopUpTimes (PUT) Arvee Club. This started as a free offshoot of the Only magazind devoted to pop up campers, Pop Up Times. About two years ago they changed from a free to pay format. $19.95 a year gets you both the web forums plus the printed magazine.

When PUT became a pay site, several other free sites popped up (no pun intended ) They include:

MSN Group Pop-Up Trailer Camping

Popupexplorer (PUX)

Pop Up Portal

irv2 Pop Up Campers

RV.NET Open Roads Forum - Pop Up Camping

In addition to these sites, there are pop up camping clubs nationwide. I have them listed on one page, so here they are:

Pop Up Camping Clubs Most of the clubs either maintain their own message board or use space on one of the ones I have listed above.

While I visit and post on alomost all of these boards (I refuse to post on alt.rv.pop-up-trailers due to it's lack of moderation) my "home" board is PopUpTimes.

Now, I do have a favorite site for popup information, and it is RIGHT HERE

As others have said, be sure you have enough tow vehicle to pull what you buy. Good luck with your pop up.

 

[Wyndale]

We tow with an F150 V-8. We had a smaller engin F150, but it was a real strain in the mountians! No problems now with the newer truck!

 

[Wyndale]

We tow with an F150 V-8. We had a smaller engin F150, but it was a real strain in the mountians! No problems now with the newer truck!

 

[Wyndale]

We tow with an F150 V-8. We had a smaller engin F150, but it was a real strain in the mountians! No problems now with the newer truck!

I wanted the Sante Fe to address the counter space. Since there is just the two of us, we didn't need the additional seating space. We usually sit side by side on one side of the dinette, thus using the other seat of additional storage. We use the other bunk to hold clothes, dirty laundry, any and everything else. (The outdoor table and grill if it rains...and it always seems to!) I don't like the clutter we can create, so I can close the curtains to the bunk and I don't have to look at it!

I'm the only one to use the Thetford unit. If even a hint of smell, I take it to the dump station and empty and clean it out. After every trip, I clean it up and put it in the basement with all the other camping gear. It's great! I store it under the rear bunk during the day, covered with a beachtowel. I know of others who use a small tent for their's, some bring it in at night, it's all up to you.

Happy trails!

Oh, and Thanks Tim5055 for the other links to pop-up sites. I miss the old popup times group. Even though I get the Mag., I was unhappy to pay for the site...I wish them well thought.

 

[Wyndale]

I kept trying to send but the server wouldn't respond, thus 3 or more posting...I tried to delete, but it wouldn't let me...Sorry again!

 

[tim5055]

Originally posted by Wyndale Oh, and Thanks Tim5055 for the other links to pop-up sites. I miss the old popup times group. Even though I get the Mag., I was unhappy to pay for the site...I wish them well thought.

I was lucky (if that fits in this situation) in that I lived close enough to the PUT offices that I became friendly with the owner Dave.

I totally agree with his position; he had a choice go pay or close down the boards. The constant cost of server upgrades, bandwidth and web hosting was draining money from the magazine.

I give him credit, he originally priced the board high and as soon as he saw what the costs were really going to be as folks dropped out he reduced the prices as he no longer had to support the volume that the site once had The current price is $19.95 for a year subscription to both the web and magazine - a fair price I think.

Every web board has to figure a way to pay the bills or they go under. The Dis does it with advertising and commissions - again, a fair way to do things.

Something I heard long ago and repeated many times on web boards, there is no free lunch. Someone has to pay for the costs somehow.

 

[Napria]

We have a Fleetwood Sequoia (Highlander Series). It is one of the new breed of Pop-ups that has a stationary galley. What this means is this: Prior to Fleetwood and Starcraft (and perhaps others) making stationary galleys, after one "popped up" their camper they had to go inside and flip the kitchen sink and stove up to form the correct height. Some folded over to the side, some folded to the floor, and some were "swing" galleys, which meant that the surface stayed level, but the galley lifts up, over and down on to the floor.

The new highwall popups have galleys that don't move. This is great for another reason: They have more (LOTS more) counter space.

Unfortunately, they are also much heavier. We traded in one of our (new) vehicles to purchase a (preowned) vehicle that could tow this heavier pop-up. We don't regret a moment of our decision. We have camped in incredible comfort every weekend since we bought our new pop-up and already are looking forward to the week prior to Christmas at Ft. Wilderness!

FYI - Check out Fleetwood's virtual tours of their pop-ups on:
http://www.foldingtrailers.com/vr_general.asp?mind=folding.asp

Just click on the virtual tour of the model you'd like to see. They go from least to most expensive (and least to most heaviest!)

The High walled pop-ups are at the bottom of the page and are the Highlander series. Ours has the Hard walled shower and toilet.

 

[christinou]

We used to have a Coleman Westlake, we loved it, it is a 12' box with a potty and shower, my girls were 2 and 4 at the time, so a potty was mandatory....
It was great, and never smelled, and the shower was very convenient for the little ones, so that we did not have to drag them to the showers. The bunk bed are both huge king size. We have a lot of fun memory from the pop-up, we camped at WDW 3 times with it.
We bought a class C last year.

 

[Gillian]

Napria, what do you tow with now?

I would like to trade in my 200 honda accord for a minivan, and was looking for one that could also tow a pop up. I've realized how limiting this is, and now we're thinking maybe we'd replace DH's 1997 sedan with something for towing. But it can't be too expensive, and it needs to hold the 4 of us on vacations.

My SIL got the chance to buy my other SIL's (beautifully maintained ) pop up at a great price, but they had to trade in their Explorer for a newer one to tow it!