pop-up camper ???

[Skydiver]

A good friend of mine is currently seeking a good pop-up. Please list the pro's and cons. He will be pulling with a 1993 Toyota Previa van. The size can not be to large.

Thanks in advance,Tim

 

[Bigsaint]

Tim, sorry no one else responded. I don't have a pop up camper, but we have looked at quite a few of them in the past, seems the Coleman is really well made, in comparision to some of the other brands. There are a ton of options to choose from, I'd shop around and see if they can pick one up used during the off season as I believe that many are used for one or two seasons and then replaced with something larger. Hope this helps.



Scott W.

 

[Doc Tinker]

Pop-ups are nice for those who're starting out. I used one for several years, when the kids were little. We towed it with a Plymouth Horizon



The pop-up is great for sunny days, when the kids are outside roaming the campground, beach or woods, but it gets pretty crowded when the weather turns bad and everyone wants in out of the rain.



I recommend buying a trailer that uses the larger tire sizes. Some of the little campers use really tiny tires and they tend to overheat during a long run, like mine did on a deadhead run back from Florida one year. Also, I'd recommend that you make sure you run full specified pressure in the tires of any trailer.



Doc

 

[Briar Hopper]

Not real fond of quality levels (or the lack thereof) in StarCraft pop-ups. I rented one once, it had 5 things broken by the time I returned it, and I was CAREFUL with it !

Colemans look like a good brand. Look closely at the trim work, the fit & finish, the undercarriage, and the tire size, on several different brands, and you'll get a "feel" for what's built good, and what ain't... .

 

[Fireman Dave]

We just moved up to a TT from a pop-up this year. We had our 1997 Coleman pop-up for 4 years. Among the pros: A lot of bang for the buck. We had a 12' box with king sized bunks on each end - a pretty big pop-up. We bought it new for $5,300. We took very good care of it and sold it used for $4,000. It was very comfortable for our family of 3. Easy to set up and a lot of fun. It was a significant jump up from the tent we were in for 4 years before that. We looked at a lot of them and really liked the Coleman best. Coleman's tent material - called Sunbrella - is the best out there, in my opinion. Never leaked any water, and stayed new looking. The older vinyl or canvas tent materials aren't as nice. Other little things and big things made Coleman stand out to us.



The downside is the set-up. Can be a hassle if the weather's bad either during set-up or take-down. A long trip like the one we took to CA this June in the TT would have been much more tiring as we drove for 5 days across the US. It would have been a lot of set up and packing/unpacking for each night in a different state. The TT was really nice for that trip.



Also, getting ready requires opening it up to pack and unpack. The TT is easy in and out anytime. The pop-up is more work. But they are great, and a nice one can be had for reasonable money. Also easy to pull - with the right vehicle. Our 3. 3 minivan pulled it ok, but at around 2,000 lbs, it wasn't too great of a ride. A long tow would have been tiring with the minivan. The one year we pulled it with the Cummins was great - couldn't even feel it back there (or see it!). That brings up another point. The newer pop-ups seem to be getting heavier - almost need an SUV at minimum to pull most of them now - unless you don't care about your transmission. Course, there are still smaller, lighter ones out there.



Our years with the pop-up were great. And the TT is really great now, too. It's just a natural progression, I guess. But no more upgrades for several years for us! I mean it!

 

[BK]

We spent 12 years with a viking Popup. Just recently went to a traveln trailer.



We bought ours used , to save some money and see if we would like it. Our was a small (model 165) viking popup. We spent some rainy days in it. Dont expect to make it through a minor huricane in one. . We woke up to horizontal rain, being driven into every seam and a feeling of the tailer on the verge of being blown away. It's a tent on wheels... .



With the small kids it's fine. We paid 2500 bucks or so for ours when we bought it and got 1200 bucks for it as a trade in 12 years later. It was 2 years old when we bought it used.



Ours being small left no room for real storage of cloths or gear. When towed with a Bronco II and Pathlooser, we used a roof top luggage shell for our duffle bags and stuff.



Check out your local trailer sales shops, a lot of them rent popup trailers for the weekend. You can rent for the 1st season, than at the end of the season make a deal on one that you liked that you rented. It's a nice try before you buy thing.



My local trailer shops usually have used popups around, cause they take them on trade in's on the TT. But buy what you can get local service on if your not into tinker with problems that may arise. .



Bob

 

[rich m]

you might entertain this thought....

... If the toyota's towing capability is similar to an old Plymouth Voyager minivan (3. 0 liter Mitsubishi V6)... about 3000-3500 lb (that's real generous, by the way), a small fiberglass travel trailer might be nicer... we pulled a 16' Casita travel trailer several times on several trips with the V'ger, and only roasted one torque converter . It weighed about 12-1600 dry and less than 3K loaded. Scamp also uses a similar design... basically 2 shaped pieces of f-glass clamshelled together. could probably get a decent used one for a couple of grand-- new in 89 ours cost $8500.



here's the web address for the one// didn't see one for scamp on the searcher (msn)

http://casitatraveltrailers.com/

 

[merryman]

Rockwood is tough!!

"WE" have a 2001 Artic Fox fiver, for when wife and I travel.

"I" have a 1976 Rockwood popup. When I want to head for the deserts of Eastern Oregon, I take the tentrailer. Its for the real backcountry and has been pulled over some god-awfull roads, has been on fire and beat to hell----nothing has broken, well nothing more serious than cupboard door latches etc, and had to replace wheel bearing last summer---but put a fuse in the wire going to the ceiling light!!!! The lack of one is what set mine on fire. Had to replace half the canvas and the ceiling.

My daughter and son-in-law use a couple weeks every year also.

Can't believe mechanically its still OK>



Vaughn