Starting small in the RV world...

[DCaswell]

But if you get a TT & go camping with the neighbours & the weather is really nasty you guys will be dry & warm and you will look like a genius while the "next doors" are struggling to survive and avoid hypothermia

 

[JKinney]

But if you get a TT & go camping with the neighbours & the weather is really nasty you guys will be dry & warm and you will look like a genius while the "next doors" are struggling to survive and avoid hypothermia

Ditto! and there you are camping with your full bath so your not wallking and going to the out house. Dont forget that nice working fridge with the 1/2 gallons of ice cream in there for children, And when that cold rain does come you reach over and turn the thermostat up and feel the warmth of the heater, or the cool air of the a/c on a hot buggy night. I took my wife camping when we were young with tents, and she hated it. I bought a 5er 4 years ago and now its where are we going for the april vacation. And there is the satisfaction of towing with our rigs, which makes it fun.

 

[BarryG]

We have a popup and while we will upgrade to a 5'r the popup has been just fine. Some of you guys make it sound like they have no roof or heat. Our popup has a heater with a thermostat, a 3 way fridge (Not big and no freezer). You can get them with an inside shower and toilet (granted different setup than a tt ) ours does not have them. You can also put ac on them if you wanted again ours doesnt. If it is raining we do not get wet at least while in the trailer. We dont generally have a problem staying warm until it gets into the low 40's and even 30's and even then you stay warm the heater is just on more often than not and you arent sittting around in a tshirt. The wind can play a big role on the heat issue. If windy temps in the low 50's upper 40s can keep the heater going good.



TT's and 5rs are definitely better, have more options and comforts but they do definitely cost more whether new or used, and do require more maintenance, insurance etc.



I think it also partly depends on what you call camping. I know 30 years ago to me it wasnt camping unless you packed in at least several miles. Then about 15 years ago car camping became acceptable for me. About 7 years ago a pop up trailer in the campsite was ok. Now we are looking at 5'vrs and will probably have one within a year. Each step has allowed more comfort than the previous one which I like. Each step has also taken me further away from the reason I want to go there in the first place.

 

[opjohnny]

Well said BarryG. It's a good thing we have so many choices.

 

[Nate]

My parent's started with a pop up back around 95 or so. Was old and heavy. No toilet, shower or even a fridge (just an "ice box").



They upgraded to a new popup and kept that for 2 or 3 years. Then went to a travel trailer. I think 24'. They had that one for 2 years. Now they have a 26 or 29 (I forget) with a slideout. Thing is fancy, even has a bedroom in there!



Dad is pulling it with an 04 F-150 They pretty much stay in state (Maine) and he's never in a hurry... 55mph-60mph at most, so the truck tows it fine, least that's what he tells me.

 

[PKozlowski]

And no matter what you get. Get out and get camping. Our family sure does

enjoy it. My 18 yr old son called me and said he just missed camping. He wants to go

and sit by the fire and relax. I didn't think he really cared to much at the time.

 

[DCaswell]

I hear you JKinney. When I was a kid we didn't even have a tent, in fact we were so poor we didn't even have neighbours. Custer was a corporal at the time. However the older I get the more I appreciate comfort. First wife hated camping so the kids & I would go with first a tent & then a camper & then a TT. Wife number 2 bless her will camp with anything but never again shall I venture forth without all the comfort I can manage. In my opinion it is much easier for men when small kids are involved although I found it advantages to have little people around to run to the cooler for me

 

[mr.wilson]

Amen to that, I knew I had kids for a reason, Oo. to fetch refreshments. I think the Pop up might me the way to go like I said to give it a try. I think I will check into the used market. I may also try and figure out the depreciation for said venture. We are going this weekend to look at a coupe. Our search is beginning to narrow to a couple of name brands. Viking is one, Starcraft is the other and maybe even look at some Jayco PU trailers. The regional RV show is coming in another month, maybe some good deals to be had there. I will keep you informed with any updates, hell if I get one I may even post a product review, or something.

 

[JimBob24]

If you want to start out with a pop-up, I think that is what you should do, especially if you are younger and have younger children. We started out with pop-ups years ago while our boys were young and had a blast. We took several month long trips out west in the warmer months. It is more like outdoor camping which is what many really enjoy. We now have a 37' fifth-wheel with all the conveniences which is nice for us "older" folks, but some of the fun we had with the pop-up is missing.



Like us and many others, you probably will upgrade to larger, more self contained units as time goes on, but that does not mean you should start there. You will miss some of the basics and the enjoyment of the outdoors if you do. Pop-ups are more economical, easier to tow, and you can park one just about anywhere. The last 2 we owned had roof air, heaters, and small 1. 5 cu. ft. gas/electric refrigerators.



We have had a Starcraft and two Jayco pop-ups and all were good units. I think most of the major RV manufacturers that make pop-ups have decent units. If you can find a used one a year or two old you can probably save a bundle and there is relatively little to maintain on one.



Go for it and have a ball!!!



Jim

 

[Fireman Dave]

We camped in a tent for the first 4 years. Then we went to a popup for the next 4 years. We're now going into our 7th year with our 27' TT.



I highly recommend the popup - especially as a starting point. I echo what was said earlier that many of our best camping memories were in the popup. I still look at them at the camping shows just to see how they're evolving.

The pros of the popup for us were: Easier to maintain/tow/park/store, and it felt more like real camping (with much more comfort than a tent). The only real drawback I'd say is the setup and takedown in rainy weather. Also, I didn't feel like I wanted to take it on a cross country trip where you stay in a place maybe only a night or two and then move on (beacuse of all of the setup and takedown). That's the biggest pro of the TT for us - the ease of moving from place to place with minimal setup.

One of the biggest things we miss about the popup is opening up all of the windows and having all of that great ventilation. We still camp in a lot of state and national parks with no hookups, and it can be a real drag if it's hot and you aren't plugged in to run the A/C (we don't have a generator). The TT has much smaller windows and poorer ventilation.

The great thing about the TT is the long trips we've taken to California and Maine and places in between. Those trips would have been more of a hassle (although much better fuel mileage!) with the popup - and we probably wouldn't have taken as many of those trips either. But then again, you can put that popup in a lot of places you can never think about putting a 27' TT. So site selection is limited for us now.



We paid something like $5500. for our popup brand new in '97 and sold it for $4,000. in 2001, so it held it's value for us (and we took good care of it). It was a Coleman (built by Fleetwood). Fleetwood doesn't call them Colemans anymore - they're just Fleetwoods now. But they're the same. In my opinion, they are the best popups out there. And now they make a taller sided box with some of them - very nice. The prices have gone up quite a bit over the years, but I think they're still a good bang for the buck. Our popup was 24' long opened up - that's only 3' shorter than our TT. So you really do get a lot of space for the money. I like our TT a lot as I get older, though. There is something to be said for having the comfort it offers. But some of those popups are pretty nice these days. I'd wouldn't rule out going back to a popup again some day.



Good luck with your decision.

 

[abdiver]

If I was starting out small, I get me one of these:



http://www.northwoodmfg.com/2007/FOX_215R.htm



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I agree, If you don't want a 5th wheel due to your short bed check out the AF or Nash 22h You have the truck for it When you pull over say for a quick lunch everything is ready for you. Just open the door and its all there. Spend some time checking out the local paper and online source like craigslist and ebay till you kind of know the value of a good use rig.



O'yeah do don't have to get a Nash or Arctic Fox but just make sure you get some thing well built. My 2 cents



Good luck

 

[surfbeetle]

Everyone here has good advice. We started cheap with a '67 Nomad TT back in '95. It was old and small but it was only me and my girlfriend at the time. After we were married, we upgraded to a 77 Mee Too Fifth wheel. It was smaller than some slide-in truck campers, but it was fully self contained and had a queen bed for us.



After the kids started arriving, we went to an 88 Yukon Fifth wheel, again bigger and better, now we just got a 2004 Keystone Sprinter. My point is start off with the smallest unit that will hold your stuff and make you comfortable. To make the family happy, it must be fully self contained with AC/Heat and a Fridge. Like you said, if it doesn't work out, you aren't losing much on a used small trailer. If they like it, you can always go up.

 

[gonzo2]

I think it also partly depends on what you call camping. I know 30 years ago to me it wasnt camping unless you packed in at least several miles. Then about 15 years ago car camping became acceptable for me. About 7 years ago a pop up trailer in the campsite was ok. Now we are looking at 5'vrs and will probably have one within a year. Each step has allowed more comfort than the previous one which I like. Each step has also taken me further away from the reason I want to go there in the first place.

As long as you have a fire going, your camping.