Question Pop Ups??

[Clawhauser]

Hello! I'm a new member - please forgive me if I'm completely messing up any forum etiquette here. My husband I have been talking about an interest in a pop up camper for our family of 5 (+dog makes 6). We are completely clueless for where to begin. (I'm also posting in another forum to try to find out what our minivan needs to pull one of these suckers). My husband is a very experienced tent camper, I recently discovered that while I love the idea of camping - I need a little more than just a tent. I think I'd prefer a travel trailer, however, I don't think our Odessy will handle that & a new vehicle is not in the cards right now.

Having never in our lives used a camper, we were thinking it would be best to start with a "cheap" used one to see if we even like it & test the waters. Please flood me with your advice!!

-What do we need to look for to make sure a used camper is in good shape? What are the hardest & most expensive things to replace?
-where id the best place to go to find a good used camper?
-what type of regular maintenance in involved?
-what do we need know & what tips do you have for: hitching? Winter storage? Set up? Anything else?

Lastly, any advice on how we can figure out the overall financial cost- including maintenance, site rental fees...etc.?


thank you! And again, I'm so sorry if I'm breaking any ettiquittes here. The information out there is a bit overhwelming and again, I'm not sure where to start.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

@Clawhauser First things first. we are fairly informal around here.

second welcome to the group.

Better to direct you or make suggestions where to look if we know where you are.

In my opinion the worst thing you can have on a tent trailer is an A/C unit on the roof. The added weight adds stress to the unit that raises the roof up. On the same line, the highest maintenance item on a pop-up is the mechanism that raises the roof. lubing the spring tubes should be a regular chore. You should also inspect the mountings for the tubes regularly.

Other maintenance varies on how many amenities you feel you need. Along the same line the more you must have the heavier it will be.

Storage depends a lot on where you live. I have seen popups in the garage with cars on the street. Seen them in back yards because they are below the fence line. In storage the fee can be anywhere between $20 and well over $100.
I disperse camp( camp in the forest on approved forest roads... Forest camp grounds can be free to over $30 a night. Same $30 plus a night in private campgrounds.

You may find some private camps won't allow you in, so this research will be in your court.

 

[Clawhauser]

Thanks! We are in a suburb outside of Phila., PA. We don't have a garage or a fence - which is why storage proves to be such a huge question for us.

I have heard varying reports on the ac units & if they are worth it. I'm not sure if it's a must for me, but since most of our camping would be in late summer & early fall, having some type of cooling & heating would certainly be beneficial.

As far other amenities, I think an emergency toilet would be a must with 3 small kids, but otherwise, we're mostly looking for a place to lay our heads & shelter from inclement weather.

I have a feeling we would mostly be camping in state parks, with some private parks here and there. Then again, I also have a feeling if we get this camper, everything I thought we wanted and would do will change.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

As far other amenities, I think an emergency toilet would be a must with 3 small kids, but otherwise, we're mostly looking for a place to lay our heads & shelter from inclement weather.

I found a screen tent like a Clam under a shade tree is a great way to stay cool in the summer heat.

 

[jenmel]

Hello! I'm a new member - please forgive me if I'm completely messing up any forum etiquette here. My husband I have been talking about an interest in a pop up camper for our family of 5 (+dog makes 6). We are completely clueless for where to begin. (I'm also posting in another forum to try to find out what our minivan needs to pull one of these suckers). My husband is a very experienced tent camper, I recently discovered that while I love the idea of camping - I need a little more than just a tent. I think I'd prefer a travel trailer, however, I don't think our Odessy will handle that & a new vehicle is not in the cards right now.

Having never in our lives used a camper, we were thinking it would be best to start with a "cheap" used one to see if we even like it & test the waters. Please flood me with your advice!!

-What do we need to look for to make sure a used camper is in good shape? What are the hardest & most expensive things to replace?
-where id the best place to go to find a good used camper?
-what type of regular maintenance in involved?
-what do we need know & what tips do you have for: hitching? Winter storage? Set up? Anything else?

Lastly, any advice on how we can figure out the overall financial cost- including maintenance, site rental fees...etc.?


thank you! And again, I'm so sorry if I'm breaking any ettiquittes here. The information out there is a bit overhwelming and again, I'm not sure where to start.

Welcome! I'm relatively new to this forum, as we just got our travel trailer. But, we are former popup people (and we still tent camp too!)! I used to frequent another forum called "Popup Portal" that was wonderful when we had our popups! Might be another forum to add to your collection! You can get different information from different places! Best wishes to you!

When you're looking at a used one, make sure there are no soft spots anywhere on the roof or floor (that indicates water damage). Also, make sure you see the bunkends popped out, so you can inspect the canvas above the bunkends. You don't want any holes in those, or you'll get wet! We bought a couple used ones through a personal sale using craigslist or FB marketplace and had no issue. We just bought our Travel trailer on FB marketplace.

Take a look at your towing capacity of your Odyssey. My guess is that you could tow a "light" travel trailer too, that won't be too big. Jayco has a whole line of "light" travel trailers, when you start adding slide outs and extras, the weight definitely increases by a lot! Worth a look to see. But you'll need to know the weight for all of it to calculate. We have friends who have hybrids and like them. Kinda like a combo between a travel trailer and a popup.

As far as the financial end, it depends where you camp and what you decide to camp in! You can find places that are really cheap (like $20/night with few amenities - here in NY, we have beautiful DEC sites that are $15-$20 per night with no hookups) to over $100 with complete hookups, pools, lots of stuff for kids, and everything in between. It will depend on what you're looking for in a campsite. For me, if it's going to be closer to $100, I would rather be in a motel! LOL! I want to be outside, but I want it to be inexpensive when we camp.

 

[jenmel]

Welcome! I'm relatively new to this forum, as we just got our travel trailer. But, we are former popup people (and we still tent camp too!)! I used to frequent another forum called "Popup Portal" that was wonderful when we had our popups! Might be another forum to add to your collection! You can get different information from different places! Best wishes to you!

When you're looking at a used one, make sure there are no soft spots anywhere on the roof or floor (that indicates water damage). Also, make sure you see the bunkends popped out, so you can inspect the canvas above the bunkends. You don't want any holes in those, or you'll get wet! We bought a couple used ones through a personal sale using craigslist or FB marketplace and had no issue. We just bought our Travel trailer on FB marketplace.

Take a look at your towing capacity of your Odyssey. My guess is that you could tow a "light" travel trailer too, that won't be too big. Jayco has a whole line of "light" travel trailers, when you start adding slide outs and extras, the weight definitely increases by a lot! Worth a look to see. But you'll need to know the weight for all of it to calculate. We have friends who have hybrids and like them. Kinda like a combo between a travel trailer and a popup.

As far as the financial end, it depends where you camp and what you decide to camp in! You can find places that are really cheap (like $20/night with few amenities - here in NY, we have beautiful DEC sites that are $15-$20 per night with no hookups) to over $100 with complete hookups, pools, lots of stuff for kids, and everything in between. It will depend on what you're looking for in a campsite. For me, if it's going to be closer to $100, I would rather be in a motel! LOL! I want to be outside, but I want it to be inexpensive when we camp.

I also wanted to add, we didn't have an AC on our popups, and never felt we needed them. We did have bunkend fans, and heated mattress pads! They were used all the time! Worth the money!