anyone know pop up campers?

But it's a sweet trailer

Zomby Woof wrote: But it's a sweet trailer

No disagreement.

SVreX wrote: BTW, there are NO RV's that are good investments. They all are worthless when it comes to resale.

Airstreams.

Osterkraut wrote:

SVreX wrote: BTW, there are NO RV's that are good investments. They all are worthless when it comes to resale.

Airstreams.

Mostly the old vintage ones. A Bambi will bring absurd money.

A mid 70s 22ish footer won't bring much at all if it need any work.

SVreX wrote: That's too big to be a teardrop.

True... but it's a similar principle, just with a bit more usefulness since it has a small bathroom and you can stand up inside.

Holy thread-surrection batman

OK, this is three years old, but it’s the only pop up centric thread I could find.

We've been tent camping for years, but we've just come back from up North for the 4th and for the first time in my life I didn't love the tent experience. Part of it was the mozzies, part of it was the chaos of bags, tubs and containers of food, clothes, cooing equipment, utensils, washing up etc. constantly in and out of the tents, cars, table etc.

As a family we've talked about a pop up for years, we came very close to buying one about 10 years ago but crippled ourselves with scope creep where we started looking at basic ones and fell into the trap of 'for a few hundred more we could get...' Repeat that 10 times and you are looking at monstrous pop ups that cant' be pulled with anything short of an F150, weigh and ton and are a pain to maneuver, handle, maintains, store etc.

So this time I want to only consider smaller units with no built in bathrooms, slid outs on the side etc. etc.

I've just found a 2002 Viking 1906 on CL for $3,100. It’s small, only 12’9” overall when collapsed, light at 2,000lb’s gross weight with a double, a twin and a converting dinette meaning that 3-4 would be luxury and 6 a pinch. How are Viking as a brand?

I don’t know if I’ll follow through and look at it, this may just be a frustration fueled flash in the pan, but right now I feel like I’m done with tents. The allure of having the camper permanently stocked with all kitchen utensils and just having to thrown in food, clothes and sleeping bags before heading off is appealing. Also one in camp we wouldn’t be running back and forth between the car, the tent, our utility trailer and the camp table to find this or that. It would be all in one place. Washing up could be done inside, not traipsing up to the camp sink etc.

If I was popup shopping I would seriously be looking at the Aliners.

I camped next to a couple that had one. Nice rigs. Well made and easy to set up.

Used prices look to be higher than what you are looking at though.

If you reread my earlier comment you'll see I have the same kind of thing you're looking for. I'm still using it and I'm still happy with it. The best of both worlds - tent camping and RV camping without too much fuss.

As for Viking, it's a brand that's been around a long time but I don't have any personal experience. Check out popupportal.com for LOTS of owners and their experiences with different brands. Same thing on popupexplorer.com

The main thing to look at as far as quality construction is roof structure construction. My Coleman uses a one piece ABS plastic roof that rots in sunlight, so they have all kinds of long term problems. I've managed to beat most of them so far, but a trailer with a bonded aluminum roof is definitely better. Not sure how the Vikings are built.

As for individual camper condition - one that has been kept out of the weather is ideal. Roof condition is critical, as is signs of leaks and the following mildew and floor rot issues. Also check canvas for wear or tears at the stress points where the bunks fold in. They can be damaged by people who aren't careful. Re-canvassing one is not too big a deal but it will cost you around $1000 or better for the full works.

A couple cautions to the reasons you mentioned wanting one - Although you do just throw in food and clothes and go, you do have to pop it up, load it, and put it down. Or just throw your food and clothes in the tow vehicle and put them in the camper when you get set up, your choice. Also - if you camp in bear country you will need to keep the food in the car - canvas won't keep the bears out. If you aren't camping where you have on-site gray water hookups (and we never have) then you will have to watch and empty some sort of catch bag if you are using the interior sink. Without a bathroom you will still be walking to the comfort station (or the woods) to handle business. Neither of these are problems to me and are worth not dealing withe the issues of the on board systems, but be aware.

Last thought - those bunks seem a little small for the size camper it is. My Coleman is about the same and has 1 King and 1 full slide out, plus a dinette that folds down to sleep two and a couch that folds down for 2 more. Of course, it also has a roof made of egg shells, so whatever.

Inspiration from our last trip out, three weeks ago to Fort Mountain State Park, GA

Cool guys thanks

I'm voting for small small small, but SWMBO votes for something larger. Part of my dilemma is the tow vehicle. I get a new company car each year and I have no idea what I will have in a few years. This year we have a 2016 Explorer Sport which can tow 5,000lb's and with 365hp and 350lb/ft it will tow any pop up easily.

These are what I'm currently eyeing on Craigslist

https://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/rvs/5109866752.html - Starcraft, very little detail, looks like two bunks, I'm guessing one queen and one twin. Without having checked it out it looks to be in great condition.

https://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/rvs/5104948948.html - an older Viking, again it looks in good condition and for the price you almost can't go wrong.

https://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/rvs/5110214386.html - 2000 Rockwood, the favorite of SWMBO. It's larger so could fit the whole clan. A bit of googling suggests a dry weight of 2,100 so I can assume 2,600-2,700lb's laden, well within the capabilities of the Explorer or any small future SUV like an Escape which can normally tow 3,500lb's. It spent it's first 10 years inside, so a max of 5 years outside gives me hope for a good condition.

https://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/rvs/5097035713.html - This is the Viking I alluded too in my first post. Something about it really appeals to me, especial being small and light, although it most likely wouldn't work for the full clan and baby. It does have the advantage that I could move it with the Volvo in a pinch

Thoughts on any of these?

I've been reading the various things linked in this thread and it sounds like the top, the floor and the lift mechanism are absolutely critical, the condition of the canvas and screens are easy to assess.

Cheers

spitfirebill wrote:

Osterkraut wrote:

SVreX wrote: BTW, there are NO RV's that are good investments. They all are worthless when it comes to resale.

Airstreams.

Mostly the old vintage ones. A Bambi will bring absurd money. A mid 70s 22ish footer won't bring much at all if it need any work.

Westfalias have proven to be a good investment as well.

Adrian, I totally get what you're saying about being done with tents. I have spent many, many nights under canvas, usually near a canoe which meant I got to put everything on my back and hump it through the woods occasionally. Then I started camping with the Land Rover, sleeping in a tent near a trail with a lot of bumps in it.

And I eventually just stopped. It started becoming too much of a hassle to get everything together, even though I kept everything in rubbermaid bins for quick assembly. You were still at the mercy of the weather. Last time I stayed in a tent, we just about lost the thing in a wind storm while we were away from camp.

Then we got the Westy. Now everything we want to go camping for a weekend is ready to go. All we do is throw some food in it and head out on an adventure. It's even got towels in it. I can see the exact same thing being true of a trailer of any size. If you're coming from a tent, you'll survive without a shower and a toilet and onboard hot water but instead will revel in the luxury of not having to think about drainage channels or what rubbermaid bin has the stove.

I can't really comment on popups, though. I've spent a few nights in one years ago as part of a cross-country trip. The popup was being towed by an old (80's) Volvo 245 wagon, and given the power level of that beast the camper must have been really, really easy to tow

So I'm not much help, but I'm here to enable the heck out of you.

Keith Tanner wrote: So I'm not much help, but I'm here to enable the heck out of you.

This should be the official motto here.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

Ha, I spent most of my youth camping in a 1974 (may have been 72) VW Danbury camper van. Danbury are an English company who built (still do) campers similar to Westfalia over here. My wife used to love them until I made the mistake of pointing out the cunning use of the occupants legs as part of the crash structure. Now they are permanently and irrevocably off the table.

So, update time. We have a pop up a 2003 StarCraft 2407

In the almost three weeks since I started this thread we’ve looked at so many campers I’ve lost count. It turns out that possibly we should have bought the first camper we looked at. It was a 2000 Rockwood slide out for $2,500. But being the first one we looked at we wanted to think it over. On the way home we both agreed we should buy it, but I wanted to do some more research before jumping. Too late, before we even got home the guy texted us it sold for full price.

The camper we bought was actually the second ne we looked at. We loved it immediately. It was in perfect condition. We would find out over the next few weeks that although it is 13 years old, it’s in better condition than some 2-3 year old units we looked at. We also loved the interior layout as soon as we saw it.

The pros were:
Slide out
It's dry weight is 2,100lb's so even fully laden it should only be 2,700lbs max. While the current Explorer Sport can tow 5,000lb's, we get a new car every year and I want to protect for a smaller SUV tow car in future, this should be safe behind and Edge or Escape.
Sleeps 6 easy, 7 or 8 without issue.
We really love the ‘U’ shaped lounge at the front. This was the only camper we saw with that feature, new or used or even in most out of state ads.
We also specifically didn’t want a toilet or shower which this doesn’t have. They add weight, maintenace, leak potential etc.
This also doesn’t have a water heater. This was something I was ambivalent about, but what I saw looking at units was once they were 5-6 years old, even if the roof and canvas was perfect, many times there was rot in the floor boards near the water heater. So on reflection I’m happy this doesn’t have one. I’ve gone 46 years boiling water in a pan or kettle while camping so I’m happy doing the same now.
The condition. It looks good in pics, but then so do many, this is really in great condition, as I said better than some 2-3 year old units. Little things, virtually no scuffing or marking, the rubber caps to keep dirt out of the gas line to the indoor or outdoor stoves are still present. The current owners had stored it inside and were obviously anal about it. The only used it for relatively local camping so had not done the brakes or wheel bearings in 5 years so they will need checking before our first long trip.

So why didn’t we buy it when we first saw it? Price. They advertised it for $4,300. We offered $3,500, figuring we would go to $3,700 or $3,800 in a pinch, but they would only budge to $4,200. No deal.

So we kept on looking. We saw stuff with rips and tears, bad smells, rotten floors, dirty toilets and stoves never cleaned. We saw nice stuff too, but nothing resonated and we found ourselves comparing everything we saw back to this unit. We also found that everything that appeared comparable in condition tended to be newer (2007-2010) and they normally sold before we got there for $5K +/- $500 (Confirmed by asking the sellers what they got, normally selling for full asking price)

So we came back to this. NADA says it’s probably only worth $3K, but after seeing what’s for sale and what’s selling condition is way way more important than age. So we called them again, haggled and agreed on $3,900. We would have spent more than the $200 difference in what we wanted to pay in time and gas to continue looking.

So here it is at home. Our first time leveling and raising it last night at home took just shy of 25 mins, I’m sure we’ll have it down to 15 after a few tries.

We really want to go out in the next couple of weeks, but we have a ton of work to do on our rental house so our first trip will be a total of almost 2,000 miles from here to Salem MA, on to Cape cod then home again at the end of August.

REady to Roll. Backing up is a doddle compared to my utility trailer.

One thing I didn't show here is the awning, that is nice and big with virtical posts rather than ones that come back to the side of the camper like many, far less likely to walk into them that way. Also I like the outside stove being next to the door. A) it's convenient there and B) unlike most others, not being at the end and next to the edge of the awning, you will stay more dry there if it's raining.

The only thing we would have liked that more modern units have is a full width front storage box with external access. I will look at adding something myself.

That's a nice one.

Enjoy!

That's the first pop up I've seen with the dinette as a slide. It really frees up some space.

Very civilized!

I've not met the concept of an "outside stove" before. Is it the same unit as inside, you just put it on a shelf out there?

Keith Tanner wrote: Very civilized! I've not met the concept of an "outside stove" before. Is it the same unit as inside, you just put it on a shelf out there?

Yup, it hangs on a nice hinge outside. Quick connects to the propane both inside out outside. We will probably keep it outside and get a small hot plate and/or electric kettle/coffee pot inside (110V)

Now you have me looking at pop-up's for our Glacier NP trip - geez.

Awesome find. The dinette slide would be the only floorplan I'd be looking for if we were to upgrade our current rig. I agree on wanting the external cargo box, but be careful how you add one. Too much weight on the tongue or rear bumper will make the handling screwy. I added a large, plastic, watertight tool box (like a 30" TOOL box, not a truck bed box) to the front triangle to store the various chocks, handles, my power top lift (HF heavy duty drill) and stuff. Works great and the smaller space forces me to keep the weight down. I added the roof rack on the truck for all the other crap that would normally crowd the floor of the camper.

Ours has the outdoor stove as well and it's a real plus. Ours slides onto a bracket on the side and connects via a hose to the LP system at the bottom of the camper chassis. It stores inside in a bin when not in use, but there is a built in, 3-burner stove inside as well. You could also buy a small gas grill that works the same way but has a longer bracket so it stands off the camper more. If you like gas grills, you could probably find one for yours too.

EDIT: the electric kettles rock for camping, but I also melted my interior fuse panel by running one at the same time the overhead heat was on. It needed upgraded anyway...

Adrian_Thompson wrote:

Keith Tanner wrote: Very civilized! I've not met the concept of an "outside stove" before. Is it the same unit as inside, you just put it on a shelf out there?

Yup, it hangs on a nice hinge outside. Quick connects to the propane both inside out outside. We will probably keep it outside and get a small hot plate and/or electric kettle/coffee pot inside (110V)

If you've ever fried fish inside a camper, you will appreciate this feature very quickly. Or onions. Or garlic. Or...