| Author | Message | ||
     Michael Huggins (Mike_h) New Member Username: Mike_h Post Number: 25 Registered: 03-2003 |
Does anyone have one of those pop up camper trailers? I like to get one. Any brands better then others? Pro/Cons? Are any made with a high clearance to be pulled offroad? | ||
| michael burt (Mikeyb) Senior Member Username: Mikeyb Post Number: 348 Registered: 03-2002 |
http://www.x-trak.com.au/index.htm http://www.tentrax.com/allTerrainTrailer.html http://www.4x4trailers.com/ | ||
| Roger Sinasohn (Uncle_roger) New Member Username: Uncle_roger Post Number: 9 Registered: 06-2003 |
Starcraft (http://www.starcraftrv.com/) and Jayco (http://www.jayco.com/) both make a conventional pop-up designed for off-highway use. Some more links: <http://www.x-trak.com.au/> <http://www.camptechtrailers.co.za/> <http://www.brakhah.co.za/> <http://www.bushtracker.com/> <http://www.desert-wolf.com/> <http://www.kimberleykampers.com/> <http://www.adventuretrailers.com/> <http://www.adventureoffroadtrailers.com.au/> Hope this helps. | ||
| John Moore (Jmoore) Senior Member Username: Jmoore Post Number: 749 Registered: 10-2002 |
I have a conventional Pop up made by Viking. It's good sized with a king and queen berth, hot water, shower and potty. I picked it up used for $4500, it was four years old and in great shape. Look at used, they depreciate quickly. I have two boys, (4-6yrs) and we love it. Last year, we took it from Albany, NY to Prince Edward island, to Cape Breton Novia Scotia and ended up in Acadia National Park. Logged over 2500 miles behind the RRC. Great Trip. Makes camping much easier. | ||
| Michael Huggins (Mike_h) New Member Username: Mike_h Post Number: 26 Registered: 03-2003 |
Thanks All, I didn't realize there was so many. I like that Jayco Baja. | ||
| Greg Tearne (Gooddoggomez) Member Username: Gooddoggomez Post Number: 53 Registered: 02-2003 |
These things are awesome, check 'em out http://www.ultimatecampers.com.au/ | ||
| Tim (Snowman) Senior Member Username: Snowman Post Number: 492 Registered: 12-2002 |
We considered a pop-up this summer but I have one nagging gripe with them. What is the solution to keep the canvas from smelling like a musty dump after a couple of years? Also are they all decorated by TV's Mike Brady of the Brady Bunch or what! I have yet to see even a mildly hip interior in a pop-up camper. What's with that? | ||
| Justin (Vanroth) Member Username: Vanroth Post Number: 62 Registered: 02-2003 |
Tim, I just saw a show on TV (maybe the travel channel?) that had a few non-canvas popups. One had a pitched roof and the other swung out to pop both out and up. Both were devoid of canvas (all hard tops and sides) and had pretty slick interiors. Both were pretty trick. I think they started around $8500. -justin | ||
| Robbie Donaldson (Robbie) Senior Member Username: Robbie Post Number: 402 Registered: 02-2002 |
Growing up, we had a few pop-ups. Our last one was actually a hard sided one - an Apache. They are old, but I believe they are all hard-sided. | ||
| Steve Vines (Stevedsii) Member Username: Stevedsii Post Number: 50 Registered: 05-2002 |
I've got a Dutchman model that I've owned for 10 years. It's held up well for me. And as someone mentioned, they depreciate at an amazing rate. The problem with buying used is that (as far as I can tell) most people do not take care of their campers. Some of the units I've seen in for service at dealers just look horrible. But, there are always exceptions. The problem is that constant exposure to the elements fades the exterior and degrades the caulking that is used on the exterior of the camper. I would highly recommend storing it in a garage if possible. Tim, I've never had a problem with a musty smell. If it rained while I was camping I just make sure to wipe the canvas down real well after I get home and let the camper air out for an afternoon. You're right though on the decorating, it's not much to look at. However, I consider my camper as just a place to sleep and store my stuff (with A/C) so I really don't care what it looks like on the interior. | ||
| Tim (Snowman) Senior Member Username: Snowman Post Number: 494 Registered: 12-2002 |
Maybe I just looked at too many used campers that were not taken care of properly. I noticed the caulk breakdown but that's an easy fix I would guess. It's funny how they are decorated, very "senior" like. | ||
| Ron Carson (Ulster) New Member Username: Ulster Post Number: 13 Registered: 06-2003 |
Check these out: http://www.loftyshelters.com/IndexFrame.htm | ||
| John Moore (Jmoore) Senior Member Username: Jmoore Post Number: 751 Registered: 10-2002 |
Tim, you're right, they are totally unhip! I sold my boat and used part of the proceeds to buy the pop up. Talk about uncool! But on the other hand, we really have enjoyed ours. It seems you can find nice used ones, ours was only a few years old and in great shape. I think most people, get excited, buy them new with some crazy finacing, loose interest and dump them. I know the lady I bought mine from had financed it for 10 years or something crazy. She owed more that I bought it for, but she needed to get rid of the payment. We keep it clean, but it does smell somewhat like a campfire! | ||
| Roger Sinasohn (Uncle_roger) New Member Username: Uncle_roger Post Number: 10 Registered: 06-2003 |
The Ultimate Camper looks pretty awesome, and with the toilet locker, satisfies the #1 requirement of SWMBO. The only downside is that in order to pick it up, I'd have to do some pretty heavy-duty waterproofing. For the hard-sided pop-ups, the smaller models were probably either the Aliner (<http://www.aliner.com/>) or the Chalet (<http://www.chaletrv.com/>). They seem to be too close in design not to be related. For more luxury, the bigger model is the Trail Manor (<http://www.trailmanor.com/>), which looks very nice indeed. The show, btw, was probably RV 2003 on HGTV -- <http://www.hgtv.com/> (search for "RV 2003"). SWMBO really liked the TrailManor, but I'm not sure she knew the price. (Of course, she really liked some of the more pricier Class A's too.) The Aliner/Chalet didn't interest her, but the conventional pop-ups do (provided the meet the toilet requirement). I'm trying to convince her that a rear-tub-of-a-series trailer, converted into a Columbus-style (<http://www.loftyshelters.com/>) tent trailer would be best. (Painted so as to match the 109", of course.) Failing that, I've been pointing to the Starcraft and Jayco off-highway pop-ups as a fair compromise. The Ultimate mentioned above, however, seems like a solution that could work for both of us. | ||
| John Friederich (Jfriedlvcmcom) Member Username: Jfriedlvcmcom Post Number: 55 Registered: 02-2003 |
Wife & I have had our Chalet for a few years now. Lots of advantages to a hard-sided, I thilnk. Weight is no one of them, but it has never kept up from enjoying the wilds of Nevada / Utah / Cal. We tent camp in the summer, Chalet in the winter (the heater is hot-hot-hot... John F Las Vegas, NV 2001 D2, Chalet pop-up |
