popup campers

[davebks]

Anyone have one? Do you like it? I saw my neighbors and now my brain is in full gear. It looks SO nice.
If you got one, how did you pick it out? I am assuming new would be way too $$$ so did you get used?
Are some brands better then others?
So many questions to ask! The possibility of having one at a TH before a climb or powder day sounds really nice.

thanks

[Brimstone10]

I don't have one currently, but my wife and I have been eyeballing one of these: http://hikertrailer.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for our ski in / ski out crash pad anywhere in N America.

[XMULE]

Back in the day I used to camp out with friends at the US and Canadian Grand Prix Formula One races at Watkins Glen and Mosport in September/October. More often than not that meant three nights trying to stay warm and dry in 1970s-era cheapo tents and sleeping bags. Then one year one of my friends appeared at Mosport with a pop-up trailer in tow . . . thought we'd died and gone to heaven.

[Cruiser]

I had a hybrid camper for a few years. Bought it new for ~$16k IIRC. It was nice to have the amenities in a camper for sure. But finding spots to set it up was somewhat limiting (as opposed to tent camping) and it slept kinda chilly at night during the summer despite having a forced air furnace. Popups are a non-starter for winter camping unless you're talking about the kind that fit in a pickup bed and even then they're far from ideal due to the cold. Also, setup and takedown (as well as cleaning it after trips) can be both tiring and time consuming. Not saying you should skip a camper, but that there's definitely a layer of work involved beyond basic tent camping.

[davebks]

I hear ya on the cleaning up and stuff. I have two kids under two right now and am thinking of ways in the next few years that we can get out but still be comfortable so everyone can enjoy.
I was wondering about finding places to park it but id imagine in colorado/utah, etc there's plenty of fun things to do.

i go back and forth. its like buying a place in the mountains. sure its convenient but its also a whole other mortgage to pay.
you can rent a place a couple times a year and it wont even come close to paying for it every month plus bills.

so with this, its like, is it worth it?? or do you just do the tent thing and maybe rent an RV from time to time.

i feel like id get a lot out of it. i need to do more digging i think.

[davebks]

slept kinda chilly at night during the summer despite having a forced air furnace.

so it wasnt warm? was it propane heated?
My neighbor has one and said it stayed decently warm. I am guessing the canvas beds cant be too warm huh?

[mountaingoat-G]

We rented one when I was in High school. It sucked in the wind and wasn't warm. In Yellowstone, they don't allow them in certain places due to being easy for a bear to rip into. Also, when it rains and you have to break camp and travel, everything in it gets damp and musty when the canvas is still soaked when you collapse it. You have to set it up again later and let the sun dry it out...

[barbiesue53]

My husband and I bought one of these...http://www.sylvansport.com/camper/pop-up-camper/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Great 3 season camping, great on the forest service roads, little rough with snow on top (no leaks, a bit heavy). But it's not just a camper....you can haul your bicycles, motorbikes, lots of gear, very versatile. Made well...check it out, around $8000.

[mtree]

A friend of mine has a popup. With propane heat it'll stay comfortably warm as long as temps aren't in the teens or lower. It is handy for multi-night trips. Very comfortable compared to a tent. However, there is the issue of prep and cleanup. And there have been times where the terrain was not kind to it. Obviously, you can only use it where permitted and when space allows. You also need the requisite vehicle to haul it easily.

Typically, you'll start bringing more and more comforts and junk with it. Soon you'll need a bigger version. Eventually you'll be cruising in a decked out class A motorhome for your hike up Bierstadt!

[geoffirons]

We love our Hallmark pop-up truck camper. Mounted on a diesel GMC 2500 we can go almost anywhere we want, year round. We got it primarily for ski trips, but now use it all the time. Factory is north of Denver, and definitely worth a visit.

[painless4u2]

Forget the pop-ups. This is the (my) dream camper: The Off-Road Retro Gidget Brumby from Australia (http://www.thegidget.com.au/models" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;).

Gidget.jpg (56.66 KiB) Viewed 3296 times

[davebks]

So are hallmark and jayco the best? Does one stand out?