# Need advice on pop up campers



## DeepRiver

I've been shopping pop up campers. I like the concept. I'm not looking to spend 50K plus on a tag along or 5th wheel.

Are they durable? 

What's the better brand?

Looking for comments on folks who have one, likes and dislikes.

TIA,

DR:brew2:


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## catndahats

Likewise I started looking for a pop-up about a year ago. Our kids are grown, so it is just the wife and me. We love traveling and camping, but wanted some comforts that a tent no longer affords like a/c, a potty, some level of comfort in bad weather, easy to store at home and lightweight to tow without buying a huge tow vehicle.

Shopped them all, joined the popup portal.com forum, and did some serious comparison shopping at dealers around TX and used on craigslist. Most pop ups are built very similarly just with different brand names and trim. The most unique pop-up we considered was called a Quicksilver---have you seen those? I'd suggest joining the www.popupportal.com forum and start reading and asking questions. They are a very friendly and knowledgeable group. Used pop-ups can be had pretty cheap, but new ones can get kinda pricey for what you get.

Then we discovered the [email protected] trailer line, bought one and never looked back. We've covered about 5 thousand miles this summer and had a blast! It's small, but works great for two people, and frankly was similar price to a new pop-up.

Here's a pic....


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## Pilot281

I've never owned a pop-up, so I can't comment on the pro's and con's of them. However, if I was in the market for something that size, I would look at the Casita's. The factory is just south of Dallas on 45 which would be nice if you needed any work done on it. They seem to hold their value very well also.

Good luck on your search!


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## OG Donkey

The wife and I have a Jayco Eagle 14' SO (slide out) model and we LOVE IT. It has a AC, sink, fridge, shower, toilet, large dinette area and 2 king size beds (good luck finding 2 king size beds in a TT or 5'er). It is a dual axle so it pulls well. You don't need a huge tow vehicle (I use a 4runner) and you get better mileage while under tow. I guess it depends on your wants and needs...although I'm a fan of big screen tvs and granite counter tops, I have all that at home...afterall, we go camping, not "homing." Please feel free to reach out with any questions--i did A LOT of research before we went the direction we did.


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## FLAT FISHY

Jayco for a pop up ,,look at RV.NET they have a pop up forum lots of info there


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## OG Donkey

and ditto on popupportal.com it's a great resource. The wife and I have a group on FaceBook too....it's called "central Texas pop up campers" and "pop up camper owners"


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## driftwood2

I have been considering the hard-side A frames? any opinions/experiences with them, here? I like the looks of that [email protected] trailer, cats.


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## OG Donkey

I looked at the A-frames too and liked them; however, we have 2 kids and I don't like the idea of either a tiny bed or needing to convert the dinette table for sleeping everyday. It felt more "closed in"....on a nice day, it's cool to open the pop up and let the fresh air in.


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## mas360

I started out with a tent then went up to popup and now a hard side full up TT. I miss the popup. Unless one is going to make long duration trip (over two weeks) and often enough it is best to have a popup. 

The pro's: easy to tow, small enough to fit in garage and not having to pay storage, very simple to maintain, it is more like camping with the canvas roof and sides, does not eat up your tow vehicle fuel mileage. Most of all, those popup with aluminum roof would last forever. 

The con's: no full bath, no full size refrigerator, very limited water storage and therefore not comfortable for dry camping, not convenient when you stop in a rest area and want to catch a nap, not safe in camping areas with bear, hot interior if exposed to direct sun, most of all if you are caught in a rain while the popup is open you need to open it up when you get home and let it dry out before it can be put away in storage otherwise you'd have mildew problem.


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## DeepRiver

:brew2:Good advice everyone. I'll be checking into some of the websites and forums mentioned.

Cheers:brew2:


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## peckerwood

We had a Casita several years until I retired,so I was told we need a larger trailer for a larger shower.Now we have a 27' bought in June and taken out once since then.I miss my Casita and is one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made selling it.I want a pop-up for me.


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## OG Donkey

sometimes, "less is more"....that's what I struggled with when first looking...so glad I don't have a huge trailer to keep up and the expense of a larger tow vehicle....and storage costs.


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## Pocketfisherman

Take a look at a "jumpingjack trailer" It is a utility type trailer with a large pop up tent that unfolds. The tent module can be removed and you can use it as a utility trailer too. The benefit is a very low profile, so much less wind resistance and better gas mileage. Also, you can easily take along toys like kayaks, ATV's, etc. Their website has lots of info. http://www.jumpingjacktrailers.com/

Video demo of setup -


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## Don Smith

Take a look at the RPods. New on the market, but getting to be very popular.
Good luck and happy camping.


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## SetDaHook

The wife and I had a Jayco pop up for years. We had the one with the full shower and toilet. Although lots of good memories associated with it, I'd never buy another pop up. Most of the reasons have already been pointed out. It's just not a durable platform and too many moving parts to go wrong. If you get caught in a heavy thunderstorm in one, you'll definitely be saying your prayers that night! I'd much rather go with some type of hard sided unit like a Casita or some of the others discussed on here. Good luck!


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## bobbyadams

I used one for a couple years I kept it at Paulas Vinyard in crystal beach and this is my Popup camper story. 
I pulled in Paulas late one night and started raising the top and the **** cable broke. The owner Karen was there and told me I could use one of her pumper pull rentals for the weekend. 
When I first walked in the camper, I seriously asked myself "what the hell am I doing in a Popup" I got back home Sunday night and within a week I was pulling me a bumper pull home. Kept my new trailer at Paulas for another year then recently moved it to serendipity resort in palacios tx.


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## sea hunt 202

Hard to cool unless under the shade, you can hear all the noise outside-just get a small bumper pull. The bath facilities are better and you will need a can opener to rob it


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## 98aggie77566

Camped in a pop ups many times...both a stationary at the deer lease, and towing around to various parks and campgrounds.

Pop ups are OK...but far less comfortable than a hard side.

Downsides we experienced:
- no insulation...from temps or a noisy campground
- no kitchen to speak of...if the weather is nice and you can cook outside its no big deal
- no bath...if you are at parks with facilities this isn't huge...except for those late night "movements" LOL

My biggest gripe was that even though I was in a camper...it always felt like I woke up in a tent. Damp and stuffy in the morning even with the AC. And the floor was cold as heck in the winter.

In my opinion, your basic popup is essentially a tent on wheels with AC.

I'm sure they have come a long way since we had one...so take my inputs with a grain of salt.


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## sea hunt 202

heck yeah thats what I think but those are better than a tent on the ground. The thing you need to know is that if you put it up wet it will rot and stink. Too much work for a short period of time camping, do like we do buy a TT use it then sell it. They are cheap enough at 22.000 you can resale it for about that and be done until the next trip and do it again. I bought our last one at a place ------ for 11,500 and after 2 years sold for 11.900. Not everyboby gets out that cheap so shop well.


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## Geordican

not sure if you bought anything yet....if you are still looking for a pop up, search popup portals website for what ever brand/model you decide to buy and see who else has one on there and what pro/cons they have. We started with a popup and that website provided me with a lot of useful information.

if you get a popup - get popup gizmos for the hot summer sun. I bought mine off the reviews and they are well worth the money. I could cool my popup to the point of it being uncomfortably cold. http://popupgizmos.com/

if you are on the fence about hard side or popup - look at the hybrid TT. You get the best of both in one.


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