Convincing significant other of Pop UP

[Breckler23]

So i have been wanting a pop up for a while now, and my wife wants to go camping. we had an issue with a bayside elite we purchased with terrible roof leak, and the seller took it back from us (only lost about $100). now my wife is deathly scared of pop ups, and keeps looking at travel trailers. i'm trying to show her bang for buck with pop up campers, is smarter for where we are.

have any of you had significant others / spouses be hesitant towards a pop up, and then started camping in it and loved it? curious as to what your experiences with this are.

***edited as it keeps coming up family size and TV***

TV - 2018 Tundra
Family - 6yo girl,4yo girl,1.5yo boy + wife

Location - NE Georgia

 

[Dave2514g]

Any roof leaking issues sure can occur on a travel trailer also. Definitely easier to examine the seals on the popup roof as they can all be looked at easily while the unit is closed up.
If she wants to go camping, as you stated, then it sounds like it's just a matter of finding something you both agree on to buy... sounds like the main hurdle is crossed already

 

[kitphantom]

We were long-time tent campers, so I will admit that having a popup wasn't a big stretch for either of us. In some ways, at first, the popups and travel trailer were more my thing than my husband's, but he has enjoyed them all too. He still backpacks, so gets in his tenting time. When it became apparent that I could not handle our second popup reliably for solo trips, it was his idea that we switch to a travel trailer.
A travel trailer is not immune to the issues a popup has, with the exception of canvas issues (hybrids have canvas too, though). In general, a travel trailer has more systems than many popups, often is heavier to tow, and there is the sail area factor to consider, especially if you tow in wind or long distances. However, some larger popups are as heavy and have as much "stuff" as our small TT.
Towing has never been my favorite thing to do, it's what I have to do to get interesting places. Our popups were both small - 6' and 8', so had some space advantages when it came to stopping on the road - plus I could see over them to back them up. OTOH, we can use the facilities in our TT when we stop on the road, access the fridge to get a nice lunch, etc. (Our travel days are usually 5-8 hours, with rare exceptions as we move from campground to campground in a destination area.)
Best thing is to make lists for each type of camper, and have a real discussion about what the advantages and disadvantages of each are and what will work best for you at this point.

 

[jmkay1]

It can be expensive but far cheaper than buying one... There are places that can rent popups so you can get a better feel for what camping in a popup is like. few positives to a popup is way easier to tow because of the lower profile less impact to your mpg. Popups offer the 180 degree view especially if all windows are open. You get some great cross ventilation if you need windows.
Positives to a TT less inside setup time and more places to store odds and ends like clothes etc. More shops may be willing to work on TT but do know that can get $$$. Unfortunately when it comes to maintenance they are honestly about the same however just the word RV or TT means they get to charge more. Especially now all manufacturers are taking shortcuts so repairs are going to be needed no matter what kind of camper you get.

As suggested put a pros and cons list on each camper. Look at the places you like to camp and verify what camper is more likely to fit. Talk to fellow owners to get their feel on what they like/don't like. If you got TT your more than likely going to need to account for a truck and at today's current prices may be $$$.
Good luck with whatever you decide. Do your homework, look it over VERY carefully and walk away if something doesn't look, or feel right. Even new you need to look it over carefully and even refuse If something doesn't look right.
Sadly my mom's TT had a serious manufacturing issue since day one with their floors. Apparently the manufacturer thought foam floors was the best way to go. Well 7 years later there would have been a hole in the floor if dad didn't lay plywood down to buy them more time. Not wanting to scare you but something you need to look out for especially if you buy used. She had a Rockwood Ultralight.

 

[firepit]

I have a 19 Coachmen pop up purchased new and no issues....If you can swing a TT at todays prices
i would get TT for all the extra benefits a TT gives ya.....Roofs can and do leak on everything.
My wife liked the pop up for the price factor and shes not a huge fan of camping like me and i go by myself a lot.
She likes the bunks on each end so we can each sleep with a dog as well.
My next will be a TT but not at todays prices.

 

[Breckler23]

It can be expensive but far cheaper than buying one... There are places that can rent popups so you can get a better feel for what camping in a popup is like. few positives to a popup is way easier to tow because of the lower profile less impact to your mpg. Popups offer the 180 degree view especially if all windows are open. You get some great cross ventilation if you need windows.
Positives to a TT less inside setup time and more places to store odds and ends like clothes etc. More shops may be willing to work on TT but do know that can get $$$. Unfortunately when it comes to maintenance they are honestly about the same however just the word RV or TT means they get to charge more. Especially now all manufacturers are taking shortcuts so repairs are going to be needed no matter what kind of camper you get.

As suggested put a pros and cons list on each camper. Look at the places you like to camp and verify what camper is more likely to fit. Talk to fellow owners to get their feel on what they like/don't like. If you got TT your more than likely going to need to account for a truck and at today's current prices may be $$$.
Good luck with whatever you decide. Do your homework, look it over VERY carefully and walk away if something doesn't look, or feel right. Even new you need to look it over carefully and even refuse If something doesn't look right.
Sadly my mom's TT had a serious manufacturing issue since day one with their floors. Apparently the manufacturer thought foam floors was the best way to go. Well 7 years later there would have been a hole in the floor if dad didn't lay plywood down to buy them more time. Not wanting to scare you but something you need to look out for especially if you buy used. She had a Rockwood Ultralight.

i have a tundra so a small TT is not an issue. have a steep driveway and some of the TTs look like they will scrape our driveway which could be an issue.

we have 3 kids all under 6 as well, so trying to make a smart choice. i found a high wall pop up that i like a lot, with u dinette, and king/queen bed with bath

 

[Breckler23]

I have a 19 Coachmen pop up purchased new and no issues....If you can swing a TT at todays prices
i would get TT for all the extra benefits a TT gives ya.....Roofs can and do leak on everything.
My wife liked the pop up for the price factor and shes not a huge fan of camping like me and i go by myself a lot.
She likes the bunks on each end so we can each sleep with a dog as well.
My next will be a TT but not at todays prices.

i don't know if i can swing the price on the TT as much, she keeps sending me postings to used TT which is just the same as a used Pop up, just more money, so not sure on what the thought is

 

[firepit]

i don't know if i can swing the price on the TT as much, she keeps sending me postings to used TT which is just the same as a used Pop up, just more money, so not sure on what the thought is

Sometimes you gotta make the soulmate happy to be happy yourself.....Maybe a 2 to 3 yr old pop up will ease her mind.
Have you thought about a A-Frame pop up?

 

[jmkay1]

Have you thought about a A-Frame pop up?

According to an earlier post they have 3 kids. That would be a little too cozy I think.

 

[Breckler23]

Sometimes you gotta make the soulmate happy to be happy yourself.....Maybe a 2 to 3 yr old pop up will ease her mind.
Have you thought about a A-Frame pop up?

yeah 3 kids 6, 4 and almost 2, so ideally the pop up and dinetter is perfect (pack in play on dinette, and other 2 on the queen bed

 

[GalsofEscape]

A used TT can have issues as well. it will all depend on how well the owner took care of it.
we had more issues backing our highwall camper into our driveway than the hybrid. We had to lay boards down at the base of the driveway apron to back the highwall into the driveway without scraping - but the hybrid has no such issues.

 

[Breckler23]

A used TT can have issues as well. it will all depend on how well the owner took care of it.
we had more issues backing our highwall camper into our driveway than the hybrid. We had to lay boards down at the base of the driveway apron to back the highwall into the driveway without scraping - but the hybrid has no such issues.

really thats interesting, the hybrid we just looked at had a very very low black tank release / pipe? i dunno what you woudl call that, but no way it would have made it up our driveway. i don't mind the boards etc to use as need be don't see us camping every single weekend or anything like that, prob 3-6 times a year i think. wouldn't mind putting boards down to that.

 

[Dingit]

3 kids is popup (or hybrid) territory for sure. A hybrid lets you pull over on long trips to make lunch and use the toilet en route so that might be a good compromise.

Many things won't make it up your driveway without an axle flip or something to make them a little higher. And that goes double for popups.

 

[GalsofEscape]

really thats interesting, the hybrid we just looked at had a very very low black tank release / pipe? i dunno what you woudl call that, but no way it would have made it up our driveway. i don't mind the boards etc to use as need be don't see us camping every single weekend or anything like that, prob 3-6 times a year i think. wouldn't mind putting boards down to that.

we also have a low sewer outlet (it is for both gray and black tanks) - it does not hit the driveway. The highwall was lower overall and the back would hit.
something to note: the Rockwood and Flagstaff highwalls tend to have separate outlets for the black and gray tanks - and they are different sizes, not sure about other manufacturers. also these have a larger drain for the black tank and a garden hose outlet for the gray. this does not seem to work for some people so there are modifications to join the two. also note, the highwall i had had really small waste tanks - iirc, they were 10 gal each which were way too small for us. i was always taking a waste tote and using that.

so in your search pay attention to the waste outlets and tank sizes. (this is one item we really like in our hybrid over the highwall - one waste outlet and big waste tanks!!)

 

[firepit]

According to an earlier post they have 3 kids. That would be a little too cozy I think.

I was thinking a bigger one like a rockwood...Some of them have pop out dormers but they aint cheap either

 

[Tonya Harding]

No help here, wife gave up on me a LONG time ago...

 

[Dingit]

I only have 2 kids and there's no A-frame that would work for us, probably because I want a potty room. I really wanted it to work...

And with 3 little kids, that potty room ought be a priority. (Once they are old enough to go to the rest room on their own, they'll want privacy for changing).

 

[Annunzi]

We have this high wall unit and we've been very happy with it: https://www.parrisrv.com/product/new-2020-forest-river-rv-rockwood-high-wall-series-hw277-1135038-7
The hardwall bathroom and big dinette slide were what sold us. We have a fairly steep grade on our driveway and we can back it up with no clearance issues. The highwall does take even more set up time than a regular PUP because of the 3rd slide and the separate grey and black sewer connections that @GalsofEscape mentioned above.

 

[Breckler23]

What’s a fair price for a 2014 Hw? Have see a couple in our area as high as 13k to 10k to 7.5k

 

[Breckler23]

I

I was thinking a bigger one like a rockwood...Some of them have pop out dormers but they aint cheap either

looked at their biggest one that sleeps “5” and that’s a stretch even for kids haha