Hilldweller
Super Active Member
So, ummmm, do you miss your wife?
Do people only choose Pop Ups because they have no other choice?
- Thread starter z.saw
- Start date
Susan Premo
Super Active Member
I thought a van would be a great udea, the only drawback I see is if it needs work done on it what do you do? I mean if your out and something goes bad/wrong you'd be without your "home". But they sure make great conversions. I saw one while we were camping, a guy retired very early and bought a tricked out Mercedes van, it made me drool. Really nice, now I just have to get rich quick.
Lei Zhao
Member
Maybe tomorrow. It won't be today anyway. lol
Lei Zhao
Member
The best part of van conversion is you will get what YOU and YOUR FAMILY need. No rv factory knows you more than yourself.
tfischer
A bad day camping beats a good day at the office
kevinpf
Member
Just thought I would add my $.02 since this is a topic that generates lots of stories and opinions because of the way it has been worded.
I too was initially kind on irritated with the phrasing of the original question, but I got over it.
Literally everyone has an opinion of the topic and that is to be expected with the question posed, so here is my story /opinion.
I am 68 years old and grew-up in northeast Ohio moving to the Soutwest in 1978. I grew up camping in a 11x12 Umbrella tent. All of my family's vacations were camping and I saw Washington DC, Niagra Falls, and literally hundreds of other state and national parks in my youth. So, when I had children, camping was the natural choice for vacations.
Our 1st trip my Wife was 3 months pregnant and we had a 2-year-old, and it was a blast. The second trip the wife was 6 months pregnant, and it was great, but I knew that if we were going to continue to camp, I was going to have to get the wife off the ground. Here comes the 1992 Coleman Arcadia, and we used that TT for 23 years. yes, I had the ability to buy just about any type or size RV on the market, but we like to CAMP, as in nature, not RV parks, Walmart, Cracker Barrel, KOA, etc., but that is just us, NO judgement here at all.
In 2015 my family asked if we could look at something bigger with more amenities and I assumed they meant an RV or hard side trailer. NO dad, just a bigger Tent Trailer.
So, I now camp in a 2008 Coleman Niagara and my grandkids are enjoying the time together.
We all go at this in different ways for different reasons, but I have zero interest in a hard-side towable, a Class A, B, or C, we are happy with our choice and plan to enjoy many more years in our TT.
I wish you all the same enjoyment in whatever type of rig you have chosen.
I too was initially kind on irritated with the phrasing of the original question, but I got over it.
Literally everyone has an opinion of the topic and that is to be expected with the question posed, so here is my story /opinion.
I am 68 years old and grew-up in northeast Ohio moving to the Soutwest in 1978. I grew up camping in a 11x12 Umbrella tent. All of my family's vacations were camping and I saw Washington DC, Niagra Falls, and literally hundreds of other state and national parks in my youth. So, when I had children, camping was the natural choice for vacations.
Our 1st trip my Wife was 3 months pregnant and we had a 2-year-old, and it was a blast. The second trip the wife was 6 months pregnant, and it was great, but I knew that if we were going to continue to camp, I was going to have to get the wife off the ground. Here comes the 1992 Coleman Arcadia, and we used that TT for 23 years. yes, I had the ability to buy just about any type or size RV on the market, but we like to CAMP, as in nature, not RV parks, Walmart, Cracker Barrel, KOA, etc., but that is just us, NO judgement here at all.
In 2015 my family asked if we could look at something bigger with more amenities and I assumed they meant an RV or hard side trailer. NO dad, just a bigger Tent Trailer.
So, I now camp in a 2008 Coleman Niagara and my grandkids are enjoying the time together.
We all go at this in different ways for different reasons, but I have zero interest in a hard-side towable, a Class A, B, or C, we are happy with our choice and plan to enjoy many more years in our TT.
I wish you all the same enjoyment in whatever type of rig you have chosen.
Beatrice
Member
As I have said in the past, when I get over work camping and am not living full time in my rv, I will absolutely go back to a pop up. When I am just a weekend camper I find more pros than cons with a pop up.
Balthisar
Active Member
My popup fits in my garage, and while I can afford both a travel trailer and rental space for it, I refuse to pay for rental space. Mind the pennies, and the dollars mind themselves.
Yeah, I know that my tow vehicle is worth 80 times my trailer. I assume most people think I'm in hock for my tow vehicle and that's why I have a "crappy" popup, but it's the opposite. I can afford a nice freaking SUV because I don't blow my money on unnecessary crap.
There are a few "what is camping" threads. I don't want to retread those. But I'm happy to say that when I'm camping, whether I'm off grid on federal land or in a state campground with lots of 5th wheels, we're camping, meaning, we expect a change, and it's not just "at home but remote."
Yeah, I know that my tow vehicle is worth 80 times my trailer. I assume most people think I'm in hock for my tow vehicle and that's why I have a "crappy" popup, but it's the opposite. I can afford a nice freaking SUV because I don't blow my money on unnecessary crap.
There are a few "what is camping" threads. I don't want to retread those. But I'm happy to say that when I'm camping, whether I'm off grid on federal land or in a state campground with lots of 5th wheels, we're camping, meaning, we expect a change, and it's not just "at home but remote."
1TrackLife
New Member
- Oct 6, 2022
- 7
I went the other direction, TT to popup and love the simplicity. Didn’t want a massive toy hauler for motorcycles and want to get to some places I would never take a TT. It was all about practicality and what I planned on using it for 99% of the time. Had big plans for the TT and most of the time it sat idle. In 2 months, the popup has seen more miles than the TT saw in 3 years.
SlinginIron
Active Member
I selected a pup due to several reasons. When I was a kid, we drug a Coleman Redwood all over the place. They tow nicely. You can still leave a lot of your gear in them so you can hook up and go as soon as the clothes and coolers are ready. I have never been a big fan of ground tents. I had a short lean-to off of my shop that it would fit under (after rebuilding a roof I will always make sure it's at least covered or garaged). The Utah is actually pretty big when it is folded out. If something were to break, I am handy enough to fix it. I pay for my "toys" with cash so, it got my family and I out and camping sooner than if I would have needed to save more money. A 30' TT just won't make it into the areas I like to camp. Setting everything up is really pretty fast now that we are used to it and have our assigned duties. Oh, and my wife said "ok". Really, when I upgrade, I will probably get a more off-road style pup unless the a-liner hard walled trailers get a little bigger.
Mr_Toad
Member
- Mar 4, 2015
- 15
I grew up wanting an airstream, at 12 years old dreamed about it and planned a future with one. But I was a backpacker, tent camper and spent all my time till I was 35 humping my gear (military and civilian) Brother said I should get a camper, finally negotiated that I would get a popup, as I wasn't one of them... 25 yrs later, 7 kids grown up and gone, grandkids on the way, we started looking at hard-shells. But then realized that adult kids were against it, and the grandkids need to experience it. Yeah, I can get anything I want, but nothing brings a family together and learn to camp than a popup. We never put in a tv or even a sound system, but we do have Uno! lol
Hi, I have been reading numerous comments for the past 2 hours, I definitely agree with most of them, is a personal choice and what want to get out of your camping experience.
I was a tent camper, and then decided to get a pup, never looked back afteter that day. Friends of mine had TT, so I kinda felt i had to go bigger and safer. Big mistake what I enjoy from my pup I lost when I got my toy Hauler, I felt locked in the four walls, end result I used it very little, my pup I will use once a month if not more.
Here is a pix of Toy hauler and will hands down I will chose to stay in a pup versus a TH or TT. End result I bought another PUP... lol.
Was not about towing capacity nor money, was about what my expectations and what I enjoyed about camping.
I was a tent camper, and then decided to get a pup, never looked back afteter that day. Friends of mine had TT, so I kinda felt i had to go bigger and safer. Big mistake what I enjoy from my pup I lost when I got my toy Hauler, I felt locked in the four walls, end result I used it very little, my pup I will use once a month if not more.
Here is a pix of Toy hauler and will hands down I will chose to stay in a pup versus a TH or TT. End result I bought another PUP... lol.
Was not about towing capacity nor money, was about what my expectations and what I enjoyed about camping.
Attachments
1TrackLife
New Member
- Oct 6, 2022
- 7
My solution to the best of both worlds.
TexasTRex
Member
If you haven't played Monopoly Deal, try it. It is a great addition to our card games!!
CheyenneCanada
Member
- Sep 25, 2021
- 81
Having grown up camping in tent trailers as they're called here, and having owned a few second hand ones, we went shopping purposely for one in 2008 when we decided to move up from tenting. So many people assume that we will be 'upsizing' and that couldn't be farther from the truth. We take our grandkids camping in it, we do road trips with it, we use it a lot and for every type of camping (except deep winter time - never done that yet) We will never get anything hard sided.
Susan Premo
Super Active Member
How the heck did you manage to do that! I'd love that, our ford ranger is too small sometimes, and a topper is expensive. That's so cool!
they come that way!Some are on the front, some are on the back. Here's an aliner kinda one:
Lots of options. Depends on what you need to haul. They have north south configurations but also have east west.
That Livinlite is one I was interested in. But I’m too small to open & close it by myself.
Hilldweller
Super Active Member
They're as common as squirrels around here. Hunters love them.
Warfarin
Active Member
Gonna chime in here. I have both. Bought the TT first and decided to get a pup. If bad weather is in the cards the TT gets the call for sure. But I wanted a more “camping” experience instead of locking myself in a box. I did a lot of research on pup’s and went with a HW as I need a shower for medical reasons and the one I bought actually has holding tanks. Also one other reason for the pup is it fits in places my TT doesn’t and I want to camp in those places. If my wife would go for it I would do the teardrop and camp shower/bathroom thing. She won’t sleep in them. I did look at new ones and when my TT is paid off I will buy an new Rockwood 296HW, if they still make them by then.
