Do you guys actually cook / bathe / use the restroom in your pop up?

[94-D2]

I have just about every amenity in my pup that is available and I use every one of them. I camp just about everywhere, with hook ups, without, dry etc. I enjoy using my own bathroom, shower, fridge, stove, oven and microwave. I cook inside and out, have an open flame grille and an indirect roadtrip flat top grille. Camp in bear country, mountain lion country, coyotes you name it. 15 years in a pup doing this and never a problem except for neighbors wanting to have dinner at my pup. I clean up, police the area, keep the grille in the bear box if there is one and camp with respect and consideration. Wear and tear is what it is so the resale value is what ever the market bears (I got top dollar for my 10 year old Niagara). If you enjoy your camping style and your doing it right, then it can't be wrong. Use it or not, it's your camper and you're entitled to use it however you like. It's your choice.


Happy Campin'

 

[Sumoman]

I also just use mine for emergency. I'd rather throw out a luggable loo bag than clean my pup. As for hot water and showers.. Yes but outside and then not using the on board hot water heater. I have not used the sink at all. Actually thinking once I have my outdoor kitchen built I will remove it. I use an outdoor grill or pie irons and a fire for cooking.

Other than that I get some think shower shoes and use the camp ground showers.. Really thick


CATAPULTAM HABEO. NISI PECUNIAM OMNEM MIHI DABIS AD CAPUT TUUM SAXUM IMMANE MITTAM.

2000 Land Rover Discovery, loaded with ARB and ready for the end of the world.
2008 Fleetwood Evolution E3, loaded and ready for the end of the world.
1967 Heckaman Manufacturing, "Phoenix" 18FT travel trailer.. Beginning of Mobile Man-Cave process.

 

[Bigeagle2k]

here is our thoughts- we use the stove/oven often. For smelly stuff like bacon, we cook outside but boiling water, cooking eggs, etc...the stove comes in super handy. Especially when the weather is bad! We dont use our toilet. I feel like if the bathroom at the Campground is within a 3 mins walk, we use that so less to clean later. Plus we end up using our bathroom for storage etc...wife isnt happy and this season, I suspect we might set it up and use for Number 1 only- in the middle of the night etc... There has been situations where we were camping and the yellow jackets were in full force. Without the ability to cook inside, we would've been in a bind if no stove or cooking options. Definitely worth it- its there, why not use it?

 

[RhinoDave]

We only use the inside stove top on very rare occasions and then only non smelly things like boiling eggs or vegetable bags etc. All other cooking is done outside. We use the other amenities like the cassette toilet and shower all the time. Inside sink is also used all the time. We use the toilet for all functions. I have to dump and clean it anyway so why not use as it was designed? More often than not, I bring it home as I have a clean out access for the sewer and I don't have to wait in line for the dump station.

 

[zell_travis]

We don't cook in our PUP, but we do use our sink. At least for washing hands and brushing teeth. We don't have a shower or toilet, but I think if we did we would probably use the shower depending on the length of the trip. And I think we would probably use the toilet pretty sparingly. It would probably be an emergency or no other facilities sort of basis.

 

[boopheads]

I think it's all on what you want. If you don't mind cleaning bath area, sink, etc. If you don't mind the cooking smells inside. We never cook inside just because of extra heat.

 

[Two Bears]

Just a comment from the Senior Section.
We will not use the stove for cooking food on the inside (don't want the smells), we have a small microwave to quick heat up items, do use the sink (enjoy the convenience) don't have the "bathroom facilities" so we added a "Portable Potty Bucket w/seat" which we keep in a corner at night. (During the day, it get's placed outside to allow for more room inside - we camp in parks or RV Camps" So we use their showers. When you get our age, we still love to camp and enjoy the outdoors but do like to have a few conveniences. We are learning that what ever makes "you" happy is what works. Enjoy the outdoors and enjoy your life.

 

[apesydaisy]

We do...on all three. If the campground has nice facilities, like Jamaica Beach RV Resort in Galveston does, then I will use their showers, but we still use the toilet during the night (I'm getting old ). But if the showers aren't nice, we use our own...it's much more cramped and not near as easy, but it's better than the time I had to take a shower with a roach crawling down the wall.

 

[lasttruck]

Yes to all. However, we do not cook any greasy, smoky foods inside.

 

[PaThacker]

We had a glamping classic flagstaff 625d. We cooked inside, used bath, shower, and dealt with the dual drains/cassette pottie.

Not a problem. If you have it, use it. Cook the bacon outside, and invite me over for breakfast.

 

[JETent]

Yes, sometimes,Yes. Other stuff too....


Later,
JT

 

[blondeboyz]

Think about retaining your resale value down the road. It may be better to have water, sink, hot water, porta potty, etc. It doesn't mean you have to use them.
We have a porta potty/shower that will never be used. The area is used for storage of bulky items and counter space. We have retained everything for future resale value.
Our outdoor stove will be used for cooking rather than heating up the inside of the pup and making the A/C run harder or creating food odors. However, if you have extreme bad weather and blowing rain then cooking indoor is still available for us. We also purchased a small microwave and coffee maker which we will use outside because there is an outlet.
A sink and running hot water is great for washing dishes. During our tent camping days it is really a pain in the butt to lug everything to the bathhouses and not having proper sinks to use or having to use an outside faucet with only cold water.

 

[jmkay1]

My pup is bare bones so doesn't have a lot of features the newer trailers have. It also doesn't have a usable awning. It does have a stove I can move outside to cook on but 90 % of the time I use the fire. However if I can't get a fire going or if it's raining I'm using the stove inside or a cheap microwave I bought. I do have a small porta pot I only use in emergancys. Most of the time I just walk to the bath house. Most of my camping is done at a campground with facilities. I do use the sink indoors and just boil water for cleaning. If a campground has a dish washing station I may use that instead as I can spread out. I don't like to use paper plates etc but wash dishes. I try to conserve water especially if camping without water hookups. No battery means lanterns for light. It's what I did what I did when I tent camped. With that said I don't camp with kids often but when I do the toilet/stove/ microwave is and used way more often. The kid hates "black stuff". So anything on the fire she won't touch.

 

[tcanthonyii]

We mostly cook outside. The only time we cook inside is when it's cold or rainy. In those cases the stove gets moved inside and we cook there but that's only been 1 time. We bought the camper to have a place to sleep at night without being in a tent, I don't mind the tent but the wife says no, and to have a place to hide when it rains. I love tent camping but hanging out in a tent all day during rain just plain sucks.

Can't speak to the bathroom, we don't have one. I just walk up to the shower house or find a tree, depending on where I'm camping. It would be nice to have something in the camper but I love not having to empty it every time I go out.

 

[suprz]

We have a shower/potty in ours and use them both...(well the potty is mostly for my wife) we cook in ours but not anything greasy or stinky but we cook over the.campfire as much.as possible

 

[Abrams1997]

We have a full amenities PUP...fresh tank, Water Heater, Stove connection in and out, Toilet, Inside and outside shower.

We use and love the sink for everything from hands and teeth (always hands) to washing our full set of glamping dishware (I would use paper to burn, but if it keeps the wife and kids going camping and make it more enjoyable for them, I am down with it). As part of my set up process at the campground is firing up the water heater. IF we every go camping in real bear country, I will probably need to invest in a grey water tank for the sink and the shower as I would want food water attracting unwanted visitors.

Cooking is always done with the stove hooked up outside...but that is because in three trips in the PUP we have had no heavy rain during meal time...But like most, I don't think I would cook bacon or meats inside...stick with pasta or hotdogs and veggies. I would rather cook outside and enjoy cooking over the fire when grills are available...still figuring out what works and figuring out what kind of equipment I want. We have only camped 4 times, once in a borrowed Cassita and literally towed home our PUP after dropping off the Cassita.

I have filled and lived off the tank once...same with camping in November and letting the girls run as much gas furnace as they wanted...just to check usage. (NOTE: Three nights into the low 30's equaled 14lbs of gas!)

We still haven't used the shower or the toilet...but we are moving that way soon in preparation for a road trip next summer to Yellow Stone. We have a lot of iterations to make now that we have two new children from India...four total now! Lots to figure and get straight this season. Using the toilet (at least for #1) and an outside shower enclosure for the shower system.

Use your stuff or don't...I think that if it is there, use it...but that is personal.

 

[BuxCamper]

Being able to go to a sink and wash hands and other stuff without creating a mess on the ground in front of you is invaluable to me. We use the inside amenities quite a bit except for the shower. I'll mostly use the CG facilities so I don't have to clean the shower in the camper. However, there are sometimes the camper's shower is the only way to go. Long line or no hot water at the CG shower. Or too much hot water at the CG shower. (Delaware Seashore State Park, it was close to scalding most of the time.)

 

[kellieh04]

I have never had a pup that had a shower or toilet but I always wanted one. About a month ago we bought a pup with both. It just has the shower curtain for privacy. We went camping one time and I used the toilet in the camper everytime but once. I wasn't crazy about just having the curtain for privacy. I saw he post on this website where a man built walls to go around his shower. My DH agreed to make me some walls for our pup shower/toilet. I know I will like it much better. I've read many of the posts where people want to use the CG facilities and not their camper's facilities. I'm just the opposite. I like showering and using my own toilet. I've been to some icky bath houses and it just grosses me out!!! So for that reason, I love my bathroom and I'm looking forward to my bathroom walls to make things even better!

 

[hrhchuck235]

Our first PUP had a bathroom and shower (shower curtain only for both) and we NEVER used them - too public for both of us...the next Baja had both also, however, it had hard walls which we BOTH really liked. (Great to be shy after 43 years, isn't it?)

So, we now use it all the time for middle of the night visits. At the beginning, I did not use the shower in this new Baja, however my husband did and he liked it. During some emergency, actually a CG that had no facilities whatsoever, we needed to use the shower to launder the 15 pound furball - great success - and also my long hair - somewhat nervewracking in terms of would we have enough water, but great success in the end..

IT is wonderful having really hot water to wash hands, hair, legs, husbands, dogs, myself, etc.

Re cooking - I would NEVER cook inside the Baja, however, my husband feels differently and really likes being able to make coffee inside as well as other things. Since I do most of the cooking, guess what - we do it outside...unless the rain or snow is going sideways - we're going to have coffee al fresco!

Cooking outside is especially important since my darling husband is a very good fisherman and catches lots of trout which the furball and I love to eat and so cooking outside is an absolute necessity. Neither the furball nor I can sleep if the scent of fish is in the air!

 

[jab2181]

Kids use the pull out potty so it cuts down on the 25 trips to the bath house, wife and kids use in the middle of the night and I just walk to the bathroom lol