Good-bye to the pup era...the darkness is so inviting

Be sure to check the payload on your Tundra before buying a TT, especially one as large as a 32'.

 

Your reasons for moving on from the pup to the Dark Side match ours. We've had 2 pups and really enjoyed using them but with 2 kids under 2 and not being able to leave till after work on Fridays meaning in the dark setup along with the extensive setup and take down just made the pup more hassle than it was worth.

Im sure we may get another pup one day but for now we're loving the Dark Side.

 

I loved my Apache when camp was set up. The empty trailer took less than 10 minutes to set up. However, a packed trailer and all of setting up took more like 2 hours. Same for break down. Rain made it close to miserable.

I really love my TT. I arrived in a horrible downpour on one trip last summer. I backed it, chocked, unhitched, and plugged into the power post in less than 5 minutes. I was inside watching TV and eating hot food before the exhaust cooled down on the TV....I really like that it takes very little organization to pack and unpack the TT.

 

You guys must have way more "stuff" than we do. 30 minutes max either way.


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We went from Tent to Pop-up to HTT to TT. We got TT in July and we love it. Easy to set up and take down camp. My body that's getting older loves it. I just we could have done the TT from the start, but we have all the memories before going to the dark side.

 

2 kids, 4 bikes coolers clothes and food. If we bring the kayaks too it takes longer


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We moved up to a TT two years ago for all the same reasons. I appreciate that the p'up got us off the ground, a little heat, and hot water when we started taking our son camping at one year old. It just got to enough of a pain that we wouldn't take the P'up our for just a weekend, or even a long weekend. Now with the TT, that is no problem. For us there is so much more time to enjoy, and less time setting up / breaking down. Like xxxapache, we now go rain or shine...... where with the p'up, we would postpone with any real rain.

Go with whatever floor plan works best for you. As far as I can see, there is no quality difference between brands (they are all equally cheaply built !! ).

Watch your weights.... as others have suggested. Keep in mind that anything you add to the truck, (passenger, kids in the back seat, stuff, firewood) all detracts from the tow rating. the 'dry weights' on the campers are usually fictitious also.... use gross weight for calculation. I suspect that you will be OK with your new Tundra, but your rear axle weight will be closer to max than you expect.

I look forward to seeing some pics when you take delivery !

 

I'm of a mind that anything that makes it easier to keep camping is good.
We went from ground tents to two pups (first one was tiny and bare bones, we had less space for duffels than in our tent) and now the TT. Still miss some aspects of each. Creaky back and joints do not, and I'm camping more solo. Some of those trips are more visiting than camping, but I love having my own space.
The pups extended our season by about a month in the spring and a couple in the fall. While the TT hasn't added a great deal more to the season, I am taking it out a month earlier than we did last year. The TT is more comfortable than any of the canvas options we've had when the temperatures head into the 30s (or below, though we have yet to have the TT out in the teens, as we did with the pups).

 

40yrs + camping


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Our "kids" are 18 and 21, and we still tire of the up/down/dry routine. It always rains here, it's part of the deal. And I HATE having to come home, make a spot in the garage and open it all up to dry it out. We could set up in about 30 minutes too, but since we're in bear country, all of the food had to stay in the back of the truck, which was a real pain too.

We're looking forward to ditching anything to do with canvas, and moving to a toyhauler. It's not that I don't like the PUP, it's just that as we matured as RV campers, we figured out what we wanted, and didn't want. What we want to do is better combine hunting and fishing with RVing, and the toyhauler is tailor made to help us do that.

Plus, cookies, they have cookies on the Dark Side.

 

And icecream....I usually have a bowl right after a hot shower.

 

Come on over! We totally agree with your sentiments. We are loving our Jayco Jay Feather 23RBM. It is actually turning out to be a pretty well put together trailer. We have camped 30 nights since our August purchase. We do not miss the PUP at all.

 

We're looking at upgrading as well. I recently sold my TV, an '89 Grand wagoneer (the DW finally won... ) and upgraded to a 2007 Ram 1500 Thunder Road edition with HD class 4 towing. I love our pup, and the kids like it, but the DW is not a fan, especially in a storm. I sleep like a rock in a storm, but DW and all 3 kids tend to freak out over storms in a house, let alone a tent.

We've compromised on a hybrid, which we are currently shopping Craigslist for. I don't want to give up my canvas completely...because let's face it, nothing beats sleeping through rain on canvas...but I'd be lying if I said my head had never been turned by a 30' bunkhouse TT. I am ready to scale back on the work involved with setup/takedown and the amount of canvas I'm trying to towel off and pack up after a shower on the last night of camping.

I will say this though, being prior service military and having a specific routine and place for everything, I can solo setup or break down camp our '90 Starcraft Nova and 13'x13' pop up canopy with 3 kids worth of schtuff in under an hour...but that often involves a bit of offcolor language and kids going crazy. I'm ready to just back in, drop some levelers and a couple platforms and be done.