Anyone have experience with these for car camping trips. We are thinking about getting one as a way to make camping more luxurious. What brands and features should I look for?

I have been looking for over a year and have settled on a Jay-co. I really like them. I find the construction of and the interior to be a bit superior to some of the other brands I have looked at.

If you are in the Twin Cities, Hilltop camper sales has them as well as a couple new Coleman's on sale. Pretty good prices on the Colemans - on clearance. Their last two Colemans. Coleman campers has gone out of business. I was told, that a few years back they got some new leadership and they pretty much pucked up the camper division so that is why Coleman is shutting it down. I wasn't impressed with them either. They also carry a bunch of used pop-ups, some in decent shape.

It really isn't a product that people can tell you about, you'll really have to get out and see the different brands. Different interiors, different ways the canvas attaches to the slide out beds, some just look cheaper than others. As far as features go, they pretty much all carry the same types of features and you get more as the price goes up. A couple salesman told me pretty much the same thing - interior features are all pretty much identical. Look for style and construction.

Some things I was really looking for were storage and style on the inside. Counters, storage under seats, seating capacity (2 tables vs 1). Just like a new car they add the bells and whistles. Like a stereo and a bathroom. I can walk to the campground toilet and I can get my own portable radio. You can even get a slide-out table. If it is for camping, I don't really think people need all that stuff. For me it is going to be storage and no more sleeping on the air mattress. I'll still do most of my "camping" outside, like cooking, sitting etc. The inside kitchen and table/seats will come in handy on a rainy day or if it is cold out though. Ah, cold out. That was another reason we went with a pop-up. More early spring and late fall camping with a little heat.

I would add that the "trunk" in the front is a pretty good option for storage.

Well, I could just ramble off a bunch of stuff. Just thought I would throw that brand out there. I'm impressed with the Jay-co's.

Good luck with the shopping. I think the campers are a blast.

And after looking at these my son and I have been looking at building a classic teardrop trailer.

And after looking at these my son and I have been looking at building a classic teardrop trailer.

I was looking at the Tab campers a coule years ago. They are kind of a retro teardrop design. Pretty nice set-up with the rear kitchen I thought. Then I believe they went out of business due to the economy.

Just FYI - try towing whatever you buy before you buy it maybe... my cousin used to tow a pop-up fine and then traded it for a teardrop camper... all of a sudden the towing wasn't so great, and led to a new vehicle, etc.

Good luck! I toy with the idea every now and then, my kids would love them... but I'm holding out for now...

These folks were at Canoecopia. Pretty slick. TC Teardrops

After Pillow1 was born and attending a few RV shows, we decided that a “small” “used” pop-up would be a good fit for our growing family, so we headed off to Hilltop to get some ideas of what features and lay-outs we liked. When we walked into the front of the store there was a “New” 2006 Fleetwood Niagara on display. (The rest of the pop-ups were set up in back) We stepped inside, looked around and we both started laughing! “Who would need something this big!” we said. “Who needs a bathroom?...shower? Slide-out dinette? Really??. We walked to the back of the store, and after looking at all the other pop-ups for a few hours and a few trips back, we ended up buying the Fleetwood! (Talk about buyer’s remorse! LOL!)

Anyway we have not had any regrets about this unit what-so-ever.

Here are a few things to consider and/or to look for.

Where will you be doing most of your camping? Plugged in or Un-plugged?

-High-wall verses Standard Height-
We really like having the high-wall unit. It gives you full-height 36” counter tops with a full-sized under-counter refrigerator, and no sinks and counter tops that you have to flip up and then bend over to reach because it is still low. The only drawback to this is that the camper is taller which may or may not be an issue to you depending on what you are planning to tow it with. We’ve towed ours all over MN and WIS with our Trailblazer and have zero issues. (Although, I don’t know if I would consider towing it on any mountain trips without using a full-sized truck)

Storage- Kind of a hard one to gauge when shopping but something to consider

Counter Space- Look around. You will be surprised how little counter space some of the pop-ups have verses others. We lucked out and have plenty but it wasn’t something we really looked at closely when we made the purchase. It was only after our friends and my Parents commented on how much we had verses how little they had in there travel trailer and 30’ Motor home.

Slide-out- Really adds room to the layout.

Layout- Look at new ones, go to dealers and RV shows and look look look! Don’t just buy the first “Deal” you find on Craigslist.

Toilet- For all you people that say “We don’t need no stink’n bathroom!”…All I have to say about that is if you had one, you would love it! Especially with kids…and after a few beers.

Shower- We use it, but not all that much.

Microwave- We use it for storage as we usually camp non-electric.

3-way Refrigerator- The gas is great when you’re not plugged in. We keep all the food in the fridge and the drinks in a cooler outside.

Towing- I would recommend a sway-bar.

I’m sure there is more but I agree with Fitgers1; you really need to get out there, look at a bunch, write down pro’s/con’s and decide what will fit you best. It will also help if you are looking for “used” too. (Like it did us! LOL)

Also, if you end up buying one, you should consider "These"
They really do help with heat.

Haven't bought a popup for years, but Jayco units were typically better construction when I purchased. Real plywood for the slide outs,not chip board, heavy duty door lock instead of a screen door latch, etc.

However, for what it's worth, popups are easy to pull, not much effected by wind, make great camping gear storage, are roomy with great ventilation. I've had my last Jayco for 13 years and it was 10 years old when I bought it for $1,000. One of the best investments I every made. My wife even likes it!!

We looked at the Go-Lite trailer earlier this year which is built by Micro-Lite Trailers..

The dealer near us here in Michigan works closely with the manufacturer. This guy is a kayaker and has encouraged the use of Yakima racks on these trailers. These would be worth a look at if you decide to go with something like a teardrop trailer.

I bought a 2000 Palomino colt a couple of years ago. Nice to have the fridge for the meat and the furnace to keep the chill down. I hope to sell it in the next year or two and buy a small hard side. Just make sure you find one that fits what you have too pull it with.

Is just nice be up off the ground and have a place to hang out if it rains out.

Buy some egg crate foam to put under your mattress and you will feel
so much better.

Wow! Great information so far. I sounds like those of you that have them really like them. I have resisted something like this for years because I have always thought tent camping was the best. But, the pop ups are a tent. I think draw the line at hard sided trailers though. I don't think you can really call it camping anymore if you are in a trailer.

I had one when my family was young. Picked up a beater. It was a simple thing basically a sleeping platform and a place to eat out of the rain (no frills). I put a few bucks into it and towed it many miles. I loved it and I loved the simplicity. It served the purpose.

Changing a flat can be an experience. If ya get one, prepare for that before the tire goes.

I am thinking of getting another simple rig. My son picked up a Colt and it looked pretty good to me

Had a Jay-co for years that was great.
Couple of things I would suggest.

AC - I know it sounds silly, but I would not have pop-up without again.
AC with Heat strip - Even better, on cool/cold nights, you know how much condensation forms? AC- With heat strip kept the canvas dry on the inside. When really cold, we just added elec blankets.
Propane furnace - Forget it, noisy and will turn off and on all night long and adds moisture.
Elec pump for water - Worth it vs the hand pump.
Outside grill - Mixed, some days it was just to windy to use outside.
Awning - Must have.
Toilet - maybe
Shower - not really, even when we had one in our full size camper, still mostly used the campground. Dumps too much water into the gray water tank and its a hassle to dump tanks in the middle of camping.

Pop up to a different level.

The Cricket

quote benr0: "Had a Jay-co for years that was great.
Couple of things I would suggest.


AC - I know it sounds silly, but I would not have pop-up without again.
AC with Heat strip - Even better, on cool/cold nights, you know how much condensation forms? AC- With heat strip kept the canvas dry on the inside. When really cold, we just added elec blankets.
Propane furnace - Forget it, noisy and will turn off and on all night long and adds moisture.
Elec pump for water - Worth it vs the hand pump.
Outside grill - Mixed, some days it was just to windy to use outside.
Awning - Must have.
Toilet - maybe
Shower - not really, even when we had one in our full size camper, still mostly used the campground. Dumps too much water into the gray water tank and its a hassle to dump tanks in the middle of camping."

AC- useless if you are not plugged in. (We rarely are)....good option if you plan to reserve electric sites well in advance and stay next to the "noisy" campers :)
Propane furnace- must have, we use ours all the time.
Electric pump- +1
Outside grill- we use ours all the time without issue.
Awning- +1

If you do camp non-electric frequently, I would suggest upgrading your battery to a group 29 or larger. Of course the will depend on how many nights you typically stay.


Again, great info to consider.

Seems like there are a lot of pop-up campers for sale. We borrowed one for the first time this summer, and liked it, especially because it rained.

I'm a tenter at heart, but the pop up was nice. On my list of things to build is a teardrop, but that isn't first on the list right now.

My 1988 Jayco, which I have owned for 13 years, is a no frills model. No furnace, no fridge, no battery and no air conditioning. the only thing it has for "frills" is a propane stove, an awning and an electrical cord. It does have a water jug under the sink, with a hand pump, but I hardly ever use that. It has an ice chest, which I've never used, but it makes a nice storage cabinet.

It stores an amazing amount of gear, and provides a nice dry place to sleep, off the ground. I don't need the frills.

I rarely camp in places that have any sort of hook ups, so I am equipped for primitive camping. I've camped all over the midwest with the "Mighty Summer Home", and I've never been wet. I've camped with it in temps down to the 20's, and up near 100. It's been to the UP more times then I can count, and has spent a weekend every August parked in a cow pasture for a folk music festival.

Even in the hottest weather, I've never felt the need for air conditioning. The camper consists of 100% wrap around windows! The beauty of a popup is the fact that you have wall to wall window. It's the next best thing to sleeping out in the open.

I was able to convince the wife last year to rent one to go to Mt. Rushmore. After she saw the fun the kids had I convinced her to buy one. Luckily the place we rented from sells them after 2 seasons of renting her in the Chicago area.

I have a Coachman 108ST

As others have said, look around, look at the options. Ask your self will you be going to campgrounds with electric and water?

I hem and hawed back and forth with 2 different models one with and with out the Front "Trunk".

Thank god I got the one with the trunk. I love it.

The wife prefers electric sites, so we have of course A/C. Other things we have:
Propane Stove, and furnace
3-way fridge
Hot water heater.
Water reservoir (20 gal) I think with water pump for sites without water.

If you get an A/C will make it hard to put anything on the roof like a canoe :)

I'm surprised nobody suggested a visit to the forums at PopUpExplorer.com Just like around here, the folks at PUX know their stuff and are always happy to help the new guy.

Someone earlier suggested towing it for a test drive before you buy it. Before you bother with that, dig out the owners manual for your tow vehicle and know what it can handle. Don't take the sales person at his word when he says you can tow it "no problem".

Spend a bit extra and get a good electric brake controller.

Get a sway control bar.

If the tow vehicle and the camper can use a weight distributing hitch, use one. Even if it is not strictly necessary because of the weight the whole thing will feel better going down the road.

Look for a floor plan where you can get to the refrigerator while the top is down. Having to raise the top to load/unload the fridge stinks.

Here's mine. As you can see, it's beefed up a little to hold up better on gravel roads, and can be taken to more remote places. Be aware, that you'll spend much more in fuel, and for only a couple nights use when tripping. If you take a simple camping trip (i.e. not tripping), it is worth it. BTW, I'm selling my camper if you're interested.

I have a Coleman/Fleetwood Rio that has two king size beds and the Wife and kids couldn't be happier with it. I like the solid one peace top that is really strong and can take a beating ( been threw a few hail storms with no Dam.) Only thing I don't like about it is they used partical board in it but so far haven't had any problems and its a 98' .

This is cool.

Sealander

and

company site

We owned a small pop up when the kids were little. Best thing we ever bought for family times.

Now as empty nesters we moved to a 1999 Bantam. It's hard-sided, with two beds that pop out on the end. We love it. Don't miss cranking up the old one but like I said we all loved it.

Man how are you even finding these 10 year old posts to comment on?