Starting with a pop up?

[Mommacita]

Hi everyone,
I have been on the other lightweight trailer subforum learning a great deal as my husband and I research our first camper purchase. We are semi-retired, so see this as mainly a long weekend, no more than a vacation week type of adventure to start. We have a 2018 Chevy Colorado V6 w the towing package and are able to tow 7000 lbs, also have a good hitch with a 900 lb/7000 lb sticker.

We’ve decided that for now smaller/lighter is the way to go, and we looked at a used Jayco 17 ft Hummingbird. It was very nice, but I am wondering if maybe we should dip our toes into this with a used pop up. (Or maybe a hybrid, but they seem on the heavy side, too) With the sides open I would think it would feel more roomy and until we were able to get a full size truck with a better towing capacity = move up to 22 ft or so, could a pop up serve as a good starting point?

I would like to hear what you all think. Pros, cons, what types would you recommend, would going this route with all the set up involved turn us off to camping initially? Many thanks for your help! All opinions and advice is welcomed!

[Grumpy]

Several of the hy-brids are well within your truck's capacity with a fully loaded weight around 5,500 lbs. With that said many of us started our adventures with a pop-up and set-up is not all that troublesome once you get the routine down. My biggest complaint was always rain issues when setting-up or taking down.

[MRichaud]

Hola, Mamacita -

We started out years ago with a pop-up, traded for nicer ones a couple times before getting out of camping. When we decided to get back into the lifestyle, we opted for a trailer; finally settling on a Class A motor home. (See the progression here? )

The biggest issue we had with pop-ups (and hybrids) is that every time you take it out in the rain or heavy humidity, when you get home you have to set it up again to let it dry out. We did like the openness they offer, but not as much room for storage; bath facilities are generally tighter.

Whatever you go with, don't be surprised if you find yourself thinking the "grass is greener" and end up trading up like we did - several times!

[Trapper2020]

When the kids were growing up we started with a pop up and loved it. Had two different model Coleman’s for 15 years before we upgraded in size. We had a barn at home so always set it up for a week after returning so it was always dry. Storage space can be a challenge but you have a truck bed for all your storage needs. What I grew to hate was manual cranking top up. Gets old but newer drills may have enough power to lift top. Second unit had AC which worked great in warmer climates. Made a lot of great memories with does rigs. By used if you can and look hard at brands. Safe travels

Enjoy the journey

[Mommacita]

I’m going to look at hybrids as well. We do want an indoor bathroom.I know having it will sacrifice space but as two 60 year olds I don’t think I’d enjoy trekking out to the campground facilities for our nighttime bathroom breaks. 😉

What are some good PUP brands to look for other than Jayco? Hybrids? I think used at first would be the most prudent choice unless the dealers are really slashing the new prices.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by Mommacita

I’m going to look at hybrids as well. We do want an indoor bathroom.I know having it will sacrifice space but as two 60 year olds I don’t think I’d enjoy trekking out to the campground facilities for our nighttime bathroom breaks. ��

What are some good PUP brands to look for other than Jayco? Hybrids? I think used at first would be the most prudent choice unless the dealers are really slashing the new prices.

STARCRAFT was a long time sales leader in the pop-up field. Lloyd (Jay) Bontrager was an engineer working there before he started JAYCO. So they both have a good history of dependability. Due to the decrease in demand they both stopped production several years ago however.

[Kim Gass]

We went to hard sided directly from backpacking tent. ( and we still use the backpacking tent on some of our journeys..fits in the TT quite well)

Reason. Mice. Rain. Heating. Cooling. Bathroom at 3 am We travel all over and we did not want to have to set up a pop up in rain or dust storm. We had friends that had a teardrop trailer and they had to bathroom outside and cook outside. This was often not fun.

We have mice at home that will eat anything canvas. We are in the woods. The checking on and deterring mice raising the pop up from time to time involves moving snow.. Not what we wanted. Not applicable to your area.

And we travel quite a bit to Canada and bear country where soft sided campers are corralled in camping areas surrounded by electric bear fence.. So a hard sided camper that we could do all our activities of daily living was the way we went. Having an interior bathroom and kitchen was the best. Some popups do have interior toilets and wet baths. ( never interested in pooping next to dining)

Yes they are open which is a great thing at camp but you will have to live highly organized and perhaps out of sterilite containers.

[Kim Gass]

Originally Posted by Mommacita

I’m going to look at hybrids as well. We do want an indoor bathroom.I know having it will sacrifice space but as two 60 year olds I don’t think I’d enjoy trekking out to the campground facilities for our nighttime bathroom breaks. 😉

What are some good PUP brands to look for other than Jayco? Hybrids? I think used at first would be the most prudent choice unless the dealers are really slashing the new prices.

Dealers aren't slashing any prices with RV's in high demand. And pop ups have decreased in popularity with the rise in popularity of hybrids

[MRichaud]

You might want to consider a hard-sided pop-up. Have a look here: https://www.thewaywardhome.com/hard-side-pop-up-camper/

[Mommacita]

I did a quick search this am and saw this model near me. They have it listed for 12k. It’s at a dealer.

https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2012-...-176rb-tr10915

I may take a peek just to see what we think of that type. Seems a bit pricey for a 10 year old unit though.

[Scott]

We camped in a 2013 Jayco 1206 popup for 7 seasons. It was 18 foot towing, 24 feet opened up. That's pretty huge for a popup. It towed really easily with a GVWR of about 3500 lbs. We are starting the second season with our current travel trailer.

I had a power crank up roof, so setup was too "hard", but it was time consuming. It took us about an hour from backing into the site to relaxing. My current trailer is about 20 minutes.

We loved the open feeling of the popup, but sometimes it was like being in a fishbowl. It was difficult to get dressed in as you had to close up all the windows. There was no where to hide to change, so I frequently did so while sitting/crouching on the floor. My wife couldn't get away with that. We honestly didn't spend much time in the trailer, so that advantage was nullified.

It did not rain on us too often, but the thing I really hated was that I had to completely set the trailer up to load it at home, fold it back down to tow it, the set it up again when we arrived in the campground. When we got home we had to set it up again to unload and clean it, then fold it down for storage until the next camping trip. There was one time that it rained when camping, and I had it setup in the driveway for days waiting for it to stop raining so the canvas would dry out. Prepping for leaving took hours. With my travel trailer, it takes minutes (other than cooling down the fridge).

We mostly did weekend and long weekend camping. We did a 10 day vacation with the popup twice. While ok, it was pretty crowded and we just couldn't bring as much "stuff" for that long of a trip. Longer trips with the travel trailer are much easier.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have started with a hybrid travel trailer.

[bankr63]

Originally Posted by Mommacita

I did a quick search this am and saw this model near me. They have it listed for 12k. It’s at a dealer.

https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2012-...-176rb-tr10915

I may take a peek just to see what we think of that type. Seems a bit pricey for a 10 year old unit though.

Yes, that is stupid expensive IMO. It is the Starcraft version of the Jayco X19H, and we bought our 2011 used in '15 for C$14K from a dealer (that's a bit more than US$10K). I know that prices are up right now because trailers are hard to get, but that is getting close to new list price for a 9 year old trailer!

As you can tell from my signature, we started with a pop-up as well but graduated to a trailer a few years ago. Loved the memories we made with the younger kids in the pup, but once they started summer jobs and became very occasional campers we were done with it.

The biggest disadvantage to the pup is that your world is stored in plastic bins that all have to be moved a couple of times each time you setup and tear down. As we got older (still a couple of years younger than you), packing and unpacking started to wear thin. Same way that sleeping in a tent on the ground wore thin in our 30's. I also agree with the fishbowl comment.

Having a hard-side hybrid gives a lot more flexibility. Everything is in cabinets in place ready to go. We don't need to do much more than flip on the fridge and stock it up, throw in the duffle with clothes for the weekend, hitch up and be on the road. Setup and teardown of a hybrid is only about 5 minutes longer than a full hard sided, and that 20 foot box provides the equivalent of about a 32 foot camper when it is all opened up.

The other bonus for us in COVID times is having a bathroom. Very comforting to be able to just use your own bathroom without any worries.

Whatever you get, happy camping!

EDIT: Before I get the comments about my dumb comment, I just scanned over the listing again and realized that it is NOT a sale listing, that it IS the MSRP and original specs. Sorry, my bad. What is the asking price for the used one if you care to tell?

[Mommacita]

This is just the kind of input I was hoping for, thank you! While the pop ups have many good features, the set up/break down work does concern me. Bankr63 this dealer has that 2012 Starcraft hybrid trailer listed at $11,999. I wonder if it may be on the heavy side. What do you all think?

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by Mommacita

I wonder if it may be on the heavy side. What do you all think?

Your truck is good for 7,000 why do you think that 4,000 is too heavy? I have a 2018 TRAVERSE High County rated at 5,000 that can handle it.

[Jopopsy]

I wouldn’t bother w/ the fuss of a pop-up. A modest hybrid, if you’re looking for the towing length and canvas experience, is the way to go.

Like many on this forum, I too have batted the full cycle of varieties. I had fun memories in my pop-up, but I’m in no hurry to re-live them either.

[bankr63]

Originally Posted by Mommacita

This is just the kind of input I was hoping for, thank you! While the pop ups have many good features, the set up/break down work does concern me. Bankr63 this dealer has that 2012 Starcraft hybrid trailer listed at $11,999. I wonder if it may be on the heavy side. What do you all think?

I think you mean is the price a bit heavy? Yes, I would say that sounds a bit high for a 'normal' time, but these times aren't exactly normal. New and used RVs are still flying off dealer lots by all accounts, so prices have been rising.

It is in line with what NADA Guides lists this unit's current retail at:
https://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/2012/...6012853/Values

I am not sure if NADA has adjusted values to represent current market pricing?

I am a bit shocked though. I looked at the similar X19-H for 2012 and it is about 30% lower retail pricing. IMO the Jayco is a better product than the Starcraft, so a bit surprised!

[sturoc]

With everybody having Covid cabin fever these days , used Pop up sales are hot and will be for next couple months at leasst here in the southwest USA. Once a listing goes up they are typically selling in a couple hours.

[Lake Huron]

We started off tent camping. Did it for 3 or 4 years. Then one fall season the weatherman lied as usual and we got a little damp. DW was done. She wanted to keep camping but it was time to upgrade. She wanted a pop up. I said no way. We looked at a lot of "used junk" out there (amazing how poorly people take care of their stuff), went to a few camper shows over the winter months and come early summer we pulled the trigger on a nice and slightly used 34' 5th wheel. Go big or go home. Lol! My truck was not an issue for a 5th wheel. Over the next 5 years we've "upgraded" 2x and have a Northpoint.
In the process of all of this my mom and dad, more mom than dad, decided they wanted to get into it. The purchase of our Northpoint 5 years ago, mom and dad in their mid 60's then, ordered a 23' travel trailer. Dad wanted no part of a pop up. It had one slide and worked very well for them. They kept it about a year and found one that was the same floor plan, 2' longer, slide was a little longer, but had a better and more comfortable seating arrangement inside. A trailer having one slideout makes a HUGE difference in room inside vs one that has no slideouts. I'm pretty sure their trailer is in the 5,000lb range which your colorado would pull just fine and if you find you really like doing it, then you could upgrade the truck that would tow it even more easily and later you may find you might want to upgrade the trailer to something a little bigger to fit your style and you'll already have the truck to do it.
Shopping right now is a little tough since dealers are low on stock due to COVID. Pre COVID, dealer lots were PACKED with units. Use the ole interweb to your advantage and shop that way too.

[jrclen]

The Starcraft you showed is very similar to our Jayco. We had a Jayco pop up for a while and the two main issues which caused us to upgrade to the hybrid was the bathroom and storage space. The cupboards are awesome. So is the bathroom with a door. Set up is easier with the hybrid and the awning is far nicer. Your truck will have no problem towing it.

[castolon]

Originally Posted by Mommacita

(Or maybe a hybrid, but they seem on the heavy side, too) With the sides open I would think it would feel more roomy

My first trailer was a Jayco pop-up. It did what we needed at the time. We then moved up to a 24' travel trailer.

The advantages of a pop-up:
a) fairly lightweight; towable by almost any vehicle
b) lots (relatively speaking) of interior space once the beds are extended

Disadvantages:
a) as noted elsewhere, if gotten wet you have to set it up to dry before storing after a trip; otherwise it will mildew.
b) no real insulation from cool/cold weather
c) limited privacy
d) depending upon wind speeds (especially out west) the flapping fabric noise ranges from tolerable to nearly impossible to sleep
e) fabric ends/sides offer no security against potential unwanted entry by people or animals attracted either by greed or odors (such events are rare, but clearly more possible than in a hard side camper)

That said, the real issues are the lack of insulation and fabric flapping in the breeze.

A pop-up can be a fine, economical introduction, but you'll probably tire of the setup and care, and the lack of other amenities...a toilet, a real kitchen, a decent refrigerator, etc. The lack of such is tolerable/manageable but inconvenient.

Hybrids? Well, I've never had one...and never will.

They combine the worst features of pop-ups and travel trailers into one incomprehensible design. They have all the negatives noted above for pop-ups, plus the weight and wind resistance of a larger/taller/heavier travel trailer.

Whatever is the attraction of a hybrid, it totally escapes me.

With your current vehicle, you would have no problem towing a Hummingbird or similar unit. It's almost guaranteed you'll be happier with an actual travel trailer rather than a pop-up or a hybrid.

If you could rent a pop-up for a weekend you'd get to experience the drawbacks of that design, as well as the related issues of having fabric ends on a hybrid. It definitely would assist your decision-making process.

As long as you stay within the gross weight limits of both the truck and trailer, with a 7,000 lb tow limit you can tow one heck of a trailer, including units larger than the Hummingbird. A 22' trailer would pose no particular problem right now.