Come On Christmas Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 My wife wants I should sell my Sportster. I am succumbing as I am a Certified Driving Instructor so I see alot of teen drivers abilities and the idiots we avoid talking on they cell phones. We want to buy a Pop Up trailer (I am also gonna buy the 1860 Henry this summer I have always wanted). I asked her if she wanted a potty aboard. Thankfully she does not want me to deal with this . . . We want running water and a stove. I know nix about Pop Ups, but I am thinking a stove and a spigot water jug would work. A GOOD AIR CONDITIONER IS A MUST Thanks for your recomendations, Shameless Womanizer, Esquire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shoer 27979 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 are you wanting a tent trailer or a pop-up ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlands Bob #61228 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 The A/C is good. The potty is more trouble than it's worth as long as you stay at nice campgrounds. (bathhouses) If you can take the stove outside and cook, that's a plus. A Popup is much lighter than a standard trailer and much easier to tow. It is a bit of a hassle storing stuff in them. With a regular camper, you just open the door and walk in and check supplies. Not so with a popup because you have to open it up to see if there are paper towels in the cabinets. Speaking of opening it up, that will usually take 10-15 minutes to get the top cranked up, beds slid out, support poles in place, cabinets flipped up, door assembled and the canvas adjusted. A small refrigerator is a good thing. You can just buy one at Wally World for about $100. Just make sure it's short enough for the beds to slide over the top as you fold it up. Popups are not good in the winter. The canvas has the R value of nothing. A popup is great for weekend camping. We use ours a couple times a year. It stays in the basement, out of the weather and will probably last forever. Avoid storing it in the sunlight. UV does nasty things to campers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Come On Christmas Posted March 17, 2012 Author Share Posted March 17, 2012 I did not think about the fading issue. I was thinking Pop up. Maybe a small trailer would be in order. Shameless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Kris Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I would not recommend a tent style trailer unless you can guarantee you will only camp in fair weather. Should it get windy or wet, you're done for. If you should get the canvas wet and have to pack it down for the trip home, you will never get the stink out of it once you open it back up to dry out. If it gets REALLY windy, you run the risk of the framework piercing the canvas and tearing. We've never had one but friends have and we've seen these things happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Pony Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Shameless I had a Thor brand for several years and it did everything I could ask of it. With one or two people the other bunk is a great place to lay out all your cowboy clothing, hats etc. It did not have a bathroom and only cold water in the sink as well as a small gas fridge. Solo it took me about 15 minutes to set up, goofy awning included. It never leaked and with the gas heater was comfortable in cold but not frigid temps. It also towed behind the Dodge Dakota like it wasnt there. I traded it in on something you might want to consider, a Kodiak hybrid, the solid camper with fold down, "canvas" covered bunks. The trailer is 17' long, a queen size bed drops down on each end and the sides fasten in about five minutes. It has a real awning, bathroom with seperate shower, microwave, 4 burner stove and an oven. Std 6 gallon hot water tank and carries 56 gallons of fresh water, grey and black water are aboutg 25 gallons each. AC is 8K btu (IIRC) and the heater works very well too. Fridge while not huge is big enough for everything needed for 4 days or so as long as you dont try to keep a case of drinks in it. Runs on gas or shore power with the flip of a switch. The nice thing about the hybrid is the "trailer" portion IS NOT taken up by bunk space so when they are fold down its huge, more like a 24' unit but lighter and you dont have to convert dining table or couch into a bed. It is also useable when the bunks havent been deployed as it were. Last year, or the one before, I pulled into St. J's Vermont for their state shoot and was told by a camping pard BP Gunns they were expecting heavy rain with 45+ wind gusts so dont bother with the awning. Instead of dropping the bunks I left them closed up and used the cushions from the seats from dining table area and snored on the floor. This would also work in real cold weather for one or two people but if you go that way I'd bring a couple of air mattresses and leave the cushions in place. I dont care how many windows a regular camper has there is no way to get as much breeze through the three sides of screens they bunks of either would have. With either of the two choices you have to remember that access is as easy as undoing the velcro to get in so secure your valuable accordingly. Might also be a consideration in bear country too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bama Red Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Shameless, if you do decide you want to go with a hard-sided trailer, I have one for sale that I have been using for the past two years strictly for cowboy shooting. I'd be glad to make you a good deal on it. Cowboy Trailer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Sloe Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 When I was kicking tires looking for a trailer, a salesman told me this "canvas does not have an R value". Think about it, the cost between a "tent" trailer and a hard sided trailer is minimal and yet the comfort value may be large. Just two cents worth, Barry Sloe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacknife Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Popup trailer recomendations?????? Forget it, and go hard sided, ya won't regret it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 POP UP-JAYCO Come to think of it, hard side-JAYCO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seldom Seen #16162 Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 We owned a couple of Jayco pop-ups over the years. Some assembly is required when setting one up. It is not difficult but can be a bit of a pain if you are tired after a long drive to your campsite. The other downside is it is noisey when it is windy due to the canvas sides flapping back and forth in the wind. It always made it hard for me to sleep. You don't mention your budget both if we were to get into camping again I would take a hard look at Hi-Lo trailers. The Hi-Lo offers the best of both worlds. It gives you better gas mileage by its lower height when towing and quick and easy set-up with just a push of the button. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assassin Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Check out the A-Liner hardside pop ups. LL' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Shameless, I got a 14' trailer last October. I cannot imagine not having a toilet in one. If you plan to take it to matches, that is usually dry camping and it could be a long walk to the porta potties. Add rain, dust, or wind in the dark and that would spoil things for me. This is a link to the Website for the one I got. Regards, Allie Mo PS Mine is the 140. Hubby likes this brand because it has one piece sides (less seams to leak). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Dave Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I'll echo the comments on pop up tent type campers. Had a pop up truck camper years ago, but even with the insulated liners for the tent part, could get cold. I'd love to have a trailer to take to annuals to camp on the range, but I have a few problems... - Not enough cash - I'd want a full sized potty with enough room for my wide body - I'd want a decent sized shower since if I don't get my morning shower I don't want to be around myself, nor would anyone else. - I'd have to set it up with deep cycle batteries to power my CPAP machine. All of those could be overcome if the first one wasn't an issue. But as it is, and I wouldn't use it that much, I'll just miss the fun of camping at the range and get a motel for the matches I go to. Grizz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Irv Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Shameless, more details please. What are you towing with? New or used? What I can offer regardless is: 1. Get a bathroom in it! Even if that means just a cartridge toilet. Walking to the bathhouse every time ya' gotta go gets old quick, and limits where you will want to setup. 2. DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT get a Coleman pop-up with an ABS plastic roof. These were made late ninety's to early 2000's. If you don't believe me, just Google Coleman ABS roof and take a peek at all the "fixes" people have developed to address the many issues. Had one with an awesome layout, but a saggy roof. Had to get rid of it for a great loss. 3. Go to a couple big trailer dealers and see what you like and don't like. For that matter, go tent camping in a campground, and ask every camper owner to tell you about their rig...trust me...they'll fill your ears. We love to talk about em'. 4. Think hard about what size. Small is appealing for towing, but sometimes just a little bigger gives you room to keep "stuff". And "stuff" will fill every crack and cranny of whatever camper you have. 5. Consider starting with something to get you by for a few years till you figure out exactly what you want. Funny thing about prices is they seem to only drop so far, then kinda like a boat that still floats and runs holds a certain value. That said.....remember this: rubber roofs are warrantied for 10 years and there's a reason for that. Regardless of what they tell you, that's about how long they last before really deteriorating. Hope this helps a little, Mad Dog Irv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Kris Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 You don't mention your budget both if we were to get into camping again I would take a hard look at Hi-Lo trailers. The Hi-Lo offers the best of both worlds. It gives you better gas mileage by its lower height when towing and quick and easy set-up with just a push of the button. I could be wrong, but I seem to remember Hi Lo went bankrupt a couple of years ago. I was interested in them also. I did a Google search and couldn't find manufacturer info on them. The latest model year of "new" trailers I could find was 2010. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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