Used pop-up camper advice

[Badger Matt]

The missus and I are pretty sure we'd like to get a pop-up camper and would make good use of it here in the Carolinas. We've got what pass for mountains w/in an hour or two and beaches three hours away. That said, we're not too hip on the idea of paying $8-10K since we've never owned a camper before. Therefore, we're considering a used pop-up.

Any advice from the old hands here?

 

[bobski]

make sure it doesnt have fleas or bed bugs.
make sure the ac works..

 

[george preston]

Other than the regular trailer maintenance issues (tires, wheel barings ect) check the canvas for rips, tears, and rot. Look for water damage (does the floor have soft spots?) make sure the electricals haven't been all hacked up. Pop ups are a great way to get into camping. We didn't use the stove in the camper at all and preferred to cook on a Colman stove outside . Buy one of those small portable potties. It's not for regular use. It's for those midnight nature calls for your wife so she doesn't have to hike to the bath house. No need to buy one with all the extras ( shower, fridge, hot water heater) for us, the AC was a must. I see nice used ones for sale in my area regularly for $1500-2000 in good shape. If you like camper camping you can always sell it for about what you have in it and upgrade to a regular camper later. If you do, try to stay around 24'. Easier to get into state parks and plenty of room for 2 people.

 

[Pal Val]

I just sold one last year. It was a lot of fun, but had some problems with the wind, so it was almost useless in cold weather. We camp a lot in the mountains in Pennsylvania, and the wind in these mountain passes can get fierce. We bought a small "hard" trailer, and are enjoying it a lot. It has a heater!

Make sure to check the fabric for holes, the mechanics, the electrical and the plumbing. If it was not properly winterized, you could have a lot of damage. Check for water damage inside. Check the tires. Since trailers don't wear out the tires much, tires pop from dry rot and sun damage. Also, check to make sure the bearings have been kept well greased. Bad bearings are a mess to fix.

Also, make sure your vehicle can pull it. Popups come with a gross weight sticker, but sometimes it gets lost. It pays to take it to a truck stop to get weighted.

Well kept, a popup trailer can last a lot of years. The one I sold was in mint condition, and was 8 years old.

 

[steveodtw]

Like many, we evolved/aged from tent to pop-up to travel trailer to 5th wheel. On pop-ups, it's worth it to get one with a potty/shower or place to put a port-a potty. You'll thank me in a 3AM thunderstorm. My next thought is How's your back? You will have to bend over and prop up the two slide-out bunks with your back while you insert the prop/support bars. Same in reverse to take it down. Also on your knees to set the rear support legs. A portable cookstove that attaches to an outside bracket on the pop-up is nice too. Furnace/heater depends on where and when you camp. Summer in the Carolinas is probably different then deer season.

If you're still young and limber go for it. Pop-ups are comfortable and inexpensive ways to get started, quick to set-up and take down.. If my issues make you stop and think, consider a smaller, lightweight travel trailer based on what you can tow. Don't ever take the word of a salesman that your vehicle can tow the XXX.... trailer. Good luck. Most important is that you enjoy the journey.

 

[RonEgg]

My biggest complaint were the teen tiny tires. 13 inch wheels and I replaced three or four of them. I only changed two tires when they hadn't blown. We traveled long distances and I was always moving quickly. I used a 3/4 ton diesel and that truck didn't know the pop up was there. If I buy another pop up it will have to have normal wheels and tires. My wife loved the pop up and wish we still had it.
I concur with everything George said above.

 

[george preston]

One other note. Down here in Florida and the few times I used it for hunting in Alabama , I only need a small electric heater to keep it warm. Never used it up north. I kept a patch kit in mine with a small travel iron. Duct tape will work in a pinch for a temp repair. Use it on both sides of the hole. The cables that operate the pop up can and will brake. Not always an easy quick fix but doesn't require any special tools except for a couple of 2x4's. Figure out what size cable you need and keep 10' or so with the camper along with some spare cable clamps. If you buy an older trailer check their condition and replace them if any are frayed. If you can swing it, pay someone else to do the job. It can be .... Frustrating

 

[Jim Puke]

I bought, used and sold more than 30 popups between 1980 and 1990 and most all of the things to look for have been mentioned by others.
Most of the modern tent campers hold up very well and with careful use and reasonable upkeep, they will be in good condition. I hope you get a good one and enjoy it as much as my wife and I enjoyed all of those we had.

One thing that I will add...Be careful to not get bug spray on the canvas part of the tent as it quickly degrades the canvas.

Enjoy.

 

[Rick Courtright]

My biggest complaint were the teen tiny tires. 13 inch wheels and I replaced three or four of them. I only changed two tires when they hadn't blown.

Hi,

I've known a few people who used pop-ups quite a bit out in the desert. Some of the trailers they used had an option to replace the 13 inch wheels/tires with 14 inchers, and some will fit larger wheels even if they're not originally offered. The advertising hype is they'll add a half inch of ground clearance, but more importantly, tire life improves tremendously. Air pressure is always important with trailer tires to help keep 'em from overheating, and absolutely critical with any of those "little" ones, too. Some folks seem to think they can tow even the little 12 inchers at 65-70 or so for hours--makes one cringe. I see a lot of trailer tires that don't look like they've seen an air hose since they left the dealer's lot, and temps like we see predicted by this weekend, well into triple digits, can be all but guaranteed to take their toll on a few of 'em.

Rick C

 

[WAYNO]

We did the pop-up trailer thing too. Out West, we call them tent trailers. And for the record, for us, a camper is carried in the bed of a pickup.

It was nice, but after camping in the rain, which is often here, we had to bring it home and raise the tent to let it dry. Ya sure don't want to leave it put away wet.

Do you have a dry place where you can open it and let the tent part completely dry?

WAYNO.

 

[RonEgg]

Rick, the first one I blew, I had slowed down to take a turn onto a smaller road. As I stopped I looked in my side mirror and could see smoke. I pulled over and got out. The wheel was mangled, tire gone. After I changed it, I went back and followed the groove I had dug in the blacktop. Not sure how far back the tire blew, but the groove went for 1 1/2 miles. Diesel is loud and the truck could pull stumps. Real wheels and real tires are the way to go.

 

[ElToro]

this thread is timely, thanks for the advice. wife wants one. im an eagle scout and have always tent camped for my entire life including back packing. i too am not hip to paying full retail new. i want to take my family camping but im not gonna endure too many more whiney sessions from her or my daughter...

 

[pawpawcamo1958]

Spend the extra and get a small travel trailer. You will appreciate it in the long run.

 

[sebtool]

Check the canvas out thoroughly on a used camper. Look for bad seams, screens, and dry rot, and obviously, tears. Most can be repaired, but a replacement ain't cheap! Zippers need to be stout, and in good shape. Check the extension arms out real close, too. Make sure they're straight, not tweaked, and the pivot points are solid. They can be fun to mess with, considering all the spring tension on them.

We bought a pop up 15+ years ago from my in(out)-laws. Come to find out that the roof leaked. I ended up stripping it down to the frame and replacing the floor, and every side wall except the short section to the right of the door with 3/4" plywood. Also 3/4 of the roof side panels.

Check the corners real close for rotten wood from leaks. Major headache and expense.... Look for telltale silicone 'fixes'. Check the roof vent, too.

After that, have fun! I'd like to buy another, but the wife wants a hard side camper, so.... :roll:

 

[WAYNO]

Spend the extra and get a small travel trailer. You will appreciate it in the long run.

I very much agree here, too. :mrgreen:

WAYNO.

 

[redhawker]

Used to have an old Coleman tent trailer (pop up) and loved it. The only reason I got rid of it was that the seams finally rotted on it and every time I'd set it up one of the seams would rip opened. It was going to cost a bunch to have it re-covered. Rot of the canvas and/or seams would be the big thing. Also make sure they've done the maintenance on the wheel bearings.

 

[exavid]

One of the best pop-up truck campers on the road is the Alaskan. No fabric sections in them. They aren't cheap but you can often find a good deal in a used one. Nicely built and durable and good in any weather.
http://www.alaskancamper.com/

 

[Rick Courtright]

Rick, the first one I blew, I had slowed down to take a turn onto a smaller road. As I stopped I looked in my side mirror and could see smoke. I pulled over and got out. The wheel was mangled, tire gone. After I changed it, I went back and followed the groove I had dug in the blacktop. Not sure how far back the tire blew, but the groove went for 1 1/2 miles. Diesel is loud and the truck could pull stumps. Real wheels and real tires are the way to go.

Hi,

Ron, I think your experience mirrors a lot of folks': seems almost every "smaller" trailer I see on the side of the road with tire trouble has just a few strands left of a shredded tire! Never paid attention to how far the grooves in the asphalt go, but I have seen a fair number of them, too. I'm gonna have to pay more attention...

You know I'm not normally a member of the "There oughta be a law!" camp, but considering the heat here--which is no stranger to you, either--if they outlawed those 12" and 13" wheels and tires on trailers, I doubt I'd protest too loudly!

Rick C

 

[Rick Courtright]

One of the best pop-up truck campers on the road is the Alaskan. No fabric sections in them. They aren't cheap but you can often find a good deal in a used one. Nicely built and durable and good in any weather.

Hi,

Time was running into a guy with a 4wd pickup and an Alaskan on top was pretty much a guarantee of good stories of travel and adventure! Certainly not a wannabee or poser... I shot skeet with one of them in the early '70s, and he never ran out of tales. It was kinda like meeting an older Airstream trailer owner with a couple of Wally Byam's Caravan Club stickers in one of the windows. ;)

Rick C

 

[bigbob]

Here is a story, all TRUE. In 2012 we went up to MN from AZ to buy a NEW flagstaff pop up by Forest River. Brought it home in July of 2012 and put it in the garage, too hot to use it. Spring of 2013, we got a new truck so the pop up, 9 months old when on the side of the house on a concrete slab behind our brick wall--all houses in AZ have brick walls, mostly. We used it all spring and up until the end of May, 2013, then flew to my daughters home on the east coast for a month. Got home and glanced at it and it looked like the roof was sagged, let it be, looked at it in SEPT 2013 and the roof was caved in, remember now it was 1 yr and 2mo old, called Forest river, they said, OH, that is too bad, it should not be used where the temp exceeds 100*, WOOD/GLUE supports, TOO BAD it is over the 1 yr mark, NO WARRANTY, WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I called the DEALER in MN, he said WHAT!!!!!!! and within two hours I got a call, MAGICALLY it is covered. The co was right, NO ONE SELLS ANY FOREST RIVER PRODUCTS IN AZ, at least in Sun City or Peoria, lots of problems. Got the new roof on 4 months later and sold it in two weeks after that, no trailers after that, yet

 

[powder smoke]

Linda and I had a pop up for years, we enjoyed it very much.
I think all the previous advise pretty much covers it. One more point
to make if you plan to use it in cold weather up North get a travel trailer.
That is the only major down fall. ps

 

[Specs]

Spend the extra and get a small travel trailer. You will appreciate it in the long run.

I very much agree here, too. :mrgreen:

WAYNO.

Another vote for travel trailer here. I have owned every kind of camper at least twice, and a 24-28 foot travel trailer is by far the way to go. It will only take once for you taking it down in a rainstorm to realize your mistake. You should also consider the convenience of stopping for a single night stay. A travel trailer lets you just stop for the night, walk back to your trailer and then you can relax. On a longer stay you can make the travel trailer in "ready to go mode" the night before for an early getaway. Just raise stabilizers, hitch up your tv,roll up the awning, and voila: a five minute getaway in the morning.

 

[Dave P.]

I've been around a few popups over the years that were owned by family members.
Was able to use them when I wanted to and was the one who did the service on them.
They don't impress me....I'd get a hard side trailer.
You might want to rent one a few times before buying.
Dave P.

 

[twobit]

Lots of good advice above ^^^^^^
Years ago from 1991 to 1998 we had a Starcraft popup we bought new. Pulled it witha Bronco II and a Jeep Cherokee. Really enjoyed it. I had tent camped and hunted all my life prior to that and had been in Scouts also. Super improvement over a tent. Gets you off the ground and you have storage and furniture! Ours had a queen bed in one end and a double at the other. Cook top could be used indoors or out.

Sold it for almost what we bought it for. RV's experienced big price increases back then. Replaced it with a big 32 foot fifth wheel. We still miss the "outdoors" feeling the pop-up gave. The 5ver is a 1 bedroom apt. on wheels.

As mentioned, things to pay attention too;
1. If it smells musty it was probably put up wet and mold has set in = fabric ruined.
2. Soft spots in floors or walls indicate water leaks. Almost impossible to make right again.
3. Tires need replaced every five years regardless of miles. The DOT number on sidewalls is a date code (google tire age code).
4. If the RV type refrigerator or AC is bad, walk away or reduce the amount you will offer. Those are very expensive to replace. AC's are +- $600. Refrigerators that use propane are about the same. Porta-potti, small propane refrigerator and a roof AC would be my minimum requirements. Some roof AC's have heat strips or are heatpumps. DO NOT buy one someone has put a window AC in by cutting a hole in the wall.
Worst thing about pop-ups is that you have to pop them up. With other rvs you can stop at rest areas for lunch and use your own restroom and fix your own lunch and sit inside. Also if you travel where it takes several days to get somewhere (across the country) it is a real pain stopping for one night in an RV park, popping it up, sleeping, getting up and popping it down before you can get on your way for the day. That was what made us change to a fifth wheel, 2 1/2 days (1800 miles one way) to travel to see family for a couple of weeks then 2 1/2 days to get home. Now with a fifth wheel we just pull into a walmart, fire up the generator and overnight. No setting up and tearing down.

One style that was not available when we bought ours was the lightweight small RV's that have tent ends but hard sides. Those are nice and can be entered and used without opening the beds. Don't take a soft side popup into bear country.

You will enjoy a pop-up.

 

[mohavesam]

Also, make sure your vehicle can pull it. Popups come with a gross weight sticker, but sometimes it gets lost. It pays to take it to a truck stop to get weighted.

And that means having new or near-new BRAKES all around whenever you pull a trailer!
I used a new pop-up for several seasons, all around the Great Lakes to Maine and the Adirondack bear hunts. Improved insulation means you can snooze comfortably in 10-degree weather.

 

[Cooperhawk]

We have a diesel pusher 36 ft motorhome, but we started with tents and then a Starcraft Pop-up. Normal progression I believe.

The pop-up was great but too cold in the Winter and in rainy weather it was just too small for four folks to hole up.

Next was a hard top tandem travel trailer. Really nice but no AC. It was small but slept our family of four just fine. Room for a TV in rainy weather.

Next we downgraded to a Scamp. Waaaaay too small and crowded.

Finally our first motorhome. An Airstream diesel. 35 ft, AC, TV, all the bells and whistles. Really narrow. Had to turn sideways to pass one another.

Now we have the big DP. Really great. All the bells and whistles.

We upgraded as we could afford it and our family size changed. You probably will as well. All good advice on this forum.

 

[K1500]

I agree with the sentiment of buying a small hard side unless you are severely limited by your tow vehicle. A popup is great for a small tow rig and it buys you a lot of bed space in a small towed form. Since it is just the two of you, bed space isn't what you need. I rented a deluxe, high wall popup with a slide to see if I liked it. I wound up with a hard side and love it. In addition, there are places out West you cannot camp in a popup due to bears.

 

[Cooperhawk]

My DW was always afraid to sleep next to the canvas. She though a bear would bite her right through the side of the tent.

Course if you have food in the pop-up they will tear it open to get at it. :shock:

 

[Badger Matt]

Can't you guys just all agree on the same thing? :roll:

Giving serious thought to a small, used hard-sided trailer. I was headed toward the pop-up for easy towing and storage (garage as we're in a HOA neighborhood). That said, my folks just arrived for a visit with their motorhome and I found an inexpensive storage lot for them to use. Might just make a hard-sided trailer an option for us.

Thanks guys. This place is great...

 

[Cooperhawk]

You won't be sorry. In the end you would have upgraded to one anyone if you're like the rest of us. Just check out the frig, heater, AC, ect. and make sure they work before buying. They can be expensive to repair or replace.

Also check and see how old the tires are. We always replace ours after six or seven years and they tend to blow out from age after that.

Will you need a stabilizer hitch? Check on that as well as they can get spendy.