Pop Up Camper (1 Viewer)

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Pop Ups are great, we started in a $4000 Jayco and upgraded to a Fleetwood Niagara earlier this year. The Jayco did the job, but what I have now is so much nicer with a toilet, hardwall shower, water heater, oven, microwave, heat, a/c, and a slideout dinette. It's more than I really wanted to spend but the room is nice b/c another couple can go with us and now that my son has been born it will be nice to have that extra room for sure. It's big though at 19' long folded and about 3600 pounds loaded. Pics can be seen here:

http://community.webshots.com/album/294533330syqYaP
 
Thanks for the info. I was wondering if having the toilet was really worth it or a pain. Seems we have different opinions here.
 
Romer said:
Thanks for the info. I was wondering if having the toilet was really worth it or a pain. Seems we have different opinions here.
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The toilet in mine is nice b/c it is a cassette that dumps into a sealed unit-no messy blackwater hoses to mess around with. Some of the newest ones have a real toilet with the blackwater holding tank, but I prefer the cassette for it's simplicty and ease of dumping-takes maybe a minute and no mess at all.

For towing purposes, my 4Runner has the 3.4 V6 (stock-no mods), 5spd, 33's, 4.88 gears, and tons of weight (custom rear bumper, arb front bumper, winch, full atermarket skids, sliders, custom cargobox, tons of tools, etc) so it's heavy, but not as heavy as an 80. I have no trouble towing the 3600 pounds at 75 mph on the interstate and through the mountains around NC, GA and Tellico. I ralize it would be different at the elevations out west, but an 80 should tow this camper just as easy, if not easier than me. I get about 15-16 mpg when not towing and about 12-13 mpg when towing the camper to Tellico, and I don't baby the shifter when towing.
 
Romer said:
Thanks for the info. I was wondering if having the toilet was really worth it or a pain. Seems we have different opinions here.
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Mine has a cassette toilet.
It came in very handy when I used it at the beach -- well...the only time I've used it.
The girls (my wife and daughters) really appreciated having something. Personally...I just used the pit toilet up on the hill...

If you plan on going anywhere with women...I strongly consider either having a toilet in the trailer or getting something like a pett unit AND the enclosure.
 
Romer said:
Thanks I have been looking at those forums. Wasn't sure what a Cassette Toilet is so I googled it:

http://www.lewisgray.com/Sanitation_products/Cassette_Toilets/howitworks.htm
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I don't know if they're all the same, but mine is the exact unit shown in that link.

Dumping is easy.
Cleaning is a bit messier...but I'm sort of a clean freak when it comes to stuff like this.

I used latex gloves...it wasn't too difficult. Rinsed it out a few times with fresh water after I shook a bit of water/bleach solution around in there.
 
Hey Doug,
Does your RT have electric brakes on it?
Went to the local dealer here in Ventura, and they only carry the Evo's , no Starcrafts.

Nearest guy is in Lompoc, and he's got none for a while, and the dealer in Irvine was no help either.

Did you have any damage after SnT and the drive home? noticed someone replaced alot of gear, what are your thoughts?
 
PabloVTA said:
Hey Doug,
Does your RT have electric brakes on it?
Went to the local dealer here in Ventura, and they only carry the Evo's , no Starcrafts.

Nearest guy is in Lompoc, and he's got none for a while, and the dealer in Irvine was no help either.

Did you have any damage after SnT and the drive home? noticed someone replaced alot of gear, what are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
I think the Evolution is very nice and it would've been my next option if the Starcraft dealer didn't want to deal. IIRC, the Evolution has a small deck on the front of the rig -- which is handy. The E2 has a larger deck so you can haul more stuff. The evolution is nice too because you don't have to unload your gear (or at a minimum, move it around)from the deck to support the front bed platform.

I don't recall all the features of the Evo anymore, but I do recall they were comparable with what Starcraft and Jayco (on the baja) offered.

I had no damage, per se from S-n-T. I did have some issues from my broken exhuast mounts. When I tried climbing up some of the larger dunes, my exhaust got pushed up into my CB antenna cable and my wiring loom for my license plate light.
The problem I had was that the insulation on the wires melted (as did the plastic split loom) from the heat of the exhaust. Somewhere along the way home, I blew a tail light fuse...which led to a fix-it ticket...and some rewiring this past weekend.

I don't know of anyone having problems/damage from this past S-n-T (aside from the guy with the sweet red 45), but it's not unheard of.
 
NorCalDoug said:
I don't know of anyone having problems/damage from this past S-n-T (aside from the guy with the sweet red 45), but it's not unheard of.
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There was a minor accident that Devin and I saw where an 80 crested a dune and rolled into another 80. The parked 80 had an ARB bumper and the moving 80 did not. They hit each other on the front passengers side corner. The ARB'd 80 as far as I could tell only had a few scrapes on the bumper. The stock 80 dented and or bent its: bumper, fender, metal part under the grill, corner light. I still wonder what would have happened if they both had ARBs.
 
The new one from Airstream looks cool.
http://www.airstream.com

Here is a link to the brochure.
http://www.airstream.com/airstream/company/docs/AS_BC_ss.pdf
buzz_basecamp.jpg
 
My thinking is along the same line as Phil. We borrowed a friend's popup that's probably as old as I am:crybaby: to see what we liked about the popup thing. It was delightful to not worry about the elements and have a nice place to hang out. That trip took us to Sedona and we mixed it up wth boondock camping and organized camping. I didn't know that they have wireless access in campgrounds these days :eek: It was also very nice not to have to stuff the vehicle with bunch of stuff.

Ali
popup.jpg
 
Romer,

Just saw this thread. Like Doug, I also have an 11RT. Bought it last April. I have a wife and 3 girls and it is wonderful for us (Persoanlly, I wanted a roof top tent). It hauls everything we need, which is a lot considering the crap that must be hauled for women/children. :eek: The toilet is nice for the women.

When we started out searching for an RV, we were looking at them all– diesel pushers, Class C’s, A’s, B’s, trailers. One thing that was important to me was storage. I live in a neighborhood were my HOA says trailers cannot be left outside. I was not going to pay for storage somewhere either, so the popup fits nicely in my garage- no other RV type could. We also contemplated the Baja and Evo, but went with the Starcraft.

Another reason for getting a bathroom in a popup, is that the interest in tax-deductible. Of course, check with your accountant first, but for me, it is. A plus for financing it and they can be spread out for up to 15 years.

Other notes:
– They came out in 2004, but the water tank is only 5 gallons compared to the 19 gallons on the 2005 and newer. This is a huge difference.
-They do have electric brakes. Check with your state if a brake controller is required. It is too light for it to be mandatory in Missouri, but I have one anyhow which really makes it much safer.
-Wherever I go, people are always coming up to me asking me if I built it– I wish. So, I have to explain that Starcraft makes these. Prepare for conversations/stares.

We are extremely pleased with ours and use it quite often. If you are looking for an RV, get one that meets your needs/wants. There will be trade offs that will need to be made.
Best of luck.
Jason
 
The Aliners are nice for a couple and the set up is the best. My parents have the Expedition model. They are not family friendly. Just not enough floor space.

We went with a Starcraft which isn't what we wanted but it fit our budget. I did as SOA on it. I'm going to replace the axle and springs this spring. It isn't really an off road trailer and never will be. Even the off road models aren't really an off road trailer, but more of a dirt road trailer. The Jaycos are a lot nicer. Really I think they build the nicest pop ups right now.

All of them have crappy particle board cabinets and cheap hardware. At least the US made ones. They have to use cheap materials as labor is still high. I would buy it as stripped as you can get it. The fridges pretty much last a year or two and that is it. They are junk. ARB cooler would be a better investment.

Night and day difference in family attitude. My wife likes to camp in the trailer.

Just don't pull in to camp with your buddies at 3 AM in the morning and start cranking it up.
 
dingdong said:
The new one from Airstream looks cool.
http://www.airstream.com

Here is a link to the brochure.
http://www.airstream.com/airstream/company/docs/AS_BC_ss.pdf
Click to expand...

Airstream is the only quality built camper I've come across. After seeing one of these everything else is junk. The Bambi Internationals are really cool. We saw a 2005 when we were camping. It had the solar panels and everything. The windows and fans automatically turn on to regulate temperature and close if it starts to rain. But at 45k they are way out of my price range.

Our little Starcraft does the job and we like it but it is not a quality unit.
 
You've got a vintage rig, so get a vintage trailer. They're cool, and a lot cheaper than anything new. Here's ours, It's a 1961 Traveleze Playmate. Picked it up for around $1000 as is.

9c66.jpg
 
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Thanks guys.

bigjhoov, can't see your pics. Red X's to me.

I was thinking of a Jayco Baja or a 10rt, but this 2nd home info is interesting. I looked it up under IRS pub 936 and it does say Mobile trailer with Bed and bathroom counts. Is the only benifit interest deduction on taxes?
 
You can decuct the interest from the trailer, as long as it "has sleeping, cooking, and toilet facilities", according to Publication 936. You will have to determine what these are. I have read articles where people have gotten a basic popup trailer and added a $80 port-a-pottie to meet the IRS' requirements. It is all in what you interpret, as the IRS has not given specific regulations regarding this (the last time I checked anyway). I sincerely doubt that the IRS will audit people and come and look at their "second home", being that "A home includes a house, condominium, cooperative, mobile home, house trailer, boat, or similar property...". There are a lot of people with boats and RVs and it would be cost-effective IMO.

Airsreams are sweet. Besides storage, the other reason we did not pursue a Bambi was the weight. The 19', after loading all of the gear, was too close to the FZJ80's max towing capacity of 5000lbs for my personal comfort level and the 16' was a little TOO cozy for the family.
 
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