I'm a new member of the camper crowd ...

[jeffryscott]

Well, sort of. We purchased a pop up tent camper today. Not expedition rugged, but for my wife, it is a nice compromise to get us out into the wild or to the beach. She isn't a fan of the RTT I have, so in thinking of vacation plans for the summer I suggested a pop up and she got excited, and immediately was planning a trip to Monument Valley and southern Utah.

So, in the spirit of the Portal, I'm already trying to figure out mods and upgrades. The basics are it has a 3-burner propane stove, that can be used both inside and out, on-board water storage (don't know how many gallons) with hand pump for the faucet and an ice box. It seems, just guessing, that it has a king, queen and double bed so gives us lots of space to spread out and be comfortable in inclement weather.

Anybody with pop-up experience that can offer ideas and advice, I'd appreciate it.

 

[Rexsname]

The Pop-up-Portal forum has some good stuff.....check it out.

REX

 

[Sportsman Matt]

Welcome to the RV crowd. First thing I would look into is swapping the Ice box for a gas or 12v fridge. Iceboxes are ok for one or two nights in fairly cool climates, but if you are out in hot weather, the ice boxes are only good for several hours to one day before needing more ice. I'm working on getting a new fridge in place of the Ice Box I bought last year to replace the OEM two way fridge that went after 19 years in my truck camper.

The other thing is to check the canvas, maybe run a sprinkler outside to simulate rain and check for leaks, I had a Pop Up trailer and found that I needed to waterproof the canvas yearly, using the same silicone spray that they use on convertable tops for cars.

Also make sure the lug nuts or lug bolts all can be removed, watch for L and R on Lug Bolts, L on the bolt head indicates Left hand thread.

A site for lots of information on RV's and Pop Ups is www.rv.net/forums

Good luck

 

[jeffryscott]

thanks for the suggestions, those have lots of info.

 

[DaktariEd]

Way to go, Jeff! :victory:
I'll bet the girls are just waaay too excited playing in that thing! :bike_rider:

 

[jeffryscott]

Way to go, Jeff! :victory:
I'll bet the girls are just waaay too excited playing in that thing! :bike_rider:

Oh man, are they ever. More importantly, my wife is excited about getting out. Between the RTT and the bumpy roads, she can't handle either too well, so this will be nice. I may not be able to get as remote as I'd always like, but at least we can get away to some cool places.:victory:

 

[muladzh]

Cute looking camper.. I had one a long time ago, and it worked out fine - I had some problems with the canvas, until I started looking after it properly. I took off the torsion axle and put a heavier duty leaf spring system from a utility trailer, with brakes and such, fitted 16 inch tires, and played happily around the areas in Colorado where I lived, and Moab area in Utah. Unfortunately, I had it, played with it, and sold it long before digital cameras existed, and I was very bad at using film. So, no photos. Now I have a digital camera and everything I own is photographed a thousand times.

 

[roscoFJ73]

Oh man, are they ever. More importantly, my wife is excited about getting out. Between the RTT and the bumpy roads, she can't handle either too well, so this will be nice. I may not be able to get as remote as I'd always like, but at least we can get away to some cool places.:victory:

Dont forget the camera Families have the fondest memories of when the car and camper is fully loaded and your off on an adventure.:sombrero:

 

[smkymntn]

After owning a similar model- the best advice I can give you is take your time when setting it up. Be 100% sure it is level. Invest in stands and a good level. The weakest point on any popup is the lift system. I had too many trips ruined by broken cables. Good luck with it. :ylsmoke:

 

[98roamer]

http://www.popupexplorer.com/

 

[Radio]

I love our pop-up camper! We have a Fleetwood E1. It is good fun and easy to manage. Our best investment was a broom (clean trailers are happy trailers).
We have a 3-way fridge in ours, and it was a saviour in the summer when the truck broke down and the camper had to sit in the sun with our food for 2 days... nice and cool.