Didn't see a it answered. Guessing on a smaller truck or an 1/2 ton the pop up helps save weight. But on a 3/4 ton or 1 ton what are the advantages. I had a pop up camper and a regular camper. The regular was much more convenient and from pics the pop up camper seems similar. What am I missing?
Pop up versus hard side in full size truck.
- Thread starter draaronr
- Start date
craig333
Expedition Leader
Still weight. Height. Less wind resistance plus the ablility to fit in smaller places. Example:
Just because I can carry more weight doesn't mean I want to. Weight distribution. Most of use make good use of dirt roads (or more) and not being top heavy is a huge advantage offroad.
Just because I can carry more weight doesn't mean I want to. Weight distribution. Most of use make good use of dirt roads (or more) and not being top heavy is a huge advantage offroad.
seeNik48
Adventurer
We started out in the pop up camper realm with a Four Wheel Camper Eagle on a '99 Tacoma 4x4 extended cab 4 cylinder. Folks at another forum warned us about braking and power. We didn't have the funds to buy a full-sized truck at the time. Long story short: our load was a bit over with 2 people, dog, gear, full fuel and water tanks, etc. Airbags did help. We did have some trouble climbing Highway 20 over the Cascade Mountains. My husband has back pain and our truck rode like a truck. The main concern was when we came out of a tunnel too fast and the braking wasn't as secure as it could have been and we did some sliding. I have nothing but good comments on our Eagle and it found an owner who had a 2012 Nissan 6 cylinder. I miss it. The Tacoma is our daily driver.
We took a deep breath, said life is short and bought our 2008 F250 (Super Duty, 4x4, extended cab, diesel, off road package, series E tires, etc.). We also bought a new Hallmark Ute as hubby wanted an electric roof (bad back again) and it had more options. He is happy and that is what counts. I tend to like simple and drove the Taco/FWC and camped in it at several music festivals (great base for my photography). Our new combo is more comfortable and has more room. I am a bit hesitant at driving the Beast as I have always driven smaller trucks (Toyota since 1991). Maybe on a 2 lane backroad with no drop offs or switchbacks.
It does have a longer wheelbase but we were able to drive the Burr Trail switchbacks down a few turns then do a 5 point turnaround. Fuel mileage is worse of course. It is not as easy to stealth camp in the city. Braking is great, power to pass and to climb passes no problem. It does have a profile but we had no problems with wind driving across Wyoming on I80 last fall. It was hailing and blowing hard like it can and our only issue was trying to avoid semis with pups. I hate that freeway.
I am sure a newer small truck would give you more power and better braking. Probably more room. I noticed a difference in size from our 1984 Toyota compared to the '99.
I am glad we switched for safety and comfort reasons. I feel safer in a bigger truck and fewer people in little cars seem to try left hand turns in front of you. Unless they have a death wish and it will be more imposing when we get our replacement bumper/grill guard. We can still go just about anywhere a smaller rig can. Maybe not an infamous pass in Colorado. But, hey, the west is vast and we won't get to all the off roads. One issue was that we pay more for Washington state ferry fares due to height. I don't remember how much, maybe $10-$20?
We took a deep breath, said life is short and bought our 2008 F250 (Super Duty, 4x4, extended cab, diesel, off road package, series E tires, etc.). We also bought a new Hallmark Ute as hubby wanted an electric roof (bad back again) and it had more options. He is happy and that is what counts. I tend to like simple and drove the Taco/FWC and camped in it at several music festivals (great base for my photography). Our new combo is more comfortable and has more room. I am a bit hesitant at driving the Beast as I have always driven smaller trucks (Toyota since 1991). Maybe on a 2 lane backroad with no drop offs or switchbacks.
It does have a longer wheelbase but we were able to drive the Burr Trail switchbacks down a few turns then do a 5 point turnaround. Fuel mileage is worse of course. It is not as easy to stealth camp in the city. Braking is great, power to pass and to climb passes no problem. It does have a profile but we had no problems with wind driving across Wyoming on I80 last fall. It was hailing and blowing hard like it can and our only issue was trying to avoid semis with pups. I hate that freeway.
I am sure a newer small truck would give you more power and better braking. Probably more room. I noticed a difference in size from our 1984 Toyota compared to the '99.
I am glad we switched for safety and comfort reasons. I feel safer in a bigger truck and fewer people in little cars seem to try left hand turns in front of you. Unless they have a death wish and it will be more imposing when we get our replacement bumper/grill guard. We can still go just about anywhere a smaller rig can. Maybe not an infamous pass in Colorado. But, hey, the west is vast and we won't get to all the off roads. One issue was that we pay more for Washington state ferry fares due to height. I don't remember how much, maybe $10-$20?
Kowboy
Adventurer
The perfect answer.
How so? Takes my cordless drill less than a minute to run the top up on my Hallmark. Small price to pay for all the benefits so wisely listed above. Other than that ... just make sure to watch your head goin' out the door.
I've lived in two dif'rent top-of-the-line Lance cabovers and now live in my pop up. Glad I made the change.
perfect I appreciate it. I guess what's the benefits of a hard side? I want to put surfboards on top, and then want to be able to stay warm in the winter. 15 degrees at the lowest. I was hoping for a shower and a toilet in it as well
Once unlatched I can have my FWC top in in seconds with a 65# kayak on top sometimes.
tanglefoot
ExPoseur
Hard-sides do tend to have quite a bit more storage space, with the overhead cabinets, full-height closet, sometimes a larger fridge, etc. The hard-side has much more storage volume in the cabover while underway than a pop-up. The pop-ups do have a more open feel, though, due to the lack of all those cabinets and the inclusion of the large, window areas in the softwall.
I think pop-ups may be easier to get away with keeping in a neighborhood. They're less conspicuous and don't have people waving the "no RV parking" flag as quickly as a hard-side.
COG is not always hugely different between hard-sides and pop-ups, but the wind load advantage of a pop-up while underway is definitely notable.
I prefer sleeping in the cabover of a pop-up, as the front wall is completely vertical. I find it less claustrophobic-feeling than the angles built into the front of the hard-side cabovers.
I don't think there's a clear winner for everyone--just lots of considerations.
I think pop-ups may be easier to get away with keeping in a neighborhood. They're less conspicuous and don't have people waving the "no RV parking" flag as quickly as a hard-side.
COG is not always hugely different between hard-sides and pop-ups, but the wind load advantage of a pop-up while underway is definitely notable.
I prefer sleeping in the cabover of a pop-up, as the front wall is completely vertical. I find it less claustrophobic-feeling than the angles built into the front of the hard-side cabovers.
I don't think there's a clear winner for everyone--just lots of considerations.
F350
Observer
I've also had both. Started with a 9.5 foot hardside. It was nice with all of its storage and amenities but at 4000lbs wet, going off the beating path wasn't going to happen...at least not where I wanted to go. Got rid of it, camped less, and when I did camp, I took a tent. Now that I finally got my FWC it's everything I thought it would be and more. It's not real big but it's forced me to scale down what I take which isn't a bad thing. Besides I spend most of my time outside so I how big does it need to be?
In the last year I've been able to go anywhere I wanted in comfort and minimal setup. I've spent a little money on things like backpacking cookware, chairs and a rollup table but I see that as one time deal. I've noticed a minimal change in MPG's and as others have said, it's so much more easy to haul around which makes me use it more. Impromptu one nighters is no problem.
My 2 cents...
In the last year I've been able to go anywhere I wanted in comfort and minimal setup. I've spent a little money on things like backpacking cookware, chairs and a rollup table but I see that as one time deal. I've noticed a minimal change in MPG's and as others have said, it's so much more easy to haul around which makes me use it more. Impromptu one nighters is no problem.
My 2 cents...
craig333
Expedition Leader
For me stealth camping means the top is down. Not really camping, just climb inside for a night before continuing on. Wind is really no issue. They handle it fine. As for cold I'd recommend doing some searches here. Lots of discussion about cold. I don't do really cold very often so instead of the extra insulation and stuff some do I just let the heater do its thing.
bob91yj
Resident **************
We haven't had our pop up camper out in single digit temps, but we've done a few nights of below freezing weather with howling winds with no issues. We don't usually leave the heat on at night, reach out of the bedroom into the hallway :sombrero: and turn the thermostat up before we roll out of the sack to warm things up in the morning. My furnace will run me out of the camper after a few minutes. We keep a small electric heater in the camper for the occasions that we are hooked up to shore power, that works perfect for us.