Standard pop up or Offroad pop up?

[rcintx]

My wife, son (3yo) and I are considering getting a pop up camper. We have at least 1 4 day weekend a month and want to make use of the time to get out of town and not be in a hotel, while we can.

We are at a crossroads... My wife wants to stick to a standard pop up, mainly because they are about half the cost of the offroad models we have found. Either option is used.

I of course want the offroad model. I have seen a few offroad models on here, and seen a few for sale. Is there a reason to get or not get an offroad model?

I don't plan on doing any hardcore offroading with it. I mainly want the larger wheels and tires, and beefed up frame. The deck on the front would be a plus as well for carrying bikes or firewood.

Opinions? Advice?

 

[Septu]

I think it comes down to how often you'll need the beefed up frame and whatnot. I bought a m101 that's offroad worthy... however I'm honest enough to admit that 95% of the time I use it, I could have gotten away with something that wasn't as beefy. But that was what I wanted, and the price was right.

But then I refused to consider something where I would have to leave the trailer at the trail head (I don't really do hardcore trails) because I couldn't tow it down the trail. There's likely times I will leave it... but I didn't what to have to leave it. But that was my requirement for a trailer.

If I ever upgrade to a teardrop (which I would love to do at some point... but damn they're expensive), it would again be one that I could haul down the trail (So-Cal, Moby, etc).

 

[navigator]

a compromise might be buying a standard pop-up that had a layout that would lend it to be easier to upgrade to off-road capable at a later time.

It would let you get a pop up you could use now and make sure that your family enjoys it and then she might be more open to getting off the beaten path later on.

One other thought is maybe a RTT would work for you. You can likely get a RTT that will comfortably sleep the 3 of you and store your gear in your tow vehicle. If you add on a changing room annex you could put a table or more kids later on. The advantage of the RTT is that later on you could add an off-road trailer and move the tent there if you like.

 

[rcintx]

Thanks for the replies.

I posted this question last night, and then continued doing some research. One con I have found to the offroad setups is that they have the metal storage area on the front. At least most of them do. This is 5' of length to deal with in the total length of the rig. While it would be nice to put firewood, coolers, etc there, I have a truck bed for that and would rather have less weight on the tongue and less overall length.

I posed an RTT to the wife a while back and she basically said, why not just put a tent on the ground if were were going to do that. For where we have gone so far, I had to agree. I would love to have a teardrop, but don't know where the kid would fit. Is there room for 3 in any of them?

I like the idea of buying something a little cheaper and making sure this is something that I my family is going to enjoy. If so, in a couple of years we would have a good idea of what we liked, or didn't, and could change directions if need be.


On a side note: I setup and took pictures of a couple of tents I own to sell on craigslist last night. It has been longer than I care to admit since I used one. My son and I laid down in one and acted like we were camping and I realized, I really love being in a tent with open mesh... I think I will have to hang onto one of the backpacking tents and introduce him to that style of camping when the time comes. I think it was the smell that brought back all of the memories of nights under the stars. Weird huh.

 

[Septu]

Having recently moved to an RTT... I can say that I'll almost never willingly choose to camp in a regular tent again - unless that's the only option (kayak trip, remote hiking trip). It's just too convenient and too comfy being off the ground to ever go back. Getting in/out drunk is kinda interesting though.

 

[madmax718]

Ive narrowed down the problem of a RTT: (for me).

Pissing in the middle of the night.

 

[Ozarker]

RTTs are cool! Doubt you'd ever get a copperhead in one. Rattlesnakes are different, I found one on top of an A/C unit on a second story window! They aren't for me either, I'm too old to fall off a ladder on my 2:00 AM trip, especially if Bud or Jack was around.

I have no idea why a pop-up could not be modified to use off road. Where off road? Since they aren't built to take a pounding, as the walls, ceiling/top, furniture, whatever, would/may come apart. For some of the trips I've seen it seems like the whole unit needs to be considered for the abuse. Guess you need to define what the use will be, what the expectations are in reality. You might be able to tow an old Hi-Lo, beef up the springs, wheels a tires and get a little more GC. I'm looking at one later today just for that purpose. Decided I'm never going to be running 50 mph over some field or most dirt, so what's the purpose?

Have you considered a hard sided pop-up? Winter outings might be more comfortable too.

 

[bunger]

..One con I have found to the offroad setups is that they have the metal storage area on the front. At least most of them do. This is 5' of length to deal with in the total length of the rig. While it would be nice to put firewood, coolers, etc there, I have a truck bed for that and would rather have less weight on the tongue and less overall length.

A longer length is not a CON.
It is much easier to backup and control a longer wheelbase on a trailer than a short wheelbase.

 

[navigator]

I think usually on the off-road trailers the tongue length is made to the ideal length and the tongue box is just to take advantage of the space used. One mod a lot of guys on here do is replace the tongue with a receiver so they can adjust the tongue length long for towing and short for off-roading/storage.

 

[rcintx]

More information and answering some questions.

Primary Uses:
Weekend getaways to lakes, mountains, rivers.
All of these will be on maintained dirt roads or using campgrounds.

Possible use would be to head to the beach once a year. No idea if this will happen, but possibly.

Unfortunately in the great state of Texas there are not a lot of trails with camping in the middle of nowhere. There are a few, but not many. So primarily, this camper would be on maintained roads or pavement and used as a basecamp for biking, hiking, and fishing. Might make it out to a hunting lease a couple of times a year in the fall.

Thansk again for all of the replies.

 

[OGL]

Last year I did what I think you're aiming at. I paid ~$1400 for a 1985 Starcraft popup. It was in excellent shape. I swapped out the old torsion axle for a solid axle with leaf springs and I added shocks. I reinforced the frame in some obvious weak spots. We then took it 6000 miles to the west coast and back. Due to "real life" etc I haven't touched it since. But I'm going today to get it out of storage.

I have some ideas to reinforce the box which should easily keep it together in the worst of what I'll ever drive through towing with a stock Forester. But it got us in and out of Tuweep (north rim Grand Canyon). And I wouldn't hesitate to do that again or even get more adventurous. I honestly think the vibrations from washboard roads did more damage than twisting forces of ruts, hills or rocks.

My wife LOVES it which means I get carte blanche for just about any mods I make to the trailer or car. The car has skid plates front, trans and rear diff, which were definitely tested. Got the scars to prove it. In a year or two I'll likely lift the car 1" and invest in a set of better tires.

I don't have a "build thread" per se, but here are some details and discussions:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/83012-Very-short-shocks-Pop-up-camper-conversion

and a fun pic from that trip:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/85086-Thank-you!

The time to buy is in the fall when people decide they don't want to store it another year. Prices skyrocket in Spring and Summer and good ones go quick.

 

[rcintx]

OGL,

Just checked out your build and the pic. That looks fantastic. I think you did a great job.

I tried to go down this road for the last few years. I have looked at a countless older pop ups that were cheap. My plan was to put a new axle on it just like you did. However, everything I looked at was in terrible shape. My wife looked at a few with me and we decided to bump up our budget a bit to get a little a little newer and better shape camper. I'm not sure why, but it seems like around here popups are used into the ground before being sold.

 

[teejaywhy]

FWIW...

We purchased our 2005 Baja 10Z new. The same floorplan in a "standard" popup (1006) was essentially the same price but with some added amenities. The Baja was a no brainer for me. The 10Z has the smaller cargo deck, similar to the Fleetwood Evolution E1.

For some reason, most of the mfgrs, have dropped the smaller models in favor of the ones with the large decks. It also seems that the popup mfgrs have steadily added "RV" style features that bloat the size and weight and cost and really IMO moves the popup away from what I think its ideal use which is a lightweight "camping" trailer.

Anyway, I think both Jayco and Fleetwood made the small deck models in the period 2004-2008. Starcraft also made the 10RT but it had no cargo deck at all.

Popups are great for basecamp style camping. Not ideal for the overnight / expedition type camping. Setup/teardown is the issue.

We do 90% of our camping boondocking in the National Forests of Arizona. The "off-road" setup is perhaps overkill, but allows worry free travels down most any fire road. I should point out that I do see all manner of stock setups out in the backwoods. But the "spring-over-axle" is a very popular mod and pretty easy to do.

 

[MaverickTRD]

post pictures! Are you in the Phoenix area? The littledealer near my house always has a couple of offroad popups that catch my eye. Haven't been able to decide if I want that or a hard side though.
Also, since it was new...did you go through a dealer? if so would you mind posting the price you were able to walk away with? If not, no biggie!

 

[Longtallsally]

Our solution was a Fleetwood Evolution 1 (yes, one of the off road versions). We absolutely love it. I love it b/c I can fit a dirt bike on the front, and the boss loves it b/c it makes things easier with the baby. We got a 2005 for a good price ($6000 I think) and I think was worth it.

However, from what you described the usage will be, it doesn't sound like you need it to be off road- even in a mild sense. That said, I'd find one (on or off road) that has the options you want and go from there. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see mention of your budget. Obviously you can get a nice setup like OGL did for a really cheap price, but as you have found, that is rare for one that is not ratted out and will take a good bit of work and $$$ to make sure you don't get a staph infection.

I wouldn't do a RTT on an "expedition" trailer as those friggin' things are really kinda silly for what they cost in being a glorified utility trailer, and if you've got a baby, I'm sure you guys don't like those risks. We can put ours down for a nap, and hang out outside and not worry about him falling 5+ feet.