To pop up or NOT to pop up

[Mickey Bitsko]

If I was going to "build " one or the other, I would find one used and abused for cheap, gut it, then make it fit my purpose.
If you have the skills you can rebuild a softside pop-up to a hardside pop-up.
Starting from scratch from what I've seen is a pita.
With inflation, not sure you can have it your way for 10k.
One thing nice about old rigs, rv or trucks, you dont need to worry
dents or scratches.

 

[Ozarker]

Another vote for the Alaskan Camper, hard sided pop up, that should fit well with your truck, my F-150 would be a bit weak for that one.

And, agree that buying vs building will be more economical, go now instead of months of building, and I'm sure it will be months.

In the future, I doubt many would pay top dollar for any DIY camper, I doubt you'd ever get close to what you put in it. If you could find a used Alaskan, you're getting a quality camper that is well known. Tweek that to your desires and you'll have a much better investment.

 

[rruff]

I’m in the planning phases of a truck camper build for my 2500 long bed crew cab Cummins. My main design factors revolve around off-roadability.

For the concern of clearance primarily and to a lesser extent fuel economy, I am considering a pop up. For all other reasons, a hard side seems to make more sense.

Current build plans either direction I chose will likely be aluminum exterior over steel space frame.

I favor hardside, since it's simpler and not that difficult to make work since you are going custom.You are building a steel frame, so you can fairly easily make it quite robust for knocking tree branches out of the way. Have you considered an exoskeleton with panels bonded internally? The custom Everlander build and the Aterra are examples of this. I think both use Nidacore panels, PP honeycomb core and fiberglass skins. Those don't have the greatest thermal performance if you will be camping in extreme conditions, so foam cores would be better in that case.

Another "trick" is to not put fragile stuff like solar panels, window hatches, and roof vents on top... unless they are well protected. This goes for pop-ups too actually... easy to make a hardside more capable of surviving low branches than most people's pop-up setups. And more aero for that matter.

 

[Ozarker]

I thought you said you closed that roof vent!

 

[Mickey Bitsko]

Zero $ starter kit

 

[AbleGuy]

I came across a 1990 Jayco sportster and a 1999 Hallmark Ute 8.5; which raises the question of which make is considered to be built better.

Not only asking specifically about these two, but generally. What is the hierarchy of pop up camper build quality of mass produced campers? By mass produced, I mean something regularly found on Craigslist i.e. FWC being the smallest up to larger companies like Jayco…

This could help:

Four Wheel Camper - A Review

I wanted to put together a review of sorts on Four Wheel Campers as the information on the 'Net for these highly desirable campers is surprisingly scarce. This report will focus on my lengthy search for a used unit plus the reasons I chose and purchased my Eagle model camper. I've only owned the...

expeditionportal.com

 

[1000arms]

Road Trip?

Capri Cowboy Camper FREE TO GOOD HOME to any Expo Member!

Got the Capri Cowboy Camper home and had my woodworker friend take a look. He said no problem to repair it HOWEVER it would be at least 3 months before he could get to it. I am too damn impatient to wait that long so the Capri is now FREE to any Expo member if anyone is interested. The bottom...

expeditionportal.com

 

[mkish]

A kid and dog mean you carry more stuff. A popup is less storage-friendly than a hard side. You miss those wall cabinets. All the stuff fits, but there is more shuffling and it can get maddening. (It's not me. I always put things where they go. It's the people I camp with!)

I still prefer the popup.

 

[SuperAwesomeDOOD]

Road Trip?

Capri Cowboy Camper FREE TO GOOD HOME to any Expo Member!

Got the Capri Cowboy Camper home and had my woodworker friend take a look. He said no problem to repair it HOWEVER it would be at least 3 months before he could get to it. I am too damn impatient to wait that long so the Capri is now FREE to any Expo member if anyone is interested. The bottom...

expeditionportal.com

I took a look. Price is right, but if I can’t stand up in it, I’d just get a topper locally. There’s a Caravan Camper shell type (full rear door) for $150 on CL that I thought once or twice about.

 

[simple]

I've been skeptical of pop ups in the NW. 9 months of the year they will be pretty wet with dew and rain. Ideally after use, they should be parked in a dry space with the tops up and good airflow to prevent mold and mildew. A good hard shell can be left outside more easily with an electric heater / fan running to dry out the inside after use. In the NW, hard shells should ideally be stored undercover whenever possible to minimize algae growth and standing water around roof seams. In sunnier climates UV is a killer for plastics and sealants so campers should be stored under cover there as well.

 

[SuperAwesomeDOOD]

I've been skeptical of pop ups in the NW. 9 months of the year they will be pretty wet with dew and rain. Ideally after use, they should be parked in a dry space with the tops up and good airflow to prevent mold and mildew. A good hard shell can be left outside more easily with an electric heater / fan running to dry out the inside after use. In the NW, hard shells should ideally be stored undercover whenever possible to minimize algae growth and standing water around roof seams. In sunnier climates UV is a killer for plastics and sealants so campers should be stored under cover there as well.

Definitely! Fortunately we have a climate controlled shop to park in. Even our little TT will get a fair bit of condensation running an electric heater at night. Haven’t really used the propane furnace much.

 

[simple]

Sounds like you have an 02 or newer dodge. Some campers from the mid 90's and older may not fit.

 

[ramblinChet]

You have some conflicting requirements that only you are able to sort through and prioritize. Like many things in life, you can't have it all

I think the first question you must answer is what are 99% of the roads and trails like that you will be driving on. If your answer is paved secondary roads along with a fair share of gravel and dirt forest service roads then either hard side or pop up should be fine. Of course, if you venture back into the tight area which are infrequently traveled and may be overgrown with occasional down trees then a pop up would be the better choice. There have been many times I come across a fallen tree on a tight trail that is still hung with maybe eight or nine feet of clearance underneath. I scoot under them and smile every time.

Bed space and storage are two other key issues. With my FWC and king bed slide out option I have a ton of room for sleeping. Three adults could easily sleep up top. Storage is another issue. I pack Zarges aluminum cases and travel light.

Interior space is the big one for most. If you purchase a FWC shell it may seem like you have some room but that is quickly eaten up by people, storage, cooler, etc. If you purchase a FWC already decked out with a refer, stove, heater, etc. you will have zero room. In this case my vote goes for the full size hard shell.

I have some additional details in my post that you may find relevant for your ideal set up. Here is my rig:

 

[SuperAwesomeDOOD]

Sounds like you have an 02 or newer dodge. Some campers from the mid 90's and older may not fit.

I did not know that. The Hallmark I’m looking at is currently sitting on the same truck I have. Maybe it’s meant to be.

I’m looking at it tomorrow. A gentleman I spoke to at Hallmark gave me the rundown on what to look for.

 

[AbleGuy]

Sounds like you have an 02 or newer dodge. Some campers from the mid 90's and older may not fit.

?? that’s a really good point and something certainly to be aware of. There’s a difference in the width of some of the tailgate opening in older trucks, compared to those in the newer trucks. The older trucks had wider openings and some campers were made to fit in that wider opening, from the wheel wells back to the tailgate. Unfortunately, those campers will not fit on newer pick up trucks with the narrower tailgate opening.