Why did you choose your specific pop-up camper?

[IPA]

Not exactly looking to start a "which pop-up camper is the best one" thread, but more of a discussion of the pros and cons of the various models. Of course lots of us will buy whatever happens to be most available and/or affordable to us, but assuming you are a person who compared different makes and models, why did you choose the one you did?

What is it about the one that you bought that made you choose it over the other options out there?

 

[okiedavid]

TL,DR: I wanted a camper that goes anywhere my truck could go.

I’ve spent the last year looking at choices and just ordered my Four Wheel Camper a couple of weeks ago. Since I’m moving up from just a camper shell in the back of my truck I decided that I wanted to go with new for my first one and not used, although I did look hard at used ones that didn’t need work. Given the quality, reputation and the ability to go off-road as factors to me it came down only four brands standing. FWC, ATC and Phoenix of course all have similar DNA and history with each other. I could have saved a little bit by going with ATC but I felt more comfortable with the history and scope of FWC. When you buy something you plan on keeping, a community and dealer network with a lot of ideas helps. Phoenix would have been given a more careful look but they are basically a year out for any orders and I didn’t want to wait. The only other choice I seriously considered was the Earthcruiser GZL 400 I saw at Overland Expo last year. It’s built like a sailboat, all high-end stuff and seemed like a viable choice. However, the production model weighs about the same as a FWC and its $40,000 and up, while the FWC I'm ordering similarly equipped is a third less. I even briefly considered an AT Habitat since it weighs less and costs less to start. However, by the time you option it up with things like a fridge, heater, etc. you’re back into FWC camper territory so unless you want to go spartan with your choices, that’s really not much of a savings. It’s a good choice for some but I’ve already done that with the shell.

 

[craig333]

Lightweight, low cog, amenities. ATC wasn't in business yet. After owning a big heavy camper I'll never ever go back that route. Only thing that took me so long was funds. My only regret is my job doesn't let me use it as much as I'd like.

 

[kmcintyre]

Like others I wanted a light weight, strong camper. That means no wood in the walls, etc. ATC and FWC use alum. and are fairly light, flex a little and made for the camping style we wanted. I looked looooong and hard for a used one. We pretty much gutted it and re-did the interior. I've been through most of the mechanical stuff too just because I wanted to know how it worked and to clean, inspect, replace items. If you go used, know what they are worth, what to look for and have your truck ready and jump when you find the right deal. If you wait, it'll be gone. I'd suggest you get on the 'wanderthewest' site.

 

[IPA]

Like others I wanted a light weight, strong camper. That means no wood in the walls, etc. ATC and FWC use alum. and are fairly light, flex a little and made for the camping style we wanted. I looked looooong and hard for a used one. We pretty much gutted it and re-did the interior. I've been through most of the mechanical stuff too just because I wanted to know how it worked and to clean, inspect, replace items. If you go used, know what they are worth, what to look for and have your truck ready and jump when you find the right deal. If you wait, it'll be gone. I'd suggest you get on the 'wanderthewest' site.

Isn't that the truth. A few weeks ago I found a nice-looking Northstar on CL about 10 miles from home. Didn't bother calling because I knew I wouldn't be able to go see it for a few days because of work. A few days later when I had time, I went on CL again to find the number to call…..it was gone. Not the first time it happened to me.

 

[lanefj40]

A buddy only wanted $800 for it. We weren't sure if it was what we wanted. Cheap way to test things out.

 

[Factoid]

We tried a pop up trailer rental, but found it limited our ability to go “everywhere”. Of course my neighbor then told us a horrible tale of his “friend” who left their trailer at the campsite while they went exploring only to come back and find it gone. Then they got home and found their house empty. You see they left their house keys in the trailer. Anyway, no trailer for us.

We then rented an fmc and it was fine, but felt very top heavy and I worried as above that it was somewhat fragile off-road. Now that I have had a chance to see others up close, I think our rental had been abused. Anyway, for us we have now decided to go with a van top pop of our own design. Mainly, because I like building things and I've convinced the wife it is the only way to get everything we want. My point is and to answer your question, we tried a bunch of different configurations without committing in order to truly discover what we needed/wanted.

 

[MTCK]

Good question. We had been looking for a camper for a while and were pretty close to pulling the trigger on a fairly loaded up new grandby. Had been to the dealer, looked at options, gotten a quote and was about to do it. In the back of my mind I was a little uneasy with the price, lack of ability to customize, lack of flexibility with delivery schedule.

I always had an eye out for used pop up campers, without brand loyalty, and liked the idea of a cheaper option since my wife and I both work full time and didn’t know exactly how much we would use it. Didn’t care if it was an ATC, FWC, Northstar, Hallmark, Alaskan.

Hallmark Cuchara appeared. I called right when I saw it, guy answered all the questions about the roof, fabric, maintenance, and condition properly. Has new solar, compressor fridge and everything works. I was on a plane the next evening with a wad of cash. Condition was as promised and we did a deal right there.

Weight was less of a concern as we have a properly geared big-block one ton. Wasn’t worried about stick frame at this price point. So far so good. Cost less than the FWC deposit.

 

[kerry]

I was pretty camper naive when I bought our 1995 Northstar (Texson) TS1000. I was looking for a camper which would readily fit into the service body of our Fuso FG, had a crank up roof lifting mechanism, was reasonably priced and had been well maintained. The Northstar appeared on Craiglist and I bought it. The process of deciding would be much different now given my far increased knowledge of truck campers. However 10 yrs later I'm still happy with the Northstar TS1000 (even though its frame is wood which gave me a lot of doubts when I bought it)

 

[mkish]

We went with Northstar because it was the only thing large enough for a family of 4 and sometimes large dog. (Some would argue if actually IS big enough for that...)
Also, it's pretty effortless to put away--no tucking of fabric. It can be used off the truck (assuming you leave the jacks on). The 360 windows are very nice, too. The new ones have an electric lift and thus don't have the bars all over the interior. I hope someone reviews that soon. It seems like too much fluff for a basic camper but it really opens up interior storage options...

Northstar isn't as nimble as the trimmer campers from FWC, ATC, etc., and it does require a larger truck, but it's good enough for anywhere we'd go.

 

[Runt]

Phoenix Pop Up Camper. Because of the custom options, design and higher end components.

 

[zoomad75]

I picked mine because it was made for my truck. Been looking for a long time. Spent the last 8 months on weekends getting it to this point with us bolting it onto the K5 today. Still got a lot to do, but I'm super stoked.

 

[kerry]

. The 360 windows are very nice, too. .

I didn't realize how much we would appreciate the 360 windows. One of my favorite things about it.

 

[moveinon]

So much of the kind of camper people choose has to do with how they plan to use it, at least that was true for me. For us we wanted a camper that would sleep my wife and I and sometimes a grand child. One light enough to fit on a mid-sized truck because we needed the turning radius and size to fit into parking structures, my garage and my favorite fishing spot which has a very tight turn. One that had a aluminum frame so it would go off road without falling apart because I needed it to go on a lot of BLM/logging roads and some off road. For me this narrowed it down to ATC and 4 Wheel Camper. I looked for one that was about four years old, but in like new condition because depreciation drops to about 1/2 price at that point and then almost stops for many years. 4 Wheel Campers were more available than ATC used so went with a 5 year old Fleet that I needed to drive across 3 states to buy. With basic maintenance and truck upgrades of tires and suspension it has performed flawlessly on my Tacoma -I have used it a lot over the years and have not done one single repair on anything. Last year at an overland rally I was offered the same amount I paid for it which is hugely better than any other RV I have owned.

 

[Factoid]

^ Love this strategy!