PopUp Times

Well, not life or death serious, but I think that answering this question will help us all understand the perspectives of those posting on this site.

There's always been this talk about moving up or moving on from a pop up to some other type of camper and it always seems to create controversy among those that post to the site.

Here's what I'm thinking: I started out as a tent camper both car camping where we drive to a designated campsite, unload the car and pitch our tent for the weekend. I also did a lot of backpacking where you carry everything that you will need for your trip on your back and hit the trail.

We still love both car camping and backpacking as a matter of fact we still do both. The main reason we bought our pop up was so we could have AC in the hottest of summer days here in the deep south extending the length of our camping season to year around.

For me, the pop up is as far up the food chain as we want to go. For us we don't want all the conveniences of home, that's one of the things we try to escape by camping. Sometimes even the pop up is too far up the food chain for us and we just have to cram our camping gear in our kayaks or into our backpacks and hit the trail or water hoping that we don't see another individual the whole time. We bath in rivers and lakes, purify our own drinking water and camp in areas far from roads and campgrounds. So for me I have a hard time relating to the desire to move on or up to a hybrid or a TT or a 5er.

But that's me. I know some people maybe even most would be miserable on a backpacking trip away from civilization and that's okay.

Different people have different perspectives. I remember once we took the boys to Disney World and stayed at Fort Wilderness in our pop up and loved it. We ran into some friends sometime after the trip and they asked us what we did on our vacation and we told them we took the boys to Disney World. They asked "Oh, where did you stay?" and we told them we camped at Fort Wilderness. They had a puzzled look on their face and then asked us "oh my, were all the hotels booked?" We of course said "no, we chose to camp there." And then they of course asked "why?" They have never camped and could not possibly understand why anyone would want to sleep outdoors.

So I was hoping that everyone that reads this thread would chime in and tell us all how your camping life began and what you have come to expect and desire out of a camping trip.

I'm curious; are you  in a pop up right now because it was the camper that fit your budget and you have hopes of moving to a larger unit some day? Or is the pop up a step up for you?

I think it would also be telling to know how many started out in tents and did you enjoy tent camping.

Remember we all love camping and that is really what binds us all together. So please share your thoughts. I think this will help us undertand others that may not share the same views we have on what the camping experience should be.

Okay now let's all hold hands and sing Kum-by-ya (sp).

CajunCamper

When I was a kid my parents owned an Apache hard walled popup camper.  We had tons of memories in this camper.  We then moved up to a 21 foot Terry tt that I thought was so cool.   We probably put 30,000 miles on it.

Then as a young adult, I still loved camping.  When my husband and I got married we tent camped all the time.  Our "little dream" as newlyweds was to own a popup camper.  When we started having kids we finally bought a large mini van (1998 Astro Van) but one of the requirements was that it be able to tow a popup (if we could ever afford one).  After being married 11 years and just having our 3rd child we realized that it was time to stretch our budget and buy a popup.  Plus with another baby the tent couldn't hold 5 of us and all you have to bring along for a baby.  
 
We researched and went to see as many brands as we could find.  We finally settled on our Westlake.  It had everything we thought we would need.  We really wanted the Niagra with the slide out but we were going to have to eat a lot of top ramen to afford the one we picked out.  It had 2 king beds, fridge, heater, potty/shower and a hot water heater.  Plus, at the time we lived in a townhome in orange couty, California which meant if we had to store it it was going to cost us a $100 a month.  Luckily our complex had small RV storage spaces.  (A large trailer would of never fit).
 
After 6 years we still love our Westlake and use it as much as we can.  Now that the kids are growing up (16, 11, and 6) life is getting a lot more hectic Especially having a 16 year old).   Now my dh has acquired another past time (dirt bike riding).   We are able to fit the 3 dirt bikes in the bed of the truck and haul the Westlake behind but it is getting increasingly difficult.  A lot of our riding is boondocking.  Which the popup handles  just fine but it sure would be nice to have a larger water tank, gray water tank and black water tank.  I really like the idea of a hybrid because we still camp alot without the dirtbikes.  I really like the openess of canvas bunk ends.  My dh would really like a motorhome or toy hauler.  I am not sold on the toy hauler idea and the excessive cost of a motorhome scares me a little too.  Starcraft does offer a hybrid with an 8ft deck on the front that we would like to take a look at but dealers in our area don't carry them.   We also have looked at the RT series from Starcraft but we are then back to small holding tanks.  
 
We are still 20 years from retirement.  I know how time flies and it will be here before I know it.  I think our ultimate vehicle will some day be a mid size motorhome.  My dream is to travel the US and see what every state has to offer before the Lord calls us home.
 
Jacqui

Cajun

I enjoyed your post, very enlightening.

I really didn't start camping until I was in my early 40's and that was strictly by accident.  My sister and bl gave us a 1969 tent camper, one of those early models that had nothing in them but two mattresses and a canvas tent.  We really enjoyed the thing.  Only one step up from tent camping, ie this had two wheels and was off the ground

We then moved on to an 8 foot Jayco and promptly did a 49 day cross country trip.  Kids were 6 and 10.  Major difference with this rig was that we had a table and sink in it.  Tons of good memories.

Kids began to grow so we bought a 10 foot Rockwood.  Ahhhh, this was luxury.  We now had a fridge and furnace.

The kids got a little bigger so we bought the 12 foot Mesa.  Alas, the kids were not camping with us that much anymore.

Age began to creep up and retirement came along.  Both dw and I wanted to travel but we were getting tired of the cranking up so along came the hybrid.  Our own litter box and shower.  We did do a lot of travelling over 25,000 miles and 300 nights but

Now we still want to travel but want to do the snowbird route.  So now the 30 foot tt which is bigger, has a queen coil spring bed, two swivel rockers, a nice size tub and some other amenities but is still small (?) enough for us to take trips in.  Also less setup.

So this has been an evolving thing for us.  Although we really enjoyed our popups, I doubt that we would go back to one.  Maybe a htt if the need arose but I believe we will not be going any bigger.

I think you will find that age and health issues will affect just how much and what kind of camping you will do as time goes by.

Do what you love doing now because the mind might be willing but the body may not be able to in later years.

This subject is getting a bit of controversy over at PUX lately.  For us, the popup was a step up from the tent, which, after a rain-soaked vacation in Maine 15 years ago, we vowed never to do again as soon as we could afford a popup.  A $500 popup was dropped in our lap a month later, and 15 years and two popups later, we've never looked back.

No, I don't have any plan or desire to own anything else--HTT, TT, 5-er, Class A, Class C, whatever.  

We recently camped in the Tetons with friends who own a 5-er.  We spent quite a bit of time in it, since we tried to eat at least one meal together, and it was rainy, so we had little choice.

I'll admit that it was nice sitting in a beautiful, spacious, carpeted, warm RV during a rainstorm.  But 1) that's not my idea of camping, 2) I wouldn't want to tow that thing!, and 3) there's no way we could afford it, and I don't anticipate that ever changing.

My folks camped in a popup until they were about 70, and would have continued to if a teenage driver hadn't sideswiped them on a mountain road and totalled it.  My goal is to do the same.

Now, ask me 10 years from now, after my kids are all out of the house, and maybe I'll be singing a different tune.  But as of right now, at age 44 and after 15 years of camping in popups, I have no plans of moving "up" or "down."

As a child my wife camped with her family [at first tents and then a very small TT]. My first camping experience was in 1963, right after we were married. DW and her family introduced me to camping and I loved it [still do].

At first, for many years, we used a tent. Then I converted a van into a [very crude] camper van. As our 3 boys grew the van became too small.

I was on the fire department and many of the guys had trucks and camper units. My captain put his truck/camper up for sale and I bought it. We used that set up for many years.

After we wore it out we bought a Class "C" motor home. We used that unit until I decided I wanted to start exploring Baja with a 4x4 unit [the boys were grown and on their own at this point].

I bought a full sized 4x4 Bronco and fixed it up for camping out of. When it's bed was made up it was 5' wide by 7 ' deep. Under the bed there was storage for all the gear we needed. On one of our Baja trips we saw a couple who had a 4x4 class "B" camper van [by Sportsmobile]. http://www.sportsmobile.com/ We fell in love with their van, but they were too expensive for us.

As luck would have it, I was injured at work. After two surgeries and six months of physical therapy it was decided that I wasn't physically able to return to work so they retired me and gave me enough money [for my injury] to buy the 4x4 Sportsmobile. Which, I thought was the perfect size for 2 people. As we were loading the van up for it's first camping trip, I realized that the truck/camper and motor home had DW so used to taking more things than the van would hold. That's when we went shopping for a PU.

We decided on a PU over a TT because we could keep it in our garage whereas the TT would need to be keep in a storage lot. I didn't want to do that because we used to keep a boat in one of those places. Every now and then things would disappear from the boat [batteries, marine radios, fire extinguishers, etc].

The way we like to camp is to be outside until it gets dark. So, whatever we're camping in doesn't really matter. I've seen, and I'm sure you all have too, people who park their MH and never get out of it. If that's what they enjoy, it's fine with me, but its not for us.

Russ

Well, even though I did a little camping in Boy Scouts as a teenager, my love of camping was started about 9 years ago at the "young" age of 45!

We were bicycling a rail/trail through a state park in Vermont and stopped at a vacant site for lunch. The site overlooked a beautiful pond and I said to my wife, "we ought to try camping!" She said "yeah, right!"
Within two weeks, I'd bought a cheap cabin tent, cookstove, propane grill, sleeping bags, air mattresses and we were READY to go.

Rained all the first night, but I didn't care. Cooking out in the rain was a blast! Falling asleep to the sound of the rain on the tent was great!
We did move up to a PUP the next year, but still go tent camping several times a year.

I have Sleep Apnea, so the prospect of backpacking a Deep cycle battery to run my CPAP on an inverter has pretty much killed any plans for backpacking or remote camping.

The only time I seriously consider moving "up" or "on" or "over" is after spending a lot of time sitting in our tow vehicle during thunderstorms. If we had a hardsided trailer we could safely ride it out inside asleep. Even with a hybrid, we could pull the ends up and ride it out. Anything with canvas, you might as well be in a tent. When I seriously start looking, my wife or I will come up with more reasons to stay with the PUP than go to another, so I guess we're "stuck"!

Grew up camping in camper in the bed of our Jeep pickup in Alaska. When the Jeep was stolen one winter and totalled (camper wasn't attached at the time) my Dad mounted the camper on a Ford F150 flatbed dually.  We also had a 1920's or maybe 30's vintage log cabin on a lake about 50mi north of Anchorage.  It had electricity and propane, but no running water, and an outhouse.  So that's how I got started.

Right after college I bought all the gear for car camping and went on a 3 week adventure up into Canada and down through Calgary, Glacier NP, Yellowstone, etc.  A couple weeks after that was over, I went out for another 2 weeks and did some of the lower states.  Then that was it for a few years.

My wife and I car camped a few times right after we were married, but she's not one for waking up in the cold, not having a shower, sleeping on mats, etc. so that didn't happen very often.  We tried again after our daugther (now 8) was born, but by the time we got done loading and unloading all the bedding, air matress, blowing it up, bigger tent, and on and on, it was WAY more work than it was camping, and was really sort of ridiculous.  Plus, by the time the daughter and dogs came in and out of the tent a handful of times, there was more dirt inside than outside. And so ended our camping days.

But, I don't give up and camping and the outdoors is really "in me."  I wanted my daughter to experience it and I wanted us to be able to do something as a family.

Then one night I was surfing around on Craigslist just to see what old used Popups might be going for and I stumbled across a $500 Starcraft about 3hrs north.  I didn't know anything about popups.  In fact, when I went to look at it, I was shocked by how huge it was, and then stood back in amazement as the guy cranked it up and it became a 10' tall house on wheels!  Pretty cool!

Needless to say, it was love at first site, regardless of how bad the roof was and that it was missing the dinnette table and carry-out stove.  I had to have it and we struck a deal for $250.  The rest is recent history as you all have seen in my postings.

We really love it and I dying to get it back out to a campground a few more times before winter hits.........and we start skiing!

As for moving up; no, this is perfect.  I agree with the comment that anything else just isn't really camping...and I want to camp, not RV.  In fact, I don't intend to ever be in a location where there are hookups......and if there are, I won't use them.  It's too much fun just letting the PUP do it's thing as best it can.

When I was a kid, my dad always had airplanes. We lived in Minnesota at the time and we would fly up into the wilderness and fish & tent camp.

When we moved to CA. dad bought a fishing boat and we would go over to Catalina Island and sleep on the boat and go fishing. I then got married and we always had a P/U trk & camper, then a Class-A motorhome.

I got real fed-up with city life, bought a sailboat and spent 14 years sailing to different countries, all over the world. We did a lot of back-packing and tent camping in New Zealand, Australia, Africa and too many island countries to name. I even spent 3 weeks in Antarctica (by myself) freezing my butt off (in the middle of summer.

I don't care to ever sleep in a tent or see a BUG again. I am so sick of bugs, I just want to scream whenever I see one. I'm getting a little older now and want a few creature comforts but still want to see the outdoors (without bugs)........did I mention that I HATE BUGS...

We're heading into our "Golden years" now (whatever the heck that means) and we will be looking into a motorhome in about 6 years. I imagine I'll probably die of old-age....still camping in something. For now....we love our PU.

I began camping with my dad when I was about 5 or 6. It was always tent camping. I loved it so much my friends and I had a spot on the back of my dads 10 acres that we designated our camp. We had a big rock fire pit, kept a supply of fire wood, built a makeshift table with tarp canopy for cooking in inclimate weather, and about 6 of us practicly grew up in those woods.

Once I found my wife to be we shared some camping trips together and she grew to love it as well. We made several trips a year to places from Canada to Lousianna.

Then came the kids. We kept at through our first child, but two became more of a challenge than we wanted for a "vacation". We bought a Coleman PUP, twin king bunks, sink, stove, fridge, and of course A/C. As mentioned in the previous post, the A/C extended our camping season through the hot summer months that we would have skipped had we been in a tent.

Now we have three children and a dog. We still love the pup and have no plans of moving up. I still take the tent and a sleeping bag down to the lake with my oldest daughter for a night of fishing, camping, and some good quality time together.

I think more folks should spend more time at some point in there life "getting back to basics". The simplicity of it is great stess relief, and you really have more appreciation for even the most basic of creature comforts.

It boils down to what ever works for you, tent or tt, just as long as we are all having fun. :-() . I have enjoyed learning of others exposure to camping and it has really helped jog some wonderful memories.

Cajuncamper,

Your post is excellent.  I am not sure why controversy would erupt over where any of us may fall within this fun activity.  However, people being people, anything can (and usually does) happen.

We (DW and I) are in our early 40s.  We have camped throughout our marriage.  I camped frequently growing up and have some great memories of waking up in a tent on a crisp morning in upstate NY.  FOr 20 years I used to race cars (road course) at tracks up and down the midatlantic and even in Canada.  We camped at every track we went to.  We roughed it in everything from a box truck to a minivan to a two room tent (luxury!)

Now we have two boys that are both in Boy Scouts.  We are very active with the Troop, and the Troop camps at least 6 times a year.  We have and still do tent camp, including full on primitive where we have to paddle for an hour just to get to the camp site. We love it, and will continue to tent camp.

The pop-up came about as a result of a combination of things.  First, my back has been complaining about sleeping on the ground for the last few years.  I ruptured the L5-S1 disk a couple of years ago, which was not fun.  I have healed well, but I will never be the same.  When it comes to tent camping, some sites are better than others (I hate sleeping on a beach).  However, the idea of getting into some semblance of a real bed, yet still be in a tent, was very appealing.  BTW, I am going to start using a cot or an air mattress in our tent the next time we go.

In July, we went to our first Camp Jeep.  Some good friends of ours were gracious enough to let us borrow their 1997 Dutchmen 1203 to "try out".  It was pure love.  We got off the ground, but we still had our tent.  I also love the sound of rain on canvas.  It (pop-up camping) really seemed to click with me and my family.  It (the PU) was small and light enough to tow with my Wrangler Unlimited, yet MORE than big enough for all 4 of us to be comfortable.

So now we have our 2006 Viking, and we cannot wait to get out and enjoy it.  Will we ever upgrade?  Right now I would say that is highly unlikely.  Like many others, I am a camper, not an RV'er.  I actually find some of the larger pop-ups (like the Fleetwood Avalon) a little absurd due to their substantial size and weight.  If I were ever to find myself lusting after one of them, I would probably just move up to a full on TT.  

To me, the camper is a means to an end, not the end itself.  I want something that will allow me to have a decent night's sleep and a place to prepare and eat food with reasonable ease.  I DO NOT want to feel like I am at home.  If I wanted my camper to feel like home, I should have stayed there!

FWIW, my $.02, YMMV, etc., blah blah blah

 :)

CajunCamper,  I love your thread!!  It's fun reading how everybody got to the PUP stage of life!!
 
DH and I never camped growing up.  We were a couple of hard-working farm kids in different parts of the country.  Although he had no experience with Boy Scouts, DH became a Scoutmaster when our oldest son became active in Scouts.  Their troop backpacked in the Eastern Sierra for one of their first trips, totally unaware they were in one of the best backpack areas in existence!  It wasn't hard to convince me to try a family trip to experience the beauty and solitude, even though we had four kids from 6 to 11.  I made down sleeping bags for all of us, and we were good to go.  We were hooked, and continued to backpack until all kids were grown and gone from home.  When I realized my "tweaky" back was making sleeping on the ground miserable, we went shopping for something off the ground.  We were both still working, and a $4000 investment seemed totally doable, so, on a whim, we bought a PUP at an RV show.  The rest, as they say, is history.  We've had it for nearly 11 years, and have taken grandkids along with us since they were in diapers.  We've been up and down the west coast, and east as far as Wisconsin.  We're retired now, remember the "good old days", and keep popping up.  We still like boondocking best and love the beauty and solitude, wherever we are.  We keep looking for our next trailer, but haven't found anything better than what we have.  Life is good!

Started out in tents ,then to pups,and now have tt.We tend to use our pup and dd's tent because of gas prices.We use tt when its's colder,I still would chose pup because it still fills like camping to me.On last trip to Garner we took pup and tent,Trip in oct to Inks Lake then to Arkansas we will use tt and tent because pa paw going with us.Great question cajun.

my buddies and I used to camp in the wood along Honey Creek. Didn't make any difference if it was summer or winter. With just  pup tents and sleeping bags we'd head out to "The Creek" for a weekend of camping, varmint hunting, plinking, and fellowship. My dad worked for the Air Force we spent a number of summers TDY to northern Michigan around Sleeping Bear Dunes. We had an Airstream TT and even though we were in the woods it didn't seem like camping, it seemed like a house on wheels parked in the woods. But it still was great fun.

Joined the Air Force in 1974 for an 8-year stint. Didn't do much camping during that time though. My DXW and I did do a couple of camping trips while we were stationed at Castle AFB, into northern California. Usually car camping but occasionally we did some hiking to remote campsites. Perhaps no more than a 1/2 dozen times in 4 years.

Got out of the Air Force in '82 and pretty much gave up camping altogether for about 15years. I had lots of other hobbies during that time like Hot Rods and Rock & Roll Bands.

In mid to late '90's moved to my current place met my DW. One of the activities we enjoyed together in addition to bicycling, canoeing, and hicking,  was tent camping. We did a lot of that, usually in nearby parks and forests. Then when DD '03 was born, I was nearing 50YO and DD was nearing 40YO so we decided that tent camping, even with air mattresses, was just too uncomfortable.

In '05 we borrowed a popup to camp at nearby Indian Lake.  Bought our Rockwood shortly thereafter and haven't stopped camping since. We still don't camp nearly as often as I'd like too because of other commitments -including still playing in a
 Classic Rock Band (http://levelgroundband.com/)

I can see us maybe in a number of years going to a HTT as we get older and less able to deal with the physical requirements of popping it up, :eyecrazy:  but I can't see us ever going canvas free. :# We just enjoy sleeping close to nature to ever put a solid wall between us and outdoors when camping. Might as well stay home as to do that.

We started camping a little over 4 years ago.  My brother and sis in law had this neat Palomino they wanted to sell since they were moving on to a TT.  I had heard all their stories about camping so I convinced DH to give it a try.  We had recently been on vacation...rented a condo in Cape May (My first vacation in 15 years).  It was little more than a glorified hotel room and wasn't very clean at all (and I'm not a clean freak).  Also,  it cost us approx $1000.00 for a week and I had to clean it before we left or risk my security.

So with that bug in my bonnet I bought the camper for $1400.00 and found a campground in Cape May where I could stay for TWO weeks for less then $500.00.  I was sold simply on the money end.  Well,  the first year we had it we camped over 30 days!  That was incredible to me.  I went from one short vacation in 15 years to getting away for over a month in one year.

Sometime on 04 we stopped by a local dealer to buy a part for the pup.  DD and I went out to the lot to have a look around.  Many of the pups in the lot were very similar to ours...just a bit newer so I wasn't overly impressed.  Then we happened upon a Fleetwood Hemlock.  I was loving it.  It had everything a TT has with that "I'm still camping" open feeling.  I told DD then and there that this was "our" pup.  Of course we didn't have the money for it.  I told DH about it and he really couldn't care less...but on our first camping trip last year there was a Hemlock parked right across from us.  I jokingly said to the woman who owned it "When are you going to sell?"  She asked me if I wanted to have a look...I told her I had already seen but could my hubby have a look?  Well he did and he was astounded at the amount of room in it and was sold on the idea of "upgrading."

Well,  we came into some money this year and went shopping.  Looked at the Niagara & Avalon and hubby was ready to go for it but I couldn't spend that kind of money like that.  I looked around and finally found a Hemlock...mint condition and half the price of a new unit.  We bought it and I'm in love!

Now we went to Myrtle Beach and were surround by everything but pups.  Hubby got talking to our neighbor who was there in a fifth wheel...lots of those and Class As and C's.  He actually asked me if I would be interested in selling the Hemlock and going to a hardside.  I was stunned.  Still am.

When we were looking for something new I did consider some hardsided units...as well as a Trailmanor & HiLo.  Now don't anyone get mad at me but I just feel that when a TT gets older it takes on that old  trailer park look (especially if it has that ridged siding that runs horizontally)...must be why I don't care for the seasonal sites at those beach parks.  So between that and the practical reasons:  lighter to tow, fits in our driveway,  has everything you could ever want in a pup,  still have the tent feel and openess,  I really have no desire for a hardsided unit.  I do see their good points mind you...the ease of packing and ability to have access while on the road and all.

I guess that's why they make so many kinds...so we all have a choice at what fits our lifestyle and tastes.  And a choice could be made on something as simple as what someone had stated before...their inability to accomplish a strenuous set up.  Live and let live I say.  I won't down your choice so please don't look down upon mine.

Camp on.


CC

Great thread! Thanks for starting it Cajun.

Mine is a long story of camping but I

I was about 5 when my parents discovered the joys of camping.  They borrowed this huge floorless tent from our minister and off we went to a family camp-out at Whitewater in MN.  My mom still laughs at the memory of water running through it when the rains hit.  By the next year, we had our own tent and equipment and they packed 4 kids and all the camp gear into a station wagon and took off on a three week vacation from Iowa to CA.  I remember so many fun trips growing up.  We had our favorite state parks in Iowa and went on a number of vacations we would never have been able to do if not camping.  Colorado, the Black Hills, Niagara Falls, Gettsyburg, Virginia, and on an on.  A couple of those trips were made in pop ups we borrowed from friends.  When I was in high school my parents got a Wheel camper.  Boy, was that luxury!  They eventually sold that camper and stopped camping when they became empty nesters.  

About 10 years later my sister and I (both single) decided we wanted to go camping again.  We borrowed a tent that leaked, and my parents still had the rest of the gear we needed and off we went.  That was enough to make us buy our own tent that didn't leak!  We bought a bigger tent later when we needed more space for the dog.  In the meantime my parents bought another pu when they retired and started camping again, too.  Somewhere in there I found PUT and joined as a wannabe.  About 5 years ago health issues forced my parents into selling the pu to us.  We used it for two seasons before trading it in on the Flagstaff.  We haven't gone as often as we'd like this year, but hope to change that starting next week-end.  

Would we move up to something else other than a pop up?   Yes.  It will happen someday.  A hybrid seems like a logical choice right now.  If we continue camping with each other, we definitely need something with two decent beds.  We like our own space.  For now the Flagstaff perfectly suits our needs.  Easy to tow, store, and enough space.  I suspect that eventually these bones will object to the cranking and lack of bathroom and we'll be looking for something else.  In the meantime, Happy Camping!

I did lots of camping as a kid in the Boy Scouts.  My parents didn't camp at all.  I absolutely loved camping.  After getting married and having kids, we tent camped a couple times.  My DW and kids enjoyed it, but I ended up doing the majority of setup and take down since someone needed to watch the kids and I knew what needed done.

We had always planned on getting a camper of some sort, but looked at the Class C RVs to use for travelling.  We don't have the storage space for something that big, though.  We though about it a little and decided that we wanted the kids do some camping.  We have space for a pup, so started looking at them.

Now, our plans for the future still include a larger camper, but that is far in the future.  After retirement, we will probably go the 5er route and do some actuall RVing instead of camping.

I agree with the others ~ Great Thread!

I'm sure you have all read my story in the most recent isssue of PUT magazine, so I won't bore you with all the details.   ;)

My parents bought a tent when I was 10 or 11 and we used that for many years.  Mostly on trips throughout Minnesota, but also on one road trip out to Yellowstone and back.  Once I started working (at 16) I missed out on most of the trips.  We also went to the same private campground every June.  The first trip was in 1977 ~ the last for my parents was in 2006.  They camped there in the tent, two different pickup campers and finally a Class C motorhome.  Anyway ~ the seed was planted.

In 2001 I convinced then dh to rent a popup for a vacation to Montana.  That was all she wrote.  We bought our own pu the following year.  Following the divorce ~ he kept that camper and I bought a new-to-me one (thanks HersheyGirl!).  I love my PU.  The kids named her Hershey and we've had many adventures in the past 3 camping seasons.  We have 17 states on our camping map and hope to add at least a few more before the children start flying the coop!

Our PU has few amenities ... furnace, fridge (with teeny-tiny freezer), a/c and that's about it.  And I like it that way.  It's hard to explain to some that sense of satisfaction I get from "putting my house together" every time we camp.  I don't mind cranking up the roof and my kids are old enough to help.  Set up is just part of the camping experience for me.  

This camper fits us so perfectly right now and I just can't imagine anything else out there fitting better.  

Will I move on to something else some day?  Sure.  If the moon and all the stars align and I am able to retire when I want to (okay ~ a big IF sometimes!) then then plan calls for downsizing.  When the kids are grown, I'd like to find a nice little A-Liner or Chalet and do a little more exploring.  They tell me they'll come with and I tell them they can't.  They can join me some place, but they'd better bring their own tent!  lol

I agree with the others ... we all have our own story and our own reasons for camping.  To each his own.  I'm just grateful for the opportunity to be out there enjoying the time I have with my kids and fellow campers.

Dw and I had both camped as kids.  My family always in a tent and her's in a small travel trailer.  I used to tell her that wasn't camping.  Funny how things come back to bite you in the butt.  I remember my dad going to look at a pop up one time, he was interested, but just didn't have the money, so we continued to tent camp.  

After DW and I were married we borrowed my parent's old tent, which they let us keep, and spent as much time as possible camping.  A rodent of some sort ate a good section of it out, which greatly upset me.  We had to buy a new one.  It was one of the cheap nylon type, I wasn't real happy with it, but couldn't afford a canvas one.  

We used it for about 7 years, and still have it.  We were planning a fairly long, for us, trip this year down to LA.  I didn't feel that sleeping on the ground with all the rain I've heard they have and the alligators would be a good idea.  So, I looked into every other possibility, KOA kamping kabins, motels, renting a pup, etc.  With the cost of all these options being over $400 for a week, I convinced DW that we should look for an older, cheap pup.  This is the bite me in the butt part-She said, but wwhen we started going out you said that camping in any kind of camper wasn't camping.  I told her, yeah, but that was 25 years ago, my body isn't the same as it was back then, is your's?  

I came across 2 of the small tent campers, like the Apache that someone else had mentioned, and thought that it would serve our needs perfectly.  The first one was only around for about 2 days before someone snatched it and the other, I couldn't convince DW to go on a 6 hour roundtrip, on the chance that we may want to buy it.  We finally found one, a little bigger than I was originally figureing on.  We are happy with it, and actually just the other day were discussing the chances of us deciding to get something different.  We both feel that what we have serves our needs well.  We just wish that we had AC.  I've been looking at mods for them all over and found a couple of temporary set ups that I think I may consider.  We figure there's only 1-2 times a year that we really need it, so I don't want to do any permanent installation.  

We have discussed that we would possibly like to move to a TT or small motorhome after retirement, in order to do more extensive traveling.  That, however, is at least 25 years away.  Until then we will keep what we have unless it gets in too poor of condition, then we'll look for something else similar.

In my childhood I began 'camping' by pitching a cot in a clump of woods nearby my house.  That clump of bushes became 'the fort', and the deer had made trails through it.  Had an old Omaha Steaks styrofoam cooler I wedged between two branches and that was my refrigerator (used frozen milk jug for ice), had a 3 hole cinderblock on the ground I used as a stove (with charcoal), a wedged dishpan for a sink, a couple pieces of 1x 6 boards were various shelves.  I made a bathroom with an old tire, hole and trashbag, and privacy in that bathroom was beach towels snagged on the branches or clothespins.  My pals thought this was the neatest place (better than a treehouse).  We'd walk the roads and collect coke bottles to turn in to get money for food ... bologna was .69, bread was about the same price - less as you could get half-loaves.  Being all of 10-13, our diet was fried bologna and eggs.  We even picked blackberries to sell at our road-side stand.  Sissy and I spent many nights in our fort, and we even had a siamese cat living with us.  One night the cat was yowling/growling to beat the band and we went to check it out and discovered a skunk in our bathroom!

Ah, all good things come to an end....in later years when eldest child was about 7, picked up the camping bug again, as a neat inexpensive get away and we did weekend camping trips for several years.  Then we joined relatives for 2 week family reunion tent camping trips in NC for maybe 10 years.  About 5 years ago I developed RA, and found packing/set up to be too much.  Rather than stop camping decided to change my lifestyle and bought a popup.  My two criteria were potty and AC!  Bought an 06 Fleetwood Niagara and love it.  Love being off the ground when sleeping.  Love having AC in the heat of the summer.  Really enjoy not having to tote a ton of stuff for a 2 week trip.  Can't say that I really miss sleeping in a tent in the rain or cleaning the sand/dirt of out one.  Having the potty is a nighttime blessing.  Love the refrigerator - daily ice trips were an expensive issue.  I love the outdoorsy-ness of the Popup with it's tenting, but I sure love the amenities that are self-contained.  Love being able to hook up and go.

I don't think I will go to a travel trailer, but it will depend upon my health.  If I can't set up my PUP, it will be something to consider.

Since my original post, I did go look at travel trailers, compared several and liked most of the floorplans and even the prices.  Fell in love with the 2008 Outback (the side glide out bed giving a bedroom with space!).  Came home and dreamed for a few days and spent the night in my PUP.  Thinking about towing the TT - and remembering wind resistance, passing tractor trailers, and also storage/maintenance/cleaning of the unit.....I definately put the TT on a back burner.  Love being able to clean the PUP roof by standing on a small step stool.  PUP 'fits' just about anywhere and is lower than my tow vehicle so I don't have to worry about branch damage when passing.  An even nicer thing that really hit home with me is that my PUP is paid for.  I'm at the stage in life where I don't want or need any additional debt.

I started camping before i can remember. My parents had a truck camper with a 72 Ford pick up. Then my dad bought a motor home and spent many a great time in that motor home. Actually my dad still has it. We traveled to about 40 different states and stayed in tons of campgrounds. My DH and I began tent camping and I really fell in love with camping again. I really loved the outdoors and having little to no modern conveniences.  We recently bought pup because our bad backs cannot take sleeping on the ground anymore. The pup is the best of both worlds. A little like tent camping and little like camping in a camper. We just love it and because of gas prices it works for us. We would like to retire and travel in a 5th wheel but thats in the far future. Have bout 15yrs till dtr is on her own. So we are very satisfied with out pup.

What a great thread and some fantastic stories to read. I unfortunately did not get to camp as a kid, always wanted to. About 5 years ago I got involved in a group called Indian Princess (kinda like girl scouts but its for dads and daughters). My girls at the time were 4 and 8 and they loved it and could not wait for additional camp outs. We camped about 6 times a year mama never joined us. It wasn't until I bought a bigger tent about a year ago that the kids came home so excited they wanted mom to join us for a family camp out. We came home from a great weekend and went again 2 weeks later (mom was hooked). Unfortunately summer was upon us and the tent camping was shortly going to come to a halt for a few months. That is what got us interested in a PUP. Only out 4 times so far in the PUP but the kids would go every weekend. My oldest has already decided that when she goes off to college she will stay local and live in the camper on the side of the house.

Get this we have been to Fort Wilderness twice this summer, 4 days each trip. We went to sea world for 1 day. The kids didn't want to go to the parks they would rather stay at the camp grounds and ride bikes, swim, and play family games. If nothing else we come home feeling a whole lot closer to each other. The weekends are a great get away from the TV, cell phones, and computers. We try to leave that stuff home and no one misses it.

I have friends that just can't believe that I would choose to spend a weekend away in a camper. I understand it is not for everyone but it sure is a nice change of pace from the real world.

I'm so glad that so many of you have responded to this thread by letting the rest of us in on your camping experiences starting from the beginning.

Well I sort of told you some of my story, but here's the Readers Digest version of my full camping story:

When I was about five years old my dad set up a pup tent in our back yard and we spent the night out in it with nothing but blankets and a pillow. I was hooked. Although most of our vacations were spent in small little motels, we were always going to places like the Grand Canyon, Smokey Mountains, dude ranches and the beaches of Florida etc.

Even though my dad took us camping on ocasssion it wasn't until years latter that I learned the reason we didn't go as often as I would have liked was because he had injured his back in a plane crash during WWII and sleeping on the ground was very difficult for him.

I spent my childhood with my friends building camps in the woods and tent camping as often as we could. As I got older, I would backpack and tent camp while on hunting and fishing trips and by the time I was 20 I layed off of the camping for a little while.

After I got married and still a newlywed, my wife and I wanted to take a weekend trip to get away, but everything we looked at was too expensive for us. Oh we could afford the gas to get to these places we wanted to go to, but throw in hotel and eating in restaurants and that blew our budget.

So I suggested that we go camping. My wife had never camped before and she was not keen on the idea. She said, "we don't have camping equipment and that will cost a lot of money just to get the gear. Well I told her that I had all the gear we would need in my dad's garage. She still wasn't sure. So I told her that I would do all the planning and packing, that I would set up camp and tear down camp and that I would pick a campground close to the house and that at anytime on the trip, if she didn't like it for any reason, I would tear down camp and we would go home. That was 22 years ago that she got hooked on camping and we have camped every since.

Our two boys both started camping at an early age. our oldest at 2 years old, (don't ask what took us so long) and our youngest at 18 months. They both took to camping from the very beginning. Camping became our family activity, it was the one activity that we all loved equally. Every vacation was spent in campgrounds and we would not have had it any other way. Like many of you we felt blessed to have this wonderful outlet that we all enjoyed doing as a family.

We then decided we wanted to take longer camping trips and that we wanted to extend our camping season to year around. (The year around thing was hard to do in a tent especially in the brutal summer months here in the deep south) That's when we started thinking about a pop up with AC. We didn't want to buy new because we were not sure how much we would like it, so I put the word out we were looking and a guy at work said he had an older unit that he wanted to get rid of. He told me it needed work, but he would let me have it for $100. Well it did need work and I put about $500 into it including a used window unit that mounted in the back of the box and we had our first pop up camper. It was a 1970 Venture, made by Starcraft and I was actually able to send off to Starcraft and get a manual for the unit.

We camped in the venture for about a year and decided that a pop up workrd great for us and that we wanted to buy new. I put the Venture out by the road with a for sale sign on it determined get sell it for the money I had put into it. The first guy that came along was a youth pastor from a local church that was looking for a way to take kids from the inner city that had no positive male influences in their lives on weekend outing and camping was something he had been thinking about. He asked how much do you want for the camper and I said $600. He said okay thanks and said if he could raise the money before I sold it he would come back and buy it. So I asked him, how much money do you have and he said $50. I said, partner you got a deal, 50 bucks and it's yours. When all was said and done, I told him to keep his $50 to buy supplies and my wife even threw in some of our gear that she had been wanting to replace. This was the best deal I ever made. They used that pop up for 4 years before someone else donated a travel trailer with bunks that  suited their needs better. Before he got rid of the pop up he came back to me and asked me if I wanted it back and I told him to donate it to someone else. I'm not sure what happened to it, but it made memories for lots of kids that may be sharing camping with their families today.

Anyway, we bought a brand new 1997 Coleman Santa Fe pop up with AC from the local Coleman dealer with awning and add-a-room. We immediately extended the our camping season to year around as well as extending the lengths of our trips as well as the distances traveled. We raised our boys in this Santa Fe traveling all over the place seeing all sorts of things. I remember our youngest son was 5 years old the first time he stayed in a hotel and said he didn' t want to do that again because it was boring. There were no trees to climb, no place to fish and he couldn't see the stars at night.

As some of you that have been coming to this site for a while may know, on October 17th of 2003 my youngest son Alex was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and on April 1st 2004 we lost our precious 10 year old son after a very couragious battle. Dave was kind enough to print an article I wrote in the premier issue of RV Enthusiast Magazine some time later.

Camping was put on the shelf, as a matter of fact I didn't think that I could ever go camping again without Alex lord knows he would never let me go camping without him. The pop up sat in the driveway closed up for almost a year. As the one year aniversary of Alex's death approached, I decided to open up the camper to let it air out. That was very difficult. Once I stepped inside the emotions overwelmed me and I just sat there and wept for about 20 minutes. I then looked around and the memories of all of our camping trips came rushing in. Although it was hard, I had to sense of being close to Alex at that moment and it was then that I felt we needed to go camping on the upcomming annivesary no matter how hard in memory and honor of Alex. It was not easy convencing my wife of this, but my son Taylor wanted to honor Alex this way also. Well we went to one of Alex's favorite campsites and it was hard, but we spent the entire weekend thinking of Alex and crying and working through the loss. We all came back glad that we had spent the weekend camping, after all it's what Alex loved best.

So that brings me to today. We still continue to camp and enjoy it. We always bring Alex's sleeping bag, his fishing hat and his mess kit because he is always with us and every boy needs those things on a camping trip.

This more than anything is the reason that I will maintain that Santa Fe for the rest of my life and never trade it in or up for anything else. My son's were raised in that camper and it has become much more than a piece of equipment to me. It is part of our life and a huge part of our past and memories camping as a family. When Alex was sick in the hospital he would ask me to tell him stories of our past camping trips, it always seemed to bring a smile to his face. Just three weeks before he died, at his request, he and I started planning our next camping trip together. I have a feeling that the next time we see each other, that camping trip is one of the first things he will want us to do together.

I love you and miss you Alex more than I can explain.


CajunCamper

My sister and I were girl scouts and my mother was the troop leader.  We only camped out about once a year.  Every weekend mom would take the two of us hiking.  In elementary school we had "outdoor school".  Our entire grade went to stay in cabins and learn about nature for a week.  Noone had to tell us to go out and play.  They had to find us sometimes when it was getting dark.  We built forts in the woods and caught tadpoles.  We used to sleep in the back of my dad's truck or borrow the neighbor's tent to sleep in the yard.  I think I've always been an outdoor person.  I joined the USAF straight out of school.  I didn't have the money or the time to do any camping.  I did get to live in "tent city" during Desert Storm.  It wasn't much fun though.  After the service, I got my first tent.  A small dome tent.  The first trip out, my daughter went, we got flooded.  I went out the next day and bought a giant tarp and a shovel.  I also took my daughter home.  She was done with camping.  I dug a trench around the tent and hung my tarp in the trees.  I used that little dome tent for many years.  Then I "moved up" to a large cabin tent.  I had one of those double height air mattress' (no sleeping on the ground for me).  I had a portable heater and a dorm fridge.  I even had my porta potty in my tent.  I cut off an old chair to make it just the right height.  I had just bought a portable ac to have in the tent with me.  I had always hung my giant tarp since the first wash out.  So, I started to haul a ladder around with me.  I couldn't be happier.  The problem was, I have a small obsessive/compulsive problem.  So, everything had to be cleaned before I packed it in my vehicle.  Since I camp by myself most of the time, it took a lot of time for pack up.  Then, I would come home and my dear hubby would help me while we scrubbed everything down again.  One day I watched a couple pack up their tt.  No tents or tarps to clean before and after pack up.  I mentioned it to dear hubby.  He was in the truck before I finished the sentence.  We were off the the rv store.  I still needed my "tent feeling" so a pop up was my only choice.  I still love my tent.  I also love my pup.  Atleast,  I can clean almost everything at home instead of at the campsite.   :)

My grandparents started camping with my aunts and mother--6 kids--to save money and travel more. When we came along, they had upgraded to a truck camper and then an RV. My parents hated camping, so we only went with the grands. Later, when I became a single mom, I took the girls "tent camping" some. Then, I met my DH, who had camped as a kid and in the Army and swore never to camp again. It took a few years, the pressure of the kids and me, and the financial woes in the aftermath of a bitter custody battle (which we won, but no longer had tons of money for hotels and condos large enough for 6) to win the battle. We bought a used pup last spring, and even he loves it! Life is good! We're in our early 40's as we begin camping together. The places we'll go! Hope not to have to "upgrade" for many years, as I love the pup experience, close to nature, but for DH, not on the ground. Health will dictate upgrades later, but I'm not sure they'll be upgrades, but downgrades to accommodate necessity. We'll won't cross that bridge for many moons, hopefully.

I love to camp.  No matter where it is, as long as I can sit back with a beer and cook outdoors.  

I've been camping since a little after 2 years old.  My parents had an old canvas tent for 4 of us.  They soon bought a Nimrod pop-up after spending a few rainy days in Bar Harbor, Maine.  The Nimrod then led to "paradise", a Coleman pop-up with a few more bells and whistles.  When I turned about 14 or 15, they decided to "move on" to a larger trailer, I was ready to scale down.  To this day, I never slept in a large trailer.  I bought a 2-man dome and used it until I was about 22.  I bought a 6-man cabin tent and brought it to Woodstock '94.  It was never the same!  Stains from beer and mud all over it.  I used it only a couple of times.  There wasn't much time until I met my wife.  We really didn't go camping at all until recently.  A few years ago, we bought a 3-room Coleman tent.  Boy, how times have changed.  We went a few times with our daughter, dog, the works.  But, every time we go, it seems to rain.  The tent was still just too cramped.  After our last time out, this June, we came home and made the "big" decision.  We bought a used 98 Coleman Sea Pine in July.  After doing a little work to it, we will be going for our first time in 2 weeks.  My wife has suddenly become "super camper".  We already have Ft. Wilderness reservations for this Christmas.  I won't say that I will never get a "big" trailer, but it was a really big deal for me to actually upgrade to a pop-up.

Quote from: CajunCamperI'm curious; are you  in a pop up right now because it was the camper that fit your budget and you have hopes of moving to a larger unit some day? Or is the pop up a step up for you?

I think it would also be telling to know how many started out in tents and did you enjoy tent camping.

CajunCamper

I started out "tent" camping, which means backpacking with plastic tube tents or bivouc bags, and later family tents.  The pop-up is the ideal for us, and we have no intention of moving to any other type of travel unit.  This is not a matter of budget.  It just fits our desire to be close to nature and "tread lightly" on the areas we visit.

I tent camped with my family, as a child, before I can even remember. I do vaguely remember a time or two, but they started before my memory did. :)

Mom and Dad bought a popup. I think it was a Coleman. It took an Army to put up, because 4 people had to hold the supports up at the same time until they were all locked into place. Then, the canvas, which had been folded and put away, was hung from ....whatever it hung from, all the way around the camper. Seemed like lots of work. Fortunately, I was too small for all this, but I remember it pretty distinctly.

Debate me on this one: We then moved UP to a Coleman Brandywine. Very easy to set up, as compared to the previous camper. Had a sink, stove, dinette. The previous one was just a box, and was hard to set up. It wasn't long before I could set up the Brandywine on my own.

That camper eventually just sat in my parents' yard for a long time and then was sold.

Fast forward at least 8 years: I bought a small travel trailer, unknown age, unknown brand, unknown ___________. I towed it with a Class II hitch on an S10 with a V6, but I didn't know any better. This thing was a beast on weight. I sold it to an older couple who never paid me. :( I thought I could trust them.

Fast forward another 4 years. Holly and I bought our popup six years ago today (and we were also engaged the same day). We went camping in it the first time after our wedding. Nearly 10000 miles later, we traded in for a hybrid, a Starcraft 215SSO, which we love.

I really don't care what you camp in. I have stopped and talked with someone of virtually every type of unit, from tents up to at least fivers. Not many people outside of the big Class A's to talk to. Just get out there and enjoy God's great creation.

Larry

Great post Cajun!
We lived in the Canadian Rockies for a few years when I was a kid. We camped in Banff and Jasper occasionally in an old Winchester 6 person tent. One of my earliest memories is looking out the tent window at a couple of bear cubs playing in a snowbank at a local campground!
We moved back to New Orleans and camped maybe once per year until I was in high school. The family lost interest and had more important things to do.
In college I took an interest in canoeing the small streams in Mississippi, and eventually badgered the rest of my college friends into camping near one of them (Black Creek in Desoto NF). We eventually took an interest in backpacking, and even caving and rock climbing (not an easy thing to do in New Orleans-it means lots of weekends driving to Alabama.) Most of that old college group is still camping together after nearly 20 years, though not as frequently as we'd all like.
In 2005 I lost my home in Slidell, LA in Katrina. We had 4 feet of lake water in the house (this had nothing to do with the levees breaking. We were 8 miles inland, but the tidal surge got us and yes, we had flood insurance. Anyone who lives in Southeast LA and doesn't is crazy!). We had evacuated to my parents home near Jackson, MS and fortunately I grabbed my backpack (with tent and sleeping bag, etc) on the way out the door. We had 28 (including a new born, a cancer patient, and my extremely hyper then 7yr old daughter) people crammed in that house (with no power for 3 days) so the sleeping bags came in handy. Even floor space was at a premium. I lost a lot of my camping and outdoor gear in the flood, but my better stuff was with us.
By January 2006 we were back in our partially completed home. I work for State Farm so my free time to even work on our home was limited. A client of mine was interested in selling his old popup as he was upgrading to a TT. He was a DARE officer and had used it while taking deprived kids camping. I knew it was in good condition so I jumped on it, knowing I wouldn't get to use it for a while.
Well, its been much longer than I anticipated. We finished the flooded home, but for various reasons decided to move across town. We're now 3/4 of the way through remodeling an older home (it didn't flood, its just old and needed TLC) and looking forward to getting back into camping and actually using that little popup!  I'm think a few close trips in the fall, and then maybe a trip to Petit Jean SP in AR this spring...

God bless you Cajun,may his love always be with you.

Cajun,

Just took the time to read all the replies to this thread. May God keep you and bless you, Cajun and family. I feel closer to God camping--it sounds like Alex and you did too. God be with you.

We love to camp, whether it's in a tent or a pop-up.  We bought our pop-up to extend our camping season - it gets pretty hot and miserable here in the summertime without A/C.

Quote from: CajunCamperI'm curious; are you  in a pop up right now because it was the camper that fit your budget and you have hopes of moving to a larger unit some day? Or is the pop up a step up for you?

CajunCamper

Well we did one weekend tent camping with the Girl scouts and after waking up in the morning to 50 degree weather and sleeping on a air mattress.  My arthritist said.... Are you Crazy?  I was stiff and in pain.  So we happen to find our pup for $4000, that was 2 years ago... Do I dream of moving up? yes and no.  I would love to have all the amenities of home, when we are away for the weekend and its raining out... But I think you call that a CABIN.  :confused:  I like the Pup, its a good get away.  It gets us closer to nature.  Maybe a new Pup with a bath/shower and stove, would be in order.  But my PUP is Paid For!  So the only expenses is camp fees and maintence and any repairs we have to do because of our stupidity...

I can't remember not camping don't know when I started most likely when I was around one.....My Dad loved to camp my Mom did it because she loved my Dad..
We have always camped with our kids (tent Camping)
Now for the last three or so years we have camped in a pop-up and love it however it's getting close to the time when we'll be getting a TT......With age and bad backs it is getting harder to set up and take down the pup.......Like so many others we can't see a time when camping will not be in our future at least we sure hope not.....Love the out doors and the people we meet along the way. Nothing better then sitting around the fire telling stories and eating somore's......

My dad never got real interested in recreational tenting. I think it may be related to a year in Korea and two tours in VietNam, he was all camped out.
 
I tent camped for several years and loved it. I had no desire to stop camping and buy a popup. Yep, that is the way I saw it..... get a popup and you are really NOT camping, or so I thought.
DW didn't want anything to do with tenting so I looked at popups. Looked hard enough to buy one. We camped in our popup for three years and covered about 5000 miles. We found we were spending a lot more time together and seeing many things that we would not have seen had we not chosen that route. I had no desire to stop camping and by a hybrid........ oops I said that once about the popup, didn't I?
 
The hybrid came to us in the spring of 2004 and we have used it to the tune of about 6500 miles. I added solar panels so we would find it more enjoyable to camp at National Parks.
The hybrid has given us all the room we could ever want, at least after we arrive at the CG. We now find that the truck is too small. We only use our truck as a tow vehicle and I really don't want to upgrade to a larger tow vehicle so it can sit in my driveway most of the year. I commute 47 miles each way for work so the TV as a commuter isn't the greatest of ideas.
 
We have decided to sell both the truck and the hybrid and move on to a motorhome. I can always tow my commuter car behind the MOHO. I know it's not real camping like it is with a popup that has a furnace, refrigerator, water heater, slideout, gray water tank, freshwater tank, shower and cassette toilet but I think we will be able to imagine it as camping.

I have always wondered how people get the "camping bug".

My story is a short one as I had never experienced any!! camping when I was young. To tell you the truth I don't think the word camping was ever used in our house as I was growing up.  :confused: I think it may have been the fact that my mom did not have indoor plumbing until she was 17 and my father (if I remember correctly) grew up for part of his youth with a dirt floor. I think they felt in the big scheme of things they may have already "roughed it".
My 1st camp trip was with my stepson to Starved Rock in northern Illinois with his cub scout group. (October 2006) We froze in our tent but had a blast!!!! My husband and I had a free Sat/Sun (June 2007) so we went tent camping about an hour from our home. We tucked ourselves in that night and when I got up the next morning I had to pull myself up off the ground using my husband's tshirt he was wearing. MAN was I sore!!!!
As if a sign from God, when we exited the tent laughing at ourselves there was a pu across from us that had set up late the night before.
2 weeks later (July 2007) we bought a 1998 Rockwood from a friend of a friend.
We have camped 6 nights and love it too death.

We may eventually "upgrade" but with our age that may be 25 years from now when we retire. We always "shop" the campgrounds we visit, but even this early on in our camping life, we are beyond satisfyed with our pu  :-()

We feel our pu is theraputic as I am sure many do. We used too be these people:beeper this, cell phone that. Since we bought the pu one of us will look at the "family schedule" and say wanna pack the cooler and get out of Dodge?
Camping is MUCH cheaper than therapy and we get so much more out of it!!!!!

Have a great day and thanks for such great stories and such a great topic.
Sara

Well for me, I have been wanting to get a travel trailer for years. The budget didn't allow it and we didn't have a tow vehicle. We were going to buy one last Spring but decided on taking the DW and the four kids back east to MA where I grew up for vacation. My wife kept asking me about getting a PUP. I resisted for some time but then told her it had to at least have a toilet for me to consider it. Well we had the opportunity to get an 88 Coleman Plantation with a toilet, shower, stove with oven, new canvas, new tires, wheels and axle and new water pump for $500. It was a deal I couldn't say no to. We had purchased an Expedition so we had a tv. In the years to come we may get into a hardside with bunk beds for the kids and a little more room for us but I am not ruling out staying in a PUP especially after finding this forum and seeing the loyalty that so many of you have towards your PUP's. I like the convenience of storing it and the set up takes only a few minutes with all the kids helping. I could see us maybe moving into a bigger PUP instead of a hardside. For now I am looking forward to exploring AZ and beyond with our new PUP and for spening time with my kids away from the TV and Nintendo DS's! I'm 50 and I feel like a kid with a new toy!

Some of my all time favorite memories are camping as a kid. The folks would load us kids and some friends into the camper and we'd head out. Once arrived, the parents and their friends would set up camp and relax with a cold one while us kids ran around like crazy. At night, the camper lights came on and it was magical.

Just a couple of weeks ago I ordered some awning lights from cheesylights.com just because it reminds me of camping as a kid. Only now I set up camp and relax with a cold one and my kids and their friends run around like crazy.

Funny camping story: My folks were big drinkers...I mean big. One year we loaded up for a week long trip with my brothers, sisters, a couple of friends and a second camper with friends of the folks and their kids. We usually headed up to Wisconsin somewhere and us kids never knew exactly where until we got there. This year my Dad rolls the camper into the parking lot of Pete's Fox River Tavern, just south of the Wisconsin boarder (If I remember right). It turns out he was friends with the owner and got invited up. The owner of the tavern had us park both campers in the backyard of the house right next door to the tavern. Turns out 'Pete' owned the house and rented it out to a young couple with a small kid.

Can you imagine sitting in your kitchen, eating dinner with your family when 2 campers suddenly turn in to your backyard and set up camp? Too funny. Again, us kids never thought twice about it. The tavern and the back yard were right on the Fox River in Illinois. The adults spent the whole week sitting in the tavern, doing what you do in taverns, while us kids fished, and ran around like crazy as usual. We befriended the young Dad who was renting the back yard we were camping in. He helped us fish and taught us how to shoot match sticks out of a BB gun. Who knows when you might need that skill.

It was a great trip overall. I remember it all the more because Monster Mash was the big hit on the Tavern Juke box and Pong was a new and exciting bar game. I don't think us kids ever thought there was anything unusual about that trip until I grew up, had my own kids and had a flashback one day. I remember thinking..."Wow, my folks took us camping at a Bar!"

I think the moral of the story is just throw the family in the camper and go. The destination and the memories will take care of themselves.

Can't wait to go camping again. Anyone know a good bar?

The very first time I camped was in the late 1960's in a tent in the San Bernadino Moutains in CA. We were newly weds (married a year or so), DH in the Air Force, stationed at Norton AFB in San Bernadino. Friends talked "US" into going camping with them. Inexperienced DH used fresh cut tree limbs to stake tent. Creatures  chewed on the stakes ALL night! I did NOT sleep at all. When we returned home on the NEWS: Woman killed by bear in (you guessed it) SB Mts. That was it for me  :yikes:  

In 1997 I was desparate to find an inexpensive way to escape DH's 24 hr./day, 7 days/week, "on call" job. Friends in our church had an '85 Coleman, Sun Valley popup for sale. No frills; did include a 3 way, portable refrigerator. We borrowed it for one week. Thought I could handle it as long as my BED was up off the ground! That week was the most relaxing, peaceful week we had spent in the last 25 years.  Came home & bought the popup. With the addition of a porta potti and an electric tea kettle for HOT water conveniences, we used it for 2 years. We loved it so much that in '99 bought a NEW Coleman/Fleetwood Nevada with ALL the conveniences. Continued "popup" camping through this past Spring. Reluctantly (for me), we sold the popup after purchasing a '01 Jayco 21C Kiwi. It was a COMPROMISE -- I still love the popup but DH was tired of "popping" up & down. We will see how it works out in the future.

P.S. Cell phones have "intruded" on the peacefulness but I still enjoy getting away & experiencing the beauty of nature.

My grandparents had a small TT on a permanent site in a campground,on the Mississippi, since I was VERY young, younger than I remember. We countinued useing the camper till I moved away at 13. Mostly for family gatherings, sometimes just me, bro, dad and g. dad, and other times just a place to crash after the drag races my mom took us to.  We lived in a TT for 5 months while my parents built their house, I was 5.  My dad had a slide in to go hunting in and g.dad would take my brother and I fishing up in Wis. and Min. for a week or two every couple years.   I started backpacking during boyscouts in PA and am still a very active backpacker.  Ive been taking my DD tent camping since she was 4 and backpacking since 9.  I got DW to tent camp one time, after a Nascar race.  She never went tent camping again.  To get her out and enjoy the camping experiance with DD and I, it took a camper. We barrowed a freinds pup and went for 4 days, then 3days about a month later. We had our own p up 2 months after that.  We have NO disire to have anything bigger, or anything like walls to block nature out anymore. If it was up to me, we would still be tenters but, if it takes a p up to get everyone in the mountains together, Im all for it.

I purchased a new Flagstaff Pop Up last year after tent camping most of my life. I had borrowed a PUP or 2 before, rented TT's and Motorhomes. Outside of that I always packed a tent. I considered buying a Pop Up many times and looked at them when we went to campgrounds often to see what type I would buy someday. Then last summer we decided to get one and that was that. I don't think I will ever buy an upgrade such as a TT but as long as we are able to camp and our health holds out using a decked out Pop Up is just as good as a TT. Since getting the Flagstaff we have endured cold, snow, thunderstorms, and heat. We have not had any problems outside of a few hours of missed sleep when the thunder rolls. With a furnace the camper is plenty warm and we even have heated mattresses! Love this site and read posts every day, many good tips and great recipes! Thanks to all.

When we were young my father was a truck driver. After many weeks on the road all he wanted to do on his vacations was stay home. We never went anywhere. When I was 10 my best friends family took me camping with them. It was the greatest experience. They had a little strip of land in the middle of a State Forest in Upper Pennsylvania. It got so dark and scary at night but it was so much fun. It became a yearly thing and I made up my mind that there would always be a yearly vacation when I had kids.
Luckily I married a man who loved camping. His family had a TT but we bought a tent and went with them. My Daughter was 6 mos. when she started camping and my son was only a few weeks old when we took him. We went many places that we could never have gone had it not been for the economy of camping. I held true to my word about the yearly vacation. Even after my husband and I split, I still took the children camping. During those years we camped in state parks because it was all I could afford but we always had a great time.
My 2nd husband is not a camper. He has no desire for the outdoors. He told me before we got married that I would never have to spend another night in a tent because we could afford hotel rooms. I was ok with that for a few years but started missing camping.
My daughter married and had children of her own and wanted them to know the joys of camping. I bought a tent and started going again. I told DH he would never have to join me if he didn't want to but he was always invited. He came along a few times but still doesn't get it and that's okay with me.
Last year I decided it was time to get off the ground and stop carrying the camping stuff out of the basement everytime I wanted to get away and I bought my first pup. Again I thought DH would come around if he didn't have to sleep on the ground and had luxuries like air and a furnace but he still doesn't get it. My DD, two grandsons and I  go every chance we get. I can't imagine ever giving it up. We just got back from Gettysburg Pa. last weekend and in two weeks we are off to Ocean city Maryland for a weekend. We are creating memories for my DGS and they love it. Hopefully it will always remain in their blood and carry on the camping tradition long after I'm gone.   I have no desire to move up or down. Everything I need is in that pup sitting in my driveway. it makes me happy when I look at it as I walk by everyday.

I've been tent camping since I was an infant.Mom and dad loved camping.Me and my 3 sibs started camping as infants.In tents.I didn't see the inside of an RV until I was 10.My mom told me my reaction was one of complete confusion.I couldn't understand why people wanted to bring their house camping with them.My DW started camping as an infant also.Her family always had pups.My DW started tent camping at about 8.She would have her tent next to mom and dad's pup.Between the 2 of us,we have a long history of tent camping.Both car and backpacking.We still backpack,and car camp when we want to go to places where we can't get the pup into.I can't really see getting into a hard-sidded trailer.We enjoy kayaking,atvs,mountain biking,etc...We are able to take our toys along,so,no need for toy haulers and such.Besides,nothing beats the combined comfort,convieniance,and views in a pup!

As always Cajun, very good post.  I can't sing very well, so I thought I'd type (don't do that so great either)

I grew up camping. My mother and I would take vacations camping goin way back when many thought she was nuts going alone (single parent) with kids.
We had a blast traveling together....fast fwd to now...I was lucky enough to marry a man who also loves to camp. My son was camping before he popped out into the world. 8 mos and pregnant on the ground...tons of fun but not the most comfy.  We tented until about 8 - 9 yrs ago when we bought the Aliner.
It wasn't long after that I found PUT..great resource and have made some great friends along the way.

Will we upgrade...yes, some day. We had wanted to be in a small 5'er by now, but small things like money got in the way. Plus the gas cost... lets see... I get 18 or so MPG in the van towing...hard to give up right now.

Some day when the van dies ( right now no payment is kinda nice) I'll get my truck (thinking E2 or 350 crew cab, disel) ... then the 5 er will follow soon after... till then, we are happy to keep poppin the A.

CajunCamper
I am glad to see that you are open minded.
I got in volved with camping when I was a young cub scout.
My parents then got involved, enjoyed it but did not like the whole sleeping on the ground.  They ended up getting a TT.
My wife started camping at a younger age then me.  Her parent had TTs.
We have a 1992 Rockwood pop up and we love it.  We feel that it is a bit small and we are looking at getting one that is just a bit bigger.
We have two kids and two dogs and everyone loves to go camping.
We will always stay with a pop up as we keep it stored in our garage.  HOA won't let us store a trailer on the property and we don't see it necessacary to pay to store it off site, besides out of site out of mind.  We feel that we go camping more because our trailer is in our garage.  All we have to do is hook up and go.

Cajun,

DW and I tent camped for years before and after we got married.  Enter DS and DD  and we had a little lull camping wise.  We tent camped with friends one October weekend without DS and DD and the light bulb went on.  Less than a month later we had the trailer we have today.  For now it has worked out perfect for us.  Our niece goes with us so often I added her to our campsite sign.

Until we can add on to our house or move to something bigger we will have the pop up.  I dream of TTs often though.

My father bought a pre-enjoyed 22' Nomad travel trailer in the mid 70's when I was a young boy. We used it to primarly to travel back and forth from Florida and Rhode Island to visit relatives. We lived in Ohio, so it was a economical way to travel, and stay while visiting. We pulled it with a 73 Chevy Impala wagon. I was the youngest of 4, and have some great memories using that trailer. I can't say we camped in it alot, but on occasion we would find a off the highway KOA or something while in route to our destination. Many times it was in a truckstop for the night. I remember sleeping so good to the sound of idling diesels in the top bunk.
When I approached my later teen years, tent camping with friends gave us a new freedom. Disappearing for a few days, sitting up all night around a fire, yucking it up became my favorite past time. This continued through my early thirtys, until all of a sudden responsibilty set in. (I know, I grew up a little late).
Now today after taking a 4 year break to give my daughter a great start in life, and moving to Missouri to start a new occupasion in the Marine bizz, we picked up where we left off, but this time we retired the tent, and purchased a pop-up. I've always wanted one. I think they are just the coolest thing if you are into camping.
Anyway, we bought a 95 Coleman Sequoia, and we love it. We camp several times a month, and my daughter is enjoying every bit of it while learning alot. Last Wed evening we finally had the chance to go to sleep with the A/C off and the sides rolled up. I woke up to a perfect sunrise over the Lake and the birds chirping. I could feel the cool morning air, and smell the smoke from the now burned out campfire. I looked over to the other bed and saw my daughter sleeping tight. I grinned to myself and rolled over to sleep in.
I'm sorry....but I don't think I would have felt that way in a RV. I'm a PUP for ever.
Thanks

When I was under 5, we camped in a new Starcraft PUP. Don't remember the camper much other than going to a Jellystone once that had a goat as the CG's mascot. It horned my dad in the behind and got into the camper before it was even popped up all the way.
 
Later, I believe it was '78, my my Dad bought this old Shasta (//%22http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/560242877ziqObm%22) used. It had no 12V but used 120VAC for some of the lights and the other inside lights were propane. The water pressure was obtained by pumping the pressure up. No electric water pump. The refrigerator was electric and propane, and it even had a small toilet and shower.
 
This little trailer had a lot of sleeping area. The rear sofa turned into a double bed as did the dinette, plus there was a double bed loft above the rear sofa that even had it's own 2 windows.
 
Later in 2003 I finally got sick of wanting to camp again and decided to do it. I wanted to tent camp away from everyone, unlike the very social camping we did in the Shasta where we always camped in groups at crowded campgrounds. Unfortunately in Indiana, boon docking isn't a reality as it's illegal to do except at the Hoosier National Forest, which is at the other end of the state. So we tent camped at campgrounds.
 
In 2005 I grew tired of all the time it took to pack up the truck, from the shed, then unpack at the campground, then repack when leaveing, then unload the truck once home, and repack into the shed. It was getting to be more work than fun.
 
In 2005 I looked everywhere for a used TT. The only used campers found, were the junk no one else wants. The same was true of PUPs. They were all expensive and falling apart.
 
I gave up on the used market and bought the deal of the century, a fully loaded 2005 Rockwood 2290 PUP with air conditioning for $7200!! Unfortunately the trailer turned out to be inexpensively made junk and literally fell apart.
 
In 2006 I was in the hunt for a TT again. Looked at getting a new 23' TT but the cost was a lot, and the living area was no better than the PUP, and the sleeping areas were smaller and fewer. The amenities weren't much better than a fully loaded PUP. After thinking of all the fuel this TT would require to tow when prices of fuel were $3.50/gallon, how uncomfortable the smaller beds would be, and the possible trouble of storing it when I eventually move, I decided to look at PUPs.
 
The Starcraft 2406 was fully loaded with a good furnace and refrigerator, and was built like a tank compared to other makes. It could handle a WDH and had a very tough tarp material that wouldn't tear easily called Aqualon. The overall built was amazing on the Starcraft and won me over quickly. The tons of counter top space was excellent for my TV, microwave, table top oven, and stereo. Yet the U dinette offered a lot of very comfortable seating especially in the corners creating a lounger of sorts. This was the camper for me, and I was able to buy it for a very good deal. I traded in my Rockwood and was able to get a decent trade in value also. None of this was easy, but I kept at it until I got a very good deal on the trailer and decent trade in value that was only slightly worse than what I could had sold the camper on my own.
 
I have no desire to go to a TT for the reason listed above, and I don't care for HTTs. I love the PUP and it's tarp for the experience and benefits it's offers. I don't feel a HTTs offers much tarp benefits with just it's bunkends, but you still have the tarp troubles. The biggest negative is you can't leave you're beds made on a HTT's bunkends like you can with a PUP or TT. I find 'completely' making the beds a bit more irritating than setting up the PUP. The HTT to me, would be more work without the benefits.
 
For me, PUP camping is the most sensible and most enjoyable. I would never think of a MH because, you can't drive your MH to the fishing spots or site seeing spots.
 
Have a good one.

Our popup is a 1968 Apache Ramada. It's basically a tent with a bed off the ground and built in storage. we used to take almost a day packing everything we needed to camp. Now it's pack clothes, food & go.

Oh....and by the way.......in 10 years when we retire we plan on selling everything we own  and buying a 5th-wheel and traveling the whole US. That won't be camping though. There's a difference in camping & living in an RV full time. For now though, the storage is the benefit of the PUP.

Hubby and I started off tent camping in 1999.  My husband had camped in his younger days in a tent and enjoyed camping.  I camped once in my early 20s and wasn't all that thrilled about it so I never gave it another thought until hubby decided to get a tent.  I was so surprised that I liked it as much as I did the first time we went out.  We camped for about 4 years in a tent but my back was starting to give me problems.  Also, we had camped at Sleeping Giant near Thunder Bay one summer and it drizzled and rained for the whole time we were there.  There were a lot of trips to the campground laundry to dry out our bedding.  Getting a tent trailer was a step up for us as we could now camp and not sleep on the ground.  

We upgraded our popup from a Viking to a Starcraft Centennial Highwall last year.  That's about as far as we will go in terms of camping "equipment" for us.  We have briefly toyed with the idea of a HTT but we have always thought that when we get to that point, it's time to sell the camping equipment and the trailer.

Anyway, that's our story.

My parents took me out when I was young, young in a popup camper they owned.  It was an old Coleman (I believe), with green canvas and no A/C.  Hot as an oven, they've described it to me.  I remember camping in it in Camp Front Yard as I was older and they sold it when I was about 12 or 14.

Friends started camping (in the camper I now own) and invited me to go along.  I stayed in their camper, had a good time.  

Camped a few times with a friend, and then once a month for 2 years as an assistant Boy Scout leader, also camped when I was a scout (but didnt like it back then).

Now I go -- for the fellowship and "get away from it"ness.  This is my second year with the Jayco, and while a lot of people camp Memorial -> Labor, I think we're going to go out as long as it's not freezing outside, and maybe even then (I want to test the heat out in Camp Driveway first!!) though I'm not sure what we'd do except sit in an empty campground around a fire, or inside the camper.. (just me and the DS)..

I almost always take friends along to stay, my best friend and his DW, DS and DD stay with us a lot and they're the most fun to camp with.

The people who run the campground at the lake I usually stay at, have talked about not coming back next year.  They love being out there, but they're probably in their 70's (been doing it for 9 years) and they're talking about taking a trip to Alaska.  He had mouth cancer last year, and I hope they make it there.  He told me they shut down the bathrooms after next weekend (we just got back today from a one nighter) for the winter, and he wasn't sure if the spigots would be on or off..So we might get to try out dry camping..  Dunno..

Howdy All

Quote from: CajunCamperHere's what I'm thinking:  The main reason we bought our pop up was so we could have AC in the hottest of summer days here in the deep south extending the length of our camping season to year around.>>

Cajun camper, tried to send you a PM.  Hubby lives in Metairie and I travel up there a lot.  Wanted to see where you live.  Perhaps we could meet some time. I've been wanting to take a tent and go camping with hubby.  BTW, have not been able to find a campground guidebook for LA.

sandykayak@yahoo.com

Quote from: garanaHowdy All

We never camped as kids. I think that was probably due to the fact that for two years when I was four and five years old my father owned a chrome mine in southern Oregon. It took a four wheel drive truck to reach the camp and you had to ford two small rivers to get there. We lived the first year just in a large Army surplus tent. The second year we had a wooden floor and sidewalls with the tent over that. Even though my two brothers and I thought it was heaven, my folks got somewhat burned out on camping. :)

I didn't camp again until after I was married and somehow my DW and I got involved as staff with our church's version of the Boy Scouts. That was strictly tent camping. We were located in the NW section of Oregon and at one campout at Fort Stevens up by Astoria, OR, it rained and rained and rained...and you get the idea. The DW and I agreed that we wanted OFF the ground. So we got a used Coleman ten foot pup. Found we really liked it. Used it for years then went to a new Fleetwood pup. Then, with increasing income and the kids leaving the nest, we purchased a Toyota micromotorhome. Used it for only a short while before it was discovered that I was claustrophobic as all getout when sleeping in the overcab bunk. So, we went to a 24' TT. Used that for a couple years and then went to a 35' 5er. It had all the luxuries but we noticed that we just weren't enjoying our camping as much and found ourselves going less often. So, we thought it over and realized that although we still didn't enjoy sleeping on the ground, we were really happier with a smaller rig. That brought us to our present RV. We bought an Aliner. Doesn't have all the room of a pup but we take it everywhere and are enjoying the heck out of it. I know there are those who believe that if you can't smell canvas then you aren't really camping but we don't care. I think back to when I was in Alaska and went out in January one year and slept without a tent, without a fire, in two sleeping bags (arctic bag inside, mountain bag outside) in a hollow in the snow. If people want to call me a sissy for sleeping in comfort inside a hard-walled pup, so be it. I figure I earned the right to camp as I please and so I do! :)

Quote from: Rick YWe never camped as kids. I think that was probably due to the

I never camped as a child; neither did DH.  We started tent camping because it was a cheap weekend getaway and we were both nature lovers.  Wet and cold conditions never bothered us; however, we were afraid that the boys might never want to go camping again after being subject to the full fury and discomfort (from getting wet) of a thunderstorm, etc. (the 10-year-old is still scared to death of them).  For years we carefully scheduled our tent trips around the weather but we soon grew frustrated with scrapping a camping trip due to one day/night of t-storms/showers (again, don't underestimate my son's fear of thunderstorms).  We saved and finally splurged on the sea pine PUP and it is the answer to all our problems.  No, it does not have a/c or toilet facilities, but we have remained dry during t-storms and camp at electric hookup sites during the colder months (so we can use our heater).  I won't lie and say that I wouldn't like a hard-shell type camper for warmth or less worries about waterproofing.  However, I don't think that gasoline is going to get any cheaper and the campgrounds that we frequent don't have electric hookups anyway (with the exception of one) so the heat/ac factor isn't really an issue - not to mention we financially need to keep the 95 Bronco TV as long as possible!  I personally would still prefer a tent; DH (herniated disk doesn't do well on the ground despite air mattress) and boys (maybe I spoiled them?) love the 'camper' life, so the PUP is a WONDERFUL compromise.  Whatever you choose, it's your own personal love of camping (whatever that may be) that makes it worthwhile - ENJOY whatever you choose and carpe diem!

My parents had a 1977 dodge motorhome from the time I was born (1977) till I was about sixteen. I remember camping in the motorhome when I was young and really enjoying the experience. Most of our camping in the motorhome was dry camping but the motorhome had a battery operated water pump so we still had water in the camper.
 
Mom and Dad sold the camper when I was sixteen and I lost interest in camping until I was an adult.
 
DW had never been into camping before she met me but I introduced her to camping and she enjoyed it. We tent camped about twice a year for the first seven years we were married.
 
My sister and her husband had a 33' travel trailer they stored in our driveway because their neighborhood association didn't allow campers.  They allowed us to borrow it any time in exchange for the storage.  When they moved up to a 42' class "A" they said we could still borrow it but I was afraid to drive it so we decided to get an entry level popup.
 
We purchased a small popup (used) this year mainly for the air conditioning and extra comforts since we now have a two year old DD and a four year old DS. The main reason for the pup is budget. We don't like debt so we paid cash for what we could afford.
 
We enjoy camping in the popup but I think we may upgrade to a highwall next year with a shower. We live in Arkansas and really the only time it's too cold to camp is January and February. August is usually over 100 so we don't camp when It's that hot.
 
We will probably trade "up" to a fifth wheel many years down the road.

I tent camped with my friends as a teenager, but my family never camped. During my 20's, I don't think I ever went more than once or twice. But in my early 30's, I found myself newly divorced and with a 2-year-old daughter. I was looking for something to do with her that would make great memories for her since she would grow up without the traditional family. I bought a '94 Palomino Stallion PUP in '97 and we camped several times that summer, just the 2 of us. She loved it. She always got so excited every time we went. Later that fall, though, my PUP was stolen. I will probably never know why, but for some reason, I never replaced it. I think it had to do with needing to trade in my TV (Ford Explorer) for an economy car to stay afloat financially.

Well, in '99, I started dating a lady at my church, and we married in 2000. Her family had always camped her whole life, mostly in PUPs. We bought a tent and needed equipment, and went camping 12 hours away the month after our wedding, and then proceeded to camp at least 3 trips per year. My daughter was 5 when we married, and she loved the tent camping, too. Last fall, our financial situation changed enough that we decided to buy our own PUP. We found a NTU '98 Jayco that we could pay cash for ($2,200). We bought and installed a new canvas, and it is now perfect for our needs. Due to my wife being pregnant, and a whole host of other scheduling reasons, we didn't get to take it out until July of this year. We took my daughter and our 6-week-old son out for 3 nights and had a fantastic time, creating wonderful memories for my daughter. We went for 3 more nights Labor Day weekend, and we're going 2 more the first weekend in November.

So my daughter is loving camping again, and our son will have been on his 3rd trip before he is 6 months old. My DW and I love our PUP lifestyle. It stores neatly in our back yard, is easy to pull with our NTU Sienna, has plenty of space for 4 people, gets us up off the ground, is SO much more comfortable if it rains, and there's a whole host of other reasons why we like it. I don't ever see us getting a HTT or a TT, and probably not a PUP that's any bigger. We have A/C, so we can extend our camping through much more of the season. We never tent camped before between Memorial Day and Labor Day. It is too hot in NC!

With my limited vision of the future, I see us always having a PUP.

We started when I was about 3.   There were four kids, and the folks.  It all started in the "Abe Lincoln" tent.  If any of you have seen the picture of Lincoln standing in front of a large two flap tent during the Civil War, that's what we camped in on old WWII army cots.

Then my dad's friend loaned us his PUP.  It was cool.  Dad and oldest brother in one bunk, mom and oldest sister in the other.  The two youngest on the floor.  Crowded?  You bet, but we only really slept in it.  No electric, no heat, no nothing.

Next, the folks bought a 1970's era "Road Knight."  Same sleeping arangement and lack of ammenities.  The two oldest then moved out-college, marriage, etc, and the camper sat in the drive.  Opened it one day, and the canvas was rotted.  Away it went.  Then for several years, we just traveled and stayed in hotels.  Some GREAT trips though.

Move forward several years, and I'm in college.  My buddies and I would tent camp.  Tons of fun!     :!

Then I met my future bride, and we tent camped----once!  It rained all week, and even I became kind of miserable.  Chatting with the neigbor one day, I thought out loud about putting the tent on the snowmobile trailer to be "off the ground."  His neighbor at their cottage was selling a  1970 Camel PUP for $100.  It even had electrical outlets!

DW's 50th  :cake: , and she got a used 99 Coleman Santa Fe  (SURPRISE!).  We were in luxury!  Wow, a sink, heat, ice box, and electrical!  This was the life.  

Then on our 10th anniversary, we stopped in at the RV dealer to buy a set of propane tank tie down rods so we could add another propane tank to the Santa Fe.  Well.........she happened to look inside the Fleetwood UTAH, then stepped in, and came out only to sign the paperwork!  Happy Anniversary!  Slide out, cassette potty, hot water, fridge, otuside shower.  We had "arrived!"
 
When I picked up the new PUP, I still had to buy the hold down rods to add another propane tank---expensive set of rods.  :yikes:

We love the UTAH, and will stick with it, as it suits our needs quite well.  Eventually, we want to get a 5th wheel for our retirement.  We go to the shows, and look, dream, and think of retirement.

I don't really think it matters how you camp, it just matters that you camp.  I think that so many people miss out on something wonderful when they don't camp.  Our friends have a 5th wheel, and we camp together-both with hook ups and dry camping.  We see tenters, 5th wheels, hybrids, class A's and so on when we camp.  We get along with everyone.  It's the people and being outside, not the camping unit.

Hoppette's and my parents were not campers at all. Their vacations consisted of visiting a lake, and staying in cabins or motels along side the lake.

 I on the other hand began camping while in the Boy Scouts, and took to it like a fish to water.

 Right after I graduated from HS, a couple of buddies of mine car camped in the south-east. We had a blast. This was pretty much camping with a tarp spread over a couple of picnic tables, sleeping bags, cooler, lantern, stove, .......and beer. Not much food, but the beer was always cold.

 When Hoppette and I were married (and before the kids) we camped pretty much the same, only I did buy a small tent with a floor. Hoppette didn't care for bugs, so that was the reason for the floor.

 Once our lil' critters (kids) came along, the little tent became a 12 X 14 cabin tent. We used this tent for close to twenty years.

 As Hoppette and I grew older, our backs cold no longer stand sleeping on the cold hard ground, I bought my first used 1978 Palomino PU. Cheap enough, for 1,000.00 it had AC, furnace, stove, sink, awning, refrigerator, television hook-up, and we were now off the ground. Kept that PU for ten years, and gave it to our daughter and SIL when we bought our next PU.

  We bought the used 2001 Mesa back in 2003, and it's is perfect for our future needs. I paid 7,000 for it fully loaded. It has everything the ol' PAL had, but now we have hot water to do the the clean ups.

  I'll be keeping this one until I can no longer go camping, with no expectation of moving up to a TT, or 5'er.

  This makes sense for us, since we only get to go camping approx. 20 days a year.  It's just not economically practicle for us to pay upwards of $ 18,000 for 20 days worth of camping. We can store the PU in our garage, keep it well maintained, and ready to go on a minutes notice. No storage fees, and no worry that it's safe while it it stored.

QuoteFalling asleep to the sound of the rain on the tent was great!

I agree!

We're mid 40's, and after looking at everything from a PUP to a 5th wheel, we've come back to the PUP.  We're moving up from tent camping that we love, but the mountains are a tad nippy in the winter.  We just wanted something we could heat a little better than the tent.  The potty is great too when it's 15 or colder outside.

When we retire and sell the house (in 15 years), we may consider the 5th wheel again, but doubt we'll give up our PUP for nice weather use.

Also, we couldn't get a king bed in anything except high end 5th wheel, and those are out of our price range.

We're happiest tent camping.

Thanks so much for starting this topic.  I have truely enjoyed reading all the adventures.  
I guess the first time I went camping was when my oldest DD was just a baby.  We had an older tent and we went a lot of places with it.  We would not have been able to take these trips if we had to pay for hotels and restaurants.  Later we got sort of a pu, one that was a box when open the sides were beds and it had poles to hold the canvas up.  It had nothing else but we loved it.  Later we divorced and he got the camper.  Some friends of mine had a pu and a tt so they towed both to the mountains in NM so my 2 DD's and I could use the pu.  It was a great time and I really missed camping.  I dated a guy with a boat so he got a pup tent and we could then go camping/boating and it was great.  When I started dating my current DH we got a tent and started camping.  I'll never forget the first time we took DS and he got sick so we had to come home.  We went through a lot of tents as most leaked and by now we had purchased a new conversion van and we used it to sleep in at time.  We would take the two captain seats out and the kids could sleep on the floor.  By this time the oldest DD had quit camping so we just had DD and DS.  What brought us to a PU was a very rainy/windy camping trip that we had a new 2 room tent that leaked so we were in the van all wknd.  Everything was muddy, we couldn't cook as we couldn't keep the stoves lit and the wind blew the tarp off the van we were using for an awning.  We started looking and found a 78 Starcraft, sort of small, for $750. and bought it.  We had a lot of good times in it and took it on vacation.  The following year DH ran across a larger 74 Starcraft and we bought it for $600. and used it for many years.  Since each child took a friend, we let the 4 of them have the camper and we slept in the van.  We had a screen room up and that is where we spent most of our time.  In early '04 we decided to purchase a new Flagstaff PU with all the bells and whistles including the shower/pottie.  DH was tired of trying to keep the old Starcraft together.  This was also the year that our youngest decided to quit camping and started working.  We found that he and his friend had done a lot of the set up and now we didn't want that much work for just us.  We did take it a lot of places and had some wonderful times but it was just too much for DH to do anymore.  He got overheated setting up one weekend and we went to the camper dealer and found the HTT I fell in love with.  Well now we started camping even more since we didn't have to load and unload and then reverse the proceedure when going home.  We kept it loaded and could go anytime.  We took a long vacation last summer, '06, and made tons of memories in it.  In Jan DH had his second heart surgery and he didn't want the set up of the HTT any longer or the crawling over to get in bed.  Also the cold weather and putting the refletix in the bunk ends.  I didn't want to trade it off as it was just the best camper I had ever had and I loved it.  But with it being a health issue we traded for a TT.  I can't say I don't like the benefit of having a bed to sleep in or the warmth in cold weather.  It isn't really "camping" as I think of it but it does get us out there.  Now the price of gas is really putting a pinch on us so we may put it on a permanent spot next season.  We did that this year for a couple of months and it was alright but I really like to move around.  Anyway we are planning a long trip for next summer and DH says we may rent a PU.  I just about fell over on that one.  I would like to find a good used PU for cheap and use it for the long trips to save on gas.  We will see what our future brings and I will not say we will not trade again.  DH would like a class C but I am holding out for as long as I can.  We have even thought of a tent that goes over the back of a SUV so we can use the SUV to sleep in.  Who knows for sure, but so long as we keep camping is the real issue for me.

I know this is an old thread, but wanted to answer it anyway.  As a boy, we tent camped and camped with a small travel trailer.  Years later, after the kids left home, my wife and I started backpacking and tent camping together.  Now that retirement is near, we want to do some major traveling and sightseeing around the country.  We decided to buy our Flagstaff PUP.  We love it.  After spending days in a backpacking tent, hiding from the rain, and sleeping on a hard ground, our PUP seems like a palace.  

I don't plan on going larger than the PUP.  It pulls so easily, and the gas mileage is tolerable.  To me, going larger would be moving too far away from camping.

My wife and I are mid 40s, with a seven year old son.  We got a late start. I grew up mostly in Colorado camping only once every year or two, mostly in cabover campers or tents. It was more about fishing then camping. My grandparents had a TT and I got to go on a couple cool trips with them. I moved to California when I was 13 and got into backpacking pretty seriously through my teens but, the Army kind of cured me of that.

My wife grew up vacationing in hotels or cabins, she was not much of a camper. She and I camped (in seperate tents) several times with our church singles group while we were dating on mission trips to Mexico and one fun trip to Catalina. We have continued to tent camp since we have been married (12 years) but only about 6-8 times total.

I have toyed with idea of upgrading from the tent to a TT for a while.  I recently inherited a couple thousand from my grandmother who finally left us at 103 and amazingly still had a little left in her bank accounts. Some of my best camping memories were in my grandparents tiny TT so, I decided to start shopping for one.  It seemed a fitting way to spend grandma's money.

I initially did not look for a pup but in talking to friend who have TT and friends who have TTs and THs and friends who have pups.  I started to consider the pup as a better option.  Then two particularly windy drives out of the LA area over the holidays real made me question the whole TT thing. On one of those windy days my friend with a 22 foot TT opted to stay home and wait it out, stating a planned trip two days late.  I also compared the mileage two of my buddies get, one with a TT and the other with a pup, the difference was staggering.  

Enough history, we're in a pup now and so far loving it, this blows tent camping away. If we want luxury we'll stay in a time share, for camping, the pup is more than comfortable enough. If I was to upgrade, it might be to a Trail Manor, my best friend has one and it's mighty nice but awfully pricey.

Haven't been here in a very long time but I had responded to this post when it was first posted here.  There has been an update since I was last here. We have bought a TT even though we swore we would never get to that point but the set up plus problems we had with our last pup (a Starcraft Centennial) drove us to the brink.  We decided we weren't ready to give up camping yet.  We love the TT and can't wait for next spring to start our camping adventures again!

Maybe we have a similar heartbeat because I like backpacking and minimalist camping too, but I prefer a pop up.  We had (sold it but I am itching to get another one) a Coleman Niagra so it was quite large, but I liked it for many reasons -

You could haul it many places where you wouldn't want to take a big camper (e.g., over rough terrain)

It also had larger beds than many regular campers.

It also seemed to have about as much floor space as many campers.

Where we may differ a bit is camping at Disney - I have never been to Disney (shame!) but we did take our camper to the beach one time and it almost cured us of the desire to go camping.  The reason I say this is that it was the kind of camping that many seem to like to do - jam yourself into some large campground where there is only about 10 to 20 feet of space between your camper and the next.  When we walked out of our camper it was like a 100 acre yard sale with beach toys and towels and stuff scattered everywhere.  Plus we payed extra to be closer to the beach and what we got was a front door view of a big RV right in front of us.  As an extra bonus we got a lot of noise and traffic around our camper 24 hours/day and we got the heat baking down on our roof that it made the A/C seem inoperable.

We like to go camping with wider spaces and lots of trees.  (Maybe the Disney campground is like that???)

Great question and interesting comments!

Disney is not entirely like that. It is peaceful even though you can still see your neighbors.

I started camping as a child with my parents. At first it was a tent and we had loads of fun for about 5 years but there was 4 of us kids and tent camping was kind of hard on my parents. They bought a used PU and we had more fun than ever. Mostly used for sleeping and getting out of the rain. It was easy to tow and we went everywhere. They moved up one more time to a new 28" TT. It had all the comforts of home. It was big and hard to tow. Limited our trips to close destinations. We had fun but it wasn't really camping anymore. After I moved out of the house parents sold TT and stopped camping all together. After about 10 years I started hunting with my father-in-law in a tent. Once again fun but after a terrible storm getting everything wet and tearing the tent I decided to rent a PU the next year. While looking at the PU to rent they had a hybrid for $10 a day more and I decided on it. It was perfect, still had the feel of tent camping with the popout ends but nice furnace and all of that. Last year one of my uncles I go hunting with was selling his PU so I purchased it from him expecting to use it for hunting only. I talked my wife into going camping in March of this year and she loved it. My wife, daughter, son, son-in-law and I try to go at least once a month now. Everyone is having the time of there life. We keep adding creature comforts to the PU such as A/C, television, radio, etc. I plan to buy a hybrid next year. Having a bathroom appeals to the wife and daughter and being able to load and unload without raising roof appeals to me. For me the joy of camping is buy just getting away from the rat race. I like to have some of the comforts of home available. I don't always have to use them.

What a lot of great stories here. Now that I've just spent the last hour reading I'm inspired to answer this post. I totally agree with the original author, however, on the point that camping is camping. We just all enjoy it in a different way. I started camping as a young teen with an aunt who was single and loved nature. First we slept in a tent, then she bought a used VW camper, then a new one. I always camped on and off since in many forms, from the tent to a class C. Now, my wife swears she was conceived in a pop up. Her parents were always big campers, and owned several pups as she grew up. When we started dating, we camped in a tent. After we got married and the kids came along, life was too busy to camp. Then we bought the Dutchmen. Despite all the troubles it's given us, we have a lot of great trips and memories in it. Now that the kids are older and rarely camp anymore, if we upgrade it will probably be to another pop up, but maybe one with an automatic electric roof! :)