To Pop or Not to Pop..that is the question!

[flyfisherman]

You could leave the dinette table down and not bother setting up the camp-sight, if you're merely doing an "over-nighter".

Essentially, that's what I try and do for an overnighter. If the weather is decent will not hook-up the interior stove, instead have a little single burner stove that I'll set-up on the C/G picnic table. Also, if possible, will leave the the TV and the PUP hitched so that's another less chore to do in the morning to get underway early. My record time for setting up in this fashion has been about 12 minutes - a tad longer to button-up, ready to hit the road.

Now as for all that extra jun... eh, gear ... how in this world do you continue on popup camping and fly fishing and not accumulate more "stuff"?


Fly

[chip]

Brantime--

I would think that you are already punching a pretty good sized hole in the air with a full-sized truck and hi-rise camper shell, so fuel mileage shouldn't be a big hit.

With minimal setup of the pup on the one-nighters, time expended would likely be close to the same as setting up the bedding in the cap, or checking in to a motel.

Once we got the routine down, we could be set up and cooking dinner about thirty minutes after finding the campground.  Usually a KOA, close to the road travelled, because we could usually find one, and the sites were normally level and easy to get into shortening the setup time.  

We had a small, pretty basic camper which helped.  Don't know about the new one, but I don't think basice setup or takedown will take that much longer.

Besides, that's what we bought ours for.  

Have a great trip, whichever way you accomplish it.


~Merry Christmas~  :XMas

[Wild Wild Qwest]

I think you should follow the motto in your tag line> Camp more often...have more fun...do less work!

Enjoy your trip!

[Brantime]

Hey Guys!

I think that you guys are great when it comes to helping out a person with any type of query, lol!

After carefully weighing all the responses, thinking about the particular situations and procedures that were mentioned, and then also thinking about our comfort...well, I am leaning towrds the Truck Topper Bedroom idea with the possibility of taking my 10' x 10' Dome tent for dining when the weather dictates the need. (The tent takes about 90 seconds to pop up)!

I love my PU, however, I was told by a couple of places that they did not allow PU's due to the Bear population! I have thought about this before but really did not consider worrying about Bears while camping in a PU...

Anyway, thanks for all the thought that you guys put into this query!

Happy Holidays to ALL!

[wynot]

I presume this thread has kinda come to a conclusion, but I know that people do ask this particular question several times a year (about 1 nighters and long trips).If we were doing it (the three of us), I would have to really think about exactly what I was trying to do, and in what order - meaning itinerary.  Popping up OR popping down is probably a 20-30 minute effort on both ends.  Truly popping down after camping takes closer to 1.5-2 hours for us.
 
Though we have certainly made 500-600 miles a day towing (one driver), it would be the popdown, wet canvas, put-away that would kill a start time.  I wouldn't worry about the wet canvas if I knew I was popping up in a number of hours.  I personally hate setting up after dark, so I try to get in at least a half hour before sunset.
 
Thinking about the things that suck time right up -
1 night "transient" camping.
- No awning
- No meals prepared on the outside stove
- Paper plates, and plasticware
- No bikes taken off rack (ours is on the front of the TV)
- No mat
- No dinette setup
- No bag chairs
- Microwave meals, or eat out, or left overs.
- Possibly even leave hooked up to the TV if level.
- No cassette potti dump station visit (unless needed)
 
I guess we could make it out in a comfortable hour with the above list being followed, but I sure wouldn't look too forward to it night after night.