RE: popups and strong winds?

[Woody]

 
I know this is a general and maybe even dumb question...but here goes. Are spring/summer gusty midwest winds ever problematic for popups? I m new to popups and have only had mine out twice, but admittedly find myself glancing up with concern at the back-and-forth movement of the roof and rails when winds are strong. Am I worrying about nothing? How does one know when  fold it down time  comes?
 
 gary

[ThunderRock]

 Woody
Let s just put it this way, Woody. DW & I have withstood some pretty tough wind; a year 1/2 ago, during deer season, the wind was merciless. Had a constant 25-30 mph gouing all day w/gusts in the 45 mph range.
 With the breeze ever-increasing on our second night, we decided that we wouldn t get much sleep after all. Folded down and headed into town. Had a rough ride to town (which is normally 15 min, took us over 1/2 hr), bad storm headed in, we were just happy w/our decision to fold up.
 Got by that storm & a few others pretty wild..but like Kenny Rogers sang, " ya gotta know when to hold  em, know when to fold  em" ....[][]

[mike4947]

 Woody
After several " windy"  nights I can pretty much gaurantee you ll fold long before the PU does due to wind. Unfortunately that sway in the roof is built in. It gives room to keep any binding in the lift system from happening. I know I tightened the roof bolts on a PU and ended up breaking a cable.
 The worst that s ever happen to one of my PU s is when it was actually at home and 40-50 mph winds came up in the middle of the night. The PU was just sitting popped up without the stabilzers down and on a jack wheel. The wind was hitting it on the side so it turned and rolled across the driveway till the jack wheel got stuck. No damage, just a red face on me when the neighbors had to help me turn it around as I couldn t get the TV to the tongue.
 I ve got a 3 foot stake now driven in the edge of the driveway and it s roped to the trailer and I put the stabilzers down if the trailer is popped up.
 I ve been in the PU with winds that high and it is scary with the flapping and swaying, but never did any of the PU s move.
 Now I have had to go find the awning in the morning the first time I had it up and the wind came up. SPUT #5

[mortjv]

 Woody
We have camped in some pretty windy conditions and the pop-up held up fine.  If the wind in constant and in the 25-30 MPH neighorbood, it can get rather loud in the camper due to the fabric rippling, and would be difficult for anyone who is a light sleeper to rest comfortably.  If your are aware that strong winds are coming, it is best to fold up the awning.  In windy conditions, we are always most concerned with the limbs falling off trees.

[wynot]

 Woody
We ve certainly been in heavy winds with the Utah and no ill effects.  As another noted, I worry a whole lot more about those shade trees I m parked under.  I usually get to listen to acorns, pine cones, hickory nuts hit the camper all night long.

[SheBantam]

 Woody
One of our first trips was to Cherrystone in VA, we had rain and gusts that were 50 to 60 MPH all night. The part that took it the worst was the awning. The next day, I went to the camp store and bought one of those straps that torques over the awing.
 
 yes it was scary, but we sat it out and was fine the next morning, had a great trip!
 
 Ask MesaMaddness about winds, they were caught in a tornado last spring. But they were driving, and not popped up.

[Woody]

 Woody
thanks everyone for the feedback. I ll try to sleep easier now. Never thought of the tree limbs issue...I ll be watchful of that scenario in the future.
 
 gary

[PI]

 Woody
Camping tip: check your site before you set up to see if there are any dead tree limbs above you that could break off if windy or stormy or if the site is level because if it rains...where is the water going to flow?

[tlhdoc]

 Woody
We have been in winds over 50 mph when camping at the ocean.  The PU will take more storm than you might think.  If it is getting to the point you are worried, pop down so you feel better.

[jackgoesthepopup]

 Woody
Woody.
 Can i make a suggestion. Get a good weather radio. You will know if real bad weather is coming in. I have one that is self activating when the National Weather service issues a weather warning .They use the emergency broadcast system. I am sure you have heard them.  When this happens the radio come on automaticly. But i listen to the forcast everymorning so i  will know what the weather is going to be like. It s a lot easier to get the campsite ready for bad weather before it gets to your campsite. The national weather service has installed a lot more repeter towers in the country to try and make thease braodcasts avaible anywhere in the country.

[hbfc6]

 Woody
I had my old pop up up in my back yard when a tornado touched down in my hometown within a mile. It blew the tent part away from the roof. I thought the pop up was a completly trashed but the tent part was able to slide back onto the roof no damage.

[tlhdoc]

 Woody
If you get a weather radio, look for one with S.A.M.E. technology.  It allows you to in put codes for the counties you will be in or near.  That way you do not hear weather warnings for counties you are not in.  I look up the codes and put them in when we camp out of our area.  It is nice to know if there will be bad weather coming.

[deniski]

 Woody
I wish that weather radio worked out here where I live.  sigh.  Maybe some day!  It does work in some parts of Montana... just not in my neck of the woods!

[GeneF]

 Woody
A few years back we were camping and a storm blew off of the lake.  Estimated wind was around 60 mph.  It got pretty noisy and scary in the popup but not much you can do when a storm comes up so quickly.
 This was around 4 am.
 
 The awning got bounced around and I had to set it back up but no real hassles.
 
 Main scare was seeing the tree limb than had come down directly between the Sienna and the canoe.  Luckily, neither was hit.
 
 
 This was one of those storms that you have no warning about and was rather violent.  We were without power at the campground for about 12 hours.
 
 So, I would say that popups can stand more wind than we would suspect.
 
 Awnings can also take quite a beating but do tend to get tossed around more.
 
 Last year at this same campground, I was setting up the awning (alone) when a gust of wind came and put it on the top of the camper.   Camping neighbors got a laugh out of that but I managed to pull it off of the roof and get it set up.  
 

[Horscampr]

 Woody
Wind really doesn t bother me too much (unless its accompanied by Tornado warnings[]).  Like some people have already said, I m more concerned about a heavy tree limb falling on top of my PU than being blown over by a wind storm.
 
 My mom and I weathered through 2 real NASTY thunderstorms with high winds last summer and did just fine in the PU (even my old 32yr old Poppy can handle it).
 
 During one of the storms, I did get worried however, because there was a lot of lightening.  I thought about changing beds a couple of times (and taking the table bed underneath the roof instead of the bunkend).  My mom thought I was overreacting....but then the lightening was striking closer to my side of the camper than hers....YIKES!!!!
 
 Now I find that SCAREY[]