Who's been Popup camping the longest?

[2manytoyz]

I found an old photo of one of my earliest camping trips.  I believe it was either 1969, or 1970.  Taken in the FL Panhandle.  My father was in the USAF, stationed in Alabama at the time.  The base had rental campers, the photo below is one of those classic Starcraft models.  My mother is sitting on the picnic bench, I'm in the background drying myself off with a towel.  The other folks were friends of my parents, no idea who they are.  Might be one of you! FWIW, I was 4 at the time, do the math.  

http://2manytoyz.com/camp/past/camp1969.jpg

I know there's some crusty old campers out there somewhere.  Got some old pics you'd like to share?

[YellowXterra]

Tent campin gfor ever pop up camping 2 years

[popupcop]

My parents bought a TARTAN brand tent camper in 1967 ir 1968.  There is no top to crank up.  The top folds out to make the bed ends and tenting folds out to cover the whole thing.  They still have it and the tenting is in great shape.  I was about 9 when they bought it and have been camping with them many many times.  That puts me up to 37 or 38 years of camping in a tent camper.

[griffsmom]

My mom bought a Starcraft PU in either 70 or 72.  When we bought our Coleman in April of 2002, my mom gave me an old box that she used to keep matches in.  Inside were matches stored in my gramma's empty prescription bottles from 1977.  My mom sold the camper not long after that. I still have great memories of that camper and the trips we had in it, and in fact, that's what, in part, prompted DH and I to buy our PU!

[jpreiser]

Well my parents bought their first pop up before I was born, and we went camping when I was a baby also (1970) we had it until I was about 7 I remember it was very basic .. They then upgraded to a small shasta trailer.. 5 kids and 2 adults in a small trailer.. No wonder my mom's hair was gray early!!

[Miller Tyme]

I've got a couple of black and whites of my family camping. In 1967, we rented a small Winnebago TT and went up to Rhinelander, WI for a week.

In 1968, we rented a Starcraft pop-up and did the same trip.
 
Both campers were towed by my dad's '66 Ford Fairlane GTA, 390ci, 300hp.(ARGH,ARGH,ARGH!!!):cool:

[tlhdoc]

This year coming up will be out 9th year camping in a PU.  3 years in a Coleman (yes a real Coleman) and this will be our 6th year camping in our 1999 Coleman/Fleetwood Nevada.

[NightOwl]

like many PUT members, we were tent campers first and in the spring of 1970, bought a  1966 or 67 Skamper which we took  trout fishing to Montana and Colorado  for 5 weeks that summer.  2 adults, 2 kids (10 and 6) and 3 Yorkshire Terriers.  (We couldnt afford a kennel for 3 dogs for 5 weeks so we took them.  We must have been nuts, but we had a great time!)

[DiW]

My DH and his family took their new 1965 Apache Raven to Colorado from MA. Seems the family was invited to a reunion so my MIL (her DH was deceased) went out and bought a brand new popup and drove across the country with 3 little kids. Pretty gutzy (love that woman!).

For Christmas this year, my DH's sister gave him a photo album with pics from that trip. He says he could do the setup himself (age which I'm sure his sisters and mom took advantage of.

On the other hand, I didn't even know camping existed until a friend took me tent camping to the outer banks of NC during college. I saw my first popup a few years ago, when we were tent camping in the pouring rain next to a rental popup. I knew then that that was for the type of camping better suited for us  so I began shopping right away (not having a clue as to what I was doing). Have I told you lately that I LOVE CAMPING   .
Diane

[brainpause]

Have "only" been popup camping since the late 70's, but I was only 5 or 6 then! So, it has been a very large part of my life!

Larry

[byrdr1]

Hey Robert good to see ya!
My parents had several camping rigs as I grew up.
I do remember a fold-out type popup growing up.  But I dont remember the year.
You opened the silver looking tops by folding each out opposite of the other and then you raised the tenting with poles and I believe you walked in to it from the back side. Maybe this was a COX or Apache?
I will have to look through all my dad's old slides. Never had picture prints but we had lots of slides.
I can remember camping in Cherokee, NC watching an old B&W TV as we firsted walked on the moon.."One small step for man, One giant leap for Mankind."
I believe we were tent campers that year.
WOW !!!!!!! Now we are looking at color pictures of MARS from MARS. But this could all be just make believe........"The truth is out there!"
randy

[B-flat]

Popup camping only about 3 years. I did a lot of tent camping before that...probably about 50 years.....family used some kind of tent when I was small and we often took it out on the property we owned. It was longer than that if you want to count the two story turn of the century house I grew up in. Winters were kind of cold stepping out of bed onto floors that had no insulation. Yes, that was camping out, too.

[camperkam]

My Mom & Dad took the Campfire girls camping in tents and my sister & I slept in the back of our station wagon about 1958.  That was my first camping trip and we have been camping ever since.  First pop-up 1970 just a tent in a box.  Great memories.

Kathy & Don

[Cadeuses]

This is a great thread. I wish I had some of the old black and white pictures my Mom still has of us camping when I was a little kid. Like others have said here, I would have been about 3 years old, and it was camping in a tent near my Mom's in Ontario, Canada.
 
 
For those who like to do the math... that would have been in 1957. :eek:
 
Oops, I forgot to add the part about how long I have popup camped.... My folks got our first popup back in 1975... so I guess since then.

[forestwalker]

We've only been pop up camping about two years.We have done some backpacking,and have tent camped since childhood.Though we still do all three,we now spend most of our time camping in the tent trailer.