Poll (best brand of PU)

[GrizzlyTaco]

What do you think the best brand of PU. is.

[AustinBoston]

While most of us like our own pop-ups, I think most folks around here will tell you they all strive for the same thing - more stuff inside, less weight outside, fewer warranty issues.

Far more important than choosing a brand is choosing a dealer.  The manufacturer will almost always do right by you.  So will the majority of dealers.  But some dealers won't hesitate to leave you high and dry.

Austin

[sacrawf]

When shopping for my camper, it seemed to me that most all major manufacturer pop-ups today are very close to each other in construction, with minor differences in design and features.  I bought a Rockwood primarily because we were well treated by the dealer.

What frustrates me is that manufacturers seem to think that no one in their right mind would buy a pop-up if they had enough money to buy anything else, and therefore there is a lack of innovation and quality options in popups.

Other than the Quicksilver, which is very spartan in it's interior, why doesn't anybody make a pop-up frame from aircraft aluminum and use carbon-fiber and fiberglass in interior construction?  It could be stronger, more durable, and lighter.  Why aren't there more and better fabric choices? Better suspension?  Polished aluminum wheels instead of stamped steel? Painted graphics instead of vinyl tape stripes? How about custom exterior colors? Why not the options of built-in entertainment/weather radio systems?  Built-in water filters? Higher quality interior finishes?  Factory-mounted bike racks?  Factory insulated tops that do the job of the pop-up gizmos solar covers? All could be delivered a package that can still be towed by a car-based SUV or mini-van.

Those of us who want a pop-up for it's ease of towing and outdoor experiences will still seek them out, but IMHO, the reason pop-up sales have declined is that manufacturers have failed to pack in the quality features, options, and excitement in a lightweight package that will attract families.

[dthurk]

why doesn't anybody make a pop-up frame from aircraft aluminum and use carbon-fiber and fiberglass in interior construction?  It could be stronger, more durable, and lighter.  Why aren't there more and better fabric choices? Better suspension?  Polished aluminum wheels instead of stamped steel? Painted graphics instead of vinyl tape stripes? How about custom exterior colors? Why not the options of built-in entertainment/weather radio systems?  Built-in water filters? Higher quality interior finishes?  Factory-mounted bike racks?  Factory insulated tops that do the job of the pop-up gizmos solar covers? All could be delivered a package that can still be towed by a car-based SUV or mini-van.

My experience with different manufacturers units to date is somewhat limited, but what I've seen agrees with other posts above that there are more similarities between brands than we might like.  Features above would be nice, but may raise a price to a point that would be difficult to sell.  Manufacturers would be cautious enough not to produce something their research isn't indicating will sell at the price they'd need to charge to produce it.  Lighter frames and materials would be great, but might fall into that category.  Probably their thinking on all this is if you want some of these other features, buy a TT.    

Fleetwood has put built in stereo radios and household style toilets with at least a black water holding tank installed on their high end units.  Tracy would be able to supply more details on that.

If we want more of these features on PUPs, we'd probably have to become much more vocal of our desires with the manufacturers.

[tlhdoc]

Where is the poll?

A good dealer is much more important than the brand.  They all have problems.

[Nuke]

I am new sop forgive repeat questions. I am on my 3rd hour just reading and reading. I went camping this past weekend and a PU pulled up next to my tent.

That changed my thoughts forever ( It was cold and rainy )  :eyecrazy:

Any tips or help would be greatly appreciated !

[GrizzlyTaco]

Nuke, My wife and I are PU newbies, but we use to tent camp alot before we had kids. Now they are old enough to take camping, 3 and 4. We decieded we were tired of sleeping on hard ground, so we checked our local RV dealers for a PU. Here in vegas there are only 3 brands of PU's. Rockwood, Starcraft and Jayco, we looked at them all and we like the set-up of the 2006 Jayco Jay Series 1207 the best. It doesn't have a built in bathroom or shower. It does have a shower on the outside. We bought a porta potty for it from wal-mart. Anyway if you are going to consider a PU make sure your tow vehicle will be able to pull whatever you get. Dont rely on the dealer to tell you that you can pull a certain size PU, they just want to sell you a PU, they dont care if your vehicle can tow it or not. Find a PU with all the features you like and the storage space you'll need. Here's Jayco's site " //www.Jayco.com ".  Here is another PU Web site to check out " //www.PopUpExplorer.com " i hope this helps.......Ed C.     :sombraro:

[SpeakEasy]

The only "poll" that really matters is the one where people spend their money. Look at the signature lines of all people who post here to see what brand they've purchased. That's your poll.

[Zagami]

Lynne and Scott hit the nail on the head.  Most manufacturers, and almost all dealers, seem to think that pop-ups are for people who can't afford anything else.  They are dead wrong, and have been for years.
 
Dealers don't want to talk to prospects who want to look at pop-ups, and will try to sell them a motorhome without ever asking them what "they" want and "why" they want it.
 
We camped for years in a pop-up when it could just has easily have been a motorhome, but I didn't want a motorhome ... I wanted a pop-up and that's what we purchased (it was a Rockwood).  
 
The other problem is the high cost of manufacturing a pop-up these days.  It is true that many of them are more expensive than traditional travel trailers so they automatically assume you should buy the travel trailer and do not take the time to understand that many people truly enjoy camping in a pop-up ... period.  
 
I think this is the major reason why you see a lot of owner renovations to their pop-ups so that they will get the fabrics, conveniences, accessories, and better quality materials as they change their pop-ups to suit their lifetyle and camping requirements.
 
I like the suggestion of doing your own semi-scientific poll of the contributors on our forum pages.
 
RVers are not bashful people, they will gladly tell you what they like, and don't like, when you set up camp next to them and start talking about their RV.