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

[Brantime]

Howdy Group!

We are planning a month (at least) long trip and I wanted to know how the collective group feels about excessive popping...Yeah, or, Neah???

Would you take your popup on a month long trip if it required several one day campsites? I just am trying to determine how burdensome it would become to raise and lowered the old unit each and everyday during certain segments of the trip when relocating was envolved???

I will list my thanks in advance for any that choose to post their thoughts on this subject!

Camp more often...have  more fun...do less work!

[fritz_monroe]

For me, I would need more information.  How many 1 day campsites are we talking about?  What's the alternative?  Other than the 1 day sites, how long will you be in the other sites?  What areas will these 1 day sites be in?  Are these stops en route to the final destination?

[edwardr132]

Sounds like you may want to invest in a very good drill and pop-it-up using that.

[CampDirt]

I have a power lift on mine, so I'm not worried about popping up and down continuously.  Even a crank system should be able to handle it (doesn't take that long to crank it up either).  The concern should be hooking and unhooking at hook-up sites, or having enough water, power, etc. if dry camping.  Popping up the camper is the easy part (or at least for me, even with a crank).  It was everything else (ie hook-ups and turning on furnace) that was my challenge.
 
Hope this helps.  And if the arm gets tired of cranking, I hear from lots of owners that a drill works wonders.  My roomate and I just don't have the strength or know-how to use a drill, thus the power lift...

[ScoobyDoo]

Unless I was traveling by myself I would take and use the PUP. When we bring the trailer home we keep everything that we can in the trailer. If we are moving from 1 GC to another everything (clothes, food) in the trailer stays in the trailer and everything (chairs,tables,grill, stove)outside goes in the truck. Setting up the camper doesn't take long, setting up the campsite is work. If we are traveling tomorrow to we don't set up outside, it stayes in the truck. We plan supper (left-overs) so we don't have much cooking or dishes. (Mostly do the dishes after breakfast). We stop at a restarant for a good set-down lunch.
   If i was traveling by myself I would take my tent and just use a bedroll for the overnite stops. (I think the years might have changed my mind about the bedroll)
    If you don't want to use your PUP for the overnites, the motel don't charge extra to park it and you would have it for the extended stays.

[flyfisherman]

I've made two extended trips that have lasted five and another six weeks; with three, maybe four three week trips to boot. Out the long extended ones, spent a couple nights with friends, but other than that, it was one nighter's on the road with layovers never any more than a week.

No doubt about it ... it becomes work ... but the enjoyable kind!  And I always manage to slim down to a nice trim shape!  But that's why I have the camper, to do exactly what I've done. Before these gas prices got way out of swack, I was even considering a LONG trip maybe to Alaska. But I must admit, with that trip I was toying with the T@B Teardrop hardside idea.


Fly

[copcarguy]

Personally, I would be popping up and down and doing minimal set-up.   In your profile you say your truck has a Leer cap on it...  Why not just throw an air mattress in there and sleep in the truck for the one nighters?

[AustinBoston]

In the summer of 2001, we took 8 weeks to tour the western U.S.  We vistied 19 National Parks in 17 states, camped in over 40 campgrounds, put 13,500 miles on the van and over 10,000 miles on the pop-up.  As long as you don't abuse it, the pop-up will take that fine.  I would to it again in a heartbeat.

We also lived in it for 8 weeks between selling our house in Mass. and buying our house in Minnesota.

She's still going strong.

Austin

[GeneF]

You have received some very good pointers for taking a long trip in a popup.

One item not really mentioned was "teamwork."  I don't know how many of you will be on the trip but the tasks involved in setting up should be shared.

When we started camping our kids were 6 and 2.  They were given simple tasks to do but it was their responsibilty to do them.  Parental patience was needed but it did pay off in the long run.

When the kids were 11 and 6, we did a 49 day cross country trip in an 8 footer and a minivan.  By this time the two kids, mom and dad were pros and sharing in the set up of the campsite became an easy and fast job.

This was especially helpful on the one nighters.

Now that the kids are no longer camping with us, dw and I have developed our own system of setting up the Kiwi.  Works great and each of us knows what the other is going to do.  One nighters don't bother us at all.  

Good luck and have a great trip.

[Brantime]

Personally, I would be popping up and down and doing minimal set-up.   In your profile you say your truck has a Leer cap on it...  Why not just throw an air mattress in there and sleep in the truck for the one nighters?

Thanks for all the suggestions...all are worthy and have merit for consideration and application, lol!

I do have a Leer Hi rise Topper and that has been one of the considerations for the trip! My DW wants to simply build a platforn bed in the back of the PU and take the PU to camp out of! Stow all equiptment under the bed, or in the extended portion of the cab (the seat folds up). If I do this, I will run a simple 120v extension cord out of the bottom of the bed, and connect a power strip inside...

The time frame will be mid Sep.-mid Oct and the location will be from Texas to Colorado, to Montana, over to Washington, back through Oregon, Utah, well, you get the gidst of the trip, lol!

Thanks again for all the help!

[flyfisherman]

My DW wants to simply build a platforn bed in the back of the PU and take the PU to camp out of! Stow all equiptment under the bed

There was an old timer in our fly fishing group who did just that. He went the whole circle in campers ... wall tent, motor home, travel trailer, popup and in the end settled for a fiberglass camper shell (don't remember the brand), but it was painted the same color as his 1/2 ton pick-up. That was his main stay - he  did, however, pitch an 8' X 8 dome tent which held his campsite plus used as a storage "shed". He even had one of those 12V fans installed in the roof of the camper shell, to ensure there was plently of air movement if needed. Got to say he was the first to set-up camp and the first to break camp in order to head on down the road. I remember the truck's tailgate served as his cooking & eating  table when we were out in the national forest boonies where there were no picnic tables and such.



Fly

[wavery]

Actually, leveling, popping-up, pulling out the bunks, putting the supports in place and installing the door doesn't take much time at all (30 minutes, tops).

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

I think that the key would be carefully limiting the amount of "Stuff" that you take along. The more stuff that you have to move around, when setting up, the less waring the trip could be.

When I first read your post, I thought, "NO WAY". After thinking about it, it could be done quite easily.

My intent is to eliminate my forward bunk platform. If I did that, I would cut my set-up time (and weight) by quite a bit. I wouldn't even have to un-hook from the TV for over-nighters.

[fritz_monroe]

If you go the route of building a platform for the bed, check out this camper.  Basically this guy took a van and build a camper out of it.

And Waverly, were you the one talking about doing away with a bunk and making it into some kind of storage wall?  I stil think that's a pretty good idea for someone that camps single or as a couple.

[Brantime]

If you go the route of building a platform for the bed, check out this camper.  Basically this guy took a van and build a camper out of it.

And Waverly, were you the one talking about doing away with a bunk and making it into some kind of storage wall?  I stil think that's a pretty good idea for someone that camps single or as a couple.

Thanks for the research and time that you took to locate this converted van, lol! I also stumbled across the below truck conversion which is more to my liking since I already have the truck and topper!

http://www.swaygogear.com/articles/truckcamping/default.html

http://www.pigseye.com/jackson/index.html
 
Keep them coming guys!

Thanks again!

Mark

[mountainrev]

One factor that I don't believe anyone brought up yet in this whole equation is not just factoring in the time and trouble of setting up your popup for one-nighters, but also, the increased fuel consumption and added hassle of towing it.  

Obviously, you will be much more comfortable and be able to take more gear in your pup than you would stuffing everything in the back of your pickup.  But it's definitely a trade-off when you consider the added time, effort, and expense of pulling and setting up/taking down your pup.

I concur with Waverly--it takes about 30 minutes, give or take, to set up our camper, and less to take it down.  But when you start multiplying that by how many times over how many days and weeks you'll be gone, it does add up.

Don't get me wrong--I love my pup.  But I have a feeling that if I were in your shoes, I'd be leaning toward leaving it home and using the camper on my pickup for this trip.