Popup information for new guy

[battleb]

Hi to all.
 I have a 4 door jeep with a GVW capability of 3500 lbs. the toung load limit is listed as 350 lbs. There will be just myself and the wife and I want either a small travel trailer or a popup camper. My question concerns the dry and wet weights of the unit to be pulled. I have looked at some pop ups that have a dry weight of from 1100-1700 lbs. and a wet weight (which I assume is for fluids and gear one stores in the camper) of maby another 700lbs. Does the 3500lb gvw mean i can tow up to that weight comfortably, but would I be better off to stay well below that limit? What size would be comfortable for two or is it a matter of opinion? Is air conditioning necessary or will a good ceiling fan work ok for most cases? Is a built in propane heater necessary or would a portable electric/propane heater work just as well?

[Duronimal]

A good resource is the owners manual for the Jeep. In the case of my Jeep, it tells me exactly what the weight limit is, which class hitch to use, recommends trailer brakes over 1000lbs, engine cooling requirements and gives tongue weight information and driving tips.
As an example, it lists the Gross Trailer Weight at 5000lbs and a Gross Combined Weight maximum of 9060lbs for mine.

As far as trailer type and creature comforts, it probably depends what you're used to and what you plan on doing.
I've been a tenter for twenty years. I finally stepped up to a PU to make it more enticing to the wife and kids. I went with a Jumping Jack trailer because it's light enough for my Jeep to tow, it can handle good amounts of offroad abuse and it fits easily on my property. I'll be installing a battery to run lights and a fan, and propane to run a stove and heater. I don't really want more than that, but I live in the dry Southwest. Installing AC might present some sort of 'redneck fabrication' on my part.

This is a good write up on JJ's.: http://tinyurl.com/ypm59u

-Ron

[Herbie]

Hi to all.
 I have a 4 door jeep with a GVW capability of 3500 lbs. the toung load limit is listed as 350 lbs. There will be just myself and the wife and I want either a small travel trailer or a popup camper. My question concerns the dry and wet weights of the unit to be pulled. I have looked at some pop ups that have a dry weight of from 1100-1700 lbs. and a wet weight (which I assume is for fluids and gear one stores in the camper) of maby another 700lbs. Does the 3500lb gvw mean i can tow up to that weight comfortably, but would I be better off to stay well below that limit? What size would be comfortable for two or is it a matter of opinion? Is air conditioning necessary or will a good ceiling fan work ok for most cases? Is a built in propane heater necessary or would a portable electric/propane heater work just as well?

Most of your questions can be answered with

[mjdfarm]

The wife and I tent camped for years.  Now I would not go without the A/C working.  Of course I live in N. Florida.  For heat we use an electric space heater.  We dont use the propane heat in the camper.  If you live in the north you may want to rethink that.  I would love to get one of those new jeeps but it wont pull my pop-up.....The truck has no problem.....

Also we dont use the cassette toilet in the camper....too much trouble for us. We either use the campground bathroom, if available, or resort to the great outdoors when its not....

[battleb]

Thanks for the replies.
I am now in mind of a lighter weight pup, but I do want a few "creature comforts". I think air and built in furnace will be a requirement. I had tent camped for many years, carrying the tent and sleeping bag on the motorcycle. I did find early on that the air matress and a good poly ground cloth for the tent made for a more comfy setup. With the Jeep and the wife I dont envision tenting as an option. My Max Gross Combined Weight rateing is 9200# (Jeep weighing 4200# with Class II factory supplied hitch) and I think with a pup of maby 1200-1400#'s dry weight I might be able to stay well within those parameters for the Jeep. Thanks again for your input