How do pop ups handle at the beach

[howiesbeach]

I am looking to purchase my 1st pop up and am looking at the bayside.  I make a newbie look like a seasoned professional.  My question is this, how does the pop up handle on the beach?  My concern is all the wind and the ocassional storm.  Does the canvass make a lot of noise in the wind?  How much can the pop up take in bad weather, if it should occur?  Sorry if my questions sound stupid, just want to make sure I understand all I can before I purchase.  Make sense?

[Dray]

Not a dumb question at all.  I wondered the same thing.  We go to the beach about as often as we do to the mountains.  Our 2nd trip was at the beach and it was quite windy.  The PU did better than expected.  It wasn't loud in there at all.  And it held up wonderfully.  I wasn't worried.     I think the winds were sustained 15 mph or so.  Maybe more.  It was strong.  We were also surprised how the PU served as a wind break.  On the side with the door we put the chairs and the PU blocked the wind.  When we walked around the PU the wind was strong.

[mjsmith1223]

In our experience the canvas is not noisy at all.  When we're inside at night we can see/hear the canvas shift around when it's windy, but no flapping.  The canvas is attached pretty good.  The only noise is usually me snoring :p, the waves, or the wind moaning in some trees.

[fritz_monroe]

First off, welcome to the forums.

I'm glad you posted this.  I had the same thought, but since we don't have any plans for beach trips, didn't bother asking.  I will say that if you plan on using that awning, make sure it's really well anchored.  There's stories on this and other forums about people having to replace their awnings when they found them torn up upon return to the camp site.  That's a pretty big sail.

As for your choice of pup, we love our Bayside.  What are you going to tow with?  The Bayside is fairly heavy and pretty long.  You don't want to do like I did and have to get a TV right away because you don't like how your current TV tows.  There are a couple quirks that are a pain, but nothing major.  If you get it, take a look in my camping pics link for some useful mods to our Bayside.  The biggest pain was having to crawl under the pup to empty the fresh water tank.  Easy mod to fix that.

Good luck and have fun.

[howiesbeach]

Thank you all for your responses.  I feel a whole lot better after reading your responses and also seeing a lot of posted pictures of PUP's at the beach, in the mountains, during summer and also with a lot of snow around and just above zero temps.

To answer your question about the TV, right now I will be using a 2000 Caravan. According to the manual I can have a GVW of 3500lbs.  I grew up RVing w/ the parents using various TTs.  We never towed w/ any water or sewage on board which accounts for the majority of the weight.  I do welcome all advice on this matter.  I will be using weight distribution hitch w/ sway bars.  The last thing I want to do is get something that I can't use.

Fritz,  I enjoyed the photos and the mods.  Great information  thanks.  The kids and I are excited about this.  Beed camping in a tent for some time now and will be great to get off the ground.

[kwatson51]

I agree with the others in that the wind or noise was no problem at all. We camp here in Colorado and it can be very windy, very often.

I would have to ask: which beach?
The last time we camped at a beach was many years ago in my dad's pup. This was Pensacola Beach in NW Florida. It was in the summer and it was hot, and it was humid, and there was little no-see-ums that came right through the screen and proceeded to make us miserable. There wasn't even enough breeze to blow them away. Maybe screen technology has improved since the late 70's. We're not bothered by the critters now.

The one thing nice about that trip was that, since we couldn't sleep, we got and drove around Pensacola (stopping at the Krispy Kreme for fresh donuts), then drove back to the beach in time to take sunrise photographs -- some of the best I've done.

Maybe VA beaches don't have the critters. Go for it. After all, any day camping is better that the best day working! It's an adventure.

[howiesbeach]

Several beaches we like.  Myrtle Beach SC and the strands between Sunset beach, Ocean Isle and Wilmington NC.  They are about 61/2 hrs. away.  For long weekends I really don't want to drive much more than that.  However there is a lot of beach we are waiting to explore.  Have found some really nice State Parks other poster have listed.  Anywhere I can drop my surf rod will do.  Love the sound of wavout es at night.  Makes for grest sleeping.  I find it rather relaxing.  

I think the first time we take the pup out, it will be somewhere not to far away.  Probably VA. Beach area.  There are quite a few CGs down there and it is only about 3 hrs. away.  I am always open for suggestions.  Never thought about the unseen creatures you mentioned.  Need to be prepared for them.

[cruiserpop]

finished an outer banks trip in June. camped at hatteras koa. we have an old Coleman Yosemite, with a simple bag awning. The wind at Hatteras is a steady 20 kts, gusting to 30's and higher (guess that's why the Wright bros. tesed there-all that lift!). The canvass ruffled a bit. but survived nicely. A word of advice though, if your unit has one of the hard frame type awnings (metal arms extending from the roof to the front bar) then you might want to invest in the awning savers. There are two types:
  1. the kind that secure the awning to the frame
  2. the kind that secure the arm to the ground (some awnings use a diagonal brace or arm running from the camper to the head bar instead of an awning pole)
Look at the larger class A and C campers for comparison.

good luck.

[beacher]

Now that everyone has convinced you that it's safe to camp at the beach, I have one tidbit of advice.

I discovered upon my first beach PopUp camping trip with my shiny new trailer many, many years ago, (3 to be exact), that you don't want your front door pointing into the strong wind gusts.  It's not so much an issue upon setup, and it's actually quite helpful.  However, when taking down the PopUp for the trip home, once the front door is removed, the wind gusts will fill the PopUp like a giant wind sock.  It's very comical to try to neatly fold the tenting for the bunk ends while the wind is gusting! :p

[wavery]

We do almost all of our camping at the beach. The PU fares well in the wind and rain but not as well as a TT. When the wind gets up to 20-30MPH, the top can sway quite a bit. The canvas doesn't make a lot of noise but there is a lot of movement in the camper and it may disturb your sleep. At 30MPH you may wish that you'd stayed home. In gusts, it will feel like the trailer may tip over.

We had a gust of wind bend the top brace to the bunk-end (Shepard's hook) in half, one time. That was an unpleasant experience. We were hit by a water spout that came ashore in a wind-storm.

As far as awnings go..............I have one thing to say.....when the wind starts making you nervous, take down the awning. The sooner the better. The first time that you have to try to get the awning down in a strong wind or the awning goes flipping up over the top of your trailer, you'll know why I say that.

I see that you are on the East Coast. If there is a hurricane anywhere near Florida or approaching the East coast, I would recommend canceling your camp-out. A lousy weekend at home is 100 times better than a terrible time at a camp-out.

[AustinBoston]

As far as awnings go..............I have one thing to say.....when the wind starts making you nervous, take down the awning.

An awning is a sail that hasn't caught the wind...yet.  :eek:

Austin

[fallsrider]

One issue I had once with another PUP also involves the direction in which you set up your camper. I set up on the Outer Banks in February '97 with a substantial nor'easter coming in off the water. The top swayed and creaked all night long, but it held up fine. But the back of the a/c unit was facing into the wind, and with a lot of the gusts, the wind would blow into the a/c unit hard enough to slow the condenser fan down to almost nothing. Then it would speed back up after the wind gust subsided.

I got very little sleep that night with the fan slowing down to almost a stop and then spooling back up again. I needed the heat from the strip, so I needed to run the unit. This would also apply in the summer when you need a/c.

I never had that situation again, but I vowed that I would consider wind direction as it pertains to the a/c unit should I ever go to the beach again.

[harleywolf]

I guess one concern I would have is sand in the lifting/cranking mechanisms, or is this a non issue?

[wavery]

I guess one concern I would have is sand in the lifting/cranking mechanisms, or is this a non issue?

I can only speak for myself.

I have had the PU in conditions of blowing sand on several occasions and have never had a problem with sand getting into the lifting mechanisms :sombraro: .

Now..........if we could just keep the sand out of everythink else :p .

[jtprevatte]

I am looking to purchase my 1st pop up and am looking at the bayside. I make a newbie look like a seasoned professional. My question is this, how does the pop up handle on the beach? My concern is all the wind and the ocassional storm. Does the canvass make a lot of noise in the wind? How much can the pop up take in bad weather, if it should occur? Sorry if my questions sound stupid, just want to make sure I understand all I can before I purchase. Make sense?

I have used mine down on the beachfront sites and they do well.  Make sure you stake down the awning good and put it away if you are going to be gone for awhile as we all know the beach is notorious for pop-up storms.
 
The canvas will move but I sleep like a baby with it moving in the wind...my favorite place to camp!