Persuading my wife why to pop up?

[jgr]

I'm new to pop ups and I'm attempting to persuade my wife why we need to buy a used pop up.  The problem is she's never really been into camping and wasn't exposed to it as a kid (whereas I was).  She's also weary of how clean campground showers are (based on a bathroom encountered on a camping trip we took in Lucerne, Switzerland).  Although she's not a primadonna, this is a real concern for her.  Not having frequented many RV campgrounds, I have no idea whether this is a well-founded concern.  

Is there anyone out there who was reluctant to get into pop up camping and subsequently warmed up to the idea?  If so, I'd like to hear about your experience and how/why you came to like it?  

(BTW: By way of background, we've got two kids ages 1 and 3 and live out in Sacramento, CA.)

Thanks in advance,

JR

[AustinBoston]

I'm new to pop ups and I'm attempting to persuade my wife why we need to buy a used pop up.  The problem is she's never really been into camping and wasn't exposed to it as a kid (whereas I was).  She's also weary of how clean campground showers are (based on a bathroom encountered on a camping trip we took in Lucerne, Switzerland).  Although she's not a primadonna, this is a real concern for her.  Not having frequented many RV campgrounds, I have no idea whether this is a well-founded concern.

Campground restrooms and showers run the gamut, but if you generally stick to campgrounds with positive reviews, that can make a big difference.  But truth be told, no campground, no matter how careful, can constantly monitor every restroom or shower, so even in the cleanest campgrounds it is possible to run into a problem.  The difference lies in how quickly it would be cleaned up once it is reported.

(BTW: By way of background, we've got two kids ages 1 and 3 and live out in Sacramento, CA.)

A lot of people with kids in that age range opt for a camper with a built-in potti and shower, or a porta-potti (another term is cassette potti).  In that case, you would have complete control over how clean the facilites are, and if there were a problem it is your own mess and not some waste from a random stranger of unknown health.  And with little ones, it allows more control over what's happening at any given moment.

Another option - this doesn't work well with used buyers - but sometimes you can rent a pop-up to try it out.  Some (but by no means all) dealers will rent a unit to you if they are convinced that you are serious about buying.  This would give you the option of trying it out before committing.  This also can help you decide if there are things you really want, and things you really don't like, for equipment.

Austin

[zamboni]

We're in Sacramento as well...

My wife was also new to camping (I grew up with a Starcraft PUP).  Many years ago (1999?), we were camping with a largish group at Dillon Beach.  We got there late in the evening, spent the time unloading the truck, setting up the tent, inflating the bed, rearranging our stuff in the tent & some back in the truck...

All the while, our friends sat around their campers drinking beer and laughing at us.

That wasn't the worst - until, by the end of the holiday weekend, the "facilities" (granted, porta-potties at best) were, uh, a disaster.

I talked her into a PUP, and her only requirement was a potty inside it.  We found a cheap, used Starcraft.

We did a family trade a few years later and ended up with my parent's Coleman Niagara PUP (slide out, shower, potty)... about the time our daughter was born.  My Starcraft went to my older brother in Denver.

We rarely ever used the shower in there, but it is nice having a potty inside.

Now, we have a hybrid (only had the Niagara for about 1.5 years).  I've only used the shower inside a couple of times as it is cramped for me.  My wife has used it more, as well as for giving our 3-year old a bath in the small tub.

********

As for the Sacramento area, the campgrounds around here are generally going to be cleaner if they are more expensive.  State CG's nearby are going to be a gamble, since that is where many young & dumb kids camp & mess things up.  On the other hand, CG's farther out are usually pretty good - the restrooms at Indian Grinding Rock State Park (down Jackson highway) are pretty good - but there is a camp "host" living in a camper there.

What sort of tow-vehicle do you have?  This will be the first limit on how much camper you can get...

[austinado16]

I concure with the comments above and will add that we too a family of me having grown up camper camping and weekending in a log cabin with outhouse and only electricity, my wife, nothing.

We tried tent camping, but as mentioned above, by the time we were done unpacking, building, inflating, putting away, organizing what was left out.....it was pretty much a giant pain in the rear.  Worse when we added a child to the mix.

I grabbed our '87 Starcraft Nova this past Feb. sort of on a whim.  Didn't know anything about them, or PU in general.  But at $250, I couldn't pass it up.

We just had our maiden voyage and it was great.  Definately a whole 'nuther ball game.  My wife loves it.  I put a port-a-potti in, along with an OEM furnace, but no shower, no A/C.

As to bathrooms and showers, that's been covered and your wife will just have to learn to understand that.  But personally, I've seen gas station restrooms a heck of a lot worse than the worse pit toilets I've ever used.

PU's are on Craigslist in your area and SF all day long for cheap.  Nab one, take it for a camp, and if you don't like it, put it back on Craigs.  You'll get you money right back out of it!  Last week there was a '91 Starcraft....a big one like my Nova, with awning and screen room, for $895.00.  Top that!!

[Opiela]

We bought our PUP used - has air and heat but no bathroom facilities.  We have found the KOA campground bathrooms to be excellent - NYS State Camp Grounds not so much.  We love the PUP since set up is so easy.  We went with a PUP b/c we got poured on in '05 in our tent, our air mattress leaked, the tent leaked.....

[Dray]

We are also from the Sacramento area.  Our story is much like yours.  My wife never camped and I did a lot.  So when I introduced her to tent camping she hated it.  But she was willing to try again when the kids came along.  That's when we did much like everyone else...got the big tent, cots, air mattresses and so on.  I ended up hating it too.  I was working my butt off.  So I showed her the PU and she loved them.  We got one with the shower and potty.  We have a boy 6 and girl 4 and the potty makes things so much easier.  We use the shower in the PU if the camp showers are gross.  Also sleeping (or lack thereof) was always an issue in the tent.  We sleep great in our PU.

If you are looking for new I recommend going to Fox Trailers who sale Fleetwood Popups.  Great dealer with no pressure and excellent service.

[punkmomto2]

I grade campgrounds we stay at by cleanliness of the bathrooms...they will never be perfectly clean..there are too many people using them. I carry lysol wipes in with me to wipe the seat down and then put a toilet seat cover on (which I also carry with me along with a bottle of germ-x) I'm not one who could deal with a porta potty in a popup..that is too close of quarters for me. Different in a big rig.

If I think the bathroom needs cleaned I don't have a problem informing the campground hosts of that fact..after all they are staying there and that is part of their gig.

I also carry dish soap to the bathroom with me cuz there is usually going to be hot hot water there...then I use the blow dryer on my hands and do the shirt thing to open the door. I'm OCD about bathrooms!..and I LOVE camping!! I love our pop up and would have a hard time trading it in even though a rig with a toilet would be nice. We've already created too many memories in this thing to trade it for a toilet.

[sacrawf]

I suggest starting out with an expensive Coleman-type family size wall tent, the inflateable mattresses, sleeping bags, and plastic totes of kitchen items. Don't be to ambitious with early trips, keep it simple and only go when the weather is ideal.  Plan on doing almost all the work yourself, so it becomes a real break for the rest of the family rather than less enjoyable than staying home. (like Dray posted above). Either someone is going to appreciate being near nature or not, and a few hundred dollars spent for a tent and a few other camping items that might collect dust in the garage or basement is a lot better than being one of those people advertising a little used PUP in the local paper classifieds for months.

By building the enjoyment of nature and camping first, the pop-up becomes something that you both really want and make it a joint adventure of seeking the right one for you, perhaps budgeting to choose new instead of used.

(BTW, ever notice that almost every classified ad for a gently used pop-up says "used only 6 times"?  I wonder if that is the average number of camping weekends before spouse who really would really prefer to be at the mall, spa, or resort puts their foot down and says "no more").

[austinado16]

...I'm not one who could deal with a porta potty in a popup..that is too close of quarters for me. Different in a big rig....

I didn't think we'd go for a port-a-potty either until I read one of the threads here talking about the pros and cons.  And, folks were right, they don't stink.  I bought the proper chemical and toilet paper, followed the instructions and it was perfect.  The PU didn't smell like chemical, or like sewage.

There's also a neat little tent available for parking them outside like a little outhouse.

[Eric Sass]

I went through the same thing. My wife hates camping. I took her to see the new Pop ups. I also sold her on the fact that the kids will enjoy the experiences of camping. As for the restrooms. The first few times out, we stayed close to home so the DW could run home and take a shower. Buy a pop up with a build in shower & porta potty.
We recently took a 3 night trip an hour away from home and she finally admitted she had fun. It might take awhile to convince her.

Good luck my friend!

[Hackker]

My wife was always into camping more than me.  Last fall we went tenting with our 2 kids (aged 3 and 1 at the time) and it was horrible.  The youngest cried literally almost the entire weekend, I woke up at 3:00am with a splitting headache and had to drive to a store to get something, and my wife didn't get any sleep because something like a chipmunk kept running under the edge of the tent.  Pretty crappy experience & I swore that camping was over for a long, long time.

But a few months back while I was talking to cousin he mentioned that he was selling his '86 Jayco for cheap.  So, checked it out with the wife and we both liked it so much that we figured why not look at newer ones.  Checked out a few dealers and saw the Niagara and I was hooked.....especially when I saw the hard walled bathroom & huge fridge!

[mklawz]

This might have already been suggested - as I didn't have time to read all the responses...     But we were in a similar situation.  Wife just wasn't as interested as I was.    I started looking at used campers, finally brought her along to see one and once she got in it and saw what it was all about, she realized it would be fun.  

So just have her go check some out with you.  They practically sell themselves!

[AustinBoston]

Here is a secret weapon: Women can be bought.  Perhaps there is something you can gift her with to warm her up to the idea.  Sometimes, flowers and perfume will do.  That can wear off after a while, though.  I'm at the point with PJay that only diamonds and rubies work  :eyecrazy:

Austin

[brainpause]

I guess I'm lucky. Holly had an open mind, even with little experience camping.

However, tell her this story: Our first trip was 3 weeks after we married, in our new-to-us popup. The weekend was peaceful and fun, and my family even visited one night. S'mores, hot dogs, the whole bit. Good sleeping. Had a site next to a softly babbling brook. I enjoyed coffee each morning with the coolness.

The day we left, we were packing up. It started raining. Since it was our first trip, we really didn't have a good routine. We got very wet, as did a bunch of our stuff. We lowered the camper, and promptly broke one of the rear latches. So, in the rain, we had to put a ratchet strap on the rear of the camper.

I hooked up the camper to the truck, and went to the cab. The rain had lightened up some, but was still sprinkling. I was sitting there in my truck, thinking, "Boy, it was a fun weekend. But this rain probably ruined it. Might as well put a For Sale sign on the camper for the trip home. Where is Holly?" I turned and looked. She was standing outside, in the light rain, looking through her day planner for the next available weekend for camping!!! Even with the problems, she thought it was WELL worth it!

Larry

[ilovecamping]

I was never exposed to camping when I was growing up but I guess I'm a natural as I have loved it since we first started.  I have camped in tents, under a tarp on a sleeping bag, in soft top fold out camper with only 2 beds and nothing else, older pu's with only elec when plugged in, to new pu with all the bells and whistles including shower/pottie combo, a HTT and now a TT.  We traveled many 1000's of miles and camped in all types of cgs and I can't say I ever had a bad time camping and usually I had a wonderful time.  I can't say I don't like the comforts we have in our TT but I don't feel like it is camping.  DH is the one who wanted the TT, not I, but if that is the only way to keep him camping then that is how we will camp.  I say just compromise with each other and get out there camping in what ever style and just add a porta pottie to what ever.  It sure made our lives easier when we added one to our pu.  I have also seen much worse bathroom conditions in stores, rather than in most cgs.