RE: Some newbie Q s

[EdSwank]

 
Hello. My wife and I are struggling whether to get a popup or a Hybrid. We are new to camping. I m 42, she is newer, and we have a 5 y/o.
 Our concerns are:
 Is it harder to find campsites/campgrounds that take popups, or are they handled like a " regular"  RV?
 **Don t laugh**, how do you dump a porta potty? Can it hold a decent amount?
 On a typical camp trip, how often have you been bothered by noise in the campground?
 Do all popups seal the ends to the frames with clips? Don t you get critters climbing under the ten edges?
 
 Thanks in advance. I ll probably come up with some more. Just trying to prevent a costly purchase error.
 
 Ed

[Garrett]

 EdSwank
Ed, I will jump in here and i am sure you will get a lot of adivise from others.  First there are a few campgrounds out there that refuse pop ups, but they are mostly over priced snootty places that I would not want to stay at anyhow.  Actually so far I have not run across any of them.  The one exceptions is a few campgrounds out west in bear territory will not allow soft sides for safety reasons, I do not now how they would view a Hybird if you kept the ends closed up.  
 A port a potty can be dumped at the regular dump stations or into any convient toilet.  I think most of us prefer the dump station.  It is just easier,  you do not have to worry about any splashing and it is easier to rinse out afterwards.  I always wear disposable gloves when I dump mine, though I really have never noticed that they would have been necessary.  Most of the better Port a pots come with a spout that makes dumping a breeze.  It really is not an unpleasant task, just a necessary one.  The DW, myself and DGD can go all weekend without dumping, but we mostly only use it at night for #1, though the DGD will use it for anything at anytime.  It does fill up a lot faster when she is with us.
 Noise is noise.  If you are going to be bothered in a PU you will almost certainly be bothered in a hybird.  Once in a while you will have rude neighbors but most campers are good people and is not typically a problem.  Again some campgrounds are worse than others and you will learn which ones to avoid.  
 The PU ends do attach to the the bottom of the bunk.  Some are permanently attached on the ends others use a bungee cord all the way around.  Once again is a critter is bound and deterimed to get into a PU he would probably have the same sucess with a hybird.  If you are carefull about how you store food stuffs and what you cook inside of either unit you should not have a problem either way.  Most of the critters out there do not want a close encounter with you anymore than you do with them.  I have had them sniffing around our tent, back when we tent camped and I have actually felt them bump against the bottom of the PU, but never have had one try to get inside while we were in there.  I suppose if you talk to enough people you will find somebody that has had that experience, but it would be the exception not the rule.  The biggest pest in most areas of the country are raccoons and skunks, but in some areas you have to take precautions about bears.  the important thing is to properly secure all food especially at night.

[TomToCamp]

 EdSwank
Have no experaince w/hybrid but do see alot of people moving from PU to them after a few years.
 You will enjoy not having to move as much stuff when you setup/takedown. More room to store things.
 Things that I would think put people in PU is Tow Vehicle Cap. and Price.
 Never been turned away but if they are too good to want a popup at CG I surly don t want to be there.
 Most PU bed ends are not the same ours has one long bunge that hooks in about 10 places +/-. No critters in ours yet.  BIL did have bat once night but they were everywhere they said.
 

[ForestCreature]

 EdSwank

 
 Hello. My wife and I are struggling whether to get a popup or a Hybrid. Good luck with your decision, it s not an easy one!
 
 Is it harder to find campsites/campgrounds that take popups, or are they handled like a " regular"  RV?We ve had no problems with that, but then again we got to rustic areas
 
 **Don t laugh**, ok, I won t (snicker)how do you dump a porta potty?We dump ours in either the outhouse or a dumping station. Can it hold a decent amount?Depends on the size of the potty you buy
 
 On a typical camp trip, how often have you been bothered by noise in the campground?Not very often because of the small CGs we go to.
 
 Do all popups seal the ends to the frames with clips?? can t help there,we have no bunkends
 
  Don t you get critters climbing under the ten edges?Critters by nature are curious, I guess they will move around where ever they can,even under the camper if they are small. They usually don t come around while you are out and about the sight. So what you don t see won t hurt you
 
 
 
 
 

[birol]

 EdSwank
What qualifies as a critter ? I was thinking things like small bugs, roaches, spiders etc. But I guess you guys mean the bigger variety ones ?

[EdSwank]

 EdSwank
I was actually thinking both the larger variety as well as the little ones. My wife has this *thing* about spiders/snakes. I didn t know much a PU was invaded during a few days out. The larger ones should stay away as long as she is cooking, but I don t know about the little ones with no sense of smell [].
 
 So you take the potty out and haul it to the dump station, or does it have some type of removeable tank? The PU we are looking at come from either Coleman or Jayco.

[Garrett]

 EdSwank
Well, i promise not to tell your wife what yu said about her cooking, but I cannot speak for everyone else.
 My Dw cannot stand bugs but if you are camping there are going to be bugs.  There is a lot you can do to minimize the annoyance but there are going to be bugs.  Screen rooms help, Citronella help, bug sprays help, fly swatters help, nothing gets rid of them completely.
 Not that it really matters but are asking about the built in Cassette toilets or a true Port a potti.  Either way, they both come with a sealed removeable waste tank that travels to the dump station while the rest of the unit remains in camp.

[fivegonefishing]

 EdSwank
Umm, maybe you should condiser renting a camper first?  There are more makes and models than you can shake a broom at and really, every one of them have pro s and cons.  Go to a local show.  There seem to be so many used RV s on the market that have only been used 3 times!
 
 As for the port a potti, we have three kids age 7 and under, we would not consider going with out one.  Our unit is a portable toilet, it can be used anywhere, has two pieces, the clean water is in the top and the black water is in the bottom.  Most if not all parks (I m in Canada) have what are called dumping stations usually near the front of the park, that allow for easy dumping of the contents.
 
 Some of the bigger pop ups and hybirds do have on board bathrooms refered to as cassett toilets I believe and showers, so you would have to fill up with water at the dumping station, then dump that grey and black water when your done with it.
 
 

[ForestCreature]

 birol

ORIGINAL:  birol
 
 What qualifies as a critter ? I was thinking things like small bugs, roaches, spiders etc. But I guess you guys mean the bigger variety ones ?
 

 Critters to me are the 4 legged variety,such as Skunks,Raccoons and of course those cute bears on occasion. Last year I had a skunk walk up within 3 ft of me as we were sitting around the fire...I did learn that I am capable of sitting perfectly still and quiet if need be[], it hung out for about 3 minuets before walking off.
 The insect variety haven t ended up in the camper as of yet. In the 4 yrs we ve been popping up I have only found 1 spider lurking around,and an occasional fly[]

[Tim5055]

 EdSwank
Ed, you have been given excellent advice so far.
 
 If you have a half hour or so, try reading through these pages:
 
 
 [link=http://www.title-3.com/FAQ.htm]Frequently Asked Questions [/link]
 
 [link=http://www.title-3.com/potti.htm]Porta Potti[/link]
 
 [link=http://www.title-3.com/Hitch.htm]Towing and Hitch Information[/link]

[Campntime]

 EdSwank
I have a PU and brother-in-law has a Hybrid.  Neither one of us would switch for love nor money.  Imagine that.
 
 Might check archives for last Fall under Hybrid s if you can get to them.  There were a lot of threads on PU s vs. Hybrids for awhile.
 
 We like the open feeling of a PU, still up off the ground, less wind resistance when towing and can use a smaller more economical TV.  Setting up and taking down takes a few minutes more, but for us it  just part of camping.
 
 Either way, you ll be enjoying GOD s great outdoors!!  Good luck on your search.

[EdSwank]

 EdSwank
Tim, nice links and a good read. Thanks. DW is from Annapolis (Edgewater really).
 We are going to look at a Carmel by Coleman this Saturday. There is a loca show in 10 days. We ll need to decide soon. They may be offering free AC and some other goodies for the show. That saves about $1K.

[Gamecock Camper]

 EdSwank
Ed, there is good advice here.   For some, it is a hard decision to choose what kind of camper they want to use.  I would suggest that the first thing you look at is the Tow vehicle and the towing weight rating.  If you don t have an owner s manual, you can get that information from your car dealer or online.  Although most camper dealers are friendly, honest and knowledgable people, you might just run into a dealer or salesman who will tell you that you can pull a camper you like reguardless of the tow rating on your vehicle.  There is alot to determining this, but remember that there is a dry weight (unloaded camper - including empty Propane tanks, empty water storage tanks, etc...) and a loaded weight for each camper.  Make sure your vehicle can handle the load safely.
 
 You might want to either rent or borrow a pop-up camper and/or hybrid.  There are many levels of size and options, but you might get a better idea of what you are most interested in for you and you family.   You might also discover the type layout you prefer, options you need, options you don t need, etc... which will save you money in the long run if you buy something you like and will use the first time.   The other option (my favorite) is to look for used campers first.  This time of year is a pretty good time to be a buyer.  You might find a good deal on a used camper that has been hardly used at all.  There are plenty of people out there who buy a camper with good intentions and sell it after only one or two outings.  A good place to check the resale pricing / values is www.nadaguides.com.  
 
 The second point I d like to make is that most campgrounds welcome pop-up campers.  We have never been turned away because of having a pop-up.   There are a few private campgrounds that cater to full-time RV ers with high-priced motorhomes that don t accept pop-ups or tents, but they are more resort like than camping type places.  I find them to be something that is nice for their niche, but not for people who want a camping experience for their families.   The best places anyway are at the state and national parks.  
 
 Good luck with your decision and happy camping in whatever you decide to purchase.

[EdSwank]

 EdSwank
Well, rentals in my area are scarce. Unless you count Class C. Since we were new to this, we were going to go for the " hand holding"  thing. As we become more savvy, we will consider shopping the used market. Right now, I feel dealer guidence and a warranty is the most comfortable way to go.
 Tow vehicle is a Explorer Sport Trac. It has a 126"  wheelbase which is longer than an Expedition (many assume the Sport Trac shares the short wheelbase of the rest of the Explorer line), 4.0L V6, tranny and power steering coolers. Rated to tow 5300lbs with a GCWR of 9600 lbs. I have weighed it on the scale with cargo and family. Crunched the numbers for front/rear weights, tounge weight, etc. With a 10% safety margin, and taking into consideration LP, water, hitch, and gear weights, we could still handle ~3200 worth of dry trailer weight. The Carmel, with a UVW of 1830 lbs without A/C and such, should be a reasonably comfortable tow.
 We will add a brake controller, but may wait on sway control to see how it does first.

[Michicampers]

 EdSwank
Could be a tough decision. If we had the $ to go either way at this point, I m not sure what we d do. We d like a hybrid, but storage would be an issue.
 
 What we like about our popup:
 Lower cost (especially since we bought it used), lighter weight, easier to tow, can see over the top when towing, easier to store in the yard and would fit in most garages, open feel.
 
 What we don t like about our popup:
 A pain to stock before trips - especially since fridge cannot be accessed unless setup, a pain to setup and take down in the rain, no shower.
 
 What we like about hybrids:
 Less setup, no cranking, great for long trips - just pull over and open the door to get inside and have lunch, much easier to stock before trips, real bathroom, I d feel safer (unpopped) in Bear Country.
 
 Either way, we love camping. Figuring out what kind of camping you really want to do is probably the first step. As mentioned before, if you can rent or borrow one, it would probably really help in your decision. You may also want to consider a camper like Marcy s (ForestCreature). With only one child, you could probably fit into one of the larger models by Aliner or Chalet, and get a hard-sided trailer that sets up in no time, and tows like a popup. Good luck!