Buying a Pop-Up

[disny4fun]

Hi all! We are thinking of buying a pop-up. Can you all tell me the pros and cons of them? Thanks for all your help.

 

[Memph1s]

We have a pop up and love it. Our first trip in our new pop up was 10 days at FW and we just got home from a last minute one night camping trip to a local county park. (something that is a real pain to do with a tent) You should checkout www.popuptimes.com and go to their msg board. You can find out everything you want to know about pop up camping there.

The pros for a pop up are:
Cost
easy of towing
easy of storing
you don't have to have a dedicated camping vehicle
they are very comfortable but still have that tent camping/open air camping feeling
keep all your camping gear together ready to go in about 30 min. Just add clothes and food

cons
setup and take down time about 45-60 min
setting up or taking down in the rain is a real pain
more limited in use (you don't see people tailgating in a popup)
not good for camping in bear country
you can't tow a boat or golf cart behind a pop up

 

[Kermit]

We love our popup. If we ever "upgrade" to a travel trailer, it will be because we want a bathroom with hard walls and a bigger kitchen. The popup is fine for DH and I right now, but we do plan on having a big family and taking extended trips while we homeschool, so we may need something with more storage and that's easier to really live in for that.

Popups are wonderful. With the proper tow vehicle, they're incredibly easy to tow. The maintenance is easy, and they last forever. My family owned travel trailers and motor homes when I was growing up, and there was always something breaking on those. The new popups with 2 king sized beds will accomodate a very large group, especially if you have 3 kids who can share a bed.

 

[disny4fun]

I have tried to register into popuptimes but an error keeps coming up.

What kind of questions do you ask when you look at re-sale pop-ups?

What should we watch out for?

We are excited and don not want to fall for the first one that comes along. An owner down the road is asking $4000 for a plain jane 1996 with air and it needs some TLC. Is that a reasonable asking price?

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Lisa P.]

To consider a resale price, look up the model on the NADA RV website and see approximately what it's worth. Remember that you are looking during prime sales season (the beginning of the camping season), so you are less likely to get a bargain price than you would be in Sept-Feb. Pop-ups are in the section called "Park Models and Camping Trailers."

When looking at a used unit, ask if there are any tears, leaks or water damage.
Ask whether all systems function and request a demonstration of the lift system, water (in & out), gas stove, electrical and fridge/heat/AC (if equipped).
Check that the entire tenting and all connections are intact (replacement starts at about $600+++).
Look underneath and step along all flooring for signs of weakening due to water damage. Check inside cabinets and along ceiling/roof for signs of leakage.
Flip the mattresses and look for mildew or water damage to the wood end bunks.
Ask if there's an awning included and request a demonstration of set-up.
Avoid old-style canvas, in favor of the breathable tenting materials (early- to mid-1990's and newer).

Hope that gets you started. There have been other threads on this topic in the past, so do a search on pop-ups or PopUps to see what you find. And keep trying to log on to PopUp Times. I get an error message for the forums right now too, but it ought to be fixed soon. It's an excellent resource. Enjoy!

 

[vsb372]

If you are interested in learning about pop-ups, definitely head to www.popuptimes.com and click on the message board link. Lots of great people and tons of information. If you have tried and failed to get in it's probably because they have been having server problems lately. Please try again and tell them KeystoneCamper sent ya!

If you're looking for used prices for pop-ups or any recreational vechicle try http://www.nadaguides.com

You're going to love camping in a pop-up