Pop-up camper or travel trailer?

I would love to have one of those but in my area they are pretty high.

 

They do hold their value. I bought mine new back in 2014. They're built to order. I haven't used mine in 2 years, since i bought a cabin & property in the mountains of WV. It now just sits under my carport.

 

Well I can come get it if you want me to

 

So after an 800 mile trip, Buffalo to Myrtle Beach I can safely say this truck has the wrong engine in it for towing 4500lbs or more of travel trailer. It did ok, it’s just there is no torque below 2500, so you need a lot of revs on the steeper hills. Mine is a manual so I didn’t have to worry about trans temp or weird shifting.

My rig is a Jayco 19’ hybrid that weighs 3670 empty plus half a water tank full and all our crap. Tongue weight was 490 lbs, and there was about 100lbs of stuff in the bed. I have a weight distributing hitch. I got 10.5mpg at 65mph. Flat ground was handled in 5th gear and I had to downshift into 4th for even the slightest hill. 6% grades were taken in 3rd gear at nearly WOT.

The trailer was perfectly happy back there, no sway, ride was good, mileage was what it was, the only issue is torque. What I’m hoping for in the future is a turbo option, like a 2.7l turbo would be awesome.

I would have said a 4 banger turbo diesel but a Duramax Colorado passed me going maybe 68mph towing a similar trailer on flat ground, and I could smell it, it was working really hard. So I think a gas turbo like the Ranger, but bigger

 

Also, just like to add. Don’t trust the RV tech to set up your weight distributing hitch. I had to re-do everything when I got here. Bolts that were supposed to be torqued to 75ft/lbs were barely more than finger tight, the ball and L-bracket heights were fine for an EMPTY truck and trailer but not even close for a loaded one. And the L brackets walked all over the place only on the final leg of the trip.

Read the manual, understand the manual, do it yourself. This is why whenever I tow ANYTHING I bring a pretty extensive tool kit. My wife is like “wait, we can’t bring anything glass, or steel utensils but you’re packing a torque wrench and half your tools?” “Woman, just let me do my thing, lol”

 

Have you had many more trips with it since this post? Still have the save sentiment about the size? Do you have a weight dist hitch ?

I'm looking at trailers this winter for a good deal.
Edit. I see you have a proper hitch. Any pics of your set up?

 

Mine is for sale if your local? You get the site discount..lol

 

That bad hey?

Sorry not local. What unit did you have ?

 

this one..moving outta California. One less thing to register. I love the lil camper. Just dont want to haul it cross country and all the kids are grown now. Too big for wife and I

 

Crazy how heavy those things can get. Would not guess close to 4000 lb.

 

Yea, its loaded. Only thing it doesn't have is a inside shower.

 

Mines 3900# dry and I’ll be getting a 1/2 ton Chevrolet before spring.... my truck pulls it but we’re going to be doing some longer trips and I want the better towing and more room in the cab!! We have 2 boys 3 and 6 months have camped with our families our whole lives but the first camper of our own!! Camper has bunks in the back and a couch in the nose and table let’s down to a bed.... zero slides

 

Popup afficianado here.

Pros:
-3200 pounds wet weight, this trailer has been coast to coast, camping on Myrtle Beach two years ago, Malibu Beach was this previous May. No issues pulling at highway speeds.

-Nimble, it takes switchbacks like a champ. Can camp anywhere. Fits well in both the RV parks ( boo) and deep forest boondocking.

-Fits in my garage, with enough room to park the Taco next to it. No unsightly toys in view of the neighbors. GFs car gets left out in the driveway.

-the views. The selling point of the popup for me is the 360 degree windows. On a nice day I can zip open all of them and sleep out in the breeze, and it's amazing. Compare that to the tiny windows of a hard side...


Cons:
- portatoilet is under the dinette seat. If you gotta poo, the whole camper gets a front row view of the action.

-A little crowded. Girlfriend and dogs don't quite understand tiny camper life, and shit becomes a Tetris game between cooking and getting an extra blanket when it turns cold. Speaking of cold...

-Poorly insulated. AC struggles on 100 degree days, heater struggles on 20 degree nights. They make blankets to go over the canvas, but that's more shit to carry.

-Takes 30 minutes to level trailer and pop it up. Feels like it takes 30-45 to towel the canvas, fold it back up, and hitch it to the truck.


Conclusion: three years of ownership, and it had been my favorite toy, bar none. If I had to do it again I'd still choose the popup. The windows and the sound of canvas at night, no hard side can beat that.

 

What is happening in with the hool a hoop swing picture ?

 

Lyra trapeze rig, for the Insta.
I don't question it.

 

I have had a pop-up and a small travel trailer. We prefer the tt. With the pop-up you have to pack everything in just a couple feet of height. Also if it is raining when you packup you have to set it back up at home to dry off the canvases or you will have a moldy mess.
Obviously the pop-up tows easier and can be stored in a garage. Our popup had two king beds and the dining table folded down for a bed, so actually slept more people comfortably but our 18’ bh does fine.
Having a bathroom is a huge benefit. Also the pop-up is difficult to heat and cool.
My 2012 has the tow package. I have pulled the just under 5000lb fully loaded with generator fuel etc all over the southeast with no problem. Across the appalachian mountains and down to the gulf coast. Mileage does take a hit, i get about 12 mpg cruising 70-75mph on interstate. I tow in 4th gear and monitor transmission temps on my ultra gauge.

 

Some good points about packing gear in a small space and drying out the canvas

 

The refrigerator in a pop up is also significantly smaller and I am not sure they have an oven, though most do have a range.

 

We have a fleetwood arcadia high wall popup, open it is 26' long. Weighs about 3800lbs empty. It is the Cadillac of popups in my opinion. Has a power lift, indoor shower and toilet, 2 king size beds, a slide out dining table that turns into a bed, along with an oven. We regularly have 5 people in the camper. The tacoma pulls the camper fine, only time we have noticed the truck struggling is on White Top Mountain, this is an extreme grade that goes on for miles. Once at the top we stay at Grindstone Campground. Looks like the OP resides in Tennessee so he may know this area. The camper has the little ball on the tongue that someone once used a sway control device on. In the 5 years I have been dragging the thing around, I have never used it. The porpoising effect has been noticed a few times, would like to see if a weight distribution hitch or bags would eliminate this but have never been willing to fork over the coin. We have enjoyed the popup.

 

That is a good point. On a lot of models (including mine) it's a little cube fridge below the sink. Because of the way the sink folds down the fridge can't be accessed in travel mode. It's a quirk that most learn to put up with, but I wish there was an easier way. Typically I keep a cooler in the truck and transfer the frequently used items to the fridge (eggs, cocktails, etc) once set up on site.

No oven either, but I don't miss that. It's not camping without at least one campfire meal, right?