POP UP CAMPER THREAD (tow behind)

Samesies. I usually have the reservation page in one tab, campsite map in the next, and then satellite view in a third to try to figure out which site really is the most private.


I actually got away from the state parks for a while. I'm currently booking through Hipcamp and have found some absolute gems that way. There is a winery up on the OK border (Muenster TX) that is hands down the best Texas wine I have ever had. (They cheat- they buy grapes from CA and bend it into their own, but damn it's decent). Two of the above photos came from their campground. Next weekend I'm trying a new spot that just popped up in Fredericksburg. I don't have high hopes on it but it sure beats the hell out of Ladybird Johnson park. The plus side is that generators are allowed, in case the weather changes and I have to drive the A/C overnight.

That said, Pace Bend is still a favorite. Inks lake and Dinosaur Valley are fun. There is a little campground in the tiny town of Castell, it's a great spot for hitting up the hill country. I would have stayed there but I really want to get closer to Hye and Johnson City this trip- there are some interesting things there that I want to explore in depth.

 

A man after my own heart! As the saying goes. Some people just know how to pick the spots

 

When you get a new toy, don’t forget - we are your priority. Post pics and plans

 

Finally got to deploy the awnings on the pop up. They withstood sustained 15-20mph winds and 25-28mph gusts. The pop up was rockin' like Dokken all through the damn night, but that's just North Padre Island for you. Also, never, never, never, ever again will I camp on the beach. I spent the entire day cleaning EVERYTHING from the damn sand and it was about 99% humidity the whole time. The sand on Texas beaches is very fine grained - the worst kind.

And the fishing was awful. Beautiful pics though!

The awnings provided excellent shade on both sides and kept the sun off the majority of the camper during the hottest parts of the day. With the windows cracked and the fan on high, it was actually bearable inside during any part of the day.

 

Another shot of our Tacoma and Aliner. Added Solar to the Aliner and a bike rack. We also carry a bike in the shell. We are currently about 2300lbs loaded in the Aliner with a 300lb tongue weight. MPG is 16-18 on level ground but that drops to 13-14 climbing from 200' to 7400' as we did this past week. Had booboo the resident bear visit us in our campground right after this picture.

 

An old thread, but thought I'd add to the tips and tricks. Cool to see posts from pop up trailer peeps. Thanks for sharing. We've done some amazing trips, border-to-border (CA/MEX) a couple of times and many Western states trips. Pop ups are an interesting solution that fits a certain type of outdoorsperson. We love to feel like we are camping, not replicating our home via an RV (for now, anyway...might change in time). Our Forest River MAC 207 has the same cheap build issues that you described which had to be corrected or simply ignored. We've hauled two Honda CT110 Trail bikes on it, 4 bikes, and various camping toys. People on the popup sites are, appropriately enough, militant about cautioning people about weight on the trailers. While I agree that it's mandatory to watch your gross weights and play it safe, one of the best additions has been racks like the ones in the photo. And with some quick bonus welds, I was even able to use a tray on the front and the racks on the back to load the Honda trail bikes. A fun addition to camping.

Our 10-foot box popup can be backed into tight places. It can even be backed uphill and under trees, through sand, rocks, etc. We fit just about any camp site that a tent can fit into. We even disconnect it (use caution and have your chocks ready to pivot around and use as brakes if needed) from the truck and rotate it occasionally if the site isn't oriented the right way for views, "bad" neighbors, or ill-placed fire rings. The trailer has held up for the last 4 years with proper maintenance.
We don't baby it, but we definitely maintain/repair it as stuff breaks, and we stay ahead of lube of axles, lift system, etc. With a single 100W solar panel, our power needs are easily met when in remote campsites.

As for sealing the bottom OSB plywood, I would say do your research. I think the manufacturer says not to bec it can "seal in moisture and lead to mold or rot" kind of like the problem with "sandwiching" with moisture barriers when you're refinishing a bathroom shower in a house. But is that really a problem? No idea, but I would say that OSB is so loaded with adhesive, it's probably weather resistant. If you're in a dry climate like us, I would skip the sealant process and spend money on the other cheaply made crap (plenty to choose from).

Which pop up design and style is best? I have some observations: Huge windows and screens are amazing. You can feel like you're part of the woods, or out in the open in the desert by opening up the entire screened-in trailer and feel like you're outside with virtually unobstructed views. Feels amazing, cool breezes, sounds of birds and animals, etc. The bigger the windows, the better. Avoid the popups with few windows or weird designs that don't allow you to stand up anywhere in the camper. Dome popups have felt constricted compared to ours. We can practically have dance party with all 4 of us in our tiny yet huge 10-foot popup. Wife calls it Casa Rolando because it feels like a cabin on wheels. And, it withstood 40-50 mph winds and driving sand at Lone Rock, so the roof and bed design held up well. It was miserably hot at the time, and sand was everywhere (but that's a battle we always endure); but that roof was flexing and buffeting like crazy all night long and was unphased .

We have a brand new, still in the box portable toity, but just don't want to deal with it. We even passed up a pop-up with a cassette style toity because we didn't want to manage that mess. We also passed on the 12 foot box larger units and the slide out dinettes etc because we often camp offroad and in tight spots under trees where even opening the slide out could be difficult. Zero regrets. Simplicity helps, since there's already an investment of time in setup, and stuff breaks.
If you meet the description of a camper who wants to feel like they are camping, these little units are great. Enjoy!