littleWMN Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 DH and I are considering investing in a used 5th wheel or pop-up camper. We don't know much about it so we are researching. We have a boat that we'd like to store in the area that we would camp in. If you have any advice at all, please let me know! I know there is stuff we are not thinking about and we'd like to make an informed purchase (if we do it at all). Oh, and we have four kids that range in age from 9 years old to 11 months. eta: I don't need fancy but I do require a refrigerator (at least a small one) for dietary needs and also a potty of some sort. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 (edited) My parents have a 5th wheel. One reason they have it instead of a trailer is that they can tow a boat behind it, and you can't do that with a trailer. It definitely takes some adjustment in driving technique, though. You will need a vehicle that has really good towing capacity. My brother is a mechanic for a Chrysler dealership, and does not recommend Chrysler/Dodge trucks for towing something big like a 5th wheel. If you get a 5th wheel, you have to tow it with a pick-up truck, and you have to get the 5th wheel thingy attached in the bed of the truck. You will keep it there as long as you own your 5th wheel camper. Edited February 21, 2011 by gardening momma clarify--adjustment in driving *technique* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoorsy Type Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 (edited) We love the pop up we bought from Craigslist. It has 2 kings and a full size bed, AC, sink, potty, stove, and a heater. We have had wonderful vacations with it! There have even been a few days where it rained and we still had a great time in our pop up. I don't think you could pull a boat, too, though. ETA: I have a 2000 Coleman Niagara Elite Edited February 20, 2011 by Outdoorsy Type Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraciebytheBay Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 We love our pop up camper. They store nicely and are easy to tow. Once you do it a few times, they are very easy to set up and take down. There are so many features you can get in a pop up now! The one we've been eyeing for our upgrade (in the distant future) has a bathroom with toilet and shower, slide-out for extra room, heat and air conditioning! The one we have now has none of the above, but it is still quite functional for our purposes. When we first bought it, all 6 of us slept in it: Parents on the queen bed, bigger 2 on the double, littles on the "twin" beds. (The olders are college age with jobs, so we rarely have all 6 of us camping anymore.) The biggest thing when buying a popup is the be absolutely sure what your vehicle can tow. If you have a minivan, know what your engine can handle, and you might want to use a transmission cooler for extra protection. When we had our hitch put on, the mechanic told us that he has had customers buy brand new popups thinking their tow vehicle could handle them when they couldn't. They ended up having to buy new vehicles! He also said to do your research because dealers will often not know what they're talking about in this department. My favorite forum for popups, hands down: http://www.popupportal.com/ I hope you find something and make many wonderful memories for years to come!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleWMN Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Thank you guys! We have a minivan but I don't think it could pull it. Our other vehicle is a tahoe. It pulls a boat... not sure about a camper. I was thinking we would store the boat in the same town that we plan to camp a lot. Then once we get the camper set up we could go get the boat. But... can you have a boat hitch and a camper hitch on the same vehicle? Hmmm.... Sorry I sound goofy. I've NEVER spent the night in a camper! We had a small lakehouse when I was growing up though and I love to be on the water. We had so many good memories. Definitely can't afford a lakehouse :tongue_smilie:, but we'd like to make similar memories with our kids. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 We have a pop up that we love. We tow it with our mini van. It has a small fridge, and we use a small port-a-potty type thing that stores in a ready made cabinet in the camper. It has chemicals in it so there's no smell. We just don't do #2 in it. We go to the bath house for that. We also have A/C since we live in Florida. We have two king beds (one on each end that pulls out). Our couch folds down into a bed, as well as our dinette table/benches. When buying used, just make sure you check, check, check, and re-check for leaks. This goes for any type of camper, not just a pop up. And yes, like someone else mentioned, don't rely on the dealership to know whether or not your vehicle can tow something.....research that yourself. I grew up camping and we bought our very own pop up a few years ago....I wanted for our kids to grow up camping too. We love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleWMN Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Thank you guys! Keep the advice coming! :auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmulcahy Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 If you are going to store the camper...have you considered a regular travel trailer instead of a 5th wheel? A 5th wheel is designed so that towing is easier. The fact that part of the trailer is actually above the truck bed makes driving and towing less complicated. Most people buy those when they will be doing a lot of towing. Pop ups are great but again they are made to make towing easier. They are lighter than a travel trailer. A travel trailer would allow you to store more things so that you do not have to lug things back and forth. We keep outdoor chairs, extra towels, sheets, all of our toiletries, games and all sorts of stuff in it year round. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison in KY Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 We have a pop up and I'd love to trade it in on a regular camper. It's a great pop up, but for a weekend camping trip, dh and I have decided it's just a pain. Think about the loading/packing of food, clothing, firewood, bicycles, etc. I'd much rather be stepping into a camper and loading it with our stuff than piling the back of the truck down with it...it gets really cramped. I wish we hadn't of went for the pop up now :tongue_smilie:. The one good thing, is that our pop up has more bed space available than most of the bigger campers. I do not understand why they don't put more beds in the regular campers. Alison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 The main thing to look at is beds. So many 5th wheels are designed for a couple, spending the winter in the south. My mom is one & I've been in lots of her friends units too. Lovely, for 1 or 2--more than that would be un-fun! As for your vehicles: The Tahoe should pull a pop-top. A 5th wheel requires a pick-up. With your family, can you comfortably fit in a truck? As to the hitches, the 5th wheel thing is bolted into the truck bed. The boat hitch is at the bumper. No conflict there. BTW: Growing up our family of 5 traveled from Nashville to Seattle 2 different trips of 3 wks in a pop top. We did great & had the set up to a science. :o For sleeping, M&D were in one wing, sis & I in the other & bro slept on the settee that made a single bed. It gets to be a big pain if you have to unload the table every night to make it into a bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 I'm with Alison on this one. We have a pop-up for our family of 5. We are INCREDIBLY cramped in it. We've started keeping our bags in the car just to not feel quite so overwhelmed. We have a queen bed on one end and a full on the other. DH and take the queen, and the girls take the full. This means we have to use the dining table for DS. I hate that if we want to use the table we have to take down his bed every day and put it back up for nap, just to take it down again and put it back up again, etc. We are seriously looking for a travel trailer with bunks. Preferably triple bunks. I also like the idea of being able to leave things IN the camper. I really dislike having to load everything in the cars and then transfer to the camper, only to take it all back out and load it back into the car when it's time to tear down. We have gotten quicker at setting up and tearing down, but for a short weekend, it's still more work than I'd like. Just my $0.02. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Thank you guys! We have a minivan but I don't think it could pull it. Our other vehicle is a tahoe. It pulls a boat... not sure about a camper. I was thinking we would store the boat in the same town that we plan to camp a lot. Then once we get the camper set up we could go get the boat. But... can you have a boat hitch and a camper hitch on the same vehicle? Hmmm.... Sorry I sound goofy. I've NEVER spent the night in a camper! We had a small lakehouse when I was growing up though and I love to be on the water. We had so many good memories. Definitely can't afford a lakehouse :tongue_smilie:, but we'd like to make similar memories with our kids. :001_smile: My sister and her husband pull a small popup with their mini van. They did have something installed on their car so that it would work without hurting the engine. They travel from CA to WI each summer with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleWMN Posted February 22, 2011 Author Share Posted February 22, 2011 Thank you guys so much! I actually just learned the difference last night b/t a 5th wheel and a travel trailer. I was definitely meaning travel trailer. OOPS! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 (edited) The main thing to look at is beds. So many 5th wheels are designed for a couple, spending the winter in the south. My mom is one & I've been in lots of her friends units too. Lovely, for 1 or 2--more than that would be un-fun! My parents' 5th wheel sleeps several--there's the bedroom, plus the dinette table & benches folds into a bed, like a typical camper dinette would. Then the couch folds down into a bed. So you could probably fit 4 kids max. in those beds. ETA: moot point, sorry! Thank you guys so much! I actually just learned the difference last night b/t a 5th wheel and a travel trailer. I was definitely meaning travel trailer. OOPS! :tongue_smilie: I think pop ups and travel trailers can also have slide outs, right? Did someone mention that? Edited February 22, 2011 by gardening momma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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