CalicoKat Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 soo all you camping enthusiasts, you've won us over. We're excited to do more than just sorta look at the possibility of traveling to WDW and camping there for a couple days. WDW will be 1 desitination along the way. While we own two tents, camp stove, coolers, coleman lanterns, and sleeping bags I'm sure there are things we're not thinking of that are must haves. What else do we need? Things that this mom of 5, former childhood camper, may not be thinking of. Also about buying the pop-up camper. . . if I'm on the road that long I know I don't want to sleep on the ground the whole way. Did that when I went on a 2 wk trip to CA when son was 3. . . . I survived but I need to do more than survive this time. So what do we need to know? Other than it has to sleep 8. What are insurance costs. Storage, not a problem (3-car garage). Please let me benefit from your BTDT stories and advice. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 soo all you camping enthusiasts, you've won us over. We're excited to do more than just sorta look at the possibility of traveling to WDW and camping there for a couple days. WDW will be 1 desitination along the way. While we own two tents, camp stove, coolers, coleman lanterns, and sleeping bags I'm sure there are things we're not thinking of that are must haves. What else do we need? Things that this mom of 5, former childhood camper, may not be thinking of. Also about buying the pop-up camper. . . if I'm on the road that long I know I don't want to sleep on the ground the whole way. Did that when I went on a 2 wk trip to CA when son was 3. . . . I survived but I need to do more than survive this time. So what do we need to know? Other than it has to sleep 8. What are insurance costs. Storage, not a problem (3-car garage). Please let me benefit from your BTDT stories and advice. Thanks! Coleman - 2 king beds and a cassette toilet/shower which I wouldn't do w/o; we've had it 8 yrs. The camping shows seem to offer the best prices. Then shop around & neg. price - buy from the lowest price, closest dealer with best rep in your area. If your closest dealer is off on price ask them to match the price of another dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I second the toilet! Ours has a shower too, and it is so nice. Popups sleep ALOT of people, the one we have sleeps 10 when you pull out the couch and fold down the table. The whole camper becomes beds at night lol. Don't forget those silly 'Christmas' lights to hang up for game time at night. Obviously small pots and pans for the tiny stove, a clothes line for towels, and a 20' drinking hose for those crazy far away water spigots (it only takes one time with a 10' to realize it ain't happenin'). We have also found that those cute little storage containers that hang from the ceiling are awesome! You can store alot of stuff in there, but if you can afford the camper with storage in the front, then go with that (it was 2000 more around here, so we opted not to get it). ENJOY!!! It is so much fun!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel in K-zoo Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 We love our pop-up. I do not like the cassette toilet however. There is just something about having a toilet in the middle of the living area.:glare: I love the shower. I never use it as a shower, but it is a nice spot to wash the girls up before they go to bed. It is amazing how dirty their feet get when camping. I bought one of those cheap plastic shelves that you can put together in about 5 minutes. I use that to keep all my food on when I am camping for any length of time. I also wouldn't get a pop up without a fridge. If you plan on camping in hot weather alot, be sure to get one with air conditioning. If you live in a cold weather area, you will have to put antifreeze in the water lines every winter. As for the rest, I would recommend camping close by home the first time. I would camp with the minimum I felt I needed(you can google and find lists). Then you can run home if you absolutely need something or you can just write it on a list if it is not that necessary. Of course I try to bring as little as possible because otherwise the camper can get very cluttered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel in K-zoo Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Oh, I forgot. We really like our screened porch. We can sit in there without having to worry about bugs and we can put our chairs in there if it is raining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 We have never owned a pop-up, but we have been researching them. Someone on these boards recommended this link which has great info: http://www.popupexplorer.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryRon Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 We have an old one, that is literally a "pop-up". But it's great for us; we have 4 in the family and it does have an air conditioner (doesn't work, though) and a stove (which we don't use anyway). It is fabulous! BUT, like someone else said - if you plan to camp when it's hot, get one with an air conditioner. We camp in the spring and fall - not summer. Too darn hot here in OK! But go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Another Jen Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Ours is 8 years old. We've rehabbed it to suit us. We took everything out- except the beds, table and counter. We like to cook outdoors and I've found the bathrooms/showers at the campground are easier for all of us to use. We've gone to Florida a couple times and when we went West to Mount Rushmore the a/c was heavenly. If you can get one with water connections on the outside- its great for washing off dirty hands and feet before they get inside. The screen room is handy too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 We had a pop-up, briefly, before trading up to a travel trailer. I won't go into that, but I would advise trying to find a used pop-up. We found a pristine used pop-up in the local paper, after looking at a couple of other yukky ones. The camper we bought was owned by Mr. Clean and was absolutely perfect - and a LOT cheaper than a new one. Try it out in your seller's driveway to make sure it works & is all there, and make sure your vehicle can handle the load! Also, I agree with Mel in K-Zoo that the toilet in the middle of the living area is not very appealing. One camper we looked at had the toilet right next to the stove.:ack2: Even though we have a flushable toilet in our travel trailer, we use the campground bathrooms a lot because there are nine of us. It IS nice to not have to go to the bathhouse in the middle of the night, though! I second the fridge is a must opinion. Our family can go for a week without grocery shopping, just using our small fridge and a plug-in cooler (plus a lot of canned goods, etc.). Happy camping! GardenMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 we found one that look sooo promising!! It's a 1999 Viking 2485ST for $3800. They're gonna pull it into the garage and defrost it for us. :001_smile: And then we'll go take a look. I'm psyched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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