PattieAM
Maryland
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Joined: 08/03/2005
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My PUP is my mobile home...same amenities, just a different floorplan! My requirements when shopping were potty and AC, and I am very pleased that I opted for those amenities! Sleeping off the ground is better than I can describe. Using my own shower/potty is much nicer than toting all the stuff to a bathhouse (although I usually enjoy a long hot shower after I've set up). Being able to cook/eat inside is nice especially when it's raining. Having the AC has allowed me to sleep comfortably without waking up drenched and miserable. The 3 way refrigerator allows me to store more food than a cooler ever did and not have to make ice runs. Much more weather tolerant than a tent, I've endured many downpours and several nasty storms with just a billowing of the canvas and slight rocking of a bunk end.
Towing has been a breeze, and I've sometimes forgotten the PUP is behind me. Positioning the PUP in a campsite has been pretty easy, and set up can be a 15 minute job or as long as I care to make it.
I like the open-ness of the PUP.
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Wildcat63
MN
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Joined: 07/09/2006
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Compared to tent camping
Pros: When it rains your not laying in a tent hoping it will stop long enough to cook supper. With the bunk ends it gives kids and dogs plenty of space to lay out and you can sit and relax.. plus everyone is together. Most pop ups can be towed easily by most cars and they are alot simpler to manuver and hook up than a larger RV. You can get pop ups as simple as you want (Ice box, no furnace, ) or as fancy as you want (Toilet/Shower AC furnace water heater ect)
What ever floats your boat basically. You don't need hook ups to use a pop up. We just camped in our new pop up for three days and ran just off the battery and propane and everything went fine.
Cons: Winter camping while it can be done in snow and ice it can be chilly. Setting up is more involved than some RV's but we make it a family affair. DS's Job is to crank down the stabilizer jacks and help crank up the roof.DW helps get backed in and helps with folding up. In a hurry I can get it closed up in less than 5 minutes if I have to not pretty but it can be done. The worst is of it's wet you'll need to open it up and dry it out when you get home. There is an intimacy you don't have when there can be walls and doors between the sleeping compartments and living area, occasionally I have woke up to find I am sharing my pillow with our 75 lb Golden Retriever. The lab respects my space better and just occasionally drapes over my back as I am sleeping.
As a family RV I don't think you can beat it especially if you want to get away to spend time together.
Wildcat
Wildcat63
New PopUp 07 Coachmen Classic
2002 Palomino Mustang PU RIP
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jbh1993
Tennessee
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Joined: 02/10/2006
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We have a trailmanor 3326 and love it ,it does have hard side and lots of storage. King bed ,couch makes a bed and dinette table makes one.
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Hornet28BHDS
Parker, PA
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Joined: 01/29/2007
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You will get plenty of use with it with a family of 5. Give evryone a job to do and set up will be a breeze. You'll make a lot of fond memories!
2006 Hornet 28BHDS-Bunk House, Dual Slides
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 HD
5.7L Hemi, Factory Towing Package
Reese Brake Controller, WD Hitch and Sway Bar
Life is short, why not spend it in an RV!
SPRING HAS SPRUNG!
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tiptoe tommy
Seattle
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Joined: 06/01/2007
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Our kids fight over who gets to crank. They put down the legs, attach the bungees, and help set up. The PUP is a great family RV.
You probably already drive a vehicle that can tow a PUP. We get pretty much the same gas mileage with or without ours. But we have a relatively lightweight midsize version without the bells and whistles.
As for the pack/unpack situation--here is our way of dealing with that. Any trip we plan stresses two-day visits to places. We find that by driving one day and then having a full day to enjoy an area before leaving again, that we don't mind the pack/unpack. Often one spouse will stay and pack while the kids go for one last swim/playground/hike/etc.
You will camp a lot more in spring and fall. And you will still feel like you are part of nature, not traveling in a enclosed box(no offense to anyone--I like those too!)
Look for used deals on Craigslist but do research first here and other places as to what to look for. Good luck!
Family that loves to camp 30 days a year! Two kids, 12 and 9
1999 Coleman SeaPine PUP
GO COUGS!
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BoldenCampers
Ringgold, GA
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Joined: 05/30/2008
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We are new to the pop up scene. We purchased our '07 Rockwood Freedom 2280 back in March. We are a family of 4 and so far have throughly enjoyed our camper on 5 different trips. I have always enjoyed camping growing up and have always used a tent, my DW on the other hand has not. She went once with a tent and said no more. However, since we have purchased our pup, she wants to go every available weekend. She has enjoyed it so much, she changed our Disney World reservations from the Animal Kingdom Sahara View to Fort Wilderness Campground and picked up 2 extra days. Storage can be an issue, but when we were looking, we saw many with lots of storage availabe. I would recommend the shower and potty, or at least a potty, especially if your kids are relatively young. But pick the floor plan that fits you and enjoy. I agree to start with a used pup, all the dealers we talked to recommended this to us and we found a great deal on our 07 so good luck to you and enjoy.
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jay427
Ramsey, Mn
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Joined: 05/23/2006
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You really need to look at the pros and cons of each type of unit. I grew up with a PUP, then had my own kids and bought a PUP. We used the PUP for 2 years and this year we have a small TT for the 4 of us.
Some good advice from above, look for a good used one to find out if you like it or not, then if you decide to upgrade you won't take to big of a loss. With that said we had a Jayco 1007 PUP that we used for 2 years (bought it new) then sold it on Craigs List for a $600 loss, did not think that was bad for 2 years of use, the good resale for me may have been because of the gas prices, not sure?
For us the TT works well but you will need to make up your own mind, good deals to be had for TT now.
Have fun looking, thats half the fun.
Jay
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flash82
Northern Kentucky
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Joined: 02/10/2008
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Can I add a question to this topic? (we are looking at PUPs too)Do pop-ups wick water like a tent when you have a pillow on bag against it? Also have you experienced any real bad noises (not mother nature) throughout the campgrounds? In other words, am I going too have a hard time putting the kids to sleep cause the conversations of the next site. I know probably depends how close....
Thanks
* This post was
edited 06/13/08 10:39am by flash82 *
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Guest
USA
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Joined: 08/02/2004
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There are but a handful of campers that can fit a family of 5 AND be pulled by a relatively fuel efficient vehicle (i.e. minivan). The best are the Jayco 1207 and the Fleetwood Sun Valley (which I own). We too are a family of five and we pull the Sun Valley with a Honda minivan (carefully outfitted with brake controller and Reese350 weight distributing hitch).
Pros of a pup vs other RVs:
+ garage storable
+ Less tow vehicle beef required
+ Better mpgs (especially with lighter vehicle above)
+ Lower battery draw (fewer lights, no fans, no parasitic draws)
+ Easy towing/visibility/windage
+ Lower initial cost (for those towable by CL II vehicles anyways)
Cons
- Rainy setup teardown
- Less storage, harder access
- No bathroom/kitchen access at rest areas
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MattC
Missouri
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Joined: 05/18/2005
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I have a family of 6 and we camp in a pup and have a great time. Ours is not the biggest pup in the world either but our van handles it well and it works for us. I did not get the potti/shower option so I could have the extra seating and extra bed space we needed.
MattC from MO
2003 Grand Caravan
2008 Palomino Yearling 4102
Wife and 4 kids
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