Hmmm....maybe I'll just ask a camper at a neighboring site to back it in for me...LOL!!!
Just kidding...I know I could eventually figure it out! I love the comment about setup taking 20 minutes without kids, 40 minutes with kids. Just now, I've been listening to my 2 kids horse around for almost 40 minutes folding one basket of laundry. Sigh. You'd think by the age of 8 & 9, they'd have this work ethic thing down pat. (Yeah, now I'm really laughing!)
Thanks for the words of encouragement. My two are ages 4 and 1...something to look forward to
Myself, The Boss, and two wanna-be Bosses
2006 Jayco 1007 There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who can count in binary, and those who can't.
I think Pop-ups and TTs are work at first but I hear once you get it down it becomes a lot easier and WAY more comfortable. I'm dreaming of the day....(smiles whistfully)
Eliane (71)
Larry (71)
Kamon (90)
Eva (99)
Nathan (02)
Wow, have not read all the reply's but I'll post my opinion anyway, Yes buy one, buy a good used one, shop around, winter is coming and e are lots of great deals around the corner
Couple of reasons
1. No more difficult or time consuming to open a pop-up than setting up a tent, we have been tent campers for twenty plus years mostly tents and TT for couple of years and a truck camper too. W know all about tent set up and how long it takes, no difference once you've done it a few times.
2. Up off the ground, the hard cold ground, yes we have therma-rests too the best you can buy still better in a pop-up. The pop-up is warmer, dryer, more comfortable, more inside storage, a place to go when raining, inside cooler/refer, hang your clothes etc.
3. We spend 99% of our time outside, cook outside play, read, sit by the fire, visit with friends and family everything, but sleeping inside is much better.
4. We love the tent camping experience, love tent smell, in the rain hearing the rain on the canvas, getting the fresh air at night, feeling the breeze blowing through the camp, the smell of the camp fire, all that is the same because you’re living in a tent on wheels, you don’t lose anything.
5. We bought ours last Sept and have camped over twenty five nights and have plans on three more outings before the end of the year.
6. We’re in boy scouts and work several Boy Scout camps during the year so we really camp, and have gotten our money’s worth, the best thing we’ve bought in a long time.
-camp site selection is a bit different. Whereas we tented many years in Wisconsin and Minnesota and enjoy the campsite where everything is rustic and enclosed (read, privatesque). Finding a site to accomodate the PUP instead and retain many of those "nature in your face" attributes is harder.
This actually drives us to do more dry camping that hookups. We're able to push the PUP 7 days without hookups, so long as I have a water source to replenish the fresh water holding tank.
-being limited in the outdoor toys. Our TV can only tow one item at a time. Hard to stack ATVs on top of the camper. I don't own ATVs - usually gathering up friends with and pulling their trailer with quads. Going to have to make them pull their own weight .
-a whole new world of accessories are required. Most all of our tenting equipment crosses over. I gave up on the provided cook stove and went back to a standard Coleman stove and dedicated LP tank. "Had" to buy special this and that, all miniturized/specialized, etc. Of course we didn't have to, but that's part of the excitement of getting all decked out.
-gas. Who can ignore. The PUP is fairly lightweight, but it still draws down the itty bitty 4.0L engine and kills MPG. Doesn't stop us though. The kids NEED their outdoor exposure.
Like mentioned above, we still live pretty much outdoors except for sleeping and inclement weather. Why spend the money and deal with a PUP if that's all? Campbear did a great job of putting forth the benefits.
I can't tell you how nice it is to crawl into a bed that isn't lumping, slanted, and actually feels darn solid! I added a memory foam topper and we sleep better. Certainly better than on the air mattress (actually used to use a 110v Aerobed mattress that we'd carry an inverter and outdoor extension cord along just to air it up). Felt rather strange to run this orange extension cord over to our tent to air up the bed. Then I see the videos on YouTube where folks hook up a room A/C to their tent.
My parents and I took a PUP across the country when I was young (and dinosaurs roamed the earth). My Dad was able to take 16 weeks off and give me a lifetime of memories. My cousin and I could set up the PUP in 5 minutes by the end of the trip
All the arguments for getting a PUP were pretty well articulated and most of the issues against them were also well put. The only thing I would add against PUPs is that you need to make sure you don't put the canvas away wet for any length of time or you will have mold when you use it next. This isn't any different than a tent but the cost of replacing the canvas for a PUP is much more than replacing a Walmart tent.
There are two reasons I have a TT rather than a PUP now: the mold issue and bears. Many CGs, especially Federal CGs, will soon not allow any "soft-sided" structures in the CG in bear country. That includes tents, PUPs and HTTs.
DW and I in our Gulfstream Amerilite 21MB
Chevy Silverado 2500 HD - Duramax Diesel 6.6L - Allison Tranny
"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area." - Major Mike Shearer - British Army - Basra, Iraq
We started out tent camping and graduated to a popup which I bought from my father inlaw who had purchased it new and towed it all over the U.S. We enjoyed it and it was nice to be off the ground. With that being said we still could go back to a tent if we needed too. Its fun and the places that you can tent camp really makes it worthwhile.
There are two reasons I have a TT rather than a PUP now: the mold issue and bears. Many CGs, especially Federal CGs, will soon not allow any "soft-sided" structures in the CG in bear country. That includes tents, PUPs and HTTs.
And that is why we like our folding TT. It is low profile when towing, parks in the garage, and has no fabric to get wet or allow bears in.
Wayne in San Jose
TV1:2002 Chevy 1500HD 4wd Crew Cab,Valley Odyssey brake ctlr,McKesh mirrors
TV2:2008 GMC 2500HD long bed 4wd Crew Cab,GMC brake ctlr,GMC mirrors
TT:Trailmanor 2720
Honda 2000
Yamaha WR250R,Polaris Sportsman 700 X2,Polaris Scrambler 500
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(Speaking as one who unhitched the PUP one time to push it into place...downhill 
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