Pop-up trailers?

[72Twenty]

So, the inlaws said we could have their pop-up trailer for free. It is old and has been sitting in a driveway in SLC for a number of years, but it is free none the less. I'm afraid to open it, but I am stoked to get it (never had one) and start cleaning it up/fixing it up/customizing it.

Anyone ever used one in winter? Use one regularly?

My brother in-law says it needs new tires and wheel bearings before I can pull it back to Wyoming. Anyone know what kind of costs I am looking at for these?

[Trackhead]

I've owned a couple hard shell trailers and currently own a nice motorhome.

In the winter, your water tanks in a pop up like that will be an issue, as well as your grey water freezing. If your water tank isn't well insulated, it will be a problem. And more so, the water lines. So in the winter, I would suggest using a seperate water source, a big jug or whatever.

I lived in a small travel trailer for a year a while back. I used to heat water up (3-4 gallons) on the stove, put it in a sun shower, and stand outside in Teva's and shower. Worked great.

I have solar on my current motorhome, works great. You might consider spending $200 on a 60w or smaller panel with a $25 charge controller. Then you can charge your battery or batteries every day during the summer, and refresh them quite well in the winter with the shorter days.

Have fun. RV's work great for skiing/climbing trips. Much nicer than a tent.

This was my first trailer. And oldie, but a goodie.

[El Chupacabra]

You'll want to open up that pop-up before taking it for "free." If the canvas is shot, might not be worth it to you even for free.

I bought one last fall, used it on about 6 trips before winter. They are supposedly OK for winter use down to around -10 degrees; the problem is that in cold temps, the plastic windows can crack when you fold them (setting up or taking down).

I've never used it in winter. Aside from water freezing issues, it's a hassle dealing with the pop-up when it's damp -- you basically have to set it back up at home to dry it out. Not a problem in summer, but in winter you might be waiting several days to over a week with it set up in your driveway, waiting for it to dry out. You cannot leave them stored with wet canvas -- they'll mildew.

Tires are cheap -- about $35 each, installed, at Les Schwab. Wheel bearings are very easy to do yourself; I repacked the ones on my trailer after buying it.

I like the pop-up trailer for summer use. It's really light (can pick up the tongue by hand and move it around), tows easily, low maintenance, and lots more space and comfort than a tent. Biggest advantage over a tent is in wet or buggy weather, where you'll have a lot of space to sit "inside" to eat, read, etc. Depending on options, you could have a sink w/ water tank, fridge, heater, power converter, etc. I can set it up myself, complete, in about 10 minutes. Takedown time is about the same.

Insurance was $1 more per 6 months (only $1500 coverage, since it was a cheap used trailer). Registration was about $30, lifetime -- no annual renewal needed (Nevada).

[BLOODSWEATSTEEL]

Classic.

I love my pop-up, and aside from the [sometimes] lack of available campsites in the winter months anywhere that there's snow, it works great. The small heater in there can easily sustain 70 degrees plus all night long, even in teens/twenties outside temps. It does NOT have a shitter, though. Something about sleeping & eating two feet away from a tank full of steaming turds that just doesn't set well with me. I second NOT using the main water source when it's freezing outside. The water lines like to freeze and crack often.

BTW; get used to packing/checking the wheel bearings. It's pretty important. Replacement is about a 45 minute job, and shouldn't cost more than $30 or so to replace the bearings and seals.

[BLOODSWEATSTEEL]

You'll want to open up that pop-up before taking it for "free." If the canvas is shot, might not be worth it to you even for free.

Agreed. Very true.

[El Chupacabra]

The small heater in there can easily sustain 70 degrees plus all night long, even in teens/twenties outside temps.

Ours has a propane heater too -- tested it but never used it. There's a BBQ-style propane tank on the tongue for the heater and the stove.

How long can you run the heater off the propane tank w/o refilling it? The only time we camped where we needed heat, we had an electric hookup, so we used a $20 ceramic heater from Home Depot. (Figured we might as well use the land power that came with the campground rather than deplete our own propane.)

[BLOODSWEATSTEEL]

Ours has a propane heater too -- tested it but never used it. There's a BBQ-style propane tank on the tongue for the heater and the stove.

How long can you run the heater off the propane tank w/o refilling it? The only time we camped where we needed heat, we had an electric hookup, so we used a $20 ceramic heater from Home Depot. (Figured we might as well use the land power that came with the campground rather than deplete our own propane.)

I can get about 4 days out of the tank with the heater [11,000 something BTU] blasting all night, and using the stove. I keep a couple small propane cans and a screw onto the top of the can type heater as a backup also. I don't usually camp at any improved sites, so I have to be pretty self contained. I would also recommend upgrading the thermostat to a more reliable digital model. You don't want to be wasting any gas unnecessarily out in the middle of the woods.

It's the same as this except 1998: http://www.pecocamping.com/Taos2006SpecialAd.htm with the heater replacing one of the doors on the floor under the sink.

[El Chupacabra]

I would also recommend upgrading the thermostat to a more reliable digital model. You don't want to be wasting any gas unnecessarily out in the middle of the woods.

It's the same as this except 1998: http://www.pecocamping.com/Taos2006SpecialAd.htm with the heater replacing one of the doors on the floor under the sink.

Ours has an old-style thermostat ("analog" I guess). It's a Flagstaff 176ED, same as this, with 2-way fridge, but no toilet:
http://www.forestriverinc.com/nd/flo...aff/floorplans

For luxo camping showers, I highly recommend one of the Zodi shower kits:
http://www.zodi.com/

About $115, propane-fired, battery-powered pump, instant hot water. Works great. Packs down to about the size of 2 large shoeboxes.

[72Twenty]

I'm just stoked becasue it sounds like fun to work on it/restore it; it gives me something to do. Plus, it looks like fun camping; the wife doesn't do the tent thing so much. This is the happy medium for all of us.

[72Twenty]

What about this... your thoughts;

I've seen people mount racks on the tops of the hard roofs (like Yakima's and Thule's) for their bikes, boats, etc. for transport. Any of you done this, or is it overkill....

[weibo]

The rack idea is not overlill it is actually good way to go. I had some family friends drive across Canada with a canoe straped on there with no problems and it actually kept the gas mileage a bit better due to wind resistance.

[El Chupacabra]

What about this... your thoughts;

I've seen people mount racks on the tops of the hard roofs (like Yakima's and Thule's) for their bikes, boats, etc. for transport. Any of you done this, or is it overkill....

I looked into this, and it depends on what's in the roof of your particular trailer (i.e. thick wood or metal where you could screw plates into). Mine doesn't have reinforcements except at the very edges, so I decided not to gamble on the rack ripping out.

[BLOODSWEATSTEEL]

It'll work out just fine. Make DAMN sure the mounting holes are totally waterproof, though. Rubber grommets under the washers and RTV silicone in the hole when you bolt the rack down. I would also reinforce the inside with a metal strip so the rack doesn't tear out.

Leaky roof = unhappy wife.

[72Twenty]

Someday I want one of these...





I watched a show in Travel Channel about teardrops once. It was cool!

[72Twenty]

SCORE! We called my mother in law last night for some more details on our "new" pop up.

Canvas is in good shape.

It has a large tent that connects to the door side that makes an additional room.

Kitchen part is outside, or would be in the above mentioned tent area

Has a sink and propane.

Not wired for any electricity.

Needs flooring work; I will probably just replace the floor.

My in laws bought it new "off the showroom floor" as my father in law puts it back in 1974 when he was in the Navy.

So, it's "vintage".

Sounds like it's not too bad of a deal for free, though.

[BLOODSWEATSTEEL]

Sounds good. The screen room is a nice feature. They sometimes can take a little wrestling w/ to get dialed in, but worth it. The floor is an easy job & shouldn't take you more than half a day. Make sure if you install carpet over it that you use a moisture barrier between the rug & floor...... and that the carpet is mostly nylon/poly rather than cotton, wool, jute, etc... It will get a lot dirtier than you'd think, and you'll save yourself a ton of cleaning and frustration down the road.

[El Chupacabra]

Add-on tent is nice -- effectively doubles your "covered" living area so long as it's not really windy.

Re: floor replacement -- do some google searches on this as far as what material to use. I recall reading that the flooring used on pop-ups (and maybe other RVs) is a specially-treated wood, and is not meant to be painted or otherwise coated by the owner. It looks like OSB to me, but apparently it's something different.

Ours has linoleum on the floor -- no carpet. For as messy as it gets, I wouldn't want carpet.