New to popups... any suggestions?

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HiccaBurp

New member
Joined
Apr 12, 2011
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Hello all.  We just purchased a 2000 Jayco M-10 SG from a family member.  He had it garage kept 9 outta 10 years and it's in great condition.  We have 4 kids ages 2, 4, 5.5 & 13 and expect to grow out of it in a few years.  But for now we are excited.  We have used it with him before and are familiar with it.  It's got the AC which might come in handy on the real hot and muggy nights, but otherwise we look forward to opening her up and letting the breeze in :D

Any issues with this popup?  Any preventative maintainence I need to do?  Is there something I need to apply to the canvas to make it last longer?  What do I seal the roof with?  Etc...??

Thanks very much,
Alex and family
Wauconda, IL
 
Best piece of advice I could give you is to read the owners manual.  It's your "Bible" to taking care of your new found family fun.  What I have learned owning a pop up years ago was...

1) Keep the canvas clean and dry.  By all means, take her out and have fun with it.  But sometimes Mother Nature doesn't want to work with you concerning putting the camper away and taking it home.  Always take the extra steps to make sure the canvas is completely dry when you come back from camping to insure the that mold and mildew does not set in and destroy the canvas.

2) Wheel bearing maintenance is imperative.  Nobody wants to pack up the family and leave for a well planned vacation,  just to have a neglected wheel bearing spoil the trip before your family even got to the campground.

3) Power for the AC is a whole different issue.  If you are going to campgrounds with hookups and use their electric...no problem.  Probably cost you a few extra bucks per night, but that is your choice.  Maybe a generator?
You didn't mention if you were planning on campgrounds with hook ups or rustic type camping with the family.  Maybe both?
Lots of info available either way on this site pertaining that very issue.  Just search.  Great folks available to help you with ideas and info.

BTW...
I am a Michigander and I know what you mean about "real hot and muggy nights".

Have fun with the camper.
 
Having had a pop up for many years as my kids were growing and we were seeing the US, let me pass on some ideas for you>
Keep a rechargeable flashlight handy for night time potty calls
Buy a cheap 30 or more cup coffee pot and use it as a hot water tank to do dishes with as long as you have electricty.
Don't assume good weather all the time so pack cards and games for those less than desireable days. Maybe even a dvd player for rare amusement.
Buy pie irons at Camping World and make them when ypou're sitting around the fire. Easy to do with bread, butter, pie filling and a good fire. My kids loved them.

Most importantly........enjoy the opportunity with the kids.


Bob
 
I will second the need to maintain the canvas.. Scotch Guard? (Been a while) there are treatments for the canvas and it's been long enough I do not recall the best.

Wheels and bearings....

Many PUPs have small wheels, this means the wheel spins very fast so be sure the bearings are properly lubed,  Bearing Buddies, designed to provide positive pressure lubrication to boat trailers are actually a decent idea in my not very humble opinion.. Also make sure the tires are properly inflated EVERY time you hook up,, Do not move so much as 3 feet without checking the pressure.. Also check the lug bolts (or nuts) to make sure they are tight.. Having a trie and rim proceed you down the freeway.. NOT GOOD..

If you are buying and they give you two tire options, say 12 and 14 inch, choose the larger.

On both of the trailers I had, I upgraded the wheels (one size larger rim) and it made it much easier to pull without changing flats.  Of course you can not always do this.
 
HiccaBurp said:
the real hot and muggy nights
Click to expand...

I live near Memphis.  Are you telling me there are night that aren't real hot and muggy?

Seriously.... was a pop-up owner for several years before we upgraded.  A few tips:

1) The comments about drying out after a trip are critical.  Make sure the canvas and the insides are dry before storing or you will get mildew.  If it rains before or during break down, andthe weather doesn't cooperate when you get home, you can put in your garage and use a fan to dry overnights.

2) The area under the two ends makes pretty good storage.  It stays fairly dry.  We used large plastic bins for clothes, shoes, etc.  We made sure to find some that would fit in the pop-up when closed so we haul them there on the way.

3) Consider buying one of those plug-in coolers.  We had a fridge in the pop-up that would hold enough food to feed my crew about one day.  The cooler made an excellent supplement.

4) Consider buying one of those 10'x10' sun tents to go over the picnic table.  One with netted sides to keep out bugs is nice.  When it rains, it keeps the table dry giving you a place to eat, play cards, arm wrestle, etc.

5) Instead of the coffee pot for hot water, we used a hot plate.  Cooked lots of meals on it (along with the campground grill) and used it to boil water while we ate. 

Good Luck. 
 
1.  Check Tire Pressure & Lug nuts before every trip.
2.  Have the bearings repacked - repeat annually.
3.  Don't go buying a bunch of stuff right off.  Camp a few times first & see what you really need.
4.  Popups can be small & get cluttered easy.  Don't take so much stuff & leave most of it in the tow vehicle.

Joel
 
On Colemans and others with the four latches, run around twice to make sure all are released before attempting to raise the camper.  I've seen people snap the steel cables that way.

Tent campers are small -- travel light.

Watch your shoulder as you extend the slides out and attach the supports.  Back too.  Also, the slides will bend to unusability if people hop on the beds before you get the supports in place.

Bring a small, quiet generator.

The smaller trailers without brakes add a lot to stopping distance.  I learned this the hard way practicing stops at a light, and winding up stationary past the intersection.
 
if the pop up is a 2000 you may have the original tires on it, and that is too old.  You should check the date on the tires, regardless of how good they may look.  Go to our library and look under maintenance items.  Or you can see my post in this tread, there is a PDF file that explains how to read the codes on the tire. http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=43868.msg404209#msg404209

When our kids were small we switched from tent camping into a small Starcraft pop up.  It was wonderful!
 
Watch it in the sun. We had one in Texas and made up a couple of covers for the bunk ends. It knocked down the inside temperature by 15 degrees. A friend makes them now. Do a search for 'Popup Gizmos'. They're handy items.

Have fun!
 
We had a Jayco pop up for 5 years.  The best advise I can give you is make a list, in the proper order, of how to open and close the trailer.  Follow it religiously when setting up and taking down the trailer.  Include things like opening latches, putting support poles in, etc.  And on the closing side, put in drying the canvas of dew, etc, when weather permits.  It only takes once to forget putting in a support pole and the kids jump up on the bed and, presto, you have a bent bed frame. Does this sound like the voice of experience?  We also had a list of items to pack so we avoided overpacking, because it can get cluttered as mentioned.  We enjoyed the great outdoor feeling of a tent trailer, I'm sure you will too.
 
Ditto to what's been said, and I'll add this from our experience:
when pulling out the end bunks, slide them out easily, not hard or fast. If you slide them out hard/fast, you can break the stop blocks, usually a plastic block, that hold them in place, and then next time you go to pull them out, they come all the way out. Don't ask how I know this.
 
Does it have hydraulic surge brakes?  If so...couldn't hurt to do a full system flush.

And yes: check the tires!  If you can, go one size LARGER, many pop-ups (and trailers in general) have tires that are marginal for the weight they carry!
 
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