Considerations for buying a pop-up

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SamJam

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Oct 8, 2015
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Well I never thought I would consider buying a pop-up, but costs and tow vehicles have caused us to lean in that direction and take on the potential head ache of drying a tent trailer in our rainy climate..

Anyway, still can't afford new, but I'm even surprised at the asking prices for used ones:

Here in Canada (BC specifically), it seems that ~8-10 year old ones are going for $6-7K CDN, and 3-5 year old ones are listed at ~$9-10K CDN.

Is this about right or is our market particularly expensive?

Makes me really want to lean back to the travel trailers, but then we get back into tow vehicle issues...

Thanks for any input!
 
outofhere2 said:
What's your tow vehicle you may be surprised some smaller TT are built light . Is this for a family or a couple
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If you go with a pop up, inspect the canvas very carefully for rot and signs of big leaks.
 
We considered a popup for our first trailer also. As I was doing research on the cost of replacement canvas if needed I found that it would cost around 900 dollars US just for the canvas and then added cost for the hardware, replacement screws etc that always seem to come up also. Not to mention that it would be a pretty daunting task if you're not the do it yourself type. We took our time and finally found a used light weight travel trailer that was within our towing capacity. Sometimes you have to look through a lot of dirt before you finally find the gem. I would say just be prepared to take some time and continue to look for what you want rather than settle for something you may not really enjoy. Once you find the right one it will be worth the wait.
 
Ah the pop-up lifestyle! Brings back memories.....We were in the same "boat" being stuck with a toyota sienna as a tow vehicle. We purchased a pop-up with a ten foot box. Loved it! The kids (two, then three) had a great time in it. We later "upgraded" to a travel trailer due to everyone growing, but the kids seemed to have more fun in the pop-up for whatever reason.

Pop-ups are a good alternative. If you never had an rv before they are good entry to prepare for the quirks of the machines (read the various threads here about how/why something works or doesn't). Search craigslist every few days as they rotate pretty often; it was where we found ours. Don't be afraid to negotiate the price down from a private seller. Some considerations: toilets and showers are over-rated and rarely used, if ever, in a practicle sense. Water from the shower goes everywhere, and who wants to poop next to where you eat??????? Check the "canvas" as recommended here. Also check the tires for cracks (good way to bring the price down), asked if the axles have been re-packed (another way to bring the price down). Ensure the seller sets the whole thing up for you so you can inspect it well. Male sure the lights work!

All in all they are great, with good memories to be had. You can get to alot of places the bigger rigs can't, and like I wrote above, it is an easy in to the rv lifestyle! Good luck! Go to Craigslist!
 
i started with a tent trailer many many moons ago it was awesome

http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/rv

there are deals to be had especially now here in Alberta where pennies are tight
cheers
 
I loved mine. Some concern about leaving stuff in the pop up while we went hiking as there is no way to secure them. Had to move on to a hard shell when we moved to Colorado due to the Bears.
 
Theolympians said:
Ah the pop-up lifestyle! Brings back memories.....We were in the same "boat" being stuck with a toyota sienna as a tow vehicle. We purchased a pop-up with a ten foot box. Loved it! The kids (two, then three) had a great time in it. We later "upgraded" to a travel trailer due to everyone growing, but the kids seemed to have more fun in the pop-up for whatever reason.
Click to expand...

+1
Popups have a variety of uses, but there seems to be an affinity for small kids.
We had a 1971 Grand Prix. (AKA - the Green Beast) . Horribly heavy and a pain in the butt to set up. Man... did we have fun with that thing. Took it everywhere every summer.
Once my daughter (age 4) fell out of it (where the pull out bed met the side canvas, snugged with a bungie cord) and landed on the ground. She was sitting there laughing until she saw my horrified reaction, then started crying.
I assume they've come a long way in design since then..
The kids still talk about those adventures.
 
We just moved out of our 2003 Coleman Westlake (pop up) and bit the bullet on a new hybrid. I was flabbergasted to find out that the weight difference was very little. Like you, we didn't think we could afford a new one but shuffled some things around and did it. I'm sure if you look around, you can find a used camper very close to the same weight as a pop up. As for cost, well again, you'll have to shop around. 
 
BinaryBob said:
Once my daughter (age 4) fell out of it (where the pull out bed met the side canvas, snugged with a bungie cord) and landed on the ground.
Click to expand...

The same thing happened to our son. He's laying on the bed and poof, he's gone! Great memories, but as we camped more frequently the canvas just became a hassle to deal with.
 
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