CakeHenn

Wow...I wonder how long that took?

Anyone ever play with Legos as a kid? I remember building a castle as a kid...probably a square foot around and maybe that tall at it's highest. It took me a couple days then my dog ran into my room, hit it, and kind of broke it...I was so pissed I never played with legos again. I've seen them in stores and wow...not cheap.

So, which is it?

Unless you are pulling a small utility trailer with a lawn mower on it or a really small pop up, I would not go without a weight distribution hitch.

Look at the texture of the conversation...you should be able to figure it out.

The break controller and weight distributing hitch (WDH) can all be added by a RV place. And really it's not more trouble than it's worth...it's all pretty standard for anyone that tows. None of this stuff is all that complex or super expensive. You might be able to go without a WDH but the break controller is necessarily and very important. All trailers should have breaks already hooked up on them so really it's just a matter of having that controller to tell your trailer when you are breaking. I'd say even for a pop up trailer you would need a break controller.

Overall RVing is not a cheap hobby. You can get an older used RV for a really good price but just keep in mind you still need to make a minimal investment in your tow vehicle to make sure you are going to safely tow.

All this stuff was very intimidating to me. I'd suggest just going to a RV dealership and walking around and just looking. Then get a sales person to tell you about the break controllers, WDH, etc..have him show you as well.

I was intimidated as well before I got started RVing...took me two years of shopping before I pulled the trigger. Now that I've been doing it for a long time I can honestly say it's not rocket science and the wonderful thing is other RVers are super helpful. I know for a fact if something happened to me and my wife was stuck at a camp ground she would have no trouble having someone give her a hand with whatever on the RV she does not know how to work...which at this point is very little.

You might want to even consider borrowing or renting an RV...maybe rent a Pop up.

Need the break controller installed in the truck...they are not too expensive and any RV shop can rig it up for you. I'd also get a weight distribution hitch and sway bar. I think you'll be ok for short trips in flat areas. You MPG is going to be terrible when towing...I'd guess between 7 and 9 MPG. When you get to the point where you are ready for a new tow vehicle you can then step up to something with more power and tow/haul capacities

My latest trailer story is why I am an advocate of buying leftover new models. In November 2009 we looked at a Starcraft at a local dealer. Parked right next to it was an Outback, new, full warranty, leftover model. We ended up buying it for 11,000 dollars less than the same model used on the lot. The dealer was taking delivery of new units and wanted to clear his lot, and this was the last leftover he had. This is the situation I was trying to get thru to CakeHenn, apparently unsuccessfully. You can find any piece of crap on Craigslist for 1000 bucks. But if you can buy a used unit out of warranty or a new comparable model for the same money, or slightly more (or in my case much less), why not buy the new unit?

I can understand this but it seems different than you point about the value of them holding up. My only point was RVs, pop ups, or whatever depreciate rapidly after you buy then new....the steepest deprecation happens the first few years and then levels off. I don't think this is groundbreaking news. With this in mind buying a used model that is 3 or 4 years old could amount to paying much much less. Obviously if you want new then go for it. What you did sounds like a great idea if you are buying new and I'd absolutely agree that money can be saved with buying the new "last year" model. It's the similar strategy with cars. Many people do want that very newest one so they have a harder time selling say a 2012 in 2013 but if you like the last year model then yeah you have lots of room to negotiate and clearly you will save money.

This actually proves nothing. I'm not going to argue with you any more. Move on. WWLD?

I didnt know it was an argument. You said check the ads if I don't believe you...I did just that. Sorry my results did not back up what you are saying. I don't really care one way or the other. If it makes you feel better I'll just agree with you.

I actually did look at ads...the most expensive used pop up I saw was $10.5k. This was just me checking craigslist (where mostly dealers post)...I put in "pop" in the search and looked at all 96 listings. The only amounts I saw that were more were 2013 units that I assume are new.

I do not want to stay at any RV park that requires you to have a BIG dollar RV. Just not my type.

I was just passing on info...it's a consideration. For some it has no bearing on their decision...for others maybe it's good to know. My favorite place we ever stayed was in Port Aransas TX called Gulf Waters RV resort. All the RV spots are actually individually owned and rented out by a property manager. When we went we had our old TT that was a 2007 27'. I would not call it a big dollar RV since we bought it used for $13k. I went to their website and these are the rules that applied to RVs themselves.

• No pop-ups, high-lows, truck campers or tents are allowed. Hard side units only.
  
• RV age requirement is 10 years or newer unless approved by staff. Units must be 24’ or longer in length.
  
• All units are subject to approval and must be self-contained.
  

I look at this similarly to rules a home owners association would have.

I stand by my statements re. popups holding value. Has to do with demand for them. Compared to any other RV, a popup will maintain it's resale value much better in general. Hence my advice. When looking for a popup, a late model used in good condition will sell for close to what you can pick up a new one for. I have owned trailers for over 30 years including 2 popups, so I maybe know a little about what I am talking about.

So are you saying if someone bought a 13k or 14k pop up they could assume that they would be able to turn around and sell it for close to the same price in a year or two? I don't see it happening and that's all I'm looking at. I agree if someone buys used then they have a good chance of not losing too much on a pop up when they try to sell in a year or two but that's different than buying new.

The reason I ask...and this is taking advantage of the system but I would like to find out what the discount they offer for a AAA before I just go off and buy one and then find out that they don't offer the discount at that time. But the again I don't think its unfair to ask what discounts they have and what they are even if I'm not a member. I'm sure the clubs/associations would want them to tell you.

We went to the RV show tonight and we are in love Flagstaff pop up. It's a Classic 625D. The price is $13,995.

Oh my god we are in love. Any feedback on this brand? Model? Are we crazy?!

SO what kind of tow vehicle do you have? To me the main advantages of a pop up are that they are very small and light so you don't need a big truck to tow one...many V6 vehicles can tow them with ease. I'd probably not tow one with a 4 banger. The other advantage is because they small when not popped up they can be stored in some garages... storage is much less an issue with one vs a trailer. You can also get into some places with a pop up that you could not with bigger trailers...if that's important to you.

Overall though that's about it...I asked about your vehicle because if you have something that can handle a smaller travel trailer then you might want to consider that for the money you are thinking of spending.

Someone mentioned pop ups hold their value....well not if you buy it for 13 or 14k it's not. You can find used ones for a few thousand. TO me popups are just no as durable over time so be prepared to fix or replace the tent sections from time to time. If you can go bigger you might want to consider a travel trailer or a hybrid travel trailer. Having a real bathroom vs a what most pop ups have is a pretty big deal. A lot of the travel trailers have the little buckets you have to manually dump...I'd personally much rather just hook up sewer lines and pull the lever out than mess with those buckets.

If you are new to RVs then I'd say buy a used one....for one you'll spend way less. Also you don't know what you want until you've really spent time in one. A lot of people own their first RV for less than a year or two before getting another one that fits their "needs" better. You could flip a used one and actually sell it for close to what you bought it for assuming you take good care of it and maybe add some upgrades...but there is no way that will happen if you buy a new one. When someone buys a new RV and they had one in the past the trend is most of the time they go bigger.

I've stayed at one RV resort where Pop ups and hybrids were not allowed. Some will also have restrictions on the age of your RV. Pretty much these places are trying to make sure everyone has a nice looking rig.

Do they ask for your AAA account number at the time you book or do they make you show it to them when you get there?

I think the $9.99 app is worth it. That's what we use.

That's good to know. For an app that's a lot but it's the "go to one" and we use it a couple times I'll be happy paying it.

I have an Iphone...what app do yall use? It looks like the "Official" app costs like 9.99. I guess it's the one associated with the most popular geocache website??

At the state parks here they have a process where you can register and get a permit to place one...it's all free but it makes sense...they don't want to put it somewhere where it could damage the grounds or whatever.

There is a big city park with softball fields, walking trails, playgrounds, etc that's like a half mile from my house...I see that there are some there.

I told my daughter that she needs to find some "Treasure" at the house that we can deposit into the caches. I don't know much about it but from what I gather you are suppose to take something and then also leave something. At the state parks they have log books in each cache where you can sign in.

I'm actually looking forward to it because when we go camping I love to go hiking on trails but the girls are not all that interested in doing that so this will give then a reason to go.

Have any of you ever gone geocaching?? I've never done it but it looks like it might be a fun deal to get my kids involved with. Texas Parks and Wildlife has a TV show...I have my DVR set to always record it. In the show they spotlight many of the State Parks and stuff you can do in them. Well recently they had a segment on geocaching...I had not given it much thought...but it's basically like a treasure hunt.

Well I told my 5 year old about it and then last night I showed her that segment of the show about it. She got all fired up and wants to do it soon. What's funny is this morning my wife calls and tells me that on the way to school Kate (my daughter) tells my wife "I don't want to go to the coast anymore....I want to go to a State Park". We are going down to the coast for spring break in a few weeks. My wife asked...why and she says she wants to go to the state park to search for treasure. LOL...I thought that was so cute.

Anyway...I looked at a website and it looks like there are caches everywhere....are there any at FW?? I'm going to load up an app and check out the geocaching website and try to make this an activity on most upcoming camping trips.

I looked on the Dutchman website...they did not have this model listed. I saw the Voltage series but not this one. Overall wow...very nice....but in this case if you are spending 72k...yeah it better be nice. That's more than double what I just spend on my trailer and I'm almost embarrassed I spend as much as I did on a pure toy. But boy are they fun! At least the entire family loves doing it.

You have a link? To pictures or anything? It does sound like ridiculous marketing but it's not like it could not be done....you would need a super stout TH and truck to pull that rig.

How much is it to join AAA?

Yeah I do agree with you Dave...when towing you can't have too much. I guess I was just saying it was too much truck if they wanted it for other things...but if it's a pure tow vehicle..then what the heck...might as well. I like to balance economy and power...since this is really only going to be used for towing then economy isnt as important.....more powerful engines can often provide more economy when towing heavier loads anyway.

I'd say if you are looking to spend less than 10k on a tow vehicle then just be ready to have a few mechanical issues. I'd also echo what was said about having it looked over before buying.

Agree with Lone Star...those V10s were awesome...I wonder why they stopped making them??

A one ton dually...way more truck than you need unless you are going to be loading down the bed with something as well or doing other towing and hauling. I'd probably go with a half ton or 3/4 ton and buy a bit newer. Is this going to be just a totally dedicate tow vehicle and not a daily driver? If so I guess it does not matter all that much.

To be honest not using the toilet means I don't have to clean it or smell it.

So when you are at home do you just go outside or to a neighbors house? Obviously you don't. I look at our trailer as our second home...I paid too much for it not to use the thing. I think you are over thinking this...they don't really smell if you dump them after every trip and use some chemicals.

Dont have a tow vehicle yet. I waited till we narrowed things down. Now I can start looking for my TV since I know the weights I am looking at. I will buy for the bigger end with plenty to spare. We dont really plan to use the toilet except in emergency's, i.e bad rain storm or something of that nature. When we were first looking we were looking at PUPs and smaller campers that had no bathrooms. It's only me and SIlvia and maybe the dog sometimes.

I like the versatility of the Toy Hauler but I am not sure how well the seals on that ramp door hold up over time.

As far as a tow vehicle it seems based on the two choices you would do fine with a good half ton. Just make sure you get the more powerful engine option and tow package. A 3/4 ton would be overkill and an excessive expense but I've always been one that believes it's better to have too much of something and not need it than not enough and need it. Overall the toyhauler will probably be a bit more drag and your towing MPG will be lower but I doubt it will be significant enough to factor into your selection.

As far as the bathroom goes...why on earth would you not use it? I mean if you are overnighting somewhere and woke up in the middle of the night are you saying you'd rather walk to a public restroom vs using your own? Before I bought an RV things like the grey water/black water etc were just unknowns to me and I was a bit intimidated and worried everything would be complicated. But I assure you using the water, black water, and grey water tanks and draining them are very easy. Many RV sites have full hook ups which have a sewer drain...those that don't have dump stations. If you are staying at a spot that does not have a dump station then it's actually pretty easy to find an RV park that has one. Some you can use for free and some might charge you $5 or $10 but IMO it's well worth being able to use my private restroom vs public ones. Also on longer trips the wife would also rather go into the RV and use the restroom for herself and the kids than use a public one. We always keep about 5 gals or so of water in the freshwater tank for trips for that reason alone.

another thing to consider you almost never see small trailers for sale used. you don't see a lot of toys haulers for sale used.

now is that because people love them and don't sell them or what I don't know but something to think about.

Well they make a lot less of them so that's probably the answer as to why you don't see them much.

What's your tow vehicle?

It's hard for me to say much based on what was given. You are looking at two very different trailers. For me the small bathroom was a real negative for our first trailer. This is kind of strange to say but no leg room when on the pot sucked which was not something I thought of when we were shopping. I guess the point is you may not really know what you want until you try one out.