Pop Up Camper and Dealership info please!!!

[DramaMama .......... Janet 75]

Yahoo!!!  Thrill has finished writing his dissertation and, while we are awaiting defense, presentation, and conferral, we are ready to start shopping!!!    :jumpforjoy  

 

So, Here is what we need from our Fiends:

Who here has had a pop up camper?

What brand was it?

What were the pros and cons of that brand?

 

Even if you haven't had a pop up, what dealers have you dealt with in Georgia, Alabama, or Florida?

Any with super great service?  Any to avoid like the plague?

 

Here is what we know:

We definitely want a NEW pop up (not A line).   Thrill's family had one for almost 40 years.  We loved it.   It is what will work for our family.  We prefer having a slide out dinette.  Shower/toilet not really on the list.  

We have heard good things about Jayco, but there seems to be a limited supply.

 

Bring on the advice!

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

I know nothing about pop-up dealers, but I wish you well in your search.

[oft013 23]

Our first 2 campers were pop ups, both Starcraft.  Liked both of them, but I also liked Jaycos.  They always seemed to be well constructed.  The only real issue we ever had is that on our second Starcraft I felt the tires/ wheels were undersized for the unit.  All this was 20 years ago sorry I don't have current information to share.  Good luck on your quest.  Some of our best camping was back when we had a pop up.

 

Congratulations on completing the dissertation, not an easy task.

[stryke-force 51]

My family camped in a starcraft popup in the late 70's, 80's, and early 90's. I purchased a forest river Rockwood 276HW 2 years ago. Very nice pup with slide out dinnete and toilet/shower. I feel it was a lot of set up and take down on trips so I upgraded to a keystone bullet premier travel trailer. Sorry, no experience with any dealers from those states.

[Grumpy and Grandma 739]

We've always been STARCRAFT/JAYCO fans.   Give this place a try: www.wholesalervclub.com

 

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

I had 2 1990's Starcraft Pop-ups and both were great well-made campers.  The first was a basic no-frills model with an ice box and hand pump for water. I liked it so much I bought a newer, nicer one with a real fridge, furnace, on board batteries and a toilet/shower combo.  The funny part is that I bought it for the hot water shower and didn't really want the included cassette toilet, but in actual use I used the toilet a lot and hardly ever used the shower.... go figure!  LOL

 

Nowadays Starcraft is owned by Jayco and they both build a quality product.  I originally liked the Starcraft better because it folded down lower than the Jayco's and Colemans of that time, which meant I could see over the top of it while towing.  Something to keep in mind if thats important to you while driving.

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

We are in the Huntsville, AL area. We bought our camper from Bankston. The dealership was fine as far as purchasing it, but DH was not happy with the service department. He has no desire to purchase from them again. Madison RV is good. They do tend to have higher prices though.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Yvonne, Hood RV just over the Tennessee River has a pretty good service department. They were the ones that fixed my hatch and put the the outside access doors on.

 

Reeds camper just across the street/next door to Bankston seems to be a good dealer also.

[Travisma 1,317]

Go to popup.portal.com.

As Fortfiends is to all things Fort Wilderness, popupportal is your go to site for pop up info.

We have an old Coleman Columbia so I don't have any info on newer ones.

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

Yvonne, Hood RV just over the Tennessee River has a pretty good service department. They were the ones that fixed my hatch and put the the outside access doors on.

Reeds camper just across the street/next door to Bankston seems to be a good dealer also.

Thanks when we are ready to upgrade I will keep these in mind. For service I found a RV service dealer across from Madison RV. The guys who own it actually used to work in the service department at Madison RV.

[parrothead7368 aka Norm 101]

We had a 2011 Flagstaff 207 that we purchased new and my brother has it now, we outgrew it. We liked the Flagstaff, and really had no problems with it. My wife wasn't to keen on their customer service trying to get the extended warranty, but other than that everything was good. We didn't have a bathroom or hot water in our unit. Good Luck in your search.

 

Best Regards,

Norm

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

You also might want to talk with bord1niowa. (curt of fortcamperrental.com). He owns several popups of various brands and sizes. He can at least tell you which of his popups have had the best durability and least problems. They are HEAVILY used in his rental business.

[Travisma 1,317]

You also might want to talk with bord1niowa. (curt of fortcamperrental.com). He owns several popups of various brands and sizes. He can at least tell you which of his popups have had the best durability and least problems. They are HEAVILY used in his rental business.

That's a great idea!

[arthuruscg 34]

Another great forum is http://www.popupportal.com/index.php?action=forum

 

What is your TV? things like slide outs and highwalls add a lot of weight. Usualy when you add a slide, they come with toliet and shower which takes up a lot of space and addes more weight.

 

I have a Coleman Taos, 8ft box. I realy like the Coleman/Fleetwood construction. Don't be concerned about Coleman/Fleetwood not being made anymore, 99% of the parts are available from the part manafatures or Somerset (bought most of the patients).

 

Except for not being able to load the fridge while collapased, I like the Utah layout.

http://www.somersetrv.com/campers/utah/

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

Two things:  

 

-Stay away from Camping World!

 

-Three Way Campers in Marietta, Ga is WONDERFUL!!   They sell Jayco PUPS :)

[tim5055 120]

We had two Fleetwood/Coleman pop ups.We were very happy with both.

 

Our fist was a 2001 Coleman Santa Fe.   Here it is: http://www.title-3.com/OldCamper.htm

 

It was nice for the two of us, but could get a little confining.

 

We then moved up to a Fleetwood Folding Campers Niagara in 2005.  Nice and roomy.  Here it is: http://www.title-3.com/Camper.htm

 

The Niagara lasted us until December of 13 when we upgraded to a 2014 Coachmen Freedom Express 35' travel trailer.  Huge, lots more room.  But, in some ways much too large for the two of us.  We found it is no longer convenient to go out for a quick weekend camping as this is more suited to RVing than true camping.  So........

 

Thursday we take delivery of a 2015 Aliner Expedition.  http://www.aliner.com/campers/expedition/

 

 

So, in the southeast we purchased the Niagara form Peco Campers just east of Atlanta.  They were a great group of folks to deal with and for the last few years of the Coleman/Fleetwood time they were the nations largest dealer for them.  But, they were a family owned/run business and sold out last year.  So I can't comment on the new owners.

 

Here in Lexington, SC I just purchased the Aliner at Johns RV.  The also sell other lines and I know they have many Palomino pop ups on the lot.  Talking to my salesman Palomino offered them a deal on a bunch of 2013 and 2014 units Palomino never sold/shipped so if you were interested they would probably go for a good price.  For full disclosure, I know nothing about Palomino pop ups.

[arthuruscg 34]

If you can find a used Coleman/Fleetwood Sun Valley, it has a swing out gallery, which might give you the space you want and the fridge can be loaded when closed.

It is rated for the same gvwr as the larger units that have the slide but it has a 1k cargo reading.

http://www.americancampersandtrailers.com/pages/fleetwood/fleetwood_americana_sunvalley_2007.htm

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

[DramaMama .......... Janet 75]

Awesome info folks!  Thanks!  Keep it coming.

 

 

Go to popup.portal.com.

As Fortfiends is to all things Fort Wilderness, popupportal is your go to site for pop up info.

We have an old Coleman Columbia so I don't have any info on newer ones.

Oooh, good to know.  I peeked at the site - looks like lots of great info.  Thanks!

 

You also might want to talk with bord1niowa. (curt of fortcamperrental.com). He owns several popups of various brands and sizes. He can at least tell you which of his popups have had the best durability and least problems. They are HEAVILY used in his rental business.

We rented from Curt one time.  It was a great way to see what was in the newer (read - not 1970s) models.  IF I remember right he told me then that the Jaycos held up best.  He could chime in again, though, if he has time....   

 

Another great forum is http://www.popupportal.com/index.php?action=forum

 

What is your TV? things like slide outs and highwalls add a lot of weight. Usualy when you add a slide, they come with toliet and shower which takes up a lot of space and addes more weight.

 

We will be towing with an F150 crew cab.  

I have seen a few with a cabinet for a cassette toilet.  That would be my preference.  I am not sure I want the shower/humidity inside the camper.  Most places we would stay would have comfort stations.

 

Two things:  

 

-Stay away from Camping World!

 

-Three Way Campers in Marietta, Ga is WONDERFUL!!   They sell Jayco PUPS :)

Thrill is concerned about dealing with Camping World.  We haven't heard a lot of good things about them, sadly.  We'll have to check out Three Way.

 

Thursday we take delivery of a 2015 Aliner Expedition.  http://www.aliner.com/campers/expedition/

 

I hope you enjoy it for years to come!

[bhall 115]

The only relevant advice I can give you about a Pop Up is to run as far and as fast as you can from Camping World.  Was foolish to go back a 2nd time. 

[bord1niowa......Curt 79]

Howdy everyone.  We own several different brands of pop ups and yes, they are used a lot.  Our favorite is a Jayco.  Even though it is the oldest of them, it requires less upkeep than even the 2013 and 2015.  New, they do cost a bit more than a Forest River product but they do come with a 2 year warranty as opposed to a 1 year.  That should tell you something.  Forest River makes Flagstaff and Rockwood.  They are virtually the same and come off the same lines.  They do look very nice BUT we have found the quality of the materials and workmanship leaves something to be desired.  4 of the 5 popups we have  do have a dinette slide out.  We have had no problems with any of those.  It really opens up the inside with some walk around room.  They do weigh a little more.  Not as much as a high wall.  Not all slide out campers have toilets in them.  We opted without it.  Too much chance of water from the showers to be getting all over the floor and starting the rotting process.  The price of a high wall in my humble opinion is very high comparatively.  Over 20k for a pop up.  I can buy a 28 foot trailer for 15K new.  If you decide on an RV from Lazy Days, you can get a great price by haggling at the end of the month BUT their service is the worst.  You also may have to chase to get everything you're supposed to have when you purchased it.  We are still waiting for the manual crank for the electric lift system.  They don't seem to have a grasp on what it is and keep sending the wrong one since October.  Our Coleman has been pretty good overall. No problems. The new Colemans have a soft top,which I am not a fan of.  Unless they make hard tops yet, I would stay away from those.  Tree branches falling on the roof could be a problem.  Buying new has the advantage of getting as much as 30% or more off the msrp.  Used they start higher than the new price you can get.

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

Awesome info folks!  Thanks!  Keep it coming.

 

We will be towing with an F150 crew cab.  

I have seen a few with a cabinet for a cassette toilet.  That would be my preference.  I am not sure I want the shower/humidity inside the camper.  Most places we would stay would have comfort stations.

 

 

Towing w/ the F150 means you be able to see over most any pop-up you buy and won't have to worry as much about weight, but make sure you set the truck up for the electric brake controller you will need.

 

As far as the toilet, as I mentioned above I wanted a hot shower and it came with a cassette toilet, we never used the shower much but that cassette toilet sure was nice on those chilly nights! And the shower curtain provided some privacy for the toilet.  I also put some carpeting down on the floor and I had nice warm feet while staying inside for those late-night calls....  

 

Keep an eye on the cassette level, do NOT let it get too full before taking it out to empty...... trust me on this.......  LOL!!     :flush2: 

[arthuruscg 34]

The new Coleman popups are made by Livin Lite. http://www.livinlite.com/qs-tentcampers.php

 

Since you are towing with a F150, weight will nto be an issue, have you considered a toyhauler?

Somerset is makeing the E3, which gives you a lot of space for taking all of the camping stuff. It also uses ST235/75R15C tires, so you can easily use normal Truck tires and not have to worry about blowouts. You might evn be able to put a golfcart in the truck bed and still tow the popup with the bikes on the cargo deck.

http://somersetrv.com/campers/e3/

[djsamuel 322]

The new Coleman popups are made by Livin Lite. http://www.livinlite.com/qs-tentcampers.php

 

 

LivinLite is a really good company.  They make my travel trailer (Camplite 21BHS).  Very nice design and construction.  The all aluminum from and floor and no wood makes for a very durable camper.

[parrothead7368 aka Norm 101]

The soft tops are made by Livin Lite, but they aren't the old Coleman. The old Coleman is Somerset RV http://www.somersetrv.com/campers named after where the factory the Colemans were made was and where theirs is now.

Coleman loyalists rave over them, but their prices are high and I have read where people aren't that happy with them.

 

Best Regards,

Norm

[djsamuel 322]

The soft tops are made by Livin Lite, but they aren't the old Coleman. The old Coleman is Somerset RV http://www.somersetrv.com/campers named after where the factory the Colemans were made was and where theirs is now.

Coleman loyalists rave over them, but their prices are high and I have read where people aren't that happy with them.

 

Best Regards,

Norm

Interesting, thanks.  I noticed when I visited the Somerset site, the online chat window opened with the line, "Welcome to Aliner".  Looking at Aliner's site, I see they are both the same company.