1 2 3 4
Driven5
Driven5 UberDork
9/12/23 12:18 p.m.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

From my limited sample size, that's biased with considerably more tanks than cassettes, I will say that tanks do seem to have a greater potential in both frequency and scale of things that go wrong while dumping.

Earlier this year, just as I was packing up the slinky, I heard "Uh oh... Oh no!... Oh, God NO!!" from the next dump station over. I looked back and saw a growing brown pool expanding past the back the back of their rig and starting to form a small river down the drive. It didn't look like there was much I could do for them at that point, so I jumped in the truck as quick as I could and simply said 'Time to go!"

As we're getting into, there are also a number of portable solutions that can be stowed and brought out as necessary, for people that want some type of toilet but their chosen camper doesn't have one. First are simply portable cassettes, like the Porta Potti. Then there are portable 'dry flush' and composting toilets, of which I have no experience with either. And honestly, if you think of a camper as just a glorified tent, another solution we've used is the PETT portable toilet with (Steve Martin-esque) waste bags and surprisingly effective 'poo powder'.

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
9/13/23 1:57 p.m.

It seems that the market for pop up campers is regional. Here in Dallas there are a lot of expensive new ones around $20,000. You can't find old ones or cheap ones anywhere around here. Everything costs a lot in Dallas. In Colorado there are tons of old cheap pop up campers selling for between $1,000 and $2,000 all over the place. I found one for $1,000 in Grand Junction and I actually have relatives there who could grab it and keep it for me.

I still have to get the truck up and running well before I risk a trip to Colorado with it. It's still a $500 truck.

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
9/13/23 2:06 p.m.

Is it really that hard to pop the the top on one of these when you pull off to the side of the road. I do get the fact that the canvas top will eventually wear out and that the mechanism needs maintenance. I already own two convertibles. One of those has a complex electric top that will someday cost me money. The other is a Miata. Are these electric or mechanical? I suspect they come in both flavors depending on cost.

I remember driving through Wyoming with my high profile camper on a half ton Ford F100. It was a scary experience. They have high winds in Texas too. It isn't just the gas mileage.

I am also concerned about weight. Some of the pop ups are a little as 800 pounds. Some of the bigger cabover types may weigh as much as 4,000 pounds and I hear that older ones tend to weight more. I have a 3/4 ton truck but I will also be towing something most of the time. I have to make that math add up.

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter)
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
9/15/23 9:43 a.m.

It depends on the pop-up.  Some of them you push a button and wait 2 minutes for an electric motor to lift the roof.  Some use hydraulics (not common, but you've owned a convertible, so you know they can be problems), but most use cables and pulleys with a hand crank.

The one my uncle had was a hand crank.  Then you had to zip in the canvas and crawl into corners and put pins in the jacks.  It took him 45 minutes to set up camp, while my tent and ez-up took me about 15.  I used to tease him that it took him three times as long to get wet when it rains.

YMMV

My thing is, it gets old FAST.  Like first time you're out camping, fast.  There is the novelty of driving somewhere thinking you're getting better MPG (and maybe you are) and the novelty of setting it up for the first time.  After that, it's work.  If you save up and get a hard-side with a push-button lift, it's not bad... until the fuse blows, the jack screw strips, or a bearing decides to crap the bed.  Having a full-on, non-pop-up means there is nothing about the box that can let you down when you get to the campground.  Nothing is more frustrating than driving three hours only to find you have to get a hotel because a cable snapped, a motor fried, or a wire got chewed by a mouse.  A hybrid or pop-up hard side with canvas has all of the downsides of a tent, plus added complexity and failure points.  To me (my opinion) it's a lose-lose.  I would much rather spend an extra $4 per 250 miles on fuel to avoid a pop up.

I'm not hating on pop ups... well, I am, kinda, but it's from my personal perspective.  I just wouldn't sleep right if I said "go for it," and then had you back here in a year with a for-sale ad.

As far as weight, a 4000 lb slide-in is ridiculously huge.  Let's take one of my favorite brands, Lance, and pick a random model.  I picked a 2012 TC 850.  fresh water, grey water, black water, bathroom with shower, propane, full kitchen and fridge. Aluminum frame, fiberglass sides, A/C, TV, Queen bed with two bunks.  Dry weight is 2300 lbs and it gets you 18' of RV.  Your comparison with the F100 is not going to be apples-to-apples.  An F100 isn't even really a half-ton, it's closer to a crown vic with a truck body.  You have a 3/4 ton "real" pickup with E-range tires, stiff springs, and 8-lug axles.  I gotta believe that your payload is 3000 minimum, so even if you put 100 lbs of water, 50 lbs of clothes, and 50 lbs of food in it, that saves you 500 lbs for tongue weight.  I certainly wouldn't condone going OVER any weight limits, but the truck itself I'm sure is physically built to handle far more than that safely.  If you find that things are a little saggy or swishy, some helper springs can work wonders.

I think you're open to a wide variety of slide-ins with a fair margin of weight 

Edit to clarify:  I think if you had something like the Lance I randomly picked and filled it to the gills PLUS had a 5000-lb trailer, you'd be dancing around max GVW.  Maybe a couple hundred pounds under or over depending on the trip, but if you feel more comfy with overkill, just pick a smaller camper.

Toyman!
Toyman! MegaDork
9/15/23 10:17 a.m.

My Alaskan was a hydraulic lift. Being 1974 era, it was manual. It had a hand pump under a cabinet at the door that you had to pump. I never had any issues with it.

Raising the roof and folding out the walls took about 10 minutes. Digging out the PP TP, EZ Up, table, and chairs added another 15 minutes to set up. We enjoyed it while we had it. It was a fun way to do some camping but I wouldn't want to spend a week in it.

My main issues with the slide-in camper were the lack of room and lack of a shower and a decent toilet. I'm past the point in my life where I want to squat over a hole or use the nasty showers at the track or campground. To get those in a slide-in camper you are going to be buying the biggest ones they make. That's where they start getting heavy. Heavy enough to have frame issues in 1-ton truck. At that point, you might as well move up to a Class C or A RV. 

Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: This is what happens when you have too much  tongue weight...

Broken Ram 3500 Dually Shows a Camper Can Still Overload a Big Truck

 

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter)
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
9/15/23 10:53 a.m.
Toyman! said:

My main issues with the slide-in camper were the lack of room and lack of a shower and a decent toilet. I'm past the point in my life where I want to squat over a hole or use the nasty showers at the track or campground. To get those in a slide-in camper you are going to be buying the biggest ones they make. That's where they start getting heavy. Heavy enough to have frame issues in 1-ton truck. At that point, you might as well move up to a Class C or A RV. 

Politely disagree.  There are a ton of full-self-contained (tanks, shower, toilet) slide-ins that weigh in under 2500 lbs...  even shortbed models

Toyman!
Toyman! MegaDork
9/15/23 11:01 a.m.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

There are, but they have little to no room and do not have a decent toilet or shower. They might work for someone 5'8" and 150 pounds but I'm not that.

I'm not going to stand over the toilet to shower. I'm not going to E36 M3 with my knees in my chest. 

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
9/15/23 11:47 a.m.
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:
Toyman! said:

My main issues with the slide-in camper were the lack of room and lack of a shower and a decent toilet. I'm past the point in my life where I want to squat over a hole or use the nasty showers at the track or campground. To get those in a slide-in camper you are going to be buying the biggest ones they make. That's where they start getting heavy. Heavy enough to have frame issues in 1-ton truck. At that point, you might as well move up to a Class C or A RV. 

Politely disagree.  There are a ton of full-self-contained (tanks, shower, toilet) slide-ins that weigh in under 2500 lbs...  even shortbed models

What is the average weight of a camper anyway? Can you get something decent for around 1,000 pounds? I am debating whether or not I even want a bathroom in it. Campgrounds have bathrooms. Racetracks have bathrooms. Most gas stations have bathrooms. If you are far enough away from civilization you can do it in the woods. I was a boy scout. If I go on a long trip with the Mrs. it isn't going to be in the camper. She hates camping. Her idea of roughing it is Motel Super 8. So this is going to be a bachelor pad with a dog bed and a place to hang out with a working a/c at the track. It only needs to sleep one. A refrigerator and a stove that work would be nice for cooking breakfast in the middle of nowhere.

I'm not sure I want to drag a big old Lance around. Another advantage to the pop top would be dodging tree branches when you our in the boonies or an off road park. And I can park in the underground parking garage at work if I want to take off early and not go home first.

I'm going to the RV show this weekend to look at some different stuff and get an idea what's available.

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
9/15/23 11:59 a.m.

In reply to Toyman! :

Thanks for the info. This is kind of what I was afraid of. I actually found the article there. $17,000 repair bill. Wow. Just Wow.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/broken-ram-3500-dually-shows-a-camper-can-still-overload-a-big-truck

 

Driven5
Driven5 UberDork
9/15/23 12:11 p.m.

In reply to Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) :

This is the system my parents used while traveling for weeks at a time.

 

IMHO, all camping is work. The shelter is just one slice of the work, and each type of shelter is just different types of work in different circumstances.

Hard side is a good compromise for those either never leaving the campsite, needing frequent access to the interior, or are there long enough that the work of removing and reinstalling the slide-in to leave at camp is sufficiently amortized against the amount of exploring done. This is 'starting with a house and removing as little as possible to make it reasonably mobile' mentality.

Soft side pop-up is a good compromise for those wanting to explore, but aren't staying at one site long enough to make the work of removing and reinstalling the slide-in to be less than popping top once or twice on exploration days. This is 'starting with a tent and adding as little as possible to make it reasonably comfortable' mentality.

Hard side pop-up is going to be the best of both worlds and/or the worst of both worlds, depending on your perspective.

Of course, any moving parts mean more maintenance, whether it's a pop-op or a slide-out.

None is better or worse than the others. It's just a matter of individual preferences.

z31maniac
z31maniac MegaDork
9/15/23 12:57 p.m.
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to preach :

That won't be an issue here. When I travel with Mrs. Snowdoggie she won't even go to a Motel 6, much less sleep in a camper. When I take the truck out, It's just going to be me and the dog. I am used to tent camping and the dog will sleep anywhere as long as the A/C works.

That's funny, my fiance and I are opposites. She's the one who wants to camp and sit by a fire, I'm the one who wants a nice hotel, nice meal, and relax in the hot tub with a cocktail.

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
9/15/23 1:56 p.m.

In reply to z31maniac :

She has some kind of Hilton discount card and is also very good at getting discounts. I let her make all the travel arrangements. I usually stop at the first motel I see when I get tired of driving when I'm by myself. Whatever's by the freeway. Usually a Motel 6 or Super 8 with a Denny's next door. She hates Denny's almost as much as she hates Motel 6.

Ian F (Forum Supporter)
Ian F (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
9/15/23 2:04 p.m.

In reply to Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) :

Sounds like your wife and my ex- are related.  

Granted, she spent a good portion of her first 20 years "camping" most weekends while her father built a second house in the PA mtns, so I can somewhat understand her aversions... 

Racebrick
Racebrick Reader
9/15/23 2:17 p.m.

I have a sun lite eagle.  It takes about 15 seconds to crank the top up, and lock it in place.  It has a manual crank inside the camper that you operate after releasing 4 clips on the exterior.

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
9/15/23 2:20 p.m.

In reply to Racebrick :

That sounds simple enough.

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter)
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
9/16/23 9:50 a.m.
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) said:

I'm going to the RV show this weekend to look at some different stuff and get an idea what's available.

Excellent idea.  Do yourself a big favor and go on the last day to see how much certain brands held up.  You'll be surprised at how many have worn carpet, sagging cabinet hinges, and spots on walls that have already given up their wallpaper just from 50 people poking around.

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
9/17/23 6:36 a.m.

The RV show was a bit of a disappointment. Not a single pop up camper to be found in the entire Dallas trade center. 

p

Ian F (Forum Supporter)
Ian F (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
9/17/23 6:49 a.m.

In reply to Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) :

Bummer, although not surprising.  The regional RV show I try to get to near Philly usually only has a couple of slide-in campers and I don't remember seeing any pop-up versions.  I live near Mainline Overland who are a Four Wheel Campers dealer and all they do are slide-in and flat-bed popup campers. They don't meet my needs, but they are really cool. Not cheap, but they are built to withstand pretty rough conditions. 

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
9/17/23 6:59 a.m.

There were only two slide in truck campers in the entire Dallas Trade Center. Both were Lances. The first one was for a 6 foot bed and looked like they were trying to cram as much camper as possible on the usual short bed, crew cab truck. This one was $49,000. The bigger Lance was a monster with a slider and it required a one ton dually. This one was $74,000. That was more than my first house!

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
9/17/23 7:14 a.m.

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

There were a couple of off road trailers, but none of the really cool stuff you see on Overland Journal. The big Class A Greyhound Bus type things were selling for $320,000. My cousin bought a Tiffin Allegro for just under 100k a few years ago. I rode all over South Dakota in that thing. Now these are selling for $329,000. They have tripled in price since Covid. 

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
9/17/23 7:25 a.m.

Even the Class Cs were huge. They don't make anything like my 16 foot Tioga II anymore. I may just keep that one. They won't be making anything like it anymore..

Ian F (Forum Supporter)
Ian F (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
9/17/23 7:47 a.m.

yeah, that Tioga II is cool.  What van is it based on? Hard to tell from that picture, but looks like a Dodge?  What about it doesn't meet your needs that has you considering a slide-in?

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
9/17/23 8:46 a.m.

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

It's a '78 Dodge B 300 one ton van. 

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
9/17/23 9:01 a.m.

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

Towing capacity is only around 2,000 pounds when you add the weight of the motorhome and all it's hardware. My trailer and the Miata is more than that. I did put new springs,  Bilsteins and a custom made Class III hitch. We actually had to take out the water and sewage tanks and re-make the back of the frame where Fleetwood cut it off to put the motorhome body on it. Because there was originally nothing there to attach the hitch to. 

 

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
9/17/23 9:15 a.m.

https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2000-Tiffin+Motorhomes-ALLEGRO+34-5027559109

This is what gets me about RV prices. These huge Tiffin motorhomes are selling for an after Covid price of $329,000 with a list price of over $450,000. A 10 year old Allegro is $50,000, and this one that seems very well maintained for it's age is only $26,000. What else depreciates like that?

The same thing with pop up campers. They range from $40,000 for a new Alaskan down to $700 for a rough Travel Lite. Prices are all over the map right now.

1 2 3 4

You'll need to log in to post.

Our Preferred Partners
DAtYCeqqRHtJ8FJJJ3uQTJXzKhwzaS2VdeOgZPuCAWw8akg7Ogd2ePcFRJSiPT8Y