May need some help/advice

[msamy 0]

Gotta love when something small happens and gets you thinking in a new direction.

So the weather getting colder had the girls talking. Just a note my girls are thinking that the cold is here to stay. Been getting the questions since we have never camped in later than Oct. or Earlier than April. The short of it they are worried about being cold, thier words "freezing to death".

So since we normally tent camping and sleep on the ground. We are looking at a big MAYBE of getting a pop up or small trailer. This brings many, many, many questions that this Mom has.

Been trolling craigslist have seen as low as $700 and as high well lets just say anything that has 5 figures is a no. I need advice as to what to look for or lookout for.

I'm thinking a pop up will probably be best option, one that has ac and heat would be great. We have no problems using the comfort stations and pretty much just need a place to get us up off the ground and in better temps.

My next big??? I know nothing about pulling/towing anything. I drive a Pontiac Vibe Gt (it basically a Toyota Matrix) doesn't have a tow package on it. A neighbor said I could tow a small light weight trailer, but I don't have a clue if that is true. But we are planning on buying another car/truck for my middle daughter, and she is wanting an suv. If we need something with more towing power what kind of suv should I look into. Funny thing about my middle daughter, is all of 5 foot tall and 96 lbs, her words "I feel small in the world already, I want a vehicle that will make me feel safe. Thats why I want an suv". She waited an extra year of saving so an suv could be an option.

Any help or advice I would love to have.

[dblr....Rennie 224]

Not to burst your bubble I do not think your Vibe has much towing power, a suv would be a much better choice. Good luck in your search.

[msamy 0]

Not to burst your bubble I do not think your Vibe has much towing power, a suv would be a much better choice. Good luck in your search.

Didn't think it could. Figure what ever we get my daughter I will make sure it can tow. She is really liking the toyota 4runner

[DaveInTN 3,247]

You are definitely thinking about this the right way...deciding what type of trailer you want and thinking about what can tow it safely. Remember not to listen to whomever is selling either the trailer or the SUV. They may have pure motives, but in many cases they just want to sell their item and may tell you "sure, it'll tow that trailer no problem!". You don't want to make an expensive, or an unsafe, choice.

Take a look at the used popups on CL and other places, and if you find some that interest you research online the weights, including the GVWR. Then you will have an idea of what vehicle you might need to pull it. When shopping for vehicles, unless it is a great deal, don't get one that doens't have a tow setup already on it or you'll be looking at quite a bit of money to get it ready to tow. It isn't usually as simple as slapping a hitch on it, as many times auxiliary transmission coolers, PS coolers etc are needed to tow without damaging the vehicle. If you find an SUV with a factory tow package you know it likely has the items the manufacturer recommends for that vehicle. If in doubt regarding whether it has a factory package, you can usually get the VIN and call a new vehicle dealer and they can run the VIN and tell you how it was built. I did that with my current tow vehicle to see exactly what axle ratio it had among other things.

Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask questions! You want this to go right the first time!

[Judy in Texas 150]

Rent a pop up from one of the people who are near The Fort to see if it works for your family. Better to find out if it is/is not for you before you shell out the money.

[Brent... Just Brent 83]

Rent a pop up from one of the people who are near The Fort to see if it works for your family. Better to find out if it is/is not for you before you shell out the money.

I concur! I was convinced that a popup was the right trailer for me. It just seemed to make the most sense. I almost bought one, but decided to rent first... and I'm glad I did. Turns out, I'm pretty anti-popup. So many things about it just didn't work for me and my size (height and weight). Has anyone mentioned the "rocking like a john boat during a hurricane when someone in the other bunk rolls over" moment?

I ended up looking at smaller trailers and they're a much better fit. I am renting on of those also, though, just to make sure.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[Judy in Texas 150]

...Has anyone mentioned the "rocking like a john boat during a hurricane when someone in the other bunk rolls over" moment?

I ended up looking at smaller trailers and they're a much better fit. I am renting on of those also, though, just to make sure.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Did the popup have stabilizers? My Aliner does. There are 4-one under each corner. If they are down snuggly then it isn't too bad. If I don't have them down properly, yes it is very rocky when anyone moves at all.

[TurkeyPants...Nicole 92]

Just throwing this out there - we bought our first camper, a pup, from an insurance auction. It had been "totaled" by the insurance company due to rodent damage. We bought the camper for $300. The rodent damage was urine - yuck, but it was only on the tents, so we took all the cushions out and washed them and then we literally hosed and scrubed the tents. The camper was like new when we were done cleaning it. We sold it two years later for $2100 and bought our TT. I don't know if you have an insurance auction anywhere near you, but a lot of times, they are worth looking into.

[msamy 0]

Just throwing this out there - we bought our first camper, a pup, from an insurance auction. It had been "totaled" by the insurance company due to rodent damage. We bought the camper for $300. The rodent damage was urine - yuck, but it was only on the tents, so we took all the cushions out and washed them and then we literally hosed and scrubed the tents. The camper was like new when we were done cleaning it. We sold it two years later for $2100 and bought our TT. I don't know if you have an insurance auction anywhere near you, but a lot of times, they are worth looking into.

Thanks never thought to look into that.

Been reading/studying on towing requirements, and what all the accronyms mean. My girls are excited that I'm actually thinking about, I think they're ready to move off the ground.

Taking in slow and making sure to check into everything.

We have rented a pop up before when I was in the Navy, and we loved it. Sad to say the base doesn't rent them anymore.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Exciting! I'll second what Dave said. Also, keep in mind the weight of what you put in it.

[fun4clarks 2]

We had a pop-up for 4 years and bought a TT this spring. We loved the pop-up but it was alot of work, but we pulled it fine with our Honda Odyssey. We camp alot, at least 10 tomes a year, mostly to FW!!

When it was time to let the Odyssey go and we were looking for a new vehicle, our criteria was mostly based on towing capacity. We ended up with a Nissan Pathfinder w/tow pkg. As far as our research it had the most towing capacity of the major suvs.

I second the post about not trusting the sales people (camper and vehicle). We had some that tried to tell us we could safely tow the longer heavier TT, but upon researching it was not true!!

We ended up buyimg a 23 ft. with a rear slide (the queen bed). Do we wish we could have a bigger one? Of course!! But we really enjoy this camper and we have piece of mind that we are safe and not pushing the limits of our vehicle!! And, we camp comfortably and within our budget!!

[nutters4wdw......Amy 5]

We were really torn between buying a TT or a pop up but after much debate we decided that a trailer would work better for us. My husband did a lot of research before trading in his Mustang for a vehicle that would have a better tow rating than my Edge. We could have done a pop up with the Edge (I love my Edge btw, trading it was NOT an option) and ended up with Clifford the big red truck (F150 V6 with Ecoboost). Yes, we name our cars. Mine is Ju Ju Bee. Anywho, once we knew what we could tow we trolled craigslist and found a 2006 TT that was a perfect fit for us, and was the same year and model we had seen at a dealer for about $4000 more. It was in better shape than the dealer, it worked with the financing we had lined up and now Dory is ours. It is older so we knew going in that we would need to invest a little more $ at first, took it for a complete systems check and got all new tires (another big research item for hubbie) and so far so good.

We went to a few RV dealers first, just to get an idea of sizes, floor plans and such but you can't beat the deals you can find from private sellers. If you have an pop up/TT savvy friend I would bring them along when you look, and find a trustworthy service place for a check up or just in case you have an issue later. Nothing more frustrating that having a problem and stressing about where to go at the same time. With some research and the ever helpful Fiends I know you will be able to find a perfect fit for you!

Clifford and Dory. And hubby working on set up. http://im1.shutterfl.../rx=550/ry=400/

[pixiesteno 2]

You will want to pay close attention to towing capacity and dry hitch weight. You dry hitch weight is the actual weight on the hitch. Also you will probably want to figure the you will have to have an electric break unit installed depending on the pop up that you get. The electric break unit assists slowing the unit by working with the trailer brakes, which gives you more control and less wear and tear on the vehicle. The Toyota 4Runner would be a good choice. It is basically the same vehicle as the Tacoma and we towed our large pop up with the Tacoma fairly easy.

[.....Gary 85]

Thanks never thought to look into that.

Been reading/studying on towing requirements, and what all the accronyms mean. My girls are excited that I'm actually thinking about, I think they're ready to move off the ground.

Taking in slow and making sure to check into everything.

We have rented a pop up before when I was in the Navy, and we loved it. Sad to say the base doesn't rent them anymore.

Just curious did you try McDill? We are all in this together, I think??

[msamy 0]

Just curious did you try McDill? We are all in this together, I think??

Haven't tried McDill will look into that. thank you.

Here's another ?? is there a difference in towing with a manual transmission compared to a automatic. Both me and my daughter can drive manual as thats whzt we have now.

[Donnaldseven 2]

Just my 2c worth, when looking at the towing capacity of any vehicle, calculate 80% of that to determine the max weight that can be towed. This compensates for a host of conditions, going up hill, weight of passengers etc. When calculating the weight of what you will be towing, add in the weight of items being packed in. Food, clothing, water, propane. We have a 32' travel trailer and add 1,000

pounds to the delivered weight of the trailer.

[Family of Bears 98]

I concur! I was convinced that a popup was the right trailer for me. It just seemed to make the most sense. I almost bought one, but decided to rent first... and I'm glad I did. Turns out, I'm pretty anti-popup. So many things about it just didn't work for me and my size (height and weight). Has anyone mentioned the "rocking like a john boat during a hurricane when someone in the other bunk rolls over" moment?

I ended up looking at smaller trailers and they're a much better fit. I am renting on of those also, though, just to make sure.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Brent,

I coincidentally just saw this after our first trip last week and found it interesting b/c I also thought the instability was maddening in our old pop. But then our TT did the same thing. Hated it. New pop up, no a noise, creak, solid as a rock. You saw Rick, he's a big guy. When he would roll over in bed we would wake the campground!! We couldn't believe how solid the new pop up is! Our four corner stability jacks were really solid and are definately doing the job. I think this is less of a pop up thing than it is an individual thing/how well it is set up and level.

Amy,

We learned a new trick on this trip since it was FREEZING!!! Heated blankets. Did wonders. Then we thought, I bet we'll be even warmer if we sleep ON the blanket. That idea evolved into heated mattress pads underneath, heated blankets up top. We were sweating!!!!

[Family of Bears 98]

Amy! I just realized you are the one who left us a Thanksgiving card last week. Is that right? If so, you made our day. That was very sweet!

[msamy 0]

Amy! I just realized you are the one who left us a Thanksgiving card last week. Is that right? If so, you made our day. That was very sweet!

Yes it was, me and my girls had so much fun going thru every loop looking for the Fiends signs.

We are hoping our next trip to the Fort we will have a pop up.

[LORNADUCK 261]

Amy Thank you for the card that was so sweet. Wish I had realized who it was giving them out. I don't remember what I was doing when I got it, but know I had no clue, so if I didn't seem friendly I am so sorry. Wished you would have introduced yourself. Hopefully next time. Thanks again

[Total Joker ... TJ 203]

Been trolling craigslist have seen as low as $700 and as high well lets just say anything that has 5 figures is a no. I need advice as to what to look for or lookout for.

This is a very good list...

Make sure it doesn't have an ABS roof. They are known to crack and sag from the weight of the AC unit. They were on Colemans and Fleetwoods from 1996 to 2003. If that's the manufacturer you're looking at, do your research. And I'm a Coleman fan!

Also, look at the straps that snap the door to the ceiling for foldup. If they are discolored, that usually means a leaky roof.

When it's opened up, inspect the underside of the roof edge, like where it meets the box when it's folded. That's where it seals when stored. That will tell you if there's leaks or a passage way for bugs and critters.

Inspect the rails where the bunks slide in and out. If they've ever been opened too far, the bunk drops to the ground and stretches/strips/damages the rail, makes it difficult to slide in and out, or worse.

Inspect the canvas where it straps to the underside of the bunk. Slits often occur when the canvas get caught in the slide, and you can't see when it's all set-up!

Look at the sun from inside the canvas, or have Mr. ofBears shine a light from outside to search for pinholes in the canvas. one or two here and there's no biggie, and I have a good fix, but many, or big holes are an issue,

Check the AC, and then check the heat. My heat strip doesn't work, found out the hard way.

Check out all the cabinets from the inside, see what shape the particle board is in.

Check out the wheels and tires for dry rot. They tend to sit in one spot for months at a time.

When it's open, shake around a bit and see if it makes any weird squeaks or noises. You don't want to find out at 2am on night number one that it squeaks when you rollover!

Lastly, look at the way the door frame sits when set-up, If it looks really out of square, it could be a bent frame, usually from someone jacking up the camper incorrectly. Two things happen there, door doesn't close/lock properly, and you go through tires.

Hope that helps!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Amy-

I also wanted to say thanks for the Thanksgiving card, and that it was nice to meet you and your girls (and puppies).

I hope you get a camper!

TCD

[98mickey 5]

Your Vibe has enough towing capacity to tow a pop up.. no problem