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susan peplow
climber
www.joshuatreevacationhomes.com
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 12, 2007 - 03:38am PT
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Ok, after a week in the meadows I realized that it may be time to upgrade the camping quarters a bit.
As it is now we do "the ritual™ "which involves taking all of our gear, food boxes, clothing, packs, water, coolers, etc out of the back of our truck just so we can lay down our pad and sleep.
SuperTaco has at least one lurker that I know of who has a pop up camper on his truck. This lurker either runs his fiberglass shell or the pop up depending on the length of the trip.
Anybody else have any experience with:
Pop up campers on smaller trucks (toyota's, nissan's...)?
Ease of attachment of said units?
Ease of taking on/off fiberglass shells?
Mounting of racks on top of pop ups (like a yakima rack)?
Pro's/Con's or just basic opinions are welcome. I'm sort of on the fence in the first place. The older I get, the less I tend to camp. One/Two nights sure but why bother with setting up a rig for a trip like that. Longer trips we stay at friends or hotels. Is it even worth it?
For those of you not familar....
or another example.....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=020&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=300149523652&rd=1
~Susan
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Rock!...oopsie.
Trad climber
pitch above you
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Sep 12, 2007 - 09:23am PT
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Wow, in the ebay example it looks like you can drop a deuce while sitting at the breakfast table! Now that's efficiency. Think about the time savings on those crack of dawn starts!
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FeelioBabar
climber
Sneaking up behind you...
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Sep 12, 2007 - 09:23am PT
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Check out the offerings from "Roamin Chariot Industries" in Spokane WA. Pretty cool units..pop tops and campers. A friend has one..pretty sweet little rigs..and fits smaller trucks. Cheers.
http://roaminchariotind.com/
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Sep 12, 2007 - 09:53am PT
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I have had ALL options of the camp mobile...in my fantasy world existence.....
In reality, I have:
 driven cars and tented it
owned a Toyota minivan with a sleep platform/storage under(good for 1, tight for 2, extended trips a/k/a "living outa the van" probably a little tight unless you're into minimalism)
hung out in a Vanagon(same as Toy mini, but had a table, foldaway bed). This is the 2-person verison iof the Toy - same issues
The pop-top with kitchen was alwasy my ...ideal. It was like a gorwn-up girls version of a playhouse....
I STILL fantasize about it, but the reality concerns are a few:
Gas money - What, 15 mpg? Yikers!
The pop up, tends to NOT get as used as people imagine, from what I understand. usually these rigs have the lower bed too, and people do tend to use that as the primary. Unless you have guests often, or travel with another set of people or kids or something, it becomes a storage space.
The kitchen - Nice...but it's an added weight(gas cost and handling of the vehicle)and space taker-upper.
Obvious Living Room on wheels issue - If stealth is a concern, the poptop presents problems. Not only for cops, but also for potential thieves.
I think one is best off considering what they actually DO like to do, campwise, and then do a pro/con benefits analysis.
By the way - For all things Volkswagon - www.thesamba.com
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RRK
Trad climber
Talladega, Al
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Sep 12, 2007 - 09:55am PT
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A climbing buddy from Manitou Springs (Steve Paterson) had a pop-up on his rice-burner called a "Wildernest". The whole top of the camper shell folds over and a double-wide tent pops out. He showed up with it in Moab a few years back. The weather turned bad (snow/rain big wind, etc) and we all got in the wildernest and drank whiskey/told climbing stories for a couple of days. I would say it's great if you're going to be in the same spot for a bit but would be somewhat cumbersome if you're just there overnight. They're not made anymore but available on ebay. If I can get the picture up it will give you an idea of what I'm talking about.
RRK
Also - a couple of the ladies on that trip showed up in VW Westphalias, which are nice but very underpowered. Thomas Kelley has a truck set-up(also in the picture above) that I'm envious of. All he did was build a platform high enough to slide plastic crates under and uses that as the sleeping platform. All the gear goes underneath so no dragging things out just to sleep. The biggest plus is no packing up before climbing the next day. I'm climbing out of an 86 4Runner so I can't get his rig to work for me but I did build a platform in back which works great to stow gear. Now if I can just get it to extend into a sleeping platform without a lot of set-up time (I would have to give up the back seat if I took the platform toward the front) Hmmm - for now I just fall-out bivy on the ground.
Final comment - I promise - When Steve packed up the Wildernest the entire rig was suspended in the ceiling of the shell so you have complete access to the truck bed for haulng gear etc.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Sep 12, 2007 - 10:12am PT
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Had a Four Wheel pop top on my Ford for years.
Pros;
Fast set up (often used without even bothering). Headroom to spare.
The heater on cold nights was super.
Accomodated 9 people (packed!) during a storm.
Cons;
Poorly made, falls apart.
Bells and whistles not needed.
In the future I'd do without the sink and fridge. But get a 10 gallon propane tank for extended trips.
Happy-jacks are the way to go, don't bolt it to the bed.
I'd re-enforce the cabover base as it gets the brunt of water penetration from driving.
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JMC
climber
Tucson
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Sep 12, 2007 - 10:45am PT
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Alaskan campers - I've seen a couple of these over the years in California and Baja, always thought they were pretty cool - Alaskan Campers
No idea on durability, etc. Terrible website, maybe they spend all their time buiding bomber units?
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Pennsylenvy
Gym climber
Fannie's Crack
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Sep 12, 2007 - 11:08am PT
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Snooz,
I think I know the lurker your talking about. He has something like the four wheel camper model. (yep Nature). We spent a night on the flats above Winslow in a t-storm hanging out shooting the $#!t. It is a simple unit with no sinks etc...Doug can sleep above his cab on a platform, don't remember how big, while gear can be below. Don't know if it's the best but I was surprised how much room it had in it for a mini truck. PE
P.S. Are yous going to facelift lets have a margarita or ten
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maldaly
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Sep 12, 2007 - 11:10am PT
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Sooze,
I've had a pop-up camper on a pickup, I've owned a Wildernest* and you've seen the rig I use now: a deck-level bed in the back of my Toyota.
Here's the issue with a pop-up camper - there's not a lot of storage room in it when the top is down. You can get s couple of climbing packs into it but God help you if you want to bring bikes and haul bags. It's tough. Also, the tiny propane refrigerators are almost useless (maybe they're better now) and the flame on the stove is anemic. Despite all this, we're thinking of getting one for the Toy. Four Wheel is the way to go...they're the lightest and, despite Ron's experience, I hear really good things about them. You can walk around on the roof and mount racks up there for bikes and a rocket box, and they can rigged to slide out so you don't have to have it on there all the time. You can also rig the lower bed without raising the top for guerrilla bivy's.
I loved my Wildernest and wished I still had it. TONS of room inside when open but you have to rig the living living arrangements yourself. Despite its appearance, it does pretty well in the wind. We used to set up ours on the beach when windsurfing.
I love the rig I have now but it's tight for 2 and grim if you have to cook outdoors in bad weather. I have a parawing that I can back the end under so I've got the rain end covered but it's hard if it's windy.
Good luck with your search.
Mal
* The Wildernest was invented by Greg Lowe in the mid-eighties when I was working for him. It died because of the usual suspects. There just wasn't a suitable retail chain that would sell it well. The shell/cab sellers didn't want it because it was too complicated (took skilled installation) and the RV places wanted to sell stuff that was more expensive.
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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Sep 12, 2007 - 11:15am PT
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She will be mine... oh yes... she will...
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johnboy
Trad climber
Can't get here from there
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Sep 12, 2007 - 11:23am PT
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I had 1 for a season and got rid of it. There hard to heat in the winter. Check all canvas (pop up part) for mildew rot. Zippered windows on top, gee, what can go wrong there?. If the crank system (gets a lot of wear) breaks, your screwed. Up and down, up and down, up and down...... IMO, not worth it if your going to be doing a lot of camping year round.
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lamadera
Trad climber
New Mexico
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Sep 12, 2007 - 12:13pm PT
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We got a pop-up truck camper after our daughter was born. Remember the 50 MPH winds and driving rain in JTree 3 years ago over Xmas? No problem in the camper. I felt bad for the people in their tents. Our propane fridge works great, and the heater is awesome. Within minutes of arriving at Indian Creek in a howling sandstorm at midnight I'm sitting inside drinking a beer. I've got it on a 4X4 diesel truck and get 16 MPG, and I can go just about anywhere with it that I can if the truck is empty. Loading it does take some practice, but it's not a big deal.
We've used it for 7 years, not a single problem.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Sep 12, 2007 - 12:24pm PT
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we got one of these rigs in '99 and it's the only reason we can get out anymore. get to where you're going, unhook it, 5 - 10 minute set-up and the sucker is big as a house inside. got an '02 tacoma and the thing has no discernable effect on gas mileage or cruising speed. paid $5400 for it new, we've taken care of it, beat the hell out of it, it's the dream rig if you don't want to go with a cab-over camper.
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susan peplow
climber
www.joshuatreevacationhomes.com
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 12, 2007 - 01:26pm PT
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Wow, great responses.
Tim, I had forgotten that Nature has a stripped out pop up.... and he's no lurker. Although, he does have room inside but no amenities which is what I'm looking for.
Kath & Monkey, sure who wouldn't want the super rig! Eddie Moe & Sherman both have Sportsman's and they are cool too. I personally like the Sprinter version but who's got an extra $70K laying around for one of those? VW - too little power!
BVB, thank you for reading my post (and I know you got this part) but I am just looking for a unit on top of my truck.
Pull down tents are just silly, they have no features. I could pitch a tent for that matter. We already own an AssGasket™ for when the weather gets bad. It allows for another 1'+ of room with a screen but isn't ideal. Not ours but here's an example
Malcom, you probably know best what I'm up against. You are familiar with my rig and have had similar experiences. I was just talking to Russ about building a cuddle kit which would work for keeping stuff stored below. That coupled with our RocketBox would really cut down on the ritual. But like you said, it's the cooking in bad weather, rolling out the pads.... that's kinda a drag. You're statement about available packing is noted. That's why I was asking if we could put a rack on top with the box.
Mal, when you had one before did you take it off with any regularity and if so, did you put a shell (like the one you have now) back on? That's probably the biggest issue right now is how easily I can swap the two out.
Oh yeah, one last thing. ARE YOU GUYS NUTS?!! We have a very lowww budget. Unless we hit the lottery forget all that expensive stuff. Part of the charm of a unit like this is you can pick one up for a few grand used.
~Susan
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Sep 12, 2007 - 01:38pm PT
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Somehow I don't think "AssGasket" constitutes wise marketing...
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Moof
Big Wall climber
A cube at my soul sucking job in Oregon
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Sep 12, 2007 - 01:47pm PT
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I did a year in a non-popup, and ran into many folks in both pop-ups and non-pop-ups.
Pro: A bit better handling on the freeway, with modest improvements to mileage.
Con: Much less storage space while cruising, usually no enough to even keep a bike indoors while on the road. Storage for clothes, food, etc are also limited.
Con: non-pop-ups are pretty easy to spot when someone is sleeping in them. Wiht a pop-up it's a sure thing, no quesiton someone is snoozing.
Con: Pop-ups are less insulated for those cold Jtree Xmas's.
Pro: Better resale value.
Aim for a
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susan peplow
climber
www.joshuatreevacationhomes.com
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 12, 2007 - 01:50pm PT
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Ok, so the makers don't actually call it an AssGasket™ but it's got more pizazz than "truck tent".
~Susan
edit: Moof, all true and thanks for the input. I think I can work out the storage if I don't have to haul things like 3" foam sleeping pads, stoves, and stuff like that. Bikes may be able to mount on top along with a Rocketbox in my perfect world scenario. As for insulation, I'm sure that a hard top would be better but it does have a heater and well.....the Josh winters aren't really a problem for us ;)
~Susan
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