Pop Up Campers

Thinking I MIGHT be in the market for a Pop Up Camper and know nothing about them. Just wondering some things to look for, what people like and what to avoid. We have a park model on Mille Lacs that we use all summer and so the primary use for this would be hunting trips, mostly in State Parks to start. I could see maybe pulling it down to my in-laws farm every once in awhile or using it for occasional company up at the lake. Benefits to me would be up off the ground for sleeping and warmer than a tent with the ability to have heat. That, and lighting and maybe a small table.

The other route would be some type of ice castle or enclosed trailer that could double as a camper. But I mostly fish portables and don’t really enjoy driving my vehicle on the lake, so thinking that is not for me.

Oh – and as low maintenance as possible. Is it OK to store a Pop Up camper outdoors? Any other issues since we wouldn’t be using it all that much? Pull / charge batteries? Anything else?

I have a 28 foot hard side camper I use for my hunting cabin until we get something better built. I’ve used pop ups on trips out west, so here’s what I’ve found.

Popups are only marginally better than a tent because they basically are a tent. For hunting use, you’ll have to put more insulation under the mattresses or you’ll feel like you’re sleeping on an ice block.

Yes, they have a small furnace, but realistically you can’t keep them very warm once it gets below 32 or the furnace will just run constantly. If you camp somewhere there is 120-volt power, not as big of an issue as you can usually run an electric heater, but for remote camping, your battery will last 1-2 nights and then you’re out of juice. So yes, you’ll either need a way to charge the battery or need multiple batteries for extended camping.

As another option, personally, if going the pop up route, I’d also budget for a Harbor Freight inverter generator and then bring your battery charger. When in camp in the evening, run the generator to power lights, electric heater, etc and run your battery charger to juice up the batter. Then switch to battery for overnight. I have a generator at my camp so I can power up the generator any time and charge batteries, which is a nice option.

It is nice to have a small kitchen and place to sit, especially if it’s snowing or raining.

You can store them outside as long as you know they are leak-free. They also must be put away perfectly dry or you will have a giant moldy mess. Never put a pop up away wet. This can be a big issue if you bring it home wet in November as it can take a long time to unfreeze and dry it unless you have a shed to set it up inside.

Grouse

I just bought an old one to use grouse hunting this year. If you are still wondering in a couple months remind me and I’ll let you know how it went.

There are tons of them for sale on Craigslist and they sell fast. You could always try one and sell it again without losing much, if anything, on it.

I’ve found that most people have no idea if their furnace works because they only use it in the summer. If you care make sure you test it before buying.

Personally I’m storing mine in the garage.
Leaking or mice getting in will destroy them. I don’t know that I will really use it other than during a month or so of grouse hunting so problems could go undetected for a long time.

If it suddenly turns winter it could get ugly. Iced canvas and brittle windows don’t pack well. Definitely don’t do Eelpout fest in one!

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

You can store them outside as long as you know they are leak-free. They also must be put away perfectly dry or you will have a giant moldy mess. Never put a pop up away wet. This can be a big issue if you bring it home wet in November as it can take a long time to unfreeze and dry it unless you have a shed to set it up inside.

Grouse

This is a good point. Luckily I shop have a 30×40 shop with a wood stove that I could set it up to dry. Honestly, most of my hunting (fall) use would be Sept and Oct.

I’m sure it depends on the model, but on average, how long does it take to set up and take down? And is it fairly easy to get them level, do you carry blocks or levels?

we had one for 3 years for camping set up maybe 20 min. Take down little longer but under 30 min. Bring a few boards for landing gear. They hold there value esp if they have a air unit we paid 1200 for ours and sold it for 1200.

lindyrig79 wrote:

And is it fairly easy to get them level, do you carry blocks or levels?

I got this thing: https://norcoind.com/bal/products/consumer/leveling_products/tireleveler.shtml

Makes it super easy and you don’t have to drive back and forth adjusting your blocks. Just put trailer where you want, slide that around the low side tire, and crank until it’s level. Previous owner of mine put little stick on levels on sides and front of mine that seem accurate enough.

Our family still camps in a pop-up. I store ours outside, and for winter I cover it with a tarp over a simple A-frame that lets the snow slide off. This is a good idea even if it’s perfectly leak proof. Snow and ice in the winter will freeze/thaw and wreck your seals if you cover it flat.
NEVER store wet. If it gets wet, when you get home get it set up and dried out.
For ours, I rigged two deep cycle batteries in tandem for the lights and furnace, etc. With a tandem battery rig, I can run the lights and furnace for a minimum of a few days, up to 6-ish. Somebody mentioned a small generator-I recommend one. I haven’t found one yet that meets my decidedly stingy price requirements yet, but both of our cars happen to have 110v electric outlets. In a pinch, I’ve hooked the charger up to the truck for a few hours to top off the batteries and been good to go again(this was before the tandem set-up.

For long term or over winter storage, dryer sheets to keep out mice/fkeep batteries charged and/or charge the batteries at least once over winter/cover adequately, especially in below freezing temps/always put away dry. Follow that and you should be able to take a pretty cheap used pop-up and get years of constant and intermittent use out of it.
One last thing: I didn’t mention water supply-basically because I never use it even if we camp where water hook-ups are available. I carry a 5-gallon water jug for making coffee/brushing teeth/etc. and find that easier than filling and draining the water supply every time. Besides, w/out electrical hook ups the water pump will truly suck the batteries down. On the rare occasion we’re somewhere with water and electric hook ups, they typically have showers and flush toilets available anyway…
If you use the water system, obviously always be sure to drain and winterize adequately once it gets cold.
-Rev