We really enjoy camping with our kids and are starting to get a little tired of tent camping. We were considering a pop up camper. We have a chevy venture mini van. Does anyone pull one with a mini van? I was told by a friend that I would tear up my transmission if I pulled it. We are not talking about going long distances. We would probably not take it more than 2 hours away.

We have a pop up and LOVE it! It's a smaller one, but it works well for our family of 4. We bought it new on 04, and while we've not used it as much as we would like because of dh side jobs, it was well worth the money.

It's actually set up in the side yard now as we're going to be camping this weekend and we needed to de-winterize it, inventory what we have in there and get ready for the weekend.

Is you van a 6 cylinder? I would think that unless you get some huge popup, a 6 cylinder van should pull it I would think. Just make sure you check with your dealer and make sure.

HTH and good luck-you'll love a popup!

Your van will be fine, as long as you keep under the weight that it is rated to pull. Did it come with a tow package? If so, you are fine (just follow the weight limits).
If not, and if you ever do consider going long distances, I would recommend:

Electric Brakes
Transmission Cooler
and better suspension.

We did this to our van before we went around the West side of the country on a month long vacation with our boys. We had a Ford Windstar at the time. We had EVERYTHING in the camper, and it did wonderful! But we were up in the mountains and those electric brakes came in very handy!!!

You will LOVE pop up camping! You can get in places the big RV's can't go and you can even sleep more people! I highly recommend getting a screen room, it makes THAT much of a difference (A Whole other room, you can cook out there with your stove, have a table for use AND store the shoes and whatnots and they will stay dry if you put a tarp down first and then buy yourself an area rug to put over that. It is also where I usually put the port a potty for those nights when the bathroom is just too far away). Check out this website, it is one of my favorites: PopUpCamping.Com!

Oh my, you are getting me excited for summer now!!!!

Wow thanks for the quick replies!!

We dont plan to go too far, just like to get away with the kiddos!!

We have a screen house that we use already with our tent.

This is my first time ever being off all summer so we are planning lots of short 3-4 day camping trips! Dh works 4 on and 4 off.

We have a dodge grand caravan and a travel lite trailer where the ends fold out ( for the beds). We have had no problems pulling it.
We looked in the user manual to see how much weight the van could pull.

If you want to investigate on it, see about investing in a screen room that attaches to the awning and is made directly for the camper. Much better and the best investment you can make. Those other rooms are nice, but in a storm.... *shudder* Plus, unless I am wrong, you can't just walk out of your camper door and start cooking on the stove, etc. Would you have to like walk a bit unprotected to get into the screen room? I always keep my stove hooked outside on the side of the camper in the screen room (which is very nice! My camper has no smells in it) I have only used the kind you are talking about over the picnic tables, and have always had a screen room that attaches to the awning, so I am not sure how they can be used.

I am very excited for you!

We have a 29 foot trailer...my mom has a pop up she pulls with a subaru legacy. You need to look in the owners manual for the tow capacity on the vehicle you plan to tow with.
When we started Rv-ing, we planned to buy a pop up, then got a great deal on a full size trailer (our old one), it was 25 feet long, 15 years old but like new. It also had a full bath.....we only paid $3000 for it, and pulled it with our dodge durango (had a tow package). We got our new ultralite last year (two years old used), for $9000, got three thou for our old one (now it was 21 years old, but perfectly maintained), and have not regretted any decisions.
When you are looking at trailer weight vs tow capacity, remember all the stuff you put innside of the trailer has weight (case of water, cooler etc). so you want the trailer to be considerably less.
Mom is trading in her popup for a small ultralite (14 feet) that weighs 2100 lbs, because she is sick of hiking to go potty in the middle of the night, and wants easier set up.
if you have any questions, you can pm me and I will help you
this is my favorite rv board
RV.Net Open Roads Forum
editing to add...we have not willingly stayed in a hotel since we got our trailer. we take to to Disney, Canada, Cape Cod, Smokey Mts , north and south Atlantic ocean spots, Adirondaks etc. We LOVE it

Camping is so awesome!

We started with a tent, moved to a popup, then bought a 25-foot travel trailer. We pulled our popup with a Jeep Grand Cherokee, then a Dodge Durango. We have a Chevy Tahoe now. I've seen lots of mini-vans pulling pop ups. They're not that heavy, but I agree with everyoe else. Check your vans owners manual and see what it's rated to pull.

Have a great time! People at campgrounds are the friendliest people!

Lisa

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I pmed you a link to a forum hope it helps.

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Brenda

GO #24 JEFF GORDON

We had a travel trailor and then upgraded to a 34 ft motor home. we stayed in a pop up at fla with my sister in law before we got the travel trailor. we about roasted !!!! the ac was wide open and it was so hot at nite in there we couldnt breath. it was hers, thank God , not ours. thats when we bought the travel trailor. it was wonderful and we loved it , just got a great deal on a motor home. we camped in that for many many many yrs. then our daughter grew up and went off to college and we found that we wasnt going camping much anymore and sold it. glad we did. with the price of gas now, it would have cost a fortune to fill it up!

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We ideally would love to have a bigger camper than a pop up, but a new vehicle is not in the cards right now, to pull it. That is the main reason we are thinking pop up. I really hope we find a good deal on one. We are going to get seriously looking!

Thanks

Dont rule out ultralites....thats what my mom got ...its only 2100 lbs...ours is 29 feet long and 4100 lbs.it has a full bath and a queen bedroom, couch and recliner, bunks for the kids and a full kitchen. you really need to know the tow capacity on the vehicle. Maybe call them if you cant find it in the book, or check the inside of the door.
You will probably be able to get a deal because of the recession and gas prices.

We upgraded from a tent to a used pop up last year. We thought we were in heaven! Actually, we were happy in a tent but this "deal" came along and it was hard to pass up. It is such an enormous difference between the tent and the pop up. We pull the pop up with our Honda van without any problems. You will love it! Maybe when this pop up is completely paid for then we can look at a separte screen room. By the way, our suggestion is write out a detailed list about how to put the camper up and down. It is too easy to skip a step or forget a lttle tiny detail which will impact the set up three steps later. A check list will solve any problems (and arguments- this goes first, no it doesn't, this goes first)!

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Lyn Clarke

for those who want a screen room, is it because of bugs?? I am just curious, because it seems like such a hassle to set up mega equipment (not to mention tear down). But then again, our trailer has a large awning, and we can fit the picnic table under it, and we put the chairs under the awning at night to keep the dew off. I have found in our years of camping, less is more. We have a big trailer, and tons of storage, but if you clutter it all up, it will be difficult to find things you need. I actually pare down every year, and buy things we really need.
We stopped keeping a charcoal grill, because the trailer has a stove, and we got a grid to cook over the campfire (burgers and steaks etc

yep we use a screen room for bugs.........you just about have to have one here in the south.

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Brenda

GO #24 JEFF GORDON

We have the screen room for more space, like an extra room (and bugs of course!). It is very easy to set up, just before we raise the pop up, we zip it onto the awning, set the poles, and up she goes!

I love it and would never consider having a pop up without one. As stated earlier, we put down a tarp, tie it up to poles for the screen room (so it makes like a barricade against rain) then put a big area carpet down on top of that.

It has been a place for the porta potty (at night) my cooking area, and storage for shoes (since I don't allow them to wear them inside), an extra table for placing all of my cooking utensils, pots/pans and gives me a nice cooking area across from the stove. We also put the ice chests in there. We never really have ever used it to "hang out" in. We usually will sit outside, or inside if the weather is bad.


Make sure you get a pop up with an air conditioner. I wouldn't do one without that, either.


I think Starcraft are one of the best pop up trailers you can buy. But I know that Rockport has an excellent reputation, as well.

Starcraft has a camping club that you can join. Not sure if others do as well.
It just makes it that much more fun.

Here is a picture of it from a couple of years ago, to give you an idea. We have had it since 1999. Still going strong with many miles and lots of family time spent!



It looks like a fortress..haha.

OH one more thing! If you have young children, get some bean bags! They are the BEST thing to use by the camp fire for young ones. They clean up well (mine have lasted me the entire last 9 years and I just last summer had holes starting from wear and had to throw out). They are perfect for the little ones to cuddle up into and go to sleep. Our boys used to fight over them (2 bags, 5 boys....lol and it was usually whomever headed out to the fire first that got the primo position)

bean bags instead of folding chairs?? I never would have thought to that. The screen room you have attached to your pop up is different than what I had in mind. We get bugs here, and also have camped all the way south to Florida, and hit Virginia regularly (the south to us, dont forget PA borders the Mason Dixon line lol) but I get armbands for the kids, and spray a bit of off if they are really bad. Also, campfire seems to keep them away. I thought you meant one of those free standing room type things. We went camping once next door to a family that had one, they used it as a kitchen. I suppose they thought thier food was safe inside, and I dont know if it was skunks or raccoons,, but it was torn and ransacked when they got up the next day. I guess they were lucky it wasnt a bear

This is a side note- do those armbands really work? I am a mosquito magnet. I get bitten even with 100% DEET and I would love any suggestions about how to AVOID the bites. My husband pointed out an battery operated thing in the Cabelas ad--but it was $20! I need recommendations.

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Lyn Clarke

We looked at pop ups years ago but settled on a 25 foot travel trailer. By the time we spent money on the pop up we liked, it would of been the same price really. We wanted a bathroom and shower in ours. I love our TT. It's a terry brand. Almost paid off too...one more year.

what I personally would think about if you want a pop up..

the ref. is usually a cooler
you have to use a blue tank for your grey water
if you camp on a super hot, stiffling day, you have no A/C
Once we camped in Daytona on the beach. We had our TT, our neighbors a pop up..it got super cold, I had the heat going in ours..felt sorry for them..then the winds kicked up with rain...I was happy we had the TT
Most do not have bathrooms so you will have to shower and brush teeth, etc in the campground's bath-house..some get crowded
After driving long distances, you are tired, hungry, etc..You will still have to set up a pop up..even if it is late at night, raining, muggy and hot..with a travel trailer, you just park and open the door, go inside.

Good things..

they are cheap, if the weather is nice, breezy, cool, then you will love all the screen rooms
you came to camp, not be pampered
easy to store at home . Some fit in the garage..easy to tow..easy to pull into gas stations

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MOre.

Star craft may be nice..but I personally would only buy the Coleman's. The roofs are more trustworthy I believe.

We have been camping for going on 12 years now...all over the Eastern states.

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There are pros and cons to both regular campers and popups.

We have a little porta potty and it's really not a bit deal-we'd have to fill it with water anyway so it's not a big deal to pour a bottle of the solution in with the water.

We have a furnace, air conditioner and a heat strip in ours, so the heat/cold isn't a big deal. Also, our fridge is an actual fridge-even has a little freezer section in it

Just wanted to point these out to people so they know that the options are there. There are even popups with showers. We have a small shower setup that we use outside, so a shower in the camper was an issue with us. Setting up our popup is simple. Pretty much every camper, popup or not has to be levelled. A few cranks, set the bed supports and we're done.

Another pro to the popup, at least in my opinion, is that we can get to places that big campers can't. We've got battery power and a gas tank so we can still use the AC, furnace, stove, water pump, etc even if we are somewhere primitive. We get the comforts of the camper, but still the rustic camping experience.

That is what we have. Well, actually it is a Fleetwood, but Fleetwood and Coleman have merged I guess. Ours is a Yuma. We love it! It's hooked up to my truck right now waiting for everyone to get home this evening so we can leave!

Have a great time!!! Wish it was me!

cubmom- you are right about the costs for the pop ups. We spent about $9,500 for ours in '99, with all of the extras. It does not have a shower/bathroom because that adds a lot of weight, and if you are looking at what you can tow, weightwise, having the shower/toilet just isn't the way to go. We could have bought a trailer, but the trailer doesn't sleep 7, the pop up did. With 7 in our family, it was and has been just perfect for us.
Our fridge is a regular fridge, holds a lot too! I guess the new ones have a freezer. But I don't really need a freezer. I freeze my meat, stick it in and by the time I am ready to cook they are usually just thawed. I usually always throw marinade on my chix breasts or steaks that are frozen, in a zip lock baggie and then put them in the frdige or ice chest. It is usually our seconds night meal, because that is when they are thawed out and ready. I also have a sink to brush teeth, wash hands, etc.

The screen room will not keep any creatures out that want to come in. Heck, the pop up won't keep some animals out if they really want in! lol
But, I can honestly say that in all of those years of camping, we have only had one instance where we had problems with animals. At Yellowstone (in Wisconsin) we had racoons that kept trying to get into our dogs dog food that we had in the screen room (in a tupperware container!!). They never came into the screen room, just kept just outside of the room growling and sniffing. I am sure they would have come in if it wasn't for one of our boys who kept going out there and scaring them off. Once we figured out what it was they were after, and moved the dog food to the truck, they never came back.

I remember when we were out West in Texas camping, and we were in Palo Duro. We had to shake our shoes out constantly, before putting them on, because of spiders (ack).

But that is why it is called camping. You are on their turf, not them on yours.

Some more cool tips:

1. Those oil lanters that you can buy that stick in the ground (you can get them at Wal Mart) I think they are called Tiki Torches. These are WONDERFUL to place at the entrance to your campsite. It marks off your area, and when you are coming down the road at night, you can see where your campsite is. The boys used to love the way it looked (like a castle entrance, they would say..LOL). I loved the extra lighting.
2. Buy those mosquito repellent candle buckets. Place them around the perimeter of the campsite (Or where you are sitting) light them at night. They work! We also had them keep a bear from coming into our campsite because of the candles! He paced around the perimeter of them for about 15 mins, not even 10 feet away from us! Mom forgot the chili on the stove and he was hungry! Very scary.
3. We've bought those fish lights to go around the outside of our awning, but rarely use them. But when we do, I reallly like them. I really suggest getting some lights to clip onto your awning (with clothespins). It really adds a lot!

If I think of more, I will post. OP, you started a great post!!!! I am so loving this!

We are so excited to go! We won't be doing a lot of the normal camping things because we are taking our kids turkey hunting, so we'll be spending lots of time in the bling in the woods. When we set the camper up to de-winterize it, the kids wanted to sleep in it that night in the yard! LOL

You can get a pop up as fancy or as plain as you want. We had a large Class C camper and didn't feel like we were camping in it. It was like a nice hotel room...we decided to sell it and went with a pop up camper that had a shower/toilet inside. It also had a stove/sink/refridgerator. It was electric up and down...so it didn't take much time to set it up. It also had a screen room on the outside...plus and outside shower (which was great to clean those dirty little boys) and the stove top connected on the outside so that you could cook inside or out. We pulled it from Alaska all the way down to Alabama and camped at many great spots along the way. We camped in freezing weather in Alaska and 112 degree temps in Las Vegas. We loved it and wouldn't camp any other way now. It was great to hear the bugs chirping while you were laying in bed. Pop up camping is the way to go!!!

my moms pop up has heat and ac....I think its a palamino...no potty, though.
check out the rv forum I posted earlier...it will help you out alot

rv.net/forum is a great site.
All kinds of info. And you meet lots of nice people.
We go to RV rallies twice a year.
We have a 35 foot 2005 Open Road 5th wheel.

SWEET!!

That's my pop up camper all growed up..

yes, that is a great site. I have learned so much from it.

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Brenda

GO #24 JEFF GORDON

I work for a campground and the other day there was a couple camping in a tent. Came and ask me if we had squirres in the campground. Ah Yeah, along with about 100 other types of animals. They had left their tent with all their food inside and came back about 2 hours later to find it had been "broken" into. They thought by squirrels. I said it was probably more like a raccoon. They checked out, wasn't aware we would have "animals" at the campground. Hmmmmm, first time campers...lol.

I get pop up, trailers, and RVs in the campground, everyone has their opinions about theirs, whatever you decide, its a great investment. Happy Camping!

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