Advice on a pop up. Coachman? Starcraft?
Does anyone own a Coachman Viking 2485 SST ? I looked at one today and really liked it, but I've never owned a pop up before. I was wondering about the cable lift system and canvas. The canvas has ...
Forum Discussion
We owned a Starcraft Venture for 6 years. The only problem we had with it was when I failed to secure the awning and wind blew it over the top and the poles punched a hole in the roof. Insurance replaced the entire roof at the grand price of $4000! Yea, really. We only paid $6000 for the entire camper... really!
After that, the repair, the sides were way too tight. I was extremely difficult getting getting it set up right, it was so taught. You guess it ... the canvas sides started ripping out.... and you guess it ... insurance paid again. Got all new canvas sides (or whatever that material is), and then we never had any problems again.
I did find that little pop-up to be a LOT of work. I did all kinds of modification on it, and it seemed I was always fixiing something. In some ways, I miss it, but in other ways, I do not. The reason we traded and went to a hard-sided travel trailer was because it seemed EVERY time we went out (over a 6 year period)... really ... we always had to pack up wet. And it seemed it rained every time we went out, and we were always cold and wet. It had a heater, it worked well, but seemed we were always cold.
I do miss the ability to turn it any position in a campsite. I do miss the ability to move it around my property with my riding lawn mower. I do miss the ability to put a wheel on the tongue and just push it around. I do miss the small footprint when not storing. I do miss the ability to hide it in my garage. But I do not miss the rain! For all the positives, packing up wet exceeds all the positives about pups put together!
I occasionally ask my wife is she'd like to get another pup for camping in some really tight places and maybe more wilderness type camping, and she says, "NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!" and about bites my head off for the mere mention of it.
After that, the repair, the sides were way too tight. I was extremely difficult getting getting it set up right, it was so taught. You guess it ... the canvas sides started ripping out.... and you guess it ... insurance paid again. Got all new canvas sides (or whatever that material is), and then we never had any problems again.
I did find that little pop-up to be a LOT of work. I did all kinds of modification on it, and it seemed I was always fixiing something. In some ways, I miss it, but in other ways, I do not. The reason we traded and went to a hard-sided travel trailer was because it seemed EVERY time we went out (over a 6 year period)... really ... we always had to pack up wet. And it seemed it rained every time we went out, and we were always cold and wet. It had a heater, it worked well, but seemed we were always cold.
I do miss the ability to turn it any position in a campsite. I do miss the ability to move it around my property with my riding lawn mower. I do miss the ability to put a wheel on the tongue and just push it around. I do miss the small footprint when not storing. I do miss the ability to hide it in my garage. But I do not miss the rain! For all the positives, packing up wet exceeds all the positives about pups put together!
I occasionally ask my wife is she'd like to get another pup for camping in some really tight places and maybe more wilderness type camping, and she says, "NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!" and about bites my head off for the mere mention of it.
