any downsides to a HW?

We started out with a 10 foot pup, then as our kids got older, we went to a 14 foot highwall trailer. That thing was huge and comfortable! It had a bathroom, and a sink you could actually do dishes in. It had an oven. I could cook brownies while camping! If the weather was unfriendly we could cook and eat inside. I always did dishes inside.

When the kids moved out, we downsized a bit - we now have the smallest trailmanor currently available - the 2417. We decided to forgo the bathroom, it takes up too much space. But, it is way more comfortable and easier to set up than either PUPs. I am back to doing dishes outside, and almost never cook insider.

We live in So Cal, and have camped all over.

BTW, both my HW and the Trailmanor barely fit in my garage. When we bought the HW, we had to change our one pice garage door with a sectional to get a couple of inches of headspace.

DW and I got a popup in '99 or 2000 and took a trip from OK to ID and back. The flapping noise of the canvas in wind was bothersome. Hearing the neighbors so clearly through the canvas was also unpleasant. Hearing the bear through the canvas... well, DW swears she will never sleep in a popup again! I also disliked the cranking (we didn't have push-button electric up/down), pulling out the ends and getting slivers from the plywood, messing with all the snaps and other setup details. And everything is stored down low, so one must bend over to get every little thing.

I had an Aliner for a year, too. Same thing with the storage, but setup was fast and easy and the walls blocked sound pretty well (no flapping sounds either, obviously!). I wasn't inspired by the product quality, however.

I want to go back to a molded-fiberglass trailer. Scamp, Casita, Lil Snoozy, Parkliner are some of the brands. They are all sold factory direct, but you can find used ones on Craigslist and elsewhere. They tow just about as easily as the popups. The only setup is leveling and hooking up to water/electric/sewer. It's so nice to be able to park anywhere and hop into the trailer to use the bathroom, fix lunch, or whatever.

Nothing wrong with Trailmanors from what I've heard, either. They are heavier but still tow fairly easy with their low profile.

R-Pod

I have a Flagstaff HW pop-up camper. When you hear "pop-up" alot of people associate them with being small, inexpensive campers. Mine is neither of them. It will comfortably sleep 4 people with the dinette folded down.

We (wife) and I can break it down & set it up in about 40 minutes. We have camped in Texas, Arkansas, Colorado & Florida and I do not remember any condensation issues.

We always use our PUGS to cover the extended bunks and put cut Reflexix in the windows to help keep in cooler in the summer, so much so that we were in Florida this past August, and I had to buy my wife a sweatshirt to keep her warm because I got tired of her complaining about how cold it was inside.

(-) set up time

(-) have to make sure canvas is completely dry before storing. We always have to re-open it when we get back from trips to clean it out and to make sure it's dry.

(+) fits in our driveway

(+) alot of interior space
If I were in your situation, and it were just me, I would seriously look at the RV that I linked. You could use the bunk area in the front for storage, it has a fold-out rear bunk for added interior space. Plus, it will be SIGNIFICANTLY easier to relocate from campground to campground.

Have you looked at

ALiner.com

I have a friend with one, and it really does set up in 90 seconds or less. My only complaint would be no real bathroom, and the short size.


I have a 30' Bounder and enjoy my 100 gallon fresh water tank. The fact that I only get 8 MPG is fine, I barely travel 5,000 miles a year, so fuel costs are not significant. I love being able to shower daily for 3 weeks before needing to move and get more fresh water. By that time, I am ready to go to a place with a laundry mat and refill with water.

To each their own, I guess. . . I love being able to stay near a lake for a week at a time, or spend days near a canyon overlook. I don't know that I would enjoy being in a small RV.

Good luck,

Have fun camping!

Fred.

I don't think a pop up of any kind or a hybrid is a good idea in the Pacific coast, especially the northwest.

You should be able to find something like fiberglass trailer or a small ultra-lite that would give you full-time hardsides and fit your weight needs.

There are several layouts in the Gulfstream Amerilite line that would work. Also check out the Lance light weight line. You can select by tow rating on their web site.