Pop Up

Jeremy,
Here is example of pup that may work with your Van. Too bad it can not use a wdh hitch.

227 - MAC/LTD Series 12 foot box




Dry Hitch Weight 293 lbs. (133 kg)
Axle Weight 1,713 lbs. (777 kg)
Unloaded Vehicle Weight 2,006 lbs. (910 kg)
GVWR 2,972 lbs. (1,348 kg)
Cargo Carrying Capacity 966 lbs. (438 kg)
Box Size 12' (3.7 m)
Exterior Open Length 23' 10" (7.3 m)
Exterior Closed Length 17' 2" (5.2 m)
Exterior Closed Height 4' 9" (1.4 m)
Exterior Width 85" (2.2 m)


208 - MAC/LTD Series 10ft box




Dry Hitch Weight 219 lbs. (99 kg)
Axle Weight 1,518 lbs. (689 kg)
Unloaded Vehicle Weight 1,737 lbs. (788 kg)
GVWR 2,603 lbs. (1,181 kg)
Cargo Carrying Capacity 866 lbs. (393 kg)
Box Size 10' (3.0 m)
Exterior Open Length 20' 1" (6.1 m)
Exterior Closed Length 15' 3" (4.6 m)
Exterior Closed Height 4' 9" (1.4 m)
Exterior Width 85" (2.2 m)


They are not listing water storage. My glamping classic 625d had 26 gallons of fresh, 6 gallon black cassette and no gray.

My sub is used a lot. Its my firewood hauling rig, family truck, hunting buggy, offroad tank, and once in the while loaded to the gills tow vehicle.

Cons:
Extensive setup time/breakdown times
Dual Drains
zero interior storage
no wards
Wacky cassette pottie/showers
popup to load fridge


Pros:
Fit in a garage.

md2lgyk wrote:
For us, there is a difference between "camping" and "RVing." To each their own. A few months ago, we sold our trailer and bought a Coachmen 108ST popup. What a difference! No heavy WD hitch to mess with, can tow it with something that gets decent mileage (our SUV), easy to set up and take down (electric, no hand cranking involved), plenty of room for the two of us, and no extra expense of owning a pickup truck used solely for towing a few times a year.

This is exactly why I sold my Dually and my 31.5 ft travel trailer.

We now have a capable TV (see sig) and will tow a nice sized pup just fine.

I'll probably still use a small WD hitch and sway control.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

For us, there is a difference between "camping" and "RVing." To each their own. A few months ago, we sold our trailer and bought a Coachmen 108ST popup. What a difference! No heavy WD hitch to mess with, can tow it with something that gets decent mileage (our SUV), easy to set up and take down (electric, no hand cranking involved), plenty of room for the two of us, and no extra expense of owning a pickup truck used solely for towing a few times a year.

People have listed the pros and cons rather completely and I agree with most of them. Here is my story and it has more to do with aging and the change of outlook than it has to do with pop ups being either good or bad.

While in our 20's we tent camped and did a lot of it. Never into backpacking so we camped out of the trunk of a car or the bed of a pickup. When we were in our 30's we had two daughters and continued to tent camp but found it increasingly difficult to pack all the stuff we needed so we got a Starcraft tent trailer of the late 70's vintage. Loved this thing and used it heavily for 17 years. By now we were getting into our 50's and were starting to do some "traveling" which required us to move the pop up a lot. We also were getting into late fall trips as well as early spring fishing trips. The idea of a full fridge and furnace made sense so we jumped into a hybrid. Traveling with one of these is marginally better and the constant set up and tear down started to wear on me. Getting caught in the rain while on a road trip was also an issue so by the time we hit our late 50's the hard sided trailer made more sense.

So, our ages and the change in our expectations brought us to the trailer we now have. We have gained a lot in making this change but we have lost a lot as well. I still wish I had my tent trailer parked beside the garage. I would still use it on some fishing trips. But, you can't keep everything so decisions have to be made. We went with what was best for us at the time and chose not to look back. There is no perfect RV. Once you accept that, it makes things a little better. What we have now works for us and we are happy.We also do not condemn others for their choices. If they want to sleep on the hard ground, good for them. If they want to pull one of the huge 5ers that block out the sun, then I am happy for them. To each their own.

I love my pup! When/if I upgrade, I will get a hybrid TT

I love tent camping, so the pop up is great and easier on by abused back. I can enjoy most of joys of tent camping, and get a more comfortable bed to sleep in. If it rains I can stay fairly dry. Ours is very basic and not much more then a glorified tent anyway.

I will say I am very much looking forward to getting my class A in a couple of years.

We love our 2005 Fleetwood Allegance shown in the profile pic below. We purchased it used in August 2008 and have put around 15,000 miles on it since, including a two week, 5,000 mile road trip from Colorado to Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, and Utah. We've camped next to the Pacific Ocean, at Mt. St. Helens, Crater Lake, and all the way to 10,000 foot elevations in the Rocky Mountains.
With it, we've been able to take some trips that we otherwise wouldn't have. We spent a week in Mesa Verde NP, Colorado; two separate week long stays in Custer SP, South Dakota; plus that nice long trip previously mentioned.
Previous posters mentioned setting up to load & unload. This depends upon the exact floor layout. With mine, I can open up the door while the top is down and access the pantry cabinets, fridge, 20% of the other storage cabinets, plus about 65% of the floor space. That makes loading and unloading pretty easy.
We get the same or better gas mileage when towing (slower speeds & gentler on the gas/brake). I've modified the suspension to raise the height by about 5" so I can take it on back country roads.
We intentionally chose a model WITHOUT a toilet or shower. They take up a lot of floor space and I didn't like the idea of somebody doing their business just feet away from where I'm preparing dinner! If we are boondocking we take a separate toilet & privacy tent. When in a developed CG, we use the facilities we are paying for.
We have hot water, fridge, furnace, and outside shower (no air conditioning). The 2kW generator provides adequate power for everything in the pop-up, and then some.
We've camped in bear country and don't worry about it. Keep the trailer clean and handle food/trash/toiletries as if using a regular tent. We've used the camp provided bear lockers, hung bear bags, or put them inside the vehicle at night.
Two huge advantages the pop-up has over a TT are: 1) I can easily load a canoe or bike rack on top of the pop-up and b) I can store the pop-up in my garage for FREE (HOA restricts outside storage).

Now that you've read my praise, it's time for the cons:
Small 13" tires: to get the necessary load ratings I'm stuck with 8-ply bias (load range D). This limits where I can get a wheel/tire assembly in an emergency. I've not had a blow-out on the road, probably because I keep them inflated to the max pressure, know my loaded weight, store the unit in the garage, and keep my speed in check. If it's really hot out, I reduce my speed too.
In the almost 6 years of my ownership, I've closed it up wet only a few times. It's pretty easy to set up and allow to dry when I get home. In Colorado, the tent material dries pretty quick.
My pop-up has an aluminum roof, so it gets incredibly LOUD during hail storms. The pop-up has come through some pretty severe weather without issue, including 80+ MPH wind gusts. DW & I didn't come through as well though!
And lastly, the door has a lot of air leakage around it. Our solution is to hang a blanket in front of the door. We use a cheap fleece blanket with small spring clamps on an aluminum rail at the ceiling. This also helps cut down on how often the furnace runs. The blanket is pulled aside during the day.

It all depends on the Pup, but we've had the whole family on one of ours which is the 4 of us and 2 dogs and didn't have any alarming sounds. It was well over 500 lbs all together.