Upgrade from Pop Up????

I'm still wavering. One thing being in the southeast, it is so hot and humid, that you have to run the AC, and there is so much condensation that the back bunk canvas is always wet when we pack up, so we almost always pop up when we get home.

We like the openess, and all the windows of the pup, but would like more space, as our kids are early teens, and are wanting to take friends along.

profdant139 wrote:
In the southeast, I'd get a TT -- it is much better in the rain. Out west, where I live, a pop-up might be ok -- much less rain (unfortunately).

This is the answer for me - I lived and camped in a pup on both coasts, now back on East Coast.

I don't understand the hour setup times. I have the help of teens but after we made our first few trips and worked out a system, we got setup down to 30 minutes or less from when I back in the site. I bought an Anderson leveler and it's down to 15 since half of our time was fighting a door on an old pup that was finicky if you weren't perfectly level.

- I have A/C and Heat plus I love to open canvas for a breeze and the camping feel.
- I do not have the dinette slide. Pup gets cramped with two adults and two teens without that wider walkway.
- Use damprid and pup is fine in the rain.
- We leave certain items in the pup and I put a FlipBak on the TV and use the back to pack. I would love convenience of packing TT but easily mitigated.

The pain is taking down in the rain, particularly having to set it up at home again to make sure canvas is completely dry.

I'm on the same fence as OP - because I'm back in the East, I'm considering a TT but feel I would regret it, especially with a 1/2 ton as a TT which limits length/weight on a TT.

I usually lurk but just had to chime in on this thread.

We started with a small pup, just 16 feet long when totally set up. A gas range was the only amenity. Pump sink and no toilet or shower whatsoever. No furnace, no refrigerator (just a small icebox) and no A/C.

However since it was small my Toyota Tacoma pulled it with no problem.

We now have a 23-foot TT and definitely enjoy the features. However I also had to upgrade the TV to a 3/4 ton truck and everything people have written about gas mileage is the truth. Plus I'm still trying to get used to pulling something that large behind me.

As others also noted, the increased storage is great and being able to get inside while "on the road" is a plus.

Yet there are pups that are larger and have plenty of features so who knows what our camping future holds?

One more point, when camping in bear country having a hard-sided rig is always better. (I hated having to put nearly everything in my truck's cab overnight when using the pup at Yellowstone!)

My wife wanted a popup because a coworker had one and traveled all over the country with it. My thought was, we already had the TV for a TT so why not get one? NO regrets getting a TT. This year we took two 2200 mile trips and were able to sleep at rest areas. Beds already set up. That is a huge advantage, turtling. As for setup/cleanup time at the campground - it can be quicker. But we end up taking more stuff than popup owners so we still take about 2 hours to pack up and an hour to set up everything at campsite.

The PUP to TT comparison is an apple to oranges comparison. While similar in many ways, each is better for specific situations. At times, it is hard to decide which best fits your outdoor style. If you want or need convenience, it is hard to beat a TT; if you lean towards mobility than a PUP is perhaps a better choice.

Another important factor is camping location; a hot sunny day with no hook ups is a lot easier with a PUP and 360 degrees of screens rather than a tin box with windows and no hookups or generator.

Also, life is a series of “windows in time” which means those “kids” are going to be teens with friends, and other pursuits. So, getting together for a family outing may be like trying to herd cats. It can change your time commitments and limit you camping opportunities. In my case I did not sell my PUP when I bought my TT, it was old and paid for and can sleeps 8 people It is the obvious choice when we need a lot of sleeping room or even when I want to go to an event myself with minimal hassle.

Our TT is 25 ft. sleeps 2 in the front bed and the breakfast nook could hold 2 more. The fold down couch is 62 inches which works for the dog. The TT is perfect for the DW and me.

So back to the obvious questions;
• What do you need to change to accommodate your family?.
• How will these changes affect your camping style?
• How long will you need these changes, before things change again?
• What will it cost you to make these changes?
These are the question every RVer must ask and only they can answer them.

Good luck

When we had our PU the kids were 2 and 4. We loved the easy to park and quick trips in many sites. But the kids were getting older the room even with the slide out it became too small.

DW really wanted a real bathroom with shower. We went to the 28 foot with double wide bunk house in the back. The kids have there own space and we have ours in the front. With the 18ft slide out we have a open area.

While we did enjoy the PU we are all so happy with the full trailer.

jerem0621 wrote:
I am getting a chuckle out of the 15 min set up of a TT.

Set up time depends on the complexity of the TT. Our TT does not have a slide and the gas is already on from the fridge running. The water heater gets filled at the beginning of the season and doesn't get emptied. I pull in, level, unhook, plug in electric, hook up water, raise the antenna and put out the manual awning. I can do most of that by myself in 25 minutes so the 15 minutes is reasonable with a standard, no-frills TT and with some help.

Went from pop up to TT. And still regret it. Will probably switch back next year.

I much prefer the outdoorsy feel to them. Set up took about the same for me.

Most of all, I found I can't take my trailer everywhere I want to like I could the pup. I don't like that I'm limited in getting far out in the woods.

Plus, I think some of the larger pups with slides and screened in porches can offer close to, or better, living space. I'll give up storage. But I carry more******with my TT then I ever did with my pup.

We upgraded from a 32 ft TT to a 12 ft box pup with a slide.

We love it and have zero desire to go back to a TT. I am getting a chuckle out of the 15 min set up of a TT. It was an hour for us... Our pup is about the same. We don't have canvas we have Sunbrella and it's pretty nice stuff.

With the pup, Our bed is bigger, our dinette is bigger, our couch is bigger, and we have a queen bed we didn't have before. Our wet bath is nicer than the closet toilet in our 32 ft TT. I really love the Cassette toilet much better than the black tank!

leveling the single axle trailer is easier than the dual axle. The top is up in about two minutes. The beds are set and the door is hung in the next five minutes or so. The rest is just normal camp set up.

Maintenence is cheaper, mpg is better, love everything about it.

Since Sunbrella is used for the tenting I can towel dry the tenting. Putting the top up and down while packing was a pain until I realized that I didn't have to set the thing up... Top up, bed pulled out some, then I have access.. 3-5 minutes max... Now we have camper stuff that stays with the PUP.

I have a tub that acts as a chuck box, it fits right inside the door so going in and out of the camper isn't a very often event.

Anyway, different needs for different people. We love the simplicity of our PUP and we have nearly every amenity of a TT... Never mind that we have more room in our living area than we did in our no slide TT. Our boys love the PUP too since they have much larger beds.

Sorry for the book, things are not all sunshine and unicorns with a TT. Just like anything else, there are pros and cons to everything.

The biggest thing I miss on my TT is the spring loaded awning. It was great.

We may go back to a TT one day, there are no absolutes....we love camping. But right now a PUP fits great.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

We're in the same situation as the OP..We've got a 12ft box pup with the dinette slide and shower/potty combo that we bought used 2 summers ago. So far we've used the heck out of it averaging a long weekend at least every other month. We know we like camping and getting out so it's time for something with less set up and tear down.

We've got plenty of tow vehicle to handle a travel trailer so it's just a matter of finding one we like