Starting RVing with a PUP behind a minivan - thoughts?

[fithp]

So, in about 2 years, we're doing a family trip (myself, DW, and 3 younger boys, in the 7-12 y.o. range at that point) from West Coast to East Coast and back again - up to 2 months in total (exact route plans haven't been decided, just the end points). We had originally been thinking about doing it as a train trip, but we just realized that it would be way more fun to go camping across the country. My DW and I are both fairly experienced campers (both tent and RVing), but we haven't owned our own RV before, so we're looking for some advice on getting started.

We currently own a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan Mainstreet, which has a towing capacity of 3600 lbs, but does not have the tow package, so no hitch or wiring at the moment.

We were thinking we would like to get a small PUP trailer large enough to sleep 2 adults comfortably, and sleep all 5 of us occasionally (the boys'll be tenting it the majority of them time, with exceptions for bad weather and such), as that should be light enough to be towed by the minivan, allowing us to skip purchasing a dedicated TV for the time being. We could spend up to about $10,000 on the entire setup (and looking to buy around next April or so, which would give us a summer to get used to the setup before hauling off across the country with it).

So, in summary, our current (newbie) plan: Purchase a used PUP and add aftermarket tow hitch and wiring hookup to the Grand Caravan, and take it across the country and back.

Is this within the realm of sanity? 🙂

If so, does anyone have recommendations on the PUP, the aftermarket hitch, the aftermarket wiring modifications, etc.?

If it's not sane, does anyone have recommendations on an alternative solution that will total around $10,000 (maybe $15,000 if it's really compelling), sleep 2 adults comfortably, and can sleep an additional 3 mid-sized boys in a pinch?

Thanks!

-James

[DwnSth]

We started out with a Jayco 1007 towed by a Dodge Caravan. I'm sure they've improved the mini vans towing in the 20 years since, but it was not a great vehicle even towing the light pop-up. Switched to a Grand Cherokee a year later and made a huge difference in our travel. We loved the pop-up and may well still have it if not for a perfectly dropped branch during a storm.

If weight is an issue, there are lighter weight brands of campers but generally a bit more expensive. Good luck!

[Harvey51]

We used our popup for 20 years, the last few with a Toyota minivan. Ours had a longer pull out bed on one side so it was queen size - good separation for the kids. No fridge but it has a nice two burner gas hot plate that can be mounted inside or out. We got really fast at putting it up and down with the four of us working together - ten minutes if we hurried.

Recommend you grease the wheel hubs yourself so you know how. I changed the wheel bearings and kept the old ones aboard in case of an emergency on the road, which never happened. New tires every 5 or 6 years and check to see if they have large enough weight capacity. Take care of the tent, use waterproofing spray every spring. It is certainly the least expensive way to travel.

Having moved to a small motor home in our senior years I must say it is better when the neighbours are noisy but the popup is much closer to nature.

[ddndoug]

As long as you're within weight standards... go for it. The only thing I would do differently would be to look for the PUP in the fall when you would typically get a better deal than in the spring when peoples thoughts turn to camping and the outdoors.

Doug

[PAThwacker]

8 foot pups weigh in the 2000lb range. 5 passengers and thousands in gear. I'd rethink the plan

[fithp]

Thanks for all the replies - a lot of good things to think about! I'll do some more looking around, and let you all know which way we go. 🙂

And, of course, if (when) I have any more questions, I'll let y'all know that too... 😉

[wbwood]

camp-n-family wrote:

A used motor home for under $10k will probably be pretty old and pretty junky. I wouldn't want to chance a 20 year old moho for a long-distance trip that I'd been planning for 2 years

I never said buy a motor home for under $10K. I said an investment of $10K. Buy one for $30K and sell it a year later. Depreciation would likely be less than $10k.

Would lose less with a pop up. Plus less mechanical things to worry about. And then you have towing.

[camp-n-family]

A used motor home for under $10k will probably be pretty old and pretty junky. I wouldn't want to chance a 20 year old moho for a long-distance trip that I'd been planning for 2 years

I never said buy a motor home for under $10K. I said an investment of $10K. Buy one for $30K and sell it a year later. Depreciation would likely be less than $10k.

[rexlion]

A used motor home for under $10k will probably be pretty old and pretty junky. I wouldn't want to chance a 20 year old moho for a long-distance trip that I'd been planning for 2 years.

[camp-n-family]

Sounds like a great trip. We started out with a 10' popup and a minivan as well. My only concern with a family of 5 and a trip that long would be the lack of storage and fridge size, constant set-up and take down, and minimal access to things in tt while on the road.

Have you considered purchasing a used motorhome and then re-selling it when you are done? More space and comfort while on the road and access to a bathroom. Kids can move around a bit and you'll have much more storage room. You can still use the kitchen while on the road and safe a ton on food costs.

It would likely cost less than the $10k you plan to invest. You could always buy the popup later.

[TOOBOLD]

Still miss my pop up. It will be a great start for a family of 5. The most difficult part for me was the no bathroom, but there are models that have bathrooms just check your weights.

[mileshuff]

I towed a Coleman popup for several years with a Suzuki Samurai!! In the 1990's nice small popups could be found that weighed only 1,000lbs. We then traded that one for a very large Coleman popup that weighed 2,000lbs and included a shower and inside, outside stoves and sink. which the 1st one did not. Today, Jayco's smallest popup weighs 1800lbs dry.

[Bumpyroad]

rexlion wrote:
My DW no longer wants to camp, so now I've moved back to a popup... but it's a hardside popup called Aliner. I sort of wish I had started out with the Aliner; maybe I wouldn't have bought and sold so many others! .

beckley's, frederick, md, claims to be selling a 2015 aliner folding camper "as low as $9,995.
bumpy

[rexlion]

A popup is a great camping solution for a family of 5. It will tow much easier behind the minivan than a regular travel trailer or hybrid, because it folds so low and adds only a little bit of wind resistance. Most popups will very easily sleep 5.

If you watch your local Craigslist ads now, you'll stand a good chance of seeing a few late model, lightly used popups for sale; someone else has already taken the biggest depreciation hit on these, and you might pick up a bargain.

I started with a popup, for one summer. My wife was unhappy about sleeping in bear country with canvas sides. For just two of us I did not see the point of messing with two sliding bunk ends (we didn't need the extra space for anything); sometimes the trays would get a little crooked and jam when pushing them back in, too. So we sold it. Since then we've had a succession of increasingly smaller travel trailers. My DW no longer wants to camp, so now I've moved back to a popup... but it's a hardside popup called Aliner. I sort of wish I had started out with the Aliner; maybe I wouldn't have bought and sold so many others!

You might take a look at these hardside A-frame folding trailers while you're at it. They are now made by Forest River under the Rockwood and Flagstaff brands, and also made by Jayco and Starcraft. I've seen some of them discounted as low as $11K (new). They sleep 4 pretty easily, but the 5th kid could sleep on the floor (with legs under the dinette, pretending it's a cave). Setup and takedown takes about 1 minute, whereas a popup will take more like 10 minutes IIRC. Here's a picture of a floor plan: Rockwood A122

BTW, you definitely want to have your trailer at least a month before your big trip. Take it camping someplace close to home for a night or two to find out what you are forgetting to pack, what accessories you need to buy, how everything will fit, how the appliances operate, practice setup and takedown, etc. You also will find out then if something needs fixing. That way you have less chance of getting any big, bad surprises during your special trip.

[packpe89]

We did the East to west coast trip two years ago with our three kids. Best trip we have ever had and hope to go again in a couple of summers. When planning the trip we, planned on 3-4 hours of travel a day and setup each night, so we traded our PUP for a bunkhouse to avoid the daily set-up, we also wanted to stay in Yellowstone, which does not allow PUPs due to bears. As others have mentioned, might want to consider a light TT. My $0.02 on the camper.

Otherwise plan ahead for any major attractions where you may need reservations, otherwise we enjoyed not having set locations, just ideas of where to go. We had reservations for Yellowstone and the Tetons, otherwise, we somewhat planned as we went.

Every night, we played cards with the kids, occasionally tried local cuisine, but mostly cooked for ourselves, made several stops at places just because they looked interesting. Take a different route each way to see as many things as possible.