I've lost my love of camping with the pop-up

[neilc88]

I really never thought I would say this, but I've lost my love of camping.:S

I have a family of 5, kids are 13,13 & 10. Tow vehicle is Ford Excursion.

It seems like too much work to pack everything. 5 bikes is a killer. 3 are inside the excursion and 2 on the bike mount above the trailer hitch. Hard to crank the camper tongue wheel up or down as bikes are in the way.

I feel like I spend half a week packing everything, then a day to unpack upon return.

We do keep the pop-up open in the summer at home and kids like that.

I think a bigger non-popup would be nice, but it is not really in the budget.

I'm looking for suggestions.

I don't know if I should go the hotel route, rent a bigger camper for a week, or just grin and bear it for 1 trip a year. :h

[rbpru]

When we started canoeing and camping 20 years ago, the kids were toddlers and carried their toys in a backpack. Now they carry the loads and grandpa and grandma carried the fishing poles and paddles.

As they grew, we gave them and expected more responsibilities out of them.

Heck even when we camped with our PUP they would carrying their own small tents so they would not have to sleep with the snoring old folks.

It should be a team effort, or as my DW says, “I am on vacation, I am not doing dishes”.

[Naio]

A lot of people saying get the kids to work :).

At their age, the kids might be PO'd by sudden demands that they do chores. I wonder if it would be more effective to bring them into the decision-making process.

You could tell them just what you told us, here -- that you love to go camping with them but you feel stressed and resentful about the work. That you wish you could get a fancier trailer but you cannot. And that you figure there are only a few years left before they are in college, and you want to create some family memories that they will look back on happily.

Then ask them: Do they like camping or would they rather do something else (cheap)? If they like it, are they willing to lessen your workload? They might get excited about having the power to make dad more cheerful :).

[drae0814]

Well i miss my pup but do enjoy the 5th wheel, as i am much older now. Some of the others are right Camping is a family thing enjoy it while you can I must say its time to pass the rope and let the kids pitch in they will have families some day i hope so its time you teach them how to set up pack and unpack and make the camp fire.

[manualman]

The key to popup enjoyment is a good system. It doesn't sound like the OP has one. Elements of a good system:

1. Use the internal camper storage areas that are not accessible with top down for things that just forever stay in the camper. The goal here is to avoid the need to pop up before or after a trip (unless the camper is wet, of course).

2. Things that live inside the camper at the campsite should travel IN the camperwhen folded. Duffels, dry food, bedding. This requires a popup with enough top-down accessible storage for proper loading and unloading without popping.

3. Things that get used outside at the campsite should travel in the TV or the pup front trunk (if it has one). Find creative ways to keep stuff close to where it gets used. My water hoses reside inside the vinyl spare tire cover easy at hand. I mounted a toolbox for arrival stuff on the trailer A frame. You get the idea.

4. Leave bikes at home and get hiking shoes. They pack much smaller and you can go to awesome places where bikes aren't allowed.

5. Simplify the campsite. Leave the tacky lights, flamingos, camp signs, outdoor carpets and amazing array of outright junk I see all over campgrounds at home. If it's not a buggy destination, we use the awning, table cloth, chairs and a stove. If bugs are expected, we use a screen room instead of the awning. A bristly welcome matt is almost as good as a huge patio matt for keeping dirt out of the camper and is far less work.

[Amyknits2]

We loved our pop-up and enjoyed it for 12 years with 2 children until they grew up and left home. In November we traded it in and bought a new 25' TT for hubby and me. We are going to miss the feeling of sleeping outdoors with the pop-up bed ends but felt we needed a TT as hubby is not as agile now and hates putting up the bed ends, cranking up the top, carting coolers (getting ice etc) stooping over to get anything out of the storage compartments inside etc.

I wanted the TT as we had bears that have walked right through our site and it is a bit unnerving to be only separated from them by canvas. Also, I am thrilled to be able to load and unload easily, have a real refrigerator, lots of storage and an outdoor kitchen! Also, last year we had straight line winds that nearly toppled our camper over with us in it. Lots of damage to many RVs (we just had our awning torn off) as it came up so fast no one had time to prepare.

[shadows4]

DutchmenSport wrote:

lizzie wrote:
Lots of good suggestions here but I amazed that anyone with children aged 13,13, and 10, has to do anything but drive the tow vehicle and pay the bills. You should be backing the pop-up into the campsite and then going for a walk. Come back in awhile, after they are all set up, and help them make dinner. lizzie

Sometimes folks don't WANT to let go for a number of reasons. 1) underestimate the ability of their kids. 2) Parents are control freeks and rather than letting kids grow up, they do everything for them instead. 3) The owner of the camper may feel he is the ONLY one that can set it up right, without breaking anything. 4) Sometimes parents just don't have the patients to work with their kids, so they ship them off as fast as possible .... the bicycles. Unload them, kids gone! Now dad has to do it all himself. He's actually less stressed with the kids occupied with something else, leaving him alone.

At one time or another in my lifetime, I have responded to my own 2 kids like one of these or another. (and unfortunately, have the same inpatients with my 4 grandchildren now too). The end result is total exhaustion and the fun and thrill of the moment get's swallowed up in frustration, and the question, "why am I doing all this work when I get nothing out of it."

It's hard to let go and let someone else take control of a situation! But if you do, the end result is good. You have the joy of seeing your kids grow, develop, and mature into responsible adults, not held back as babies that grow up expecting everyone to hand them everything on a silver platter.

Wow, DutchmenSport!!! How insight full. I think every parent could see themselves in this post. I know I do. Sometimes it was just easier to do things yourself.
I am one of 4 (2boys and 2girls). We started camping at around 6 years of age. Went through 3 tents and a PUP before Mom and Dad bought their first TT. We all had our jobs packing, setting up, tearing down and unloading. Of course we went camping almost every weekend from May to August. Great memories.
Op'er, I don't know if it would be worth it for 1 trip a year. Only you can decide that. My parents are both gone now but I fondly remember our camping trips. All my siblings still camp as do my kids (34 and 32 years old).
I could go on rambling but will stop here. Hope the OP'er gets his love of camping back.
Good luck and Happy Camping, John

[4runnerguy]

In hindsight, I realize we grew up not so well off. Even though we had very used cars, we still went camping. Of course it was in a tent as there's no way we could afford a motel. By the time I was 8 or 9, I was helping out my dad out around camp: getting the tent up and down, laying out and rolling up the sleeping bags, etc. By the time I was 12, I was helping with pre-trip packing and post-trip storing. During those years, we travelled to most of the western states, the Canadian Rockies, and saw many of the great national parks. Once I was in Boy Scouts, my dad would even go on backpacking trips. He got a case of frostbite on one winter trip where we dug and slept in snow caves. All this came to an end when my parents divorced when I was 14 and my father moved away.

It was only many years later that the truth came out. Camping was my mothers idea. She loved to travel and on my dad's teachers salary, camping was the only option. My father hated camping. But never did he let on to either of us kids that he did. He was willing to do something he didn't like just so we would have these great experiences and memories. I remember only a few of the gifts I received at Christmas and on my birthday, but the greatest gift of all wasn't a thing but rather the love of camping and the outdoors given to me by a father who didn't like to camp at all.

So get your kids involved in the process and realize that you may be giving your kids great experiences that far outweigh any material thing you might buy them.

[funpilot]

My response to your concerns was to get a 2015 Trailmanor 3124KD for my wife and me. We can open it up in less than 2 minutes. Inside takes about 5-7 minutes (longer if we take our dogs). Most of the stuff we pack stays inside. There are other floor models that can sleep up to 6 (not mine). The used market is one to look at. If you want to learn more go to their forums. Not sure if it is proper to post the link here so I would just say google Trailmanor owners forums if you are interested.

[lfloom]

when my kids were that age (but I only had 2), we were a well oiled machine. They had their duties and were very useful. This is a complete opposite at home, when I was not particularly good at delegating household tasks. Now they are 22 and 25. The 22 year old did camp with us for a few days, before heading off to her last semester at college. She wasn't much help with set up/tear down, because she is just not part of our camping dynamic anymore.

Also, if we only went once a year, it would be more work. If I were only using it once a year, I would look into cabins, or home rentals (airbnb, home away, etc). Or places that will bring a trailer onto your campsite and remove it at the end.

[TubaPete]

toedtoes wrote:
I agree with the delegation - at 13, 13, and 10, there is no reason that the kids can't be helping. Heck, they should be able to do it all while you sit back with a beer... 🙂

I remember camping with a pop up as a kid. We would pull into a campground and Dad would pay for the site and then disappear, visiting up and down the row. He would reappear after we kids had the camper set up and unpacked and Mom had supper on the table.

[wecamp04]

Get the kids involved we had ours helping more and more as they got older started with getting what toys they wanted to take each had a small tote,was their job to load and unload it just moved up from there. Oldest called the other day and asked where all we are going camping this year she is 25 now guess she still likes it,if they like going they will be glad to help.

[rexlion]

OP, are you camping for your sake or for theirs? Sometimes a few little sacrifices you make now can produce lifelong memories and stronger family ties. There may come a day when they will in turn sacrifice to care for you in your old age.

That said, it may be possible to sell your popup and buy a used hybrid or TT without much out of pocket. Just do some patient horse tradin'. Or like so many have said, get the kids to move the bikes and crank up the top and set up the bunk ends, while you supervise from your camp chair.

[opnspaces]

Control freak here. 🙂 Well not really but when we get to camp they see their cousins and they are out of the Suburban in a flash. I actually like the camp setup and take down. But I do make them unload everything when we get home.

Edit, posted without responding to OP. Honestly if you can somehow swing a hybrid or travel trailer you will probably find it all easier. I spent a few years camping in either the popup or the travel trailer. Now the popup only goes out when one of my friends or brothers borrows it to go with us.

Also the kids will probably start to get bored, mine did around age 14 so enjoy it while you can. If you truly only camp once a year that's only 4 more setups to go. :B

[LaunchnRetrieve]

downtheroad wrote:
Gosh, one trip a year? Hardly worth complaining about the effort.
Get the whole family involved in the prep work.

We switched to a travel trailer because we camp a lot and the set up and take down, packing and unpacking of a pop up was becoming a pain.
Also, constantly dealing with WET tent ends was a problem in the Northwest.

With kids at 13, 13 and 10, assuming they aren't physically limited in any way, it's time for them to do most of the prep. Save the high end prep items for the adults.

By age 10 my daughter, and her friends, would have my boat prepped and ready to roll. They would come in, wake me, and say let's go. I'd grab my keys, hook up the trailer and off we'd go. End of day, they took everything out, cleaned up, and helped me cover the boat. Kids are trainable. Use lists. They take pride in their contributions when taught the value of team work. Smaller project, yes, but same idea.