Popups not as popular ?

[Marge221]

Originally Posted by daggles

Heading into our 8th summer with our 2009 Rockwood Freedom pop up and still love it. I do daydream of a larger hard panel trailer but that would involve a bigger tow vehicle (we currently have a Honda Pilot). The Honda towed the pop up through the Canadian Rockies with ease and the trailer takes up half my garage for 50 weeks of the year.
We love sleeping in the pop up but when it’s cold out, it’s a cold sleep and the early morning bathroom breaks do get tiring; why can’t kids go to the bathroom at the same time?!
I am going to do some research on some of the lightweight TT’s mentioned in this string.
Cheers

We bought wool blankets and put them between the bed and the word as an insulated barrier and it makes such a big difference

[vinmaker]

I own a pop up because I love the openness of it when the flaps are all open and the wind is blowing through it. Nothing compares IMHO.


But I think the migration away from pop ups is simply due to the enormous wealth that has been created during this last generation. Many of us here had parents who bought pop ups because of low cost and easy towing and frankly a bit more frugality than exists today. Today people are just not interested in any entry level type anything. We all want the fully loaded item whether it is a house, car, or phone.



Just ask yourself if your current tow vehicle cost more than your parent's first house?



The manufacturers are just building what people want. And they want fully loaded RV's.



Vin.

[IsleDog]

Originally Posted by vinmaker

I own a pop up because I love the openness of it when the flaps are all open and the wind is blowing through it. Nothing compares IMHO.


But I think the migration away from pop ups is simply due to the enormous wealth that has been created during this last generation. Many of us here had parents who bought pop ups because of low cost and easy towing and frankly a bit more frugality than exists today. Today people are just not interested in any entry level type anything. We all want the fully loaded item whether it is a house, car, or phone.



Just ask yourself if your current tow vehicle cost more than your parent's first house?



The manufacturers are just building what people want. And they want fully loaded RV's.



Vin.

we LOVED our popup for this reason alone! towing was great, same with storage. but setting in in the rain sucks. we bought a small entry level toy hauler (under 22 ft) and have the screen for the back. not quite as good, but on nice days its amazing! and our ac is much better. no dampness anymore, which makes my wife happy and that makes me happy.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by vinmaker

I own a pop up because I love the openness of it when the flaps are all open and the wind is blowing through it. Nothing compares IMHO.


But I think the migration away from pop ups is simply due to the enormous wealth that has been created during this last generation. Many of us here had parents who bought pop ups because of low cost and easy towing and frankly a bit more frugality than exists today. Today people are just not interested in any entry level type anything. We all want the fully loaded item whether it is a house, car, or phone.



Just ask yourself if your current tow vehicle cost more than your parent's first house?



The manufacturers are just building what people want. And they want fully loaded RV's.



Vin.

I agree. I think younger buyers want more amenities. Look how popular the newer tricked out small trailers are, like Geo/E Pro or No Boundaries. They have lot of modern tech in them, like WiFi boosters, USB ports, inverters and other amenities never seen before, in small trailers like these.
And they cost about the same as a popup.

[geojag]

I live in a subdivision and wanted something I could store in the garage. Storage places around here are through the roof.

With those length and height restrictions, my wife's requirement of a bathroom, and our budget, we arrived at the Rockwood Highwall 277.

Looking around, the closest one was at Gander Outdoors in Marion, Illinois. That is a five hour each way drive. Our local Camping World doesn't sell pop-ups, they even told me they can't get parts for mine which is going to be hard on them since they have to honor our warranty. At any rate, I drove to Illinois and bought it. The dealership was clueless about the features of a pop-up, I had watched a few YouTube videos and knew more.

I don't know if dealers think they can make more money off hardsides or what, but it is sad they aren't better represented. Forget costs and all, they better suite some people's needs.

[rsdata]

Forget costs and all, they better suite some people's needs.

I started with a popup, and 5 years later got a hybrid after proving to the wife she could enjoy camping. THe only reason we changed was getting older required a better bathroom and wanted a little easier packing/unpacking then we had with the popup.

Dealers don't want to deal with them because a trailer makes more profit then a popup at about the same storage size on the lot.

[Marge221]

Originally Posted by geojag

I live in a subdivision and wanted something I could store in the garage. Storage places around here are through the roof.

With those length and height restrictions, my wife's requirement of a bathroom, and our budget, we arrived at the Rockwood Highwall 277.

Looking around, the closest one was at Gander Outdoors in Marion, Illinois. That is a five hour each way drive. Our local Camping World doesn't sell pop-ups, they even told me they can't get parts for mine which is going to be hard on them since they have to honor our warranty. At any rate, I drove to Illinois and bought it. The dealership was clueless about the features of a pop-up, I had watched a few YouTube videos and knew more.

I don't know if dealers think they can make more money off hardsides or what, but it is sad they aren't better represented. Forget costs and all, they better suite some people's needs.

We have the same one ! I love it so much room and storage !! And with 6 grandkids they all fit comfortably. Hubby wants a5th wheel but I’ll never get rid of this one.

[pgandw]

One factor is that the couples without kids have moved into A-frames instead of the conventional pop-up. I'll bet if you counted the A-frames and pop-ups together, they are still as popular as ever.

We still needed the store-in-the-garage that comes with a PUP, but wanted the simpler camping life of an A-frame. But A-frames don't work very well for a family unless the kids sleep in a separate tent.

But in reality, our kids moved into their own tents when they were teenagers. We no longer needed the expanse of an expanded pop-up. Nevertheless, it was a tough decision to move to an A-frame. As open and airy as an A-frame tries to be, it doesn't compare to a pop-up.

But after 6 years, we have adapted to A-frame camping. 3-4 days trips are the norm instead of the week+ in the pop-up, and an overnight is practical because of the quick setup and take down. We keep the A-frame ready to go - we can be gone in 2 hours after making the decision. When we decide to go, pack food, clothes, hook up the A-frame, and go.

We tried to get there with the pop-up, but between kids and the longer setups, and no garage back then to store it in, it just didn't work as well.

Fred W
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[hobienick]

We move from a tent to a PUP about 67 years ago. Then moved to a hybrid this year. We loved the PUP. It was luxury compared to tenting. There were two drawbacks to the PUP that helped us decide to go to the "darkside".
1) Set up/tear down time. For trips that require an overnight on the way we lost 2 hours of drive time for each intermediate stop. Not only is there the set up time, but we used the floor of the PUP for storage when traveling. We had to unpack it each time we wanted to use it. Then pack everything back up before departing. The Roo takes 15 min to open up once we are parked.
2) Moving parts. The PUP had more moving parts than our Roo19 we currently have. The lift system and bunk slides always bothered me. PUPs are made to be inexpensive. The components are not as robust as I would like. I was especially annoyed when I had to replace my lift cable the night before a trip. I was laying in the street while it was raining. The cable failed right at the winch drum. The only moving parts on the Roo are the hinges of the bunks.

While I miss the airiness of the PUP the hybrid comes close. The bunks open up the same. The extra storage that can be accessed without having to pop anything up is great.

Smaller hybrids are not that much more money than a nice PUP either. I miss the PUP but it no longer fit our mission.