Hi all, Hubby and I are hopeful to soon buy our first pop-up trailer (which seems our permanent limitation on both size and money, unless our property gains an acre or two, our truck grows a bigger engine, AND we hit the lottery.) We're both experienced tent campers...we LIKE to sit at the campfire, roast marshmallows, swim, fish, eat half-cooked, half-burnt hot dogs, and hike trails. We like to smell of smoke, get somewhat sunburned, and go home exhausted, somewhat dirty, and thoroughly happy. I guess we want to keep the experience the same as the old-fashioned way of camping but with a little more protection from the rain. We plan to use mostly for weekends, holidays, and "instead of hotel" on vacations from spring to fall. Suggestions from anyone on anything related to the care and feeding of a Pop-Up Trailer, or on ownership in general, would be helpful. Also, any advice on pitfalls to avoid, especially camping destinations to AVOID in Ohio and Pennsylvania...
We had a pop up for year and had a ball in it. Keep it clean and dry. Let it air out good when you return home then put it away. Take care when folding it down that you don't get anything caught. Enjoy yourselves, but it looks like you already figured out how to do that.
I don't know any campgrounds to avoid in Ohio but I do know that camping in the Hocking Hills area (southeast of Colombus) should not be missed! MaumeeBay State Park (East of Toledo) is another favorite. Keep on having fun!
ALWAYS use your stabilizers!! Many great stories on camping forums about people tumbling out of the end of a popup when they forgot to put down the stabilizers...
We used a pop-up for 4 years and loved it, just outgrew it! No matter what you get, just do a complete check on all systems. Electric and gas. It would be a good idea to set it up in the drive way and hook it all up and maybe even sleep in it. That way you will be sure that everything works. It would suck getting out on your first trip and finding out that something isnt working. Check your gas, make sure the tanks are not empty or almost empty. Check the tires to make sure they are not dry rotted if it is an older camper. When you get ready to store it for the winter, if you do not have a garage, make sure you cover it up with a nice cover or a minimum of a tarp. The biggest killer on pop up campers is the weather. The tops rot out faster than anything else. Make sure you have all food items out of it and put some mouse poison in it to kill any mice that might get in it and chew up stuff. We kept ours in the garage in the winter and kept it popped up and open so it wouldnt get moldy and to keep mice out of it. Plus I could hook up the battery during the winter months to keep it charged. And dont forget to winterize it as freezing water will bust the lines. Welcome to the world of campers and enjoy it!!
You can also check out www.popupportal.com They have TONS of great information for new and old pop-up users!
