How long does it take you to set up? I mean set ALL of your stuff up, not just park, unhook, and put the awning out. I mean put your outdoor rug down, hang your sign, put your garbage bin somewhere, set up your cooking utensils, get your heater/AC going, get your water system going, etc.
A big debate is how long it takes to set up a popup, and how much easier it is with a HTT or a TT. I have heard people say they can set their popup up in 20 minutes and be done. But is that true? Are you truly at the point that you can go to sleep and not have anything else to do? And I think I take just as long to set up my TT as someone else with a popup....it's just different.
I think it takes EVERYONE probably a good hour to set up. Personally I think I take 2 hours but with lots of breaks....hey, I'm on vacation. I'll back in, level, unhook, plug in and have a beer. Then I'll start moving some bins around so there is more room in the trailer....have a beer. Then I'll make sure my bed is all set up with no leftover stuff on the bed, cpap machine set up and a flashlight by the bedside.
I have given up on Tacky lights. I like them but too much work. Often I won't even put the awning out unless it is hot....for shade, or raining....to stay dry.
Matt O 2006 Skyline Nomad 27' travel trailer. Previously owned 1986 Coleman Columbia / 1992 Coleman Senecca / 1989 Born Free Class C RV.
When we had a pop up it would take all of an hour to be completely set up.
There was always things that had to be moved around the pup, or brought from the tow vehicle to the pup because there wasn't much room in the pup to store everything for a family of 5.
We moved to a hybrid and just about everything stays in the camper so there is a lot less time spent moving things.
Back in, level, stabilize, connect power and turn on a/c and fridge, drop beds (everyone makes their own), lay down outdoor rug, set up chairs outside, connect water at some point, push button to extend awning, connect led lights under awning, move bikes and cooler(s)(drinks), from truck.......relax.
About 20 minutes or so.
I think I take the same time with a TT and a popup because:
-My popups were light and a quick unhitch and I could just push it where I wanted. The TT has to be parked with a vehicle and then it takes time to unhook the Weight Distribution hitch.
-Leveling was easy with the popup. I'd use a BAL leveler and give it a few extra cranks to make it level. With the TT I need to back up onto Lynx Levelers. Sometimes I hit them at an angle and have to readjust. Sometimes I need to add an extra layer. I have misjudged how long it takes to back a tandem axle onto the LL and had to readjust again. (I am getting better at it)
-Poping up the roof and pulling out the beds isn't needed on the TT. I think that part would take me 10 minutes.
-It is nice not having to move stuff from the TV into the popup.
-I find myself setting up the inside more on the TT. You can't just travel with everything where you want to use it. You need to put it on the floor and brace it so it doesn't slide around. Just this last trip I put the table down and have a tension bar on the seats to contain my "Stuff". Clothes drawers (I don't have much storage inside so I have plastic drawers in different areas for clothes). Television that I didn't have in the poup, water container, garbage container, etc.
-Beds...I would just use a sleeping bag in the popup so it was just a matter of unrolling it. In the TT we have sheets on the beds but I still find myself spending time adjusting the sheets after travel and clearing the bed from jackets or whatever.
-I spend much more time setting up the kitchen area in the TT. I didn't really have a kitchen in the popup. I need to rearrange the food cupboard due to stuff falling over during travel, and just misc stuff such as soaps, sponges, cup locations, etc.
-I didn't have a bathroom in the Popup. Now I need to get the chairs out of the shower and other stuff I stored there.
-I think the awnings take the same amount of time. I don't have a push button awning 🙁
OH, I also do this all myself. My nephew is learning and is a great help but I need to tell him exactly what to do.....and that takes time :baseballhat:
Matt O 2006 Skyline Nomad 27' travel trailer. Previously owned 1986 Coleman Columbia / 1992 Coleman Senecca / 1989 Born Free Class C RV.
I voted for 1 hr. although we could do it faster if 1) we didn't bring all the stuff that needs to come out of the camper first (chairs, patio mat, hardly used camp kitchen, stove/grill, hardly used dining tent) in order to get stuff in (clothes, food, DH's "office"). If we just brought our two Harbor Freight director chairs and planned to stay inside the camper the whole time, we could set up in 15-20 minutes. 😀
If I had the boys/DH with me, I could have the PUP set up completely (beds made, counter space organized, outside clotheslines/awning/chairs) in half an hour BUT this was only because we'd finally established a routine.
This was our first year with the hybrid, and even if the boys/DH were with me, it took about an hour just because we're still experimenting with what's the most efficient place to store stuff, forgetting where you put stuff (hand soap used to go next to the PUP sink, but now gets stored in the bathroom, leveling stuff is now kept in trailer outside access bin rather than TV, bug spray is in a different place, etc.), and figuring out how to efficiently pack to keep things from moving around and scuffing stuff up but still being easy to unload.
I agree with Lone Lock about hitching/unhitching/positioning not being an issue - I had no problem shoving the PUP around by myself (and it was often easier to do it myself than ask DS's to help lol). The hybrid is a mixed blessing - when we have to unhitch/hitch, it does take longer with the WDH (plus being newbies). But, sometimes we don't have to unhitch and can just leave the TV hitched the whole time, which is a time/labor saver.
I still don't feel as if we have an efficient routine yet; I'm sure this camping season will start with taking about an hour as well, though no doubt the time will shorten eventually.
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