We all have different reasons for buying the camper we did, but what was yours? Did it have the perfect floorplan? Or maybe it was the perfect fixer-upper to be your dream camper? Your tow vehicle limited you to certain camper? Or simply because you got such a great deal? Just curious to hear people's reasons.
We are still looking and haven't found it yet.
My first pup- The price. $600. It was an 8 foot Columbia that I got as a starter camper to see if DW liked it
1st upgrade - DW tolerated it but wanted more room, better mattress, and a sideways dinnette. We got a 1992 Senneca with a 10 foot box that could still be towed by my 4cyl Tacoma. And I got it for $1,500.
Looking for my 2nd upgrade - DW is liking it more but she likes the idea of a HTT or a TT so it is easier to load and go. The trouble is this one is going to cost a few dollars (I guestimate $10,000) but this year we are looking to buy a new house so there won't be a new camper in the driveway for about 2 more years.
Matt O 2006 Skyline Nomad 27' travel trailer. Previously owned 1986 Coleman Columbia / 1992 Coleman Senecca / 1989 Born Free Class C RV.
One thing; floorplan. Nothing else really mattered.
Our popup, I wanted a side dinette & an additional seating area. (We had a rear gaucho)
Our hybrid, I wanted to be able for 4 of us to turtle without using the dinette. (we have interior bunkbeds)
Love both trailers, as they were both a perfect fit for our family's needs at the time.
I had been looking at pop ups - all sizes and brands - until I saw someone's 76 Apache Royal. I knew THAT was going to be the camper I had to have. I didn't get a Royal nor did I get a 76 (which would have been cool since DD#1 was a 76 model), but I got a 78 Ranger and following it's theft, a 78 Roamer.
I'm stuck on Apache's and I don't care about any 12 step program!
The first one was not so good ... I was mesmerized by the name, and it ended up being one of those ABS sagging roofers, just a mess. Plus it just did not fit into what I like to do - but I will say it gave me insight into what I really liked and disliked.
My second one just fit the bill and I fell into a real deal. It was a left over model from the year before with no difference between it and what was then the current year except for some pin stripping but the dealer wanted it gone and I saved some serious dollars. I think getting a real bargin goes a long way to override a lot of whimsical notions. This one proved itself to be the perfect popup camper for two people, getting back into the boonies, maybe off some narrow logging road to a favorite fishing hole - plus getting the body up off the ground and providing adequate shelter against the elements; and a lot of agility tossed in to boot.
I know I've posted this pic before - but here's a favorite campsite along side of a mountain stream (that supports a lot of trout) and runs down maybe a mile and half to a beautiful lake. Love to wade that stream for my fly fishing or take the canoe down to where the creek empties into the lake.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h226/dww0825/DSCF0168-1.jpg[/img]
We bought (and love) our Palomino P-296 Off-Road PUP for the following reasons-
Front open cargo deck (huge carrying capacity)
15" wheels (tows REAL nice!)
Excellent, no-nonsense local dealer
Short box outside, roomy inside
Right features for us (furnace, yes; shower, no, etc.)
We weren't looking for an Off-Road PUP when we bought ours three years ago, but it works better for us than anything else we've seen.
Choose what's right for you!
Our first popup we bought for its size and weight - 2008 Fleetwood/Coleman SeaPine and got 3 good years out of it. We upgraded to a 2011 Flagstaff 27KS High Wall for its outdoor slide out kitchen. In both cases, the interior floorplan was not a main factor.
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The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything that they have! |
We had to buy a new PUP due to DH's asthma (caused by severe allergies to cats and dogs; our unfortunate experience that was several used PUPs that were advertised as 'pet free' triggered DH's severe 'dog and cat' reactions; from experience, vacuuming usually does little to remove these particular triggers).
We'd originally decided to buy a PUP of the then-new Fleetwood 'Evolution' series (at least I think that's what it was called; please excuse my faulty memory; it was a PUP advertised to be an 'expedition' type) based upon our floor plan wants, sleeping requirements, weight (gas will never get any cheaper) and most importantly, the towing capacity of our '95 Bronco which had a 'bumper hitch' (tongue weight was 400 pounds, I forget the total weight capacity).
Our local dealer (Stolzfus in West Chester, PA) made us an offer we couldn't refuse - they had an '06 Sea Pine (with fridge) floor model (unused but well-visited) that they would sell us for $1000+ less. The Sea Pine had the same features as the other model we'd been considering, as well as the fridge (which on the other PUP would have been a costly add-on option).
So, in the end, it came down to price.
I was initially very suspicious of their offer and didn't believe that it was only to make room for new inventory, but I'm glad I l listened to DH and bought it. We haven't had any trouble with the PUP itself except for an easily-fixed leak in one corner and issues with the Dometic fridge while working on propane. I love it even more than I did when transitioning from a tent all those summers ago! It's 'home.'
We just traded our 2007 Flagstaff on a 2008 Niagara because we needed more space. When we bought the Flagstaff it was just two of us camping. Since then our son, daughter-in-law and grandson have started joining us once a month, and a two-year-old needs a lot of space!
The Niagara gives us an extra four feet of box length plus the slide-out dinette, and the build quality is light-years ahead of the Flagstaff. That was a decent camper, but there were problems that shouldn't have occurred with a camper less than five years old.
John
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