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New Camper I found

Started by LadyStitch, February 29, 2012, 02:23:07 PM

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LadyStitch

Was tooling through some sites and came across a great review for this company's products.  I was curious if any of you had heard of them or used them.  The fact their items are designed to be pulled by smaller cars is a major plus in my book.  I really could see some of us pulling into camp in one of these.

http://store.sylvansport.com/
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Rowan MacD

  Way cool.  Hubby and I were down at the camper dealer last month, and nothing was light enough to be pulled by a car.  I like that this can be converted to haul cargo when the tent isn't in use...
  On the down side, it's kinda pricey...
What doesn't kill me-had better run.
IWG wench #3139 
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LadyStitch

Yeah 8k-9k with taxes, delivery charges, and everything is quite the bite.  Granted we would LOVE an airstream but that most certainly can't be pulled by a small car. Just depends on which features you are looking for.  Nice idea though.
It is kind of strange watching your personal history become costume.

Glaodian

Have you all had a chance to take a look at some of the popup campers out there?  I can remember some of the older ones used to be able to be pulled by a small car.
--+ Glaodian +--
aka "Gman"
Si vis pacem para bellum

Rowan MacD

  None of the new (or used) campers out at the dealer were light enough for a car, but anyway,  I speak from experience when I say you really don't want to buy a used popup, especially one that is more than 4-5 years old. 
  The majority of folks don't have a clue about the proper care of a camper to make it last.   The soft materials are not made to last through many hot/cold seasons, and since most people store these outside in a driveway year round the canvas starts to leak and the plastic window film will almost always be cracked somewhere. The hard portions get beat up pretty quickly too; it's not unusual to find  holes in the leading edge of the bed.  Rock gaurds are optional and most people dont' bother to get them for a pop up.
   If the camper has power hookups, the transformers need to be replaced every few years with moderate use so the odds are you will need a new one pretty quickly. It's not hard to do yourself,  but the parts are kind of expensive.   I was lucky the RV dealer that I bought all 6 of my campers (5 of them new) from would install parts like the transformer free if you bought them there. 
  Older propane hook ups can have a variety of issues, none of them safe.  Water, waste lines and storage tanks (optional equipment) will probably be the least of your problems, unless the previous owner was too lazy to drain the lines, sanitize and use conditioner in the valves.   
 
 
What doesn't kill me-had better run.
IWG wench #3139 
19.7% FaireFolk pure-80.3% FaireFolk corrupt

Glaodian

Quote from: Rowen MacD on March 05, 2012, 10:55:00 AM
  None of the new (or used) campers out at the dealer were light enough for a car, but anyway,  I speak from experience when I say you really don't want to buy a used popup, especially one that is more than 4-5 years old. 
  The majority of folks don't have a clue about the proper care of a camper to make it last.   The soft materials are not made to last through many hot/cold seasons, and since most people store these outside in a driveway year round the canvas starts to leak and the plastic window film will almost always be cracked somewhere. The hard portions get beat up pretty quickly too; it's not unusual to find  holes in the leading edge of the bed.  Rock gaurds are optional and most people dont' bother to get them for a pop up.
   If the camper has power hookups, the transformers need to be replaced every few years with moderate use so the odds are you will need a new one pretty quickly. It's not hard to do yourself,  but the parts are kind of expensive.   I was lucky the RV dealer that I bought all 6 of my campers (5 of them new) from would install parts like the transformer free if you bought them there. 
  Older propane hook ups can have a variety of issues, none of them safe.  Water, waste lines and storage tanks (optional equipment) will probably be the least of your problems, unless the previous owner was too lazy to drain the lines, sanitize and use conditioner in the valves.   
 

I tend to agree with most of what you said, except for the part about the canvas.  Unless folks are leaving the popups setup in the weather most of the year, the canvas will tend to last longer and the windows will not turn yellow or start the crack.  The main thing about popups, is that after your trip, you need to set them up when you get home and clean them up from inside to out.  Make sure everything is dry before you close it up to store.  Doing this will make the canvas last for years and years. 

Pretty much like a tent.  If you do not keep your tent clean and dry before storage, it will rot and only last a couple of years. 

Though I love our Class C, I do miss the popups that we have had over the years.  And I am looking to get a new popup next year for faire use.
--+ Glaodian +--
aka "Gman"
Si vis pacem para bellum

Archer

Would agree with Glaodian on this topic.  My 2009 pop-up is still like new with no problems on canvass or window issues.  After experience owning all classes of RV from 27 foot motor home to smaller hard side campers, I find a pop-up quite acceptable for my purposes.  My next one will be a truck camper to ride on a 4x4 truck simply because they would be easier for off road and to park in parking lots.  That is all the room needed now that family size is down to two.   Folding a pop-up while wet can cause you problems if you fail to set it back up at home and do your clean up after the camping and let it dry out before folding down.  You should be good to go with a good quality pop-up.  Like anything, you get what you pay for when it comes to quality of the make, model and features.
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NefariousDrO

I like the lightweight design of that camper, but I wish they took advantage of its modular construction to offer more variety of options. As for used campers, my parents have bought used campers twice over the course of my 40+ years, and both times they had to do extensive repairs. The biggest danger is if the owner had not cleaned/dried out the camper after a trip, the canvas festered and molded and such. The second camper they got was dirt cheap, but that's because they had to replace almost all of the soft materials. Not such a big deal for my mom who's an incredible seamstress, but I'm not so brave...

Considering what's been happening with gas prices over the last few years, I expect we'll see alot more of the lighter and more flexible camper varieties in the future (i hope!) designed for smaller cars and budgets.

BLAKDUKE

I am thinking that a lot of the coleman and other mfg. fold down tent campers can be pulled by a car.  The weight goes up when you add elec fridge/freezers, A/C, and all those other accessories.
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QuintaLeah

Hey everyone. I actually know the people who make the SylvanSport GO camper initially referred to in this post. They're manufactured right down the way from me in Brevard, NC. Awesome American-made company!

I realize the camper is a bit pricey, but it's super cool and it can fit and pop up in locations you could never pull a traditional camper.

There's currently a contest going on to win one! You must enter by the end of the month and say in a couple sentences what you would do if you won a GO. Renaissance Festival tour!? Sounds good to me.

www.SylvanSport.com/contest