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Old 11-25-2016, 07:13 AM   #101
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Mark,
Your issue with your height and standing should not keep your from enjoying a fiberglass trailer. The pro's far outweigh the con's over the term of ownership. In addition, after owning a T@da for 2 years with it's 5'7" interior height, not once did I find it too confining. The fact is you will either be sitting or lying down most of the time spent inside, as the outdoors does not have any height restrictions.
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Old 11-25-2016, 07:17 AM   #102
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My first trailer was an A frame. I had a Chalet.
Chalet, Inc.

Other brands include Aliner and Rockwood. Basically a hard sided pop up Very spacious, easy to tow and within your price range used. I moved on for three reasons. Lots of moving parts that could fail. To make a pit stop requires set up. Setting up draws a crowd. A pee break can take an hour.

Still, hard sides avoid the issuses with canvas, there's lots of head room, and set up is very quick. Raz
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Old 11-25-2016, 10:12 AM   #103
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I've not had a pop-up, but I had a friend who did! We both showed dogs, and although I can'r remember her using the pop-up when it was snowing, she did use it the rest of the year.

In the summer, she'd park under a tree and spread a reflective tarp over the top after she'd set up and before turning on the ac. Kept the trailer nicely cool, even in the middle of the day. Since we had long-haired dogs, cool was important!

Same thing when it was "nippy" out... a tarp, furnace and five dogs will help a trailer warm up. Her place always felt VERY spacious, comfortable, and I never knew any rain to get in.

My husband was 6'6" so I understand height issues...I think he had a permanent dent in his forehead from low entryways. When we looked at "regular" trailers, the 24-26 foot trailers would sometimes have twin beds, one of which could be easily lengthened, in SOME models. Of course, these also required a larger tow vehicle.

If, like a good many people here, your trailer is just to sleep in, you might be interested in a Clam for your awake hours, company, and for cooking.

No matter what you do, try to RENT what you are considering first, to see if you still like it once you've experienced it! There's a place or two in St Louis that rent RV's.

Mon
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Old 11-25-2016, 11:09 AM   #104
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We bought a used pop-up trailer in May. It was already set up when we were looking at it. We very quickly realized it wasn't for us, because the set up and take down takes too long and is too much effort. The pop up has all the draw backs of a tent, in terms of letting in all adjacent noise. That said, if we'd bought it 20 or 30 years ago, it would have been awesome. The original and only owners used it for many years camping in state parks with their kids, and it is ideal for families.

We're late 60s - early 70s and want something where we can park, stick in two jacks, open the door and be done. Hoping for a 13' Casita Patriot, but they are more scarce than I'd imagined. The 17' Spirit Deluxe models are all over Craigslist, but the weight is too close to the towing limit for our Toyota Sienna.
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Old 11-25-2016, 06:26 PM   #105
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Pop-ups

I owned and camped in a pop-up for 6 or 7 years.

On the plus side, they are very roomy inside once set up and easier to tow (and back up) than a solid camper. They also have excellent ventilation due to the large windows on all sides. I never had a problem with camping in the rain. If you close the windows, the sides are water tight and on mine you could leave the top of the window unzipped to allow some ventilation if needed.

On the minus side, It would usually take me at least an hour to set up or take down. The fridge on mine was inaccessible when it was folded down so I had to carry a cooler for use during the day when traveling that was big enough to hold the groceries when I stopped at a store on the way. Very limited storage inside when folded (and anything not next to the door was almost impossible to get to)

I sold it when I moved. Then when I decided that I needed something better than a tent for camping, I did a lot of research on small trailers and ended up here. I purchased a 1970 Campster which has a small pop top for additional head room when camping. I find it a good compromise for now. It needs a bit of work but nothing that's unmanageable and nothing to prevent it from being used...
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Old 11-25-2016, 07:25 PM   #106
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If the popup canvas is put away wet, you're ok if you open it up again within a day or two and let it dry out. Just don't go home, forget and leave it closed!

We had a popup for one summer, then sold it. The canvas made a lot of flapping noises on windy days. I got slivers from the plywood pull-outs. My wife was nervous about grizzly bears coming through the wall during our trip to the Tetons. You could hear everything the neighboring campers said. I hated cranking the top up and down (although some now have electric up/down), pulling out the bed trays, putting the support poles into place, snapping the canvas edges down, etc., and it took me a good 15 minutes to set up. Some of the modern tents set up faster than the popup trailers, for thousands less!
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Old 11-25-2016, 09:35 PM   #107
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Yeah Harley, heard that argument about dealing with lack of head room not a big deal. Besides not wanting to crouch over, I am a bit claustrophobic and not being able to stand increases it. My two main requirements are being able to stand and sleep stretch out. Plus heat and AC.
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Old 11-27-2016, 01:11 PM   #108
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Put some windows in my Lil Hauley and you'd probably feel quite comfortable. Nothing inside it right now, so it wouldn't feel the least bit crowded! Maybe you should buy it before I start filling it with cabinets!
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Old 11-27-2016, 02:05 PM   #109
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I have used a popup when deer and duck hunting.
Even with a furnace, when temps get in the 20's , the trailer is not really warm especially if you are sleeping against the outside wall.
It does beat a tent if it is cool , windy and raining because you are up off the ground.
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Old 05-14-2018, 10:17 AM   #110
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I happened to notice that I started this thread 3 years ago. Time flies, and plans change. First I didn't retire - yet - going to work one more year. I just bought my tow vehicle - 2011 Silverado 4 wheel drive pick up, and just bought a very small modest house for my permanent residence.
However, I still have the travel bug. I have revised my thinking and wishes considerably. As soon as I get settled into mew house, I will start seriously looking for a small fiberglass trailer in the $6-8K range. Realizing teat my height requirement will eliminate so many good deals, I have decided the heck worrying about stooping over in the trailer. I will get something very small ..13-16'...all I really need is a bed and a little storage. I will spend most of my time around camp outside. Still plan to hopefully go on 1-2 month excursions.
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Old 05-14-2018, 12:52 PM   #111
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Missouri Mark View Post
I happened to notice that I started this thread 3 years ago. Time flies, and plans change. First I didn't retire - yet - going to work one more year. I just bought my tow vehicle - 2011 Silverado 4 wheel drive pick up, and just bought a very small modest house for my permanent residence.
However, I still have the travel bug. I have revised my thinking and wishes considerably. As soon as I get settled into mew house, I will start seriously looking for a small fiberglass trailer in the $6-8K range. Realizing teat my height requirement will eliminate so many good deals, I have decided the heck worrying about stooping over in the trailer. I will get something very small ..13-16'...all I really need is a bed and a little storage. I will spend most of my time around camp outside. Still plan to hopefully go on 1-2 month excursions.
This pretty close to what we did. About 3 years before retiring I bought a 13' Scamp no bath, no AC, new trailer. We camped on week-ends and a couple weeks in the summer when I could get away.
Upon retirement (Dec 18, 2009) the following February we took off for 30 days to the southern CA desert. Had so much fun it's been an annual thing since except we extend to about 3 months winter time, and weeks in the shoulder and summer seasons.

Settle at home the rest of the year. But ready to go at moment's notice.


We've visited a lot of great places. Nola, 3 times, Big Bend NP 2, Kartchner caverns 2, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument several times. Death Valley yearly. Joshua Tree NP about 3 times I think. There's more and we're still looking for more places to visit.



If you go in the winter and return the next year at about the same time you'll meet a lot of people you met the year before. Lot retirees snow birding.



What ever you do, I hope you can relax and enjoy.
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Old 05-14-2018, 02:03 PM   #112
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Missouri Mark View Post
I have decided the heck worrying about stooping over in the trailer. I will get something very small ..13-16'...all I really need is a bed and a little storage. I will spend most of my time around camp outside. Still plan to hopefully go on 1-2 month excursions.
That sounds like a good plan. My idea has always been that it's nice to get away from the house sometimes, but it also serves in turn as a welcome place to come home to.
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