Tazymae
Kentucky
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Joined: 09/01/2011
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We are thinking of buying a good used pop up. BUT from what I have seen I may be cranking myself to death! I am not lazy but my arms may give out. What brands are the best in quality?
Can anyone help? I would like feedback from pop up users.
Thank you for your time.
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donn0128
Pronounced Ore-gun
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Joined: 04/21/2005
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Depending on how far back you want to go. Coleman made some really good ones over the years. Newer, Forest River might be worth looking at. No matter what brand, wood rot can be a big issue as they are just not as tight as a regular trailer. So a good inspection is paramount. If I was in the market it would be an Apache hard side. Yea I know they have not been made for nearly 20 years, but they are still very desirable to own.
Donn,Lorri,Max (rescued Lab)
Saigon International Airport 1966/67
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Tazymae
Kentucky
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Holy Cow!! I can't afford one THAT old. It would be a classic with a classic price.
How about an Aliner? I love these. Opinion?
Thanks
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MKish
SF
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Joined: 09/01/2011
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I think some of the more recent models have electric lift systems, especially the larger, more luxurious ones. I have an old one. It's effortless to crank but takes a lot of cranks. If I were to get another TT, I'd look hard at the A frames because they go up faster making lunch and potty stops doable while still towing flat. It's not physically hard to set up my popup. It just takes a while. (I don't know about the effort for other lift systems--mine is a '74 Apache and they are a little different. But they do all seem to take about the same amount of time.)
While Apaches hold their value a little bit better than their contemporaries, all classic RVs are cheap (except maybe Bambi Airstreams). The trick is finding a classic RV that smells OK. Everything else can be fixed. 
But seriously, go to some RV dealers and pretend you're interested in new ones. Have them walk you through the up and down of it. Remember if you're not getting a highwall, you'll probably be shuffling gear around as you set up (and down).
And they can get heavy!
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Terryallan
Foothills NC
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Joined: 06/28/2004
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Fleetwood is a good pup. as is Viking, or Starcraft. AND there is actually no need to ever hand crank one up. Fleetwood has a model, that will not only raise it's roof, but push the bunkends out as well.
And even IF the pup you chose does not have electric lift. You can simply use a cordless drill to raise it. You will need at least a 24 volt. But it does it effortlessly. We loved ours. It will also run the stabilizers down.
Terry & Shay
Pioneer 23T6
04 F150, 5.4, Lariat SuperCab
Lazy Campers
NC
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beemerphile1
I'm only 57, I'm not yet a
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Joined: 04/20/2007
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Tazymae wrote:
...How about an Aliner? I love these. Opinion?
Thanks
We like our Aliner. No cranking, no pulling out beds, no wet canvas, adequate security to overnight in parking lots. We can park and be inside our trailer in about 60 seconds.
There are several A-frame trailers available;
Aliner
Chalet
Rockwood
Flagstaff
A-frames have a lot of advantages but you do give up some space compared to canvas pups.
FWIW; The abbreviation TT usually means Travel Trailer which is a hard walled non-folding camping trailer.
Tim
If you aren't paranoid, you aren't paying attention! 
2006 Weekend Warrior FK1900 towed by 1998 Ford E150 4.6L = 8 MPG
2009 Aliner Sport towed by 2009 Pontiac Vibe 1.8L = 22 MPG
1996 BMW R1100GS
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bondebond
Searcy, AR
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Joined: 07/16/2008
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My 7-year-old can crank our no-frills Jayco PUP up. He gets bored doing it and wanders off, but the point is, he can do it. It does take about 2 minutes of cranking when I do it, but not that hard. And that's a manual system.
The four stabilizers are a short amount of time and distance to crank per stabilizer, but you'll get that with most any towable.
If this is an issue, there are models that have electric lift as an option. I know that they do make electric stabilizers that work at the push of a button - or you can rig it with a cordless electric drill (something like a DeWalt 18-24v cordless).
There are ways. If you want the hard-side, fast and easy setup of the A-Liner and Chalet, you'll pay for it and give up interior room. Just depends on what you are looking for.
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