tmartin000
Washington
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Joined: 09/16/2004
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When I had my pop-up, 5 huge issues came to mind....
1. NOISE NOISE NOISE
2. wet fabric to deal with
3. cold as ****!
4. no place to put anything
5. bull-pucky bathrooms
Nope, no advantages worth bragging about.
Buy a cheap hard-side. 100% sure you'll thank me later.
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DiverDan80
Vacaville
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Joined: 02/10/2017
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Thank you, thank you, thank you! Very informative everybody. After much research, and consulting the wife, we have decided to go with a PU WITH a toilet & shower. The wife even said she is OK with me spending MORE $$ to get exactly what we want ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/smile.gif "smile") Needs to be less than, or right around, 2K dry weight...and I know I may have a road trip from CA to find one.
Now...Is there any consensus as to which 'larger' PU is the highest-quality/best made/longest lasting? I am looking to buy used and pay less than 15K cash (I still have some mods to do on the truck). Here is what I have so far based on my research of stats and opinion:
- Palomino: Great on price, low on quality. Campers start breaking down quickly, but generally accepted as OK for an 'intro' PU/TC camper. Older Palomino's (up to 2011) better built than current PU's ($9K-$17K New, $4K-$6K Used)
- Jayco: (do they even make these any more?) Cheaper than Northstar, but higher quality than Palomino...harder to find with toilet & shower ($3.5K-$7K Used)
- Northstart: Decent quality, decent price, not quit as nice or well thought out as Outfitters, but much better than Palomino ($21K-$25K New, $8K-$13K Used)
- Alaskan: The classic 'Cadillac' PU camper, great campers, long lasting, high quality/value, hold there value, and hell on the wallet, even when used. Camper heaver than other PU's, due to it not being a 'soft-side'. Also less options than some (no indoor shower, etc.) ($27K-$30K New, $19K-$25K Used)
- Four Wheel: Surprisingly lightweight and compact/low-profile, these PU's are designed for taking off-road while still having most PU options available. Unfortunately, these PU as so compact that storage / cooking / living space is even more limited that other PU's. High-quality construction means these PU's hold there value ($18K-$28K New, hard to find used)
- Outfitter: High quality, and higher price than most. Quality campers that can withstand some real camping ($28K-$38K New, $9K-$14K Used)
- Hallmark: High quality, high priced lightweight campers. Well thought out. ($33K-$40K New, $14K-$17K Used)
Thanks!
* This post was
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thedavidzoo
Tucson, AZ
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Joined: 03/31/2016
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Have you looked into Northstar campers? They have some PU models also.
2014 Ram 3500 CrewCab Diesel DRW 4x4 4.10 Aisin, Torklift Fastguns, Upper Stableloads, Timbrens
2017 Northstar 12' STC
640W solar, 400Ah lithium LiFeMnPO4 batteries
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realter
NW
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Joined: 01/27/2005
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Northstar x2.
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realter
NW
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Hallmark and Outfitter real similar, even built by the same family a few miles apart.
I'm thinking Alaskan is the best of both worlds, a hard sided pop up.
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LabMan1945
North Central Maine - God's Country
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Joined: 02/23/2009
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Northstar 850 is a great choice. I'm on my second one and have had NO problems (other than operator error or accident). Great company, great service. Over 150K on them since 2008.
Grant
Dodge 3500 CTD.
Northstar 850SC
Constant companions - Scoter and Skye - Black Labs (better than most people)
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Jack Hart
Florida's Nature Coast
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Joined: 11/28/2016
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Northstar, Outfitter, Hallmark, and Alaskan are the ones worth considering. Alaskan is going to be hard to find, expensive, and a little old fashioned in materials and construction with only a 15 amp system and no inside shower. Northstar is wood frame, non basement construction, but should be the easiest to find used. Hallmark construction is state-of-the-art, composite frame with options for interior material. Outfitter is also composite/aluminum frame construction and both Hallmark and Outfitter have basements which should be a consideration for extreme cold weather camping. There's really not much difference between Hallmark and Outfitter, particularly shopping used, where the options you get are not negotiable. Another camper to consider if light weight is important is the Four-Wheel Grandby. I personally would choose Hallmark or Outfitter, but it really comes down to what's available within budget and driving range.
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whizbang
Kenmore, WA
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Joined: 08/20/2003
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+1 What Jack hart said.
A Northstar 800 or 850 will probably be easiest to find used.
Whizbang
2002 Winnebago Minnie
http://www.raincityhome.com/RAWH/index.htm
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Jack Hart
Florida's Nature Coast
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BTW if you're looking for a used camper you need to look in Florida. This is where the owners go to retire and shed themselves of their toys. Over the past months I've seen two Northstar 850s in nice shape asking around $6500, an Alaskan for $12000, and an Outfitter Apex 9.5 for $6900. Seems that prices here are about 2/3 what they are on the left coast.
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HandyRandy
Northern Colorado
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One aspect I didn't see mentioned was a Pop-up's ability to carry stuff on top. With my Hallmark, we carried mountain bikes easily. It was low enough so clearance was a non-issue. We usually took them off before "popping", but didn't have to.
Moving to a hard side side (140" to the top of the AC) we had to find another solution. Now they are either in a trailer or on top of the the towed Jeep.
1999 F350 Super Cab, DRW, 7.3 4" Exhaust, Ford AIS Intake, RideRites, Gauges, Exhaust Brake, PHP Chip
2003 Lance 1030 295W Solar
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