Popup Campers for overlanding

tritonl

tritonl

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,467
Phoenix, AZ, USA
First Name
Lukasz
Last Name
Mikula
Member #

12371

There is almost no discussion on pop up trailers anywhere in the forums. I am looking for a trailer that 4 people and two dogs can sleep in. Roof top tents do not meet our criteria and am strongly leaning towards a pop up camper. Especially a compact one with bigger tires. There is very little information I have found online so far.

Does any one have one, can you share your experiences. Pros/cons.
 
  • Like
Reactions: montera5
@tritonl
tritonl said:
There is almost no discussion on pop up trailers anywhere in the forums. I am looking for a trailer that 4 people and two dogs can sleep in. Roof top tents do not meet our criteria and am strongly leaning towards a pop up camper. Especially a compact one with bigger tires. There is very little information I have found online so far.

Does any one have one, can you share your experiences. Pros/cons.
Click to expand...

We're running an older A-frame popup that have been modified by a previous owner for better off road capability. See avatar.
Pros:
  • Great base camp
  • Heater for extending the camping season
  • Sleeps 4 (2 on queen bed and a cozy 2 on full+) Can also sleep a 150-ish pound Newfie under the queen + one more on the main floor but no ones going anywhere till they GTFOTW :D
  • Very comfy beds, Dometic Propane/Electric Fridge, stove...
  • Can invite friends over to warm up, chat/recharge equipment, or play cards... after hiking and photography
  • Having trailer brakes (on a relatively light trailer) cost a bit more but unless I look in the rear view mirror I generally don't know it's back there. Great handling even in snow!
  • Nice to pick up, on the way home from work, check trailer status, put food in and be on the road, since all the cook gear and bedding is there after the 1st trip of the season.
Cons:
  • Gas cost when towing a ~3k lb brick behind the 4runner
  • Storage cost
  • @7'+ wide... Even with spring conversion lift and larger tires Not going to be able to go down any narrow trails. Good on forest roads as long as there is a place to turn it around.
  • I SUCK at backing it up into camp spaces, Not the popup's problem but still a con compared to a RTT. A T@B is light enough to be moved around by hand my trailer no way.
  • Maintenance - part of life but another axle, body, and electrical system to keep in working order
  • Don't get to take it out nearly as much as I want to. :(
Took it on a 2 week Eastern Sierras trip this fall, All over Wyoming, & Nebraska last year looking for spots for the Eclipse + another 5 days during the eclipse. Before and since all over Colorado.

In short, great with a group but I'd rather tent it or sleep in the back of the Truck/4Runner if I'm heading out alone. Had hoped having the trailer would get the SO out in the woods with me more often but so far not so much.

Boort
 
  • Like
Reactions: TexasGMG, Ichibahn and tritonl
street trailers will not handle the continuous use of offroad travels. For one they will shake themselves apart. Pop-Up's like Jayco's & others are wood constructed, with no ground clearance & many moving parts (slides, crank mechanism) that the jarring of the rough dirt roads & trails could cause these parts to not work properly.
Offroad trailer are built specific & can handle the riggers of offroad travels w\o damage & shaking themselves apart. Big difference between the two.
 
ArkansasDon said:
street trailers will not handle the continuous use of offroad travels. For one they will shake themselves apart. Pop-Up's like Jayco's & others are wood constructed, with no ground clearance & many moving parts (slides, crank mechanism) that the jarring of the rough dirt roads & trails could cause these parts to not work properly.
Offroad trailer are built specific & can handle the riggers of offroad travels w\o damage & shaking themselves apart. Big difference between the two.
Click to expand...

So far I found a pop up made by Forest River, Rockwood 1640ESP, a combination of pop up trailer and off-road capability. It’s quite compact, high of the ground and it will sleep 5or6 people no problem.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BoraDa Travels and Billiebob
what does Forest River, Rockwood consider offroad or offroad tested? National Forest dirt road? Not all people think of offroad is main National Forest dirt roads, some will run trails so they can do what others who have actual offroad trailer go, that's when problems accure. I saw on you tube a guy took his Aliner on repeated lite offroad dirt roads trips "boondocking" I believe he said things started not lining up as of his panel connections. He was talking how the wash board dirt roads on BLM & National Forest lands caused the damages. No thanks I'll stick with my trailer which is offroad built.
 
Last edited:
tritonl said:
It looks like two people can sleep in the roof top part and the rest in the tent like section, is that correct?
Click to expand...

The bed on top of the trailer is a king size and then the bottom section will fit a queen size blow up mattress. When you add the side section you can get two more queen size mattress in there. Also has a kitchen and onboard water tank as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tritonl
I had a Fleetwood Cobalt trailer for a couple of years. Great little trailer. I never switched out the tires or modified the suspension, but it worked out really well for gravel/forest roads. I miss that little trailer! Slept 4 people with ease, and up to 6 if you used the dinette. Plenty of folks modify the leaf springs and do bigger tires on these trailers. They're great pop-ups.

With that said, check out Livin Lite. They make 100% aluminum body trailers that are tent like for the pop up part. Really cool trailers. You'd have to modify the suspension and tires on those as well, but they can be had CHEAP used.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BoraDa Travels, tritonl and Nomadik Nova
We have a Fleetwood evolution e2 and are loving it. We went this route for pretty much the same reason as you are looking into them. Most trips are just myself and the wife but on occasion my mom or her family will join. We are also planning on a child soon so wanted something family friendly. We originally wanted to go with a four wheel camper but with my mom's condition trying to climb in and out would have been next to impossible. For us it was a good balance between large and luxuries (built in water, shower ,toilet ext ) to off road abilities. For now we really only run on forest roads and mild trails ad the truck is the limiting factor. We also mostly camp as a base camp style and venture out from there but we have done a few trips that are move everyday. We have set up from time we stop to set up and sleep/cook to about 30min. In my eyes that is a bit long compared to your more standard overland style set ups but with the addition with many more options. We plan to add mods to it to suit us more but have been very happy with it as it is. I have a build thread with some of the modifications we have done so far. IMG_20181022_200604_524.jpegIMG_20181022_200604_523.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: David_561cfd, TexasGMG, SeattleStew and 2 others
Xjmatt said:
The bed on top of the trailer is a king size and then the bottom section will fit a queen size blow up mattress. When you add the side section you can get two more queen size mattress in there. Also has a kitchen and onboard water tank as well.
Click to expand...

Am looking to take everyone off the ground, I need two beds, one can be smaller for the kids, and some room for the dogs on the floor. Our FJ is limiting how much gear we can bring with us each time. A off road trailer with a roof top tent will not be big enough for all of us. Some of these pop up trailers are quite compact and come with two beds.
 
mylilpwny said:
We have a Fleetwood evolution e2 and are loving it. We went this route for pretty much the same reason as you are looking into them. Most trips are just myself and the wife but on occasion my mom or her family will join. We are also planning on a child soon so wanted something family friendly. We originally wanted to go with a four wheel camper but with my mom's condition trying to climb in and out would have been next to impossible. For us it was a good balance between large and luxuries (built in water, shower ,toilet ext ) to off road abilities. For now we really only run on forest roads and mild trails ad the truck is the limiting factor. We also mostly camp as a base camp style and venture out from there but we have done a few trips that are move everyday. We have set up from time we stop to set up and sleep/cook to about 30min. In my eyes that is a bit long compared to your more standard overland style set ups but with the addition with many more options. We plan to add mods to it to suit us more but have been very happy with it as it is. I have a build thread with some of the modifications we have done so far. View attachment 79770View attachment 79771
Click to expand...

I started looking at the Evolution, am leaning towards the E1, it’s shorter, I don’t need the storage in the front.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Billiebob
tritonl said:
I started looking at the Evolution, am leaning towards the E1, it’s shorter, I don’t need the storage in the front.
Click to expand...
Yeah that was what we were leaning towards as well. We ended up with the E2 for two main reasons. 1 is that it has a toilet and the shower is just a nice bonus if ever needed ( we like the outdoor shower use better) and 2 we got a screaming deal on this one so that was kinda the main decision maker lol. We are also happy with the extra room that provides as it is a bit bigger and the bed sizes are larger. We have tossed the idea around of removing the deck and bobbing the frame down to help with the overall length but so far it is not terrible ( i come from a background of trucking and towing a 30ft toyhauler regularly so this one at 20.5ft closed really doesn't bother all that much).
 
  • Like
Reactions: tritonl
mylilpwny said:
Yeah that was what we were leaning towards as well. We ended up with the E2 for two main reasons. 1 is that it has a toilet and the shower is just a nice bonus if ever needed ( we like the outdoor shower use better) and 2 we got a screaming deal on this one so that was kinda the main decision maker lol. We are also happy with the extra room that provides as it is a bit bigger and the bed sizes are larger. We have tossed the idea around of removing the deck and bobbing the frame down to help with the overall length but so far it is not terrible ( i come from a background of trucking and towing a 30ft toyhauler regularly so this one at 20.5ft closed really doesn't bother all that much).
Click to expand...

One trailer that caught my eye is the Rockwood 1640ESP, I think it’s the shortest one I found so far, still has two beds and a seating area. It seems they are quite new and now a lot of them for sale. I have not seen a used one for sale yet.
 
Xjmatt said:
Anything that you get that is wood will eventually vibrate apart. But I hope you find something that will work for you.
Click to expand...
We share this same thought. We got ours as a temporary set up as we will probably only use this for a couple years until we make the move to the original plan. At that time we may sell it or keep it strictly for family outings at campgrounds. Also as bad as I feel about saying it some times but for the amount we have into it if we have it for a few years and run it into the ground ( obviously not the intention) then I will not feel bad lol since we got one hell of a deal on it. The big reason for going this route was to get my wife to comfortable boondocking and overland type travel. She has camped all her life but always on campsites so the added luxury of toilet and shower has really made it easy to get her to go on these types of trips. What we have lost off road capability wise I am fine with since to me I have gained more by having her and others come with that might not have otherwise. Everything we do to our rigs and so on there are compromises and you just have to decide what compromises you are willing to make. Also since my truck is still in stock form mechanically even down to tires there has not been a place the trailer could not go since the truck was really the limiting factor at that point.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TexasGMG and Sparksalot
tritonl said:
One trailer that caught my eye is the Rockwood 1640ESP, I think it’s the shortest one I found so far, still has two beds and a seating area. It seems they are quite new and now a lot of them for sale. I have not seen a used one for sale yet.
Click to expand...
From what we saw during our search was the StarCraft rt series, Fleetwood/Colman evolution and the jayco bajas were close in price point and build quality. Depending on your location a good used one can take time to find at a good price. We had looked at the Rockwood and liked them. The fact that they were so much newer and very limited used, we crossed it off the list since it would have been out of the budget range. It also helps to look farther then you would normally. We live in southern California so we searched all of California, Nevada and Arizona. I basically searched everywhere within a days drive. Also we had crossed out the rt series mostly due to the interior layout, we were not a fan of the u shape seating and the kitchen being split on both sides.
 
tritonl said:
There is almost no discussion on pop up trailers anywhere in the forums. I am looking for a trailer that 4 people and two dogs can sleep in. Roof top tents do not meet our criteria and am strongly leaning towards a pop up camper. Especially a compact one with bigger tires. There is very little information I have found online so far.

Does any one have one, can you share your experiences. Pros/cons.
Click to expand...
Thanks for info
 
tritonl said:
One trailer that caught my eye is the Rockwood 1640ESP, I think it’s the shortest one I found so far, still has two beds and a seating area. It seems they are quite new and now a lot of them for sale. I have not seen a used one for sale yet.
Click to expand...
There were quite a few around here. I looked at them extensively. Did A LOT of research. The biggest con for me was the hitch. Doesn't articulate. And the only way to change that is a torch and welder...which will negate any warranty. The pros...very light and PLENTY of room. Price...brand new was under 10K. That was a big plus.
Still went with a RTT and annex, though. Daughter is old enough to climb up there and the annex allows for plenty of room.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tritonl
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom