Tent Trailers: Pop-up Camping

Top 828. Aug 15, 2000 4:09 PM

» luvcrab - Which Tent Trailer to Buy

We have looked at a number of brands of Tent Trailers, but we are not sure what is the best value for our money. We also are very attracted to the pull out dining areas. We looked at a colman. Any words on pros and cons for pullouts, brands, tent trailers in general verses regular travel trailers.

Thanks for the input!

San Francisco, CA area

-- posted by luvcrab

Top 829. Aug 15, 2000 6:31 PM

» marymelody - Removing mildew stains...

Hi Anne,
I have used ScrubFree Mildew Stain Remover. You can find it in most any store that carries household cleaning supplies. Just spray it on and wait till the stain disappears then you must wash the treated area with a wet sponge to remove any residual. Make sure you let the area completely dry after doing this! The area must be retreated with waterproofing, but if you have mildew it's probably time for that anyway. Good Luck.

Till next time, Mary

-- posted by marymelody

Top 830. Aug 15, 2000 7:55 PM

» zzBryce - Coleman Pricing

We purchased a 2001 Cheyenne with AC for $6650 (3 way frig, awning incl). We added a stabilizer hitch, digital electric brakes controller (installed), and deep cycle marine battery, for a grand total of $6960. We thought this was a very good price. Purchase was in central VA. There are a few nice changes on the 2001 models. We love having the 12 volt lights, and we love the storage on the Cheyenne.

One criticism. Our coleman has to be on extremely level ground for hitching. It seems there is little tolerance for the ball and hitch.

-- posted by zzBryce

Top 831. Aug 16, 2000 11:09 AM

» Tom_Stephens - Starcraft TT

We owned a Starcraft pop-up many years ago and loved it. At the time, it was one of the better built tent trailers. I don't believe that is true today. Jayco, Damon and Coleman are the industry leaders. My opinion only!

Yours,

-- posted by Tom_Stephens

Top 832. Aug 16, 2000 4:49 PM

» Deb_Hechler - Starcraft Campers

Hi Doxie, We have a 98 Starcraft Constellation that we bought new and have had absolutely zero problems with it at all. It tows well, goes up easily, and if you are considering a new one, I believe the warranty can be transferred to the second owner which is real plus in the first 2 years. We loved the foorplan in ours and our dealer is very reputable, serving 2 generations of campers in our family. We have had our camper out at least 100 days camping in the last few years and have been thoroughly satisfied! Best of luck in your search, its alot of fun to find a camper that suits your needs.
Debbie, Buffalo NY

-- posted by Deb_Hechler

Top 833. Aug 18, 2000 11:04 PM

» Tom_Stephens - Starcraft TT

Good to hear that Starcraft is still a quality pop-up. As I said, Pam and I loved ours and still miss it--after all these years. We both shed a tear when we traded it in. We have many fond memories with that baby!

Yours,

-- posted by Tom_Stephens

Top 834. Aug 19, 2000 4:32 PM

» Doxies - Trailers

Thanks so much for answering. We are a family of 5 becoming 3 with the two older ones now in college. During our earlier years we went every summer (somewhere); usually Colorado or South Dakota. It was just a days drive since we lived in the midwest. We began with a tiny Coleman called a Patriot. I completely rebuilt the interior to be more user friendly. The original design had the entire family eating side by side on a long narrow table. How anyone could have enjoyed that is beyond me. I changed the interior to match the current Taos arrangement adding two table holders in the floor. With two differnt height pedestals we could move the table part way over the bed and it really opened up the floor space. Then we upgraded to a Jayco 1008DD with two dinette areas and it slept 8 people. It was quite a change and we really enjoyed it, that is, until a tree fell on it the back yard while in storage. Being in storage, it wasn't insured. And now, we have no trailer. To fix it would cost more than its worth. It's been about 7 years since we've camped and I miss the mountains. So we are looking again. Thanks again for the comments on your trailer.
Doxie

-- posted by Doxies

Top 835. Aug 20, 2000 9:08 AM

» Tom_Stephens - Bad Luck!

Sorry about your trailer's mishap with the tree! Sure hope you folks find something that will meet your needs and you can enjoy--and thanks for posting here with us!

Yours,

-- posted by Tom_Stephens

Top 836. Aug 23, 2000 12:56 PM

» Cabrales - Palomino Mustang

Well, I did many web searches looking for information on pop-ups and never found much. So now that I bought one I find this site. Go figure. We have been tent campers for many years, but this spring decided to try the pop-up route. I had not intention to pay too much money because if I don't like the pop-up experience I can always go back to tenting. I was looking with a unit with AC and decent floor space, as we would like to take our dogs along. So after many weeks of looking in the paper, and a few that got away, we finally bought a 1988 Palomino Mustang, with awning, indoor/outdoor stove, ice chest, and awning. The tent is in excellent shape, and the inside looks like it was not used much or was very well kept. The price was $1800.00. The seller even gave us a cube sized electric refrigerator which he said they take on their trips and plug in at the campsite. Anyway, during the first week we had it we put up the tent four times, with no problems, except that one of the rear corners was hard to close. This past Saturday we loaded it up and went to a campground near Hagerstown, MD. My wife began to crank the tent up, and after it got to 3/4 up she said that the crank was really hard to turn. So I gave it a half turn (it was hard) and heard a "pop" and the tent collapsed in the back. Being new at this I had no idea what to do, so I decided to put it down and go home, but it wouldn't go down either. So we asked the campground people for help. They were great, they helped us put the tent up and made wooded braces to fit so we could stay overnight. Apart from this the camper is nice, although I really didn't get the tent feeling that you are out in nature. The sites were very small and there is a lot of light from those awful awning string lights. However, we managed to have a good time. The people in camper next to us, a huge Coleman with slide out were very nice and we ended up chatting with them late at night, getting tips on tent camping, etc. The next morning they helped us put the camper down and even helped hitch it. So the old Palomino is now in the shop, and I breathlessly await the estimate. I did talk to a regional Palomino rep who gave me the nearest authorized repair shop, but it is 1.5 hours away, so I decided to go to a local shop where the guy seemed knowledgeable. I am trying not to let this experience sour me on pop-ups, and depending on the cost of repairs, I may still see this trailer as a good buy. I'd like to give this a real try, several trips, at least before deciding if this is really for me. However, like I told my wife, I've never had to maintain a tent and I never had one fail on a trip (unless it got blown over by the wind).

-- posted by Cabrales