Question:
I can tell you that popups or tent trailers are an excellent way to get into camping, and they tow very nicely behind minivans. I have a ‘78 Viking I tow w/ a ‘92 Grand Voyager, and the van doesn’t even know the trailer is there. Any suggestions on where I should start? .
One new unit you might want to check out is the 97 Coleman Westlake model. It has a 12′ box, built-in shower/toilet, hot water heater, outside shower and electric brakes. You can get air conditioning, propane heater, refrigerator and awning as options. We just bought one in August with all of the above except propane heater for $6,895 plus tax, tags and title in Atlanta. We absolutely love it. With a five year old, the built-in toilet has come in handy in the middle of several nights so far and my wife really enjoys the shower. I have found the shower a bit cramped and will still use campground showers except when the wait is long but it is very usable even for me in a pinch. We didn’t get the propane heater since we don’t do much winter camping and felt that the electric heat strip in the air conditioner is adequate for the mild spring and fall nights in North Georgia. If not, we will add a plug-in ceramic heater to supplement it. I hope this info is helpful to you. If you want more info please e-mail me. Bob Shoemaker
Response:
I can tell you that popups or tent trailers are an excellent way to get into camping, and they tow very nicely behind minivans. I have a ‘78 Viking I tow w/ a ‘92 Grand Voyager, and the van doesn’t even know the trailer is there. If you do decide to go used equipment, be very careful of the canvas portion of the rig. Once it starts to go, the cost to replace will exceed the value of the trailer. On the new front, check out Trail Manor as an alternative. They’re an outfit from Tennessee, and from what I’ve heard (anyone can step in here) and seen, the rig is excellent. Trailer Life has an ad in the back, and you can send for the video, or just a brochure. Good luck on the search. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello all, I didn’t see any threads similar to this, flame me for being the newbie if there are.. I am interested in getting a pop-up or small travel trailer. My only constraints are the fact that I’m poor, my van can only tow a load of 3500 lbs (96 Grand Caravan, 3.3L, towing pkg), and for my wife to participate I need a bathroom, shower and hot water. Any suggestions on where I should start? I have looked at Jayco and Starcraft pop-ups, looks like this will run be around $7-8K with the above amenities. Any other good pop-ups? Also, my friend Rick says I should get a used trailer, I have seen some 15-25 year old trailers but am a bit shy to take on a problem.. anyways any sage advice from some seasoned professionals would be greatly appreciated.. Thanks, Bob
Response:
Hello all, I didn’t see any threads similar to this, flame me for being the newbie if there are.. I am interested in getting a pop-up or small travel trailer. My only constraints are the fact that I’m poor, my van can only tow a load of 3500 lbs (96 Grand Caravan, 3.3L, towing pkg), and for my wife to participate I need a bathroom, shower and hot water. Any suggestions on where I should start? I have looked at Jayco and Starcraft pop-ups, looks like this will run be around $7-8K with the above amenities. Any other good pop-ups? Also, my friend Rick says I should get a used trailer, I have seen some 15-25 year old trailers but am a bit shy to take on a problem.. anyways any sage advice from some seasoned professionals would be greatly appreciated.. Thanks, Bob
Response:
: I am interested in getting a pop-up or small travel : trailer. My only constraints are the fact that I’m poor, my : van can only tow a load of 3500 lbs (96 Grand Caravan, 3.3L, : towing pkg), and for my wife to participate I need a bathroom, : shower and hot water. : Any suggestions on where I should start? I have looked : at Jayco and Starcraft pop-ups, looks like this will run be around : $7-8K with the above amenities. Any other good pop-ups? If you can handle just a built-in shower and a porta-potti, then you could look for a 10+ year old Coleman Williamsburg. That would drop the price quite a bit and get it down to a couple thousand. For about $4K, you should be able to find an 6-8 year old Coleman Williamsburg which would have the built-in shower and porta-potti. A used Jayco 1206 with the toilet/shower would be a good trailer and you should be able to get one for less than $6K. The main recommendation I can give you is to have patience. Trailers with special features (like showers) are harder to come by so if you want a used one, you have to be content to look for a while and ACT QUICKLY when you see an ad. Check the ads EVERY day, and even so, it may take weeks, months, etc… Good times of the year are at the end of the camping season (now), hunting season, middle of winter, and in the spring (when people want to upgrade). Good luck. Wes Fujii KC7MFT | Weekend Camper Boise, Idaho | "Wishing for more weekends in the year" This article represents only the opinion[s] of its author, and is not an official or unofficial position of, or statement by, the Hewlett-Packard Company. The text is provided for informational purposes only. It is supplied without warranty of any kind.
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