Mog Report post Posted January 21, 2012 I am thinking about getting a pop-up trailer in the near future. I was wondering if any brands seem to last longer and be higher quality than others? Are any of them junk and I should stay away from? Also, are there any special features that are especially nice to have or to avoid (a toilet seems completely pointless for me on one of those things)? Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
akanon Report post Posted January 21, 2012 I have a Starcraft 14RT. I bought it because I liked the idea of a camper that would "go anywhere you are willing to take your truck." It has been a great camper, but it does require a little maintenance. The screws that hold the cabinets and furniture together seem to rattle loose fairly easily, so I inspect them constantly and add a little glue when I tighten them up. I'm a little dissapointed with the quality of the wood used on the internal workings, but I think every brand uses the same stuff to reduce the overall weight. Also, the water system can be troublesome if you don't drain the water heater after each camping trip. I agree with your point about the toilet, but the shower has been great. A shower really seems to recharge your batteries on a long trip. I've been thinking about posting my camper in the classifieds on this site, as I'll be in Chile for the next two years and won't be able to use it. -Alex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viper Report post Posted January 24, 2012 I had a Coleman Westlake for 12 years. It held up quite well, although as mentioned in the previous post, you do have to keep up on the loosening screws/brackets and such. But this is typical with any trailer that goes offroad. Mine was a big one with toilet, shower, heater... The toilet is a comfort thing, especially if the wife/girl friend is along. One really handy item is an outside shower, so you don't steam up the inside. I never had an issue with the water heater and I never drained it. I sold mine because I hadn't used it much over the last couple years. If I buy another camp trailer it will be a small travel trailer. The pop-up can be a pain due to having to pop it up and down to load/unload. If it is put down wet, you have to pop it up at home to allow it to dry. Oh, the main reason I chose the Coleman was ground clearence of the hanging plumbing, leveling jacks, etc... I bought mine at the RV show (usually in Jan or Feb). I was able to crawl under each model to look at the clearence issues. At the time, Coleman had the best clearence and quality. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COUESAZ Report post Posted January 31, 2012 I have had five or six of them over time. I have found the jayco pop ups to be built the best. I had a colman it was a great trailer but was a 1984. Then I had a palomino it was probably a 1990 then I had a couple Vikings . Then two jaycos my last jayco was top of the line. With air conditioning and a good furnace. The a/c was nice for days while working on it and loading it for trips. The furnace worked ok had a shower and toilet in it. Then we jumped to a hard side 27 foot camp trailer. We do miss the pop ups when we want to go deep in the woods. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Redman Report post Posted January 31, 2012 I have had a Viking and currently have the Jayco Baja 10C.. The viking had the best Canvas I have seen on a pop-up. I have been happy with the Jayco, I have had it for almost 8 years, its been everywhere and in places it shouldn't have (rough areas).. not much problems with screws losing up as with the Viking, but it does have suspension which really helps the bouncing around. It has an AC unit but I never use it, I wish now it did not have one due to the extra weight. It has a shower and a toilet... wife love the toilet the one time a year she goes out.. it has an inside and outside shower, but believe me during some hunts I would never shower outside...to cold. its nice to turn on the stove and heater let it heat up then shower. I would strongly recommend a pop-up with a front deck..it is nice to store extra items or a quad on the deck. also a quite generator makes all the difference in the world. I hardly never use propane anymore, just setup flood lights and run the generator and lights up camp very nice...much cheaper than propane. I wish my generator was bigger (like a Honda 2000) to run a coffee pot and microwave...sounds silly but it would simplify things and save time. When I bought mine I was looking at all brands and there was something wrong with the colemans roofs...but I think that problem has been corrected. I find the HI LOs very interesting...all the advantages with a low profile tow and appear very easy to setup. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
atforest Report post Posted January 31, 2012 When I was researching this same topic I learned that from 1996 through 2003 Coleman used an ABS Roof that is bad news. If you are looking at Colemans I would suggest you look into this first. Good luck and enjoy! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viper Report post Posted February 6, 2012 When I was researching this same topic I learned that from 1996 through 2003 Coleman used an ABS Roof that is bad news. If you are looking at Colemans I would suggest you look into this first. Good luck and enjoy! True, they had roof issues. They were designed too flat for the length. Over several months the roof started bowing in the middle, and cracking the sides. They replaced mine free of charge, with the new design. It had more of an arc to provide support. They also added the steel A/C support rail on the inside. No problems for the last 12 years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
