Research phase pop up vs class c

[Shmagu]

14 hours ago, Solo18 said:

I agree that for that money you will want a popup, and think a tent for the big boys is a great idea.  Most places allow an RV, plus a sleeping tent and one of those big tents with side mosquito nets for daytime sitting.  You will go nuts trying to fit a large group inside in the rain.

But since you will be cooking for a large group, you will want to be looking at the size of the kitchen, rather than sleeping space.  Yes, you can cook outside a lot of the time, but not always, so having three burners and a larger microwave, would be important, plus preparation space.  That way, if it rains, you can still cook inside.

And to tell you the truth, those big boys will not want to go camping with you forever!!  They will go to college and get jobs and not have the time to spend with mom and dad.  Trust me on this one!!    

Thank you for all the great tips! We realize our boys will be out sooner than we would like, that is why we want to take this last opportunity as a family to have this experience.

 

[SWharton]

Popups are not known for their spaciousness, functionality is the keyword. If you go ahead with this start collecting recipes for one-pot meals with a minimum number of items in the recipe.

[Shmagu]

On 1/11/2019 at 7:28 AM, Dmitche4 said:

We did that pulling our popup.  The tow vehicle would only hold four so we each took some kids and then switch the kids in the vehicles partway through.

David

got it! Thank you.

[Shmagu]

36 minutes ago, rm.w/aview said:

What a heartwarming idea  The memories will last a lifetime.

that is the plan 😊

[Shmagu]

1 hour ago, SWharton said:

Popups are not known for their spaciousness, functionality is the keyword. If you go ahead with this start collecting recipes for one-pot meals with a minimum number of items in the recipe.

Thankfully that is how I cook now...however, I am sure I will have a learning curve doing it in a Pop-up!

[Dmitche4]

We used a coleman three burner stove for the cooking as well as the gas grill.  Everything was setup in a screen house.  We had an awning on the side of our popup. If we has the space it enabled to set up to go from one to the other without getting too wet.  We also tried to set up near the"facilities" so the kids would have a walk (but not to long).  To this day my daughter talks about how a wonderful time she had camping with us.  We as parents were baffled because at the time it didn't seem like she was enjoying it at all.

David

[Shmagu]

Yes, you never realize what the kids really enjoy until some time later! 

Thanks for the tip about setting up near facilities! 

S~

[sandsys]

4 hours ago, SWharton said:

Popups are not known for their spaciousness, functionality is the keyword. If you go ahead with this start collecting recipes for one-pot meals with a minimum number of items in the recipe.

When we had our popup we learned that a heavy duty extension cord could plug into any electrical campsite so we could use our crockpot. Using what I call dump meats makes meal prep easy. Be sure to put a liner into the crock pot before cooking to make clean up easy. Start the meal in the morning, go off hiking or whatever, come back to a delicious meal.

Dump Meats, About 3 lbs meat:

Beef roast, sprinkle on one packet dried onion soup mix, top with one can cream of mushroom soup. Cook, remove meat, stir remaining ingredients to make gravy.

Skinless boneless chicken, one jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil, one can drained artichoke hearts. Cook, serve.

Pork roast with pre-sliced apples and cinnamon (sweet potatoes?) Cook, serve.

Chicken, canned tomatoes, black olives, mushrooms Cook, serve.

Beef back ribs, applesauce, coconut aminos (or soy sauce). Cook, shred, serve

Boneless beef roast, 1 1/2 cups beef broth, 1 Tbsp dried thyme. Cook, shred, stir back into juices

Boneless pork shoulder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 Tbsp chili powder, juice of 2 limes, 1 Tbsp olive oil. Cook, shred, serve

Enjoy!

Linda Sand

[Shmagu]

wow!, perhaps I will start trying these recipes now:) I do have a 20qt. roaster oven that I use all the time! Can cook a turkey or ham too.

Thanks!

 

[Kirk W]

3 hours ago, Dmitche4 said:

We used a coleman three burner stove for the cooking as well as the gas grill.  Everything was setup in a screen house.  We had an awning on the side of our popup. If we has the space it enabled to set up to go from one to the other without getting too wet. 

We only had 3 sons and no girls, so can't address that issue but I do know that our sons are not turning 50 and when together they often talk of our trips with the popup as some of their best memories. The boys & I did most of the outdoor cooking with was the majority of meals. I have always preferred to cook outdoors and used the time to teach our sons. Doing this gave Pam a break too. We did a lot of our cooking over a campfire or charcoal as long as weather was good. 

[Shmagu]

That is very encouraging and a testament to spending time with our kiddos!

Thanks for sharing!

[Shmagu]

UPDATE:

So, since I have received such amazing advice from this group thus far I think I have concluded that we will have to up our $$$ to get either another car or just go for a Class C and spend a little more than we wanted.

I have been calculating the weight of just our basic needs & equipment we have to bring (my hubby does podcasting so equipment is needed) and the weight of just us passengers which is approx.900lbs + .

I am still feeling overwhelmed at figuring out the right vehicle but am excited about all the wonderful memories that I hope we will create as a family. Reading everyone's posts about how their children have fond memories of those times has calmed my mind about that aspect of this journey. 

Thank you, everyone, for your guidance, advice, recipes and taking the time to respond.

Blessings!

S~

[NDBirdman]

Late to the party.. LOL

Have you thought about 2 dome tents?  Somewhat inexpensive, easy to use.  We only had 2 kids but we used one for many years and loved it.  We used a 2 burner coleman stove back then, still have it and use it alot outside even though we are in a 5th wheel now.  We eventually moved up to a pop-up camper, pulled it with a Bronco II for years, would not have gone much bigger (camper)!  We spent 4 years camping Europe in a dome tent out of a 318 BMW, you want to talk about tight... LOL, but we got it done and had a blast.  My kids, some 25 years later now talk warmly about those days, especially the day dad forgot to stake down the tent, we went for a walk and our tent passes us rolling along with the wind (Italy).  Just a thought, don't have to have a big camper to have a blast camping.  Enjoy your kids while you can, they grow fast.  Good luck!

[Kirk W]

12 hours ago, Shmagu said:

I am still feeling overwhelmed at figuring out the right vehicle but am excited about all the wonderful memories that I hope we will create as a family.

If you have not done so, consider visiting a large RV show in your area and spend the day just looking at the different types and sizes of RV available. I would suggest that you pay particular attention to the popup and hybrid trailers since they are lite in weight and much less expensive than others. When you look at class C motorhomes do not overlook the class A ones and be sure to compare the prices between the two as you may be surprised how little difference it costs to move up to an A. 

[Shmagu]

Thanks Kirk!

Good suggestion. Are the RV shows usually better in pricing than a dealership? 

Thanks again,

S~

 

[Shmagu]

14 hours ago, NDBirdman said:

Late to the party.. LOL

Have you thought about 2 dome tents?  Somewhat inexpensive, easy to use.  We only had 2 kids but we used one for many years and loved it.  We used a 2 burner coleman stove back then, still have it and use it alot outside even though we are in a 5th wheel now.  We eventually moved up to a pop-up camper, pulled it with a Bronco II for years, would not have gone much bigger (camper)!  We spent 4 years camping Europe in a dome tent out of a 318 BMW, you want to talk about tight... LOL, but we got it done and had a blast.  My kids, some 25 years later now talk warmly about those days, especially the day dad forgot to stake down the tent, we went for a walk and our tent passes us rolling along with the wind (Italy).  Just a thought, don't have to have a big camper to have a blast camping.  Enjoy your kids while you can, they grow fast.  Good luck!

Have not thought about tents for the simple reason that my hubby has a c-pap and podcasting equipment that he would need to have set up. 

The rolling tent story is great! What a great memory:) thank you for sharing.

[Kirk W]

7 hours ago, Shmagu said:

Are the RV shows usually better in pricing than a dealership? 

The dealers all claim that show prices are better and there may be some truth to that, but not a lot. If you are shopping for used, you will only see new RVs at the shows but it is still a good way to learn what is available. If you do see something that you like, I usually take pictures of the rig and of the brochure for it in groups to tie them together as a large show will have so many as to make it difficult to remember what you saw in which RV.

[NDBirdman]

7 hours ago, Shmagu said:

Have not thought about tents for the simple reason that my hubby has a c-pap and podcasting equipment that he would need to have set up.

Wife and I are both on CPAPs.  We carry a small honda inverter/generator to run at night, works great.  Could probably run during the day for his pod-cast if needed.  Even if you get a pop-up, having a small generator opens up a lot of areas if you don't want to be in a crowded campground.  We camp on the side of a lake, very nice area, we are always alone and catching a lot of fish.  Just an idea.  Another idea, helps with only taking one vehicle.  You can only put so much in a folded up pop-up and the back of your car.  We use to use a roof-top Cargo carrier.  You can pack a ton in those things.

As for buying a pop-up, there are quite a few pop up (hehehe) on craig's list.  Dealers are there to make money and will generally not give you the best price out the door on a used one.  New.... pay the piper, he's gonna play hard right into your wallet.  There's a reason they are nicknamed *stealership*.

[kb0zke]

X2 on visiting dealers and shows. Go into everything on the lot, no matter the price or condition. At this point you are just getting a feel for what arrangements will work for you. Once you find the plans that fit your lifestyle you can start looking at brands. Join the owners forum for any brand that you are seriously considering. You can ask specific questions about specific models and get good answers. Also, you can find out what dealers specialize in the brand you are looking at.

When the time comes to buy something check https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/

They are a (mostly) consignment place, but they more a lot of rigs. The prices asked are likely to be the least you can expect to pay. Then go to https://www.rvtrader.com/

This will give you a high-side price. You will probably pay somewhere between the two. Since you don't have a trade-in, you can look at private party sellers, too. Those will be on RV Trader, too. Buying from a dealer may cost you a bit more than from a private party, but the dealer is also selling you his reputation. Both a private party and a dealer will happily sell you something that is totally unsuited to your needs if you let them. YOU are the one who is making the decision, and you are the one who is shelling out the money, so make sure that what you get is what you think you need. Remember, though, many people go through two, three, or more coaches in a fairly short period of time before they get the right one. It isn't because they were taken by a fast-talking sales person but because they didn't really know what the needed. That's why a lot of people buy a used RV first. They know that they can sell it for pretty much what they paid for it in a few months, and they can learn more about what they actually need.

We're a good example of that. When we bought our Foretravel in 2013 we had a certain plan in mind for our full-time journey, and the Foretravel was the best choice. Nearly six years later, though, it is plain that something else would suit us better, so we're wanting to sell the Foretravel. Nothing wrong with it, and we like it, but it just isn't the best choice for us at this time.

[sandsys]

If you go to an RV show, make the first photo of each rig one of the rig's name on the outside of it or the front of the brochure so you know which photos go to which rigs. We learned that lesson the hard way. We had lots of pictures of things we liked or didn't like but no way to remember which items went with which brands. I do remember a dealer laughing when I took a photo of Dave sitting on a closed toilet to show how little leg room there was for my tall man.

Linda Sand

[Shmagu]

12 hours ago, sandsys said:

If you go to an RV show, make the first photo of each rig one of the rig's name on the outside of it or the front of the brochure so you know which photos go to which rigs. We learned that lesson the hard way. We had lots of pictures of things we liked or didn't like but no way to remember which items went with which brands. I do remember a dealer laughing when I took a photo of Dave sitting on a closed toilet to show how little leg room there was for my tall man.

Linda Sand

Good advice & that is a funny story! THX!

[Shmagu]

15 hours ago, NDBirdman said:

Wife and I are both on CPAPs.  We carry a small honda inverter/generator to run at night, works great.  Could probably run during the day for his pod-cast if needed.  Even if you get a pop-up, having a small generator opens up a lot of areas if you don't want to be in a crowded campground.  We camp on the side of a lake, very nice area, we are always alone and catching a lot of fish.  Just an idea.  Another idea, helps with only taking one vehicle.  You can only put so much in a folded up pop-up and the back of your car.  We use to use a roof-top Cargo carrier.  You can pack a ton in those things.

As for buying a pop-up, there are quite a few pop up (hehehe) on craig's list.  Dealers are there to make money and will generally not give you the best price out the door on a used one.  New.... pay the piper, he's gonna play hard right into your wallet.  There's a reason they are nicknamed *stealership*.

Thanks for the great info! Our problem with the pop up is weight distribution & being too heavy with the total weight of our family being just under 1000lbs. and that is with nothing else packed...and trust me the way my kids grow we will be over that 1000lbs. sooner than we'd like:) 

I will look into the roof-top carriers as well...just another thing to add to my growing list. Thankful for all the advice and ideas though, better to know now than when you are ready to set sail (so to speak).

[Shmagu]

13 hours ago, kb0zke said:

X2 on visiting dealers and shows. Go into everything on the lot, no matter the price or condition. At this point you are just getting a feel for what arrangements will work for you. Once you find the plans that fit your lifestyle you can start looking at brands. Join the owners forum for any brand that you are seriously considering. You can ask specific questions about specific models and get good answers. Also, you can find out what dealers specialize in the brand you are looking at.

When the time comes to buy something check https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/

They are a (mostly) consignment place, but they more a lot of rigs. The prices asked are likely to be the least you can expect to pay. Then go to https://www.rvtrader.com/

This will give you a high-side price. You will probably pay somewhere between the two. Since you don't have a trade-in, you can look at private party sellers, too. Those will be on RV Trader, too. Buying from a dealer may cost you a bit more than from a private party, but the dealer is also selling you his reputation. Both a private party and a dealer will happily sell you something that is totally unsuited to your needs if you let them. YOU are the one who is making the decision, and you are the one who is shelling out the money, so make sure that what you get is what you think you need. Remember, though, many people go through two, three, or more coaches in a fairly short period of time before they get the right one. It isn't because they were taken by a fast-talking sales person but because they didn't really know what the needed. That's why a lot of people buy a used RV first. They know that they can sell it for pretty much what they paid for it in a few months, and they can learn more about what they actually need.

We're a good example of that. When we bought our Foretravel in 2013 we had a certain plan in mind for our full-time journey, and the Foretravel was the best choice. Nearly six years later, though, it is plain that something else would suit us better, so we're wanting to sell the Foretravel. Nothing wrong with it, and we like it, but it just isn't the best choice for us at this time.

Great info! Thank you for sharing!!!

 

[Solo18]

You will also have the same problem with weight in a C.  I have 1,300 pounds of cargo carrying capacity, and that includes people, belongings, and water and any sewage.  Luckily, I travel alone, so I am just at my maximum, and maybe just a bit over. 

Also, even though you are increasing your budget, don't go too cheap or old on a C.  They can be huge money pits--even a set of 7 new tires can cost $2,000 and you will probably need a new set with an older C.

Everyone suggested a popup or small lightweight trailer because you can get newer and in better condition for the price.

You might not like this idea, but I worked a second job for quite a few years to bump up my retirement funds, and that, plus working online part-time is what enable me to afford my lifestyle.  Get a second job for a few months and put ALL of your paychecks into a special travel fund.  It will make a difference.

[Shmagu]

On 1/19/2019 at 11:50 PM, Solo18 said:

You will also have the same problem with weight in a C.  I have 1,300 pounds of cargo carrying capacity, and that includes people, belongings, and water and any sewage.  Luckily, I travel alone, so I am just at my maximum, and maybe just a bit over. 

Also, even though you are increasing your budget, don't go too cheap or old on a C.  They can be huge money pits--even a set of 7 new tires can cost $2,000 and you will probably need a new set with an older C.

Everyone suggested a popup or small lightweight trailer because you can get newer and in better condition for the price.

You might not like this idea, but I worked a second job for quite a few years to bump up my retirement funds, and that, plus working online part-time is what enable me to afford my lifestyle.  Get a second job for a few months and put ALL of your paychecks into a special travel fund.  It will make a difference.

Very good suggestions! Glad there is a great group to receive such wisdom from...