By Cheri Sicard
In the video above we join Joshua from RV Gear and Far for a discussion of things that you should know before buying a popup camper.
Joshua has owned two popup campers in his life (so far) and these are the things he says he wished he knew before buying his first one. Experience was the key, as he found that some features he thought were especially important turned out not to be, and other things he failed to consider turned out to be paramount!
#1 and #2: Skip the fridge and indoor plumbing
The first things Joshua thought he HAD to have were a fridge and running water in the camper. Joshua found that his family rarely uses these features, preferring instead to cook (and wash) outdoors. Without the sink and plumbing, you gain a lot of extra storage space in the popup camper.
To be sure, most popup campers will have sinks, but Joshua says you should not shy away from one that has it removed.
He also says that the small fridges that come with these campers are marginal at best and should be thought of more as a drink cooler. For weekend trips, Joshua and his family travel with an ice-filled cooler. For longer trips, he offers other suggestions in the video.
#3: Air conditioner
Another thing to be prepared for when buying a popup camper: How loud the A/C can be (LOUD!). You are essentially cooling a tent with little around it.
#4: Stoves
Again, Joshua says the stoves that normally come with popup campers are less than ideal— for instance, you can’t fit two skillets on them. Instead, Joshua’s family uses a Coleman camp stove to cook outside the camper.
#5: Alternative to the indoor sink
Instead of keeping the sink inside, Joshua uses a folding table made for cleaning fish and game. It comes with a built-in sink and extra prep table space. Be sure to watch the video to see how Joshua sets up the running water to this portable sink, and also what he does with the gray water.
##RVDT2374
Thank you, Cheri! 🙂 This is an informative video in a number of ways. This type of RV was entirely unfamiliar to me until you shared the video and summarized it. Thank you for the education! Safe travels, too! 🙂
Couldn’t disagree more with the pop up article. Our pop up had a stove,refrigerator, ac and a wet bath and we loved it.
Just pop right down to your local RV store and trade that “non bear proof” popup on a real hard wall trailer with all the gizmos you want.I owned a couple of “popups” and they popped right into someone else’s yard.