Thinking about getting a camper

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Snydershrugged said:
there is sure a lot more to consider than I ever imagined. The search for the right one will take a lot longer than I anticipated!
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The longer it takes, the better of a job you're doing :)

I'm an impulse shopper - worse, I only handle the big item shopping for my household. I'm speaking from unfortunate experience :(
 
We had put this on hold for many months while I sorted out my employment situation. After an Easter camping weekend drenched from non-stop (that is no exaggeration btw) downpour (It rained from the point we left my driveway until about 11:00 PM Saturday night) my wife decided that it was time to re-open our camper hunt.

We think we've landed on one that has most of the features we wanted and in our price range. I like that it has the small toy hauler with ramps in the front, though I dont have toys to haul on it! lol. It's just a pop-up but we did an honest assessment and realized that we dont need an apartment's worth of amenities for camping. Thats not to say there arent a lot ofcool features on this one, but its not as fancy as some of the big trailers. I also wanted to start with something smaller to see how much we would really use it and how owning one in general would be. If we love it, then can upgrade after we are more experienced in the camper thing.

fleetwood-evolution-camping-trailer.jpg


evolution-camping-trailer-interior.jpg
 
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Looks pretty cool to me! Let us know if you pull the trigger and how you like it :)
 
Snydershrugged said:
I also wanted to start with something smaller to see how much we would really use it
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That's a smart idea. It would be a shame to make that kind of investment for it to sit in the corner of the living room holding laundry with the exercise bike :laugh:
 
I have friends who have a top of the line 32 footer. This thing is crazy nice. They parked it at a campsite near OC, MD for a few years, but there were so many restrictions in that place they moved it and it has sat in a storage lot for 2 years now because they owe more than it's worth and just keep making payments. Instead of taking the loss when they first decided to move it out of that lot, they have paid on it for 2 years...more than they would have lost.

Some people just can't see big picture.

Starting small is a good thing Ss...you will be able to sell that to someone looking to do the exact same when you're ready to upgrade in a couple years. . My friends started out with the Taj Mahal and have lost their ass on it!
 
hey SS,

I have been studying campers for the last couple years, and I hope to buy 1 this year. I also want to use it for family camping trips, only difference being is we ride mountain bikes and dirt bikes, so I'm leaning towards a toy hauler.

My buddy has a 2006 Evolution E2, and I've been camping in it about 5 times. They are very cool campers, that are easy to tow and go anywhere. The only cons are that they are a bit more work to set up and break down, and they don't have a real bathroom. The shower does work, but it's kind of a pain to use. They had problems with the roofs leaking starting in 2008, so if you buy a used 1 ask if the roof has been repaired. The deck on the front is awesome for carrying bikes, generators, fuel, coolers, ect.

Good luck with your search man. I think rvtrader.com is the best place to see what's out there and how much it costs.
 
GSF said:
hey SS,

I have been studying campers for the last couple years, and I hope to buy 1 this year. I also want to use it for family camping trips, only difference being is we ride mountain bikes and dirt bikes, so I'm leaning towards a toy hauler.

My buddy has a 2006 Evolution E2, and I've been camping in it about 5 times. They are very cool campers, that are easy to tow and go anywhere. The only cons are that they are a bit more work to set up and break down, and they don't have a real bathroom. The shower does work, but it's kind of a pain to use. They had problems with the roofs leaking starting in 2008, so if you buy a used 1 ask if the roof has been repaired. The deck on the front is awesome for carrying bikes, generators, fuel, coolers, ect.

Good luck with your search man. I think rvtrader.com is the best place to see what's out there and how much it costs.
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That's the exact take we have on the E3 too! You are right about the roof problems. It seems the rooftop air units leak and cause bubbling. One we are looking at has that but the dealer is replacing the whole roof completely for us if we go with it.

We really won't use the bathroom features unless we go off road and not in a campground so the shower and toilet set up won't be an issue. For lifelong tent campers, the e3 will be a good first unit to own we think.
 
Snydershrugged said:
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Does it come in Burgundy and Gold???

My wife and I will be looking into one of these in a year or so, so if you get it I'd like to know what you think of it. We have been tent campers, but with our little girl coming this year we think that having a camper will be easier to camp with having a little one. Plus it will give us room in our suv to actually put the girl in, since we would be able to haul stuff in the pop up. Good luck with your decision
 
SC_RedskinsFan said:
Does it come in Burgundy and Gold???

My wife and I will be looking into one of these in a year or so, so if you get it I'd like to know what you think of it. We have been tent campers, but with our little girl coming this year we think that having a camper will be easier to camp with having a little one. Plus it will give us room in our suv to actually put the girl in, since we would be able to haul stuff in the pop up. Good luck with your decision
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LOL, you know if we end up with the yellow(Gold) one, that I will get Burgundy accessories at every turn!

We've pretty much narrowed it down to 2 different E3's (like the ones I posted) now. One from a dealer and one from a private seller. It's exciting to know we will pull the trigger soon! Tonight we will go look at the private seller one and make our choice.

The cargo/Toy Hauler deck was a huge selling point for me. That will allow lots of cargo and really free my pick up for the luggage, fishing gear and and firewood type of stuff. We also will probably add some mods like roof rack rails for hauling our canoe and a kayak.
 
Snydershrugged said:
That's the exact take we have on the E3 too! You are right about the roof problems. It seems the rooftop air units leak and cause bubbling. One we are looking at has that but the dealer is replacing the whole roof completely for us if we go with it.

We really won't use the bathroom features unless we go off road and not in a campground so the shower and toilet set up won't be an issue. For lifelong tent campers, the e3 will be a good first unit to own we think.
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Yeah if you're mostly going to campgrounds then you won't need the bathroom in the camper. The bathroom is usable if you go off road, it's just a little bit of a pain. They are very cool campers though. You guys will love it.
 
GSF said:
Yeah if you're mostly going to campgrounds then you won't need the bathroom in the camper. The bathroom is usable if you go off road, it's just a little bit of a pain. They are very cool campers though. You guys will love it.
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We'll probably be 50/50 with campgrounds and rustic sites. I've got some hunting spots that this will be nice for.
 
I'm pretty sure we're going to get one of these when we have kids that are old enough to go camping on a regular basis. That thing looks awesome SS, and I love the area for bikes.

I love camping but I think if we got something like that we'll go much more often.

Have you looked into other models? If so, I'm curious your thoughts. The reviews for this one mentioned the roof problem. I also saw some reviews that it just didn't hold up well with a lot on use - things needed to be tightened and regularly checked on, but I also read that was on the earlier models and they're now much more more durable (seems like a reasonable problem to have with an early model for something like this).
 
The reason I'm interested, by the ways, is because the interior pic you posted of that one looks light years better (and more modern) than most of the ones I've been looking at.
 
tshile said:
The reason I'm interested, by the ways, is because the interior pic you posted of that one looks light years better (and more modern) than most of the ones I've been looking at.
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In what we've seen so far, the overall build is very solid for the 2008's and newer models. The roof issue is very common for all of the 08's and 07's and was from the roof top air conditioner. It feels a little more Durable and functional in the interior I think, because it is just plain, solid fabrics and no "frills". The Darker fabric also seems like it wears better.

On any one we get, we are looking for a rebuild roof both inside and out. Some we are looking at have also had the outside roof covered with spray on bed liner material for more protection too. saw one yesterday actually)

There are other models we are looking at too, but we do keep coming back to the E3 often. The set up for where there are no facilities is very appealing to us too. We only do campgrounds so much and like to get further out and more remote than a campground offers most of the time.


On the topic of not holding up to constant use, I heard that too and have since learned that its pretty much the same as all pop-ups in that regard. The canvas wears and is easily ripped, especially when its open and closed often. That and a lot of road travel will vibrate and loosen stuff up that has to b re-tightened once in a while. I see it like my old lawn equipment. Its a bit older and looser so I tighten everything down after each use just due to its age.
 
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Dang, lost the E3. Took too long to decide and someone jumped on it. Oh well, back to the hunt again
 
AussieSkin...paging AussieSkin.
 
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