OT: Camping with Family

Mayberry

This has nothing to do with Egging, other than the strong likelihood I'll purchase a 2nd, smaller Egg for travelling.  I am married, 3 kids: 6,3 and 1 yr old.  We love having them, and have a lot of fun.  However, we often find ourselves not going places on the weekends because it's difficult with 3 small kids.   We also realize this is temporary.  Lately, we've been discussing the possibility of getting a small pull behind camper/rv, like a nice pop up, where we can store it in our garage or basement, and take spontaneous trips to the mountains for short camping trips.   It seems like a good way to take short vacations with kids, let them have fun and not spend thousands of dollars everytime we leave home for a few nights.   We're a few hours from north GA, North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains.   So, we have plenty to do fairly close.   Plus, I love fly fishing for trout.  So, it would give me an avenue to take the camper occasionally, stay overnight and be beside a stream in the morning.  
I'm asking here because the guys on this board seem to be very like-minded and have a lot of the same interests.   Anyone who has camped like this with families, is it reasonable, or fun, to camp in a roomy pop up with 3 small kids?   Are there any secluded places to camp in state and national parks?  I would love to pull into a spot in the Smokies and not feel like I'm in a makeshift trailer park.   Not trying to be uppity, but I've never looked at the stereotypical RV campground as very appealing.   There seem to be some fairly remote, nice places to camp with smaller pull behinds, though, like Cloudland Canyon and Vogel State Park locally.  This seems like a way for us to get away, let our kids play and run, enjoy ourselves (and our children) and not spend a ton of money doing so.   It also allows me the opportunity to teach my kids about the outdoors, introduce them to camping and start building an appreciation for nature.  So, there are a lot of positives.   3 worn out kids in a small trailer can turn into a negative, though :-).  Just looking for advice, support, recommendations, other things to think about.

This is the type camper I'm considering:  http://youtu.be/_T7KSH4DDl0 .  A neighbor has one just like this and loves it.  They go with their 2 kids all the time.  It has heating/air, an internal shower, external wash-off shower, toilet, 2 king beds and a full bed pull out.    And it stores in their basement garage.   So, it's always ready to go.  Sorry for the book....and thanks for any input you can provide.  

SmokeyPitt

Just to throw out a suggestion- before you spend the money you could try just taking the family camping to see how it works out.  

I think this is a cool thing in GA: 

http://gastateparks.org/FirstTimeCamper

They provide all the gear so you don't have to go buy everything. 

Another cool thing you could try is a Yurt.  They have them at Cloudland canyon:
http://gastateparks.org/yurts

One thing I will say about those- they were neat but we went when it was really hot and there was a bees nest under our Yurt so it was kind of a disaster but I would try it again. 

I did both of these things and determined that I like camping, but it is not for my wife and kids.  I now just go on guys trips to camp and I tent or hammock camp.  

There are some beautiful areas to camp but definitely some campgrounds are better than others.  The RV hook up sites are not always that secluded.  For me personally, I prefer tent only camp sites so I don't hear generators running all night.  

The RV site at Cloudland Canyon was pretty nice though.  I stayed there in tents and it was quiet and our spot was really nice.  It was surrounded by woods so I walked back into the woods a bit to set up my hammock and it was nice and peaceful. 

Legume

I can't speak to using a camper, but we have three kids and did lots of drive-in tent camping when they were young, not quite as young as your youngest.  It was a blast and they adapt very quickly, you just need to be fine with them accumulating a nice layer of dirt on them.  

If you or wife need to keep them clean and shiny all the time, then camping will be stressful.  If you're ok with them eating with dirty hands and eating something they dropped and picked back up, then everyone will have fun.  We eventually had a groups of four families with kids similar in age we camped with regularly - the kids looked after each other and entertained each other and the adults all shared in parenting the mob.  Some of our best family vacation memories were a 90 minute drive away at a simple state park campsite.

fishlessman

maine has rustic sites all over the place no reservations, nh ive found rustic spots on old logging trails lake front. i grew up camping out of a tent trailer. best thing dad ever bought. ranger check points in maine have lots of info, maybe theres something similar down your way, up here they can point you to an area for a trailer, point out really remote areas where you need a boat etc

SmokeyPitt

fishlessman said:

maine has rustic sites all over the place no reservations, nh ive found rustic spots on old logging trails lake front. i grew up camping out of a tent trailer. best thing dad ever bought. ranger check points in maine have lots of info, maybe theres something similar down your way, up here they can point you to an area for a trailer, point out really remote areas where you need a boat etc

That is a great point @fishlessman.  With the pull behind tent trailers you can go places that a typical RV cannot.  

This is one I have bookmarked I am going to go tent camping.  

http://www.atlantatrails.com/camping/camping-along-noontoola-creek-chattahoochee-national-forest-at-three-forks/

Although I can't tell if you could use a pop-up here or if you have to walk into the sites. 

onedbguru

I haven't been camping since I got married years ago. My wife has said that if we were meant to go camping there wouldn't be Hampton Inn with their feather-top king size beds.

Eggscuses

In Ct we have to reserve state camping through www.reserveamerica.com . They have the campground site maps. Can usually find something semi secluded from that.

epcotisbest

Our favorite spot to camp is Moccasin Creek State Park up on Lake Burton. It is small, but does not really feel crowded and the location is wonderful. We have been going there for years, mostly in tents and popups. There will be everything there from pup tents to giant motorhomes and everything in between, but there are only about 50 or so campsites. You can't reserve a specific spot, but do need to reserve in advance as weekends often fill up. You just have to take whatever is available when you get there. A few spots are not ideal, being near a road (highway 197) but most are OK. We have even scored the very best, closest to the lake spot a couple of times, but not often.
Only a few spots with views of the lake, but all are close and there is a playground lakeside for the kids, and an area set aside for fishing only for kids and elderly.
Again, it is our favorite, but there is also a new state park on Lanier, Don Carter State Park, that is also nice, and easier to get on the weekends than Moccasin Creek.
Others up here include Tallulah Gorge State Park and Tugaloo State Park. Can you tell we like state parks?
And with kids, you really should consider Disney's Fort Wilderness sometime, the nicest, biggest, most fun, and yes, most expensive campground we have ever been to.

AintEZbeingme

Been RVing for a dozen years. Love it. Just the better half along with 3 dogs. Most of our trips are weekenders, so we dont go to far from the home base. Usually our main trip is in the summer and we venture a little further. You mentioned you are in N.Ga. Dillard, Ga has a fantastic campground(RiverVista) and is very kid friendly, plus great sites are close by to drive. Hope you get to enjoy the experience.

epcotisbest

AintEZbeingme said:

Been RVing for a dozen years. Love it. Just the better half along with 3 dogs. Most of our trips are weekenders, so we dont go to far from the home base. Usually our main trip is in the summer and we venture a little further. You mentioned you are in N.Ga. Dillard, Ga has a fantastic campground(RiverVista) and is very kid friendly, plus great sites are close by to drive. Hope you get to enjoy the experience.

Yes, we have been to River Vista as well. It is a bit big for our tastes and the spots seem a little close together, but it is nice and has good facilities and is a close drive to Sky Valley and to Highlands, N.C. where there are some wonderfully scenic waterfalls.

Focker

Looks like a solid pup, plenty of nice options.  I purchased a 2008 Jayco Select 14' Highwall for $5000 a few years ago for many of the reasons you mentioned.  With the youngsters, please be careful around water.  Now that the kiddos are a little older, I don't have to watch them like a hawk, and have yet to camp on the river side of Loud Thunder here in Andalusia, IL.  Another beautiful place in the pines is Johnson-Sauk in Kewaneee, IL.  Perfect for pups, electric and water only.  My buddies with the 5ers are left out, but its nice to have options wherever you go.  I love being mobile.  Cabin Fever in Victoria, IL is beautiful.  My brother pulls his bass boat, Snake Den Hollow Lake is serene.  

KOA campgrounds are a little pricey, but usually a safe bet when on the road.  I started camping with my Aunt and Uncle at a KOA permanent site.  

You're jumping in for all the right reasons my friend.  Creating memories, giving them appreciation of the outdoors.  My son and nephews absolutely love it.  This year, I am planning an annual trip to the Wisconsin Dells.  My "boys" would love that much more than a trip to Disney quite honestly.  

Backing in, leveling, and setup is about 45 minutes.  I don't mind this at all, but some I'm sure, would whine.  And just make sure to tear down dry.  If wet, open it back up in a couple days when it's dry to air out.  Have a cabinet full of cards, board games, jenga for the rainy days.   Adults and kids both have a blast with our Flashflight Frisbee....
 http://www.amazon.com/Nite-Ize-Flashflight-Flying-Disc-O/dp/B001ANZOPC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457108751&sr=8-1&keywords=nite-ize+frisbee

Dog days in July, we are out doing things, even a trip into town to check things out, and keep the AC turned off.  With a large floorplan, the AC cannot keep up.  I also level with the slightest lean so the AC condensation drips off the back.  Have fired up the heater a couple of times, but a nice electric blanket is good for us on the brisk fall mornings.  

Mine also has a shower, bathroom.  For weekend trips I don't bother setting it up and use the facilities at the campground.  Any longer, and I will set it up.  I really don't use the sink inside much either.  The ringer cleans up the CI without soap outside, and Chinet and plastic utensils come in handy. 

Being a big guy, the open layout, and interior height were taken into consideration as well.  I can sleep 4 adults, and kids, no problem.  Been in some rigs where I feel like a bull in a china shop, ducking around.  Not fun drilling your head on the top of an entry.

One last thing.  Please respect the road and have more than adequate towing vehicle/capacity for your load.  See so many jackwads pulling loads way beyond the vehicle's limits.  At 8000lbs total weight, my Silverado does fine here in the flat midwest.  I know "Old Blue" would struggle in the Apppalachians.  A different animal towing in the mountains, where a manual would be preferred.  I put a tranny cooler on anyways, my trailer has hydraulic brakes.  

We take the small egg about half the time.  
Best 5 grand I've spent.  HTH

epcotisbest

We have an a-frame popup. It is very easy to pull and once parked at the site and leveled, it takes all of 30 seconds to open. It is easy to pull and works well for just us two, though I am thinking I might sell it this spring and buy a similar canvas sided pop up as mentioned in this thread again. Had one before and the room inside is just amazing. Here is our campsite at Moccasin Creek last summer.

YukonRon

Camping, hiking and summiting has been a passion for My Beautiful Wife and I since the day we met. Our children, now older, are finally showing signs of understanding of what the outdoors and nature is all about.
My opinion, for what it is worth, is get the tribe outside early and often. If you can handle 3 very young children, and protect them, go for it.
My only experience with crank up roofs on tent RVs was wonderful. Albeit when I was rather young, and as a guest of a family, that owned one.
It had the basics, an ice chest, a sink, counters, closet, table, seating and sleeping for 8.
They are much nicer theses days, and extremely much more comfortable.
One thing I would do if you get a pop up camper, is check the cables that raise and lower the roof. Many cables have failed and the roof collapses. Many folks use a couple of pieces of cut lumber specific to the height of the roof, and place them next to the columns that raise and support the roof, as a precautionary measure.
Also remember to chock and level. Depending on the size of the leveling jacks, may limit your choices for a camp sight.
My Beautiful Wife and I are tent folk, and backpackers. We have our sights set on an RV when we retire. Current thinking is 5th wheel, but that is extremely likely to change.

Acn

Our daughter is 8 and we have been getting her into tent camping and hiking gradually over the past few years.  What has been really helpful is giving her specific tasks and goals.  She gets to scramble eggs for breakfast on the camp stove.  If we're camping at a National Park, we'll try and earn the Junior Ranger badge there.  This year we're doing a lot more hiking and letting her log the trips and and keeping an eye on the goal of earning a sticker for the AT Hike 100.  

Focker

Acn said:

Our daughter is 8 and we have been getting her into tent camping and hiking gradually over the past few years.  What has been really helpful is giving her specific tasks and goals.  She gets to scramble eggs for breakfast on the camp stove.  If we're camping at a National Park, we'll try and earn the Junior Ranger badge there.  This year we're doing a lot more hiking and letting her log the trips and and keeping an eye on the goal of earning a sticker for the AT Hike 100.  

Good stuff.  Will be taking my boy out shed hunting, and tree trimming, scouting in the fall.  

Elijah

http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/oconee/introduction.aspx

A nice state park near some good trout fishing. 

Mayberry

Thank you all for the information.   One more reason why I love being a member here....like I said, like minded folks.   I may start looking around RV sales lots this weekend.    Really excited at trying this with the family.   Is it possible to rent one for the weekend to try it out?    That might let us know what we will value and what our must haves are before we start looking to buy. 

ChuckR

The campgrounds in the Great Smoky Mountain national park are very nice. They clean the bathrooms daily but they do get a little funky. The bad part is they do not have showers. However depending on which campground you are at there are nice riverside sights. In my humble opinion ELEMENT is my favorite. Tons of riverside sites, and beautiful. Cades cove is another great one for seeing wildlife. I like those a lot better than the state parks in GA. Element particularly has very large spots. It is one of my favorite places and in a few years I plan on buying a popup for the same reasons. Send me a private message if you want any more info. 

ChuckR

Sorry my post autocorrected and I did not catch it. ELKMONT is my favorite campground in the smokeys. 

poster

Spontaneous like you mentioned is good. That way you can work around the weather. Cooped up on a rainy wknd can ruin a lot of fun. Some people such as myself would rather camp in the rain then be stuck at home in the rain, but usually its not the same for kids

Eggzellent

Mayberry said:

Is it possible to rent one for the weekend to try it out?    That might let us know what we will value and what our must haves are before we start looking to buy. 

Look around enough locally and especially along the way in the direction that you might possibly be heading (no difference) and you'll find somebody who rents exactly what you need or close enough. You just gave yourself the best advice so far as many of us will not admit how much we've spent over the years 'upgrading' when we could've either rented or even air-mattress-tented-it with a room/shower in-between (state campgrounds all over solve the shower issue for next to nothing whether you stay there or not).
A good (or great) buy is one thing. Anything else becomes an investment in time (maintenance/time to even go) just as much as money along with a constant need to get your money out of it as your kids lose interest. 

Mayberry

ChuckR said:

Sorry my post autocorrected and I did not catch it. ELKMONT is my favorite campground in the smokeys. 

Thanks!   I was actually looking up "Element" before seeing your update and couldn't find it.  :-)   Elkmont looks exactly like what I want.   Thank you for sharing!   If I can get kids down for a nap and get in an hour or so of trout fishing, I'll be a happy man!   That place looks great:  clean, secluded, beautiful.   

C130

We love camping and currently have a 43 foot 5th wheel toy hauler. We had a 36 foot toy hauler before selling it and buying another one last summer.  We throw kayaks, bicycles, grill in the garage and head out. My son and I used to camp in a 16 foot enclosed trailer with an AC and electrical outlets. We'd go to motocross races and we had a blast. We also camped in tents before the first trailer. 

First, it's hard to know if you'll like it if you've never really camped. I've camped on and off all of my life and always liked it. I love having a nice RV and you can never have too much room. My sister in law and her husband had a pop up and really never used it a lot. They get very cramped with two adults and two kids and you have no privacy. They recently traded it to a bumper pull trailer and they love it and use it way more often. 

Educate yourself a lot before ever purchasing any type of RV. RV's have huge markups and many can be bought around 30%-38% below their listed MSRP. Most all of them have their issues so that's just a part of owning an RV. We love ours and are making some incredible memories together.  We are camping for 9 nights over spring break then we'll be gone for over three weeks in June traveling. Just remember, you can never have too much tow vehicle or too much room in an RV. 

jeffwit

Our RV is the best thing we have ever purchased. Best family time we have ever spent. I say do it. I might get in trouble for mentioning this but irv2.com is a great forum for all things RV, from pop-ups to motorhomes.

bgebrent

Mayberry says it all.  Best of luck brother!

Mayberry

Thanks, C130.   I agree that more room might be better, but I really want the spontaneous ability to leave work early on Friday, load up the trailer and leave at the drop of a hat.  I live in a neighborhood and we can't store campers or RV's.   It would have to be stored somewhere else, lowering my usage, I believe.   The pop up can be stored in garage or basement and can be used whenever with very little prep work.  I also like the feeling that it's more tent like and doesn't have solid walls all around.  It'll only be used for weekends, mostly...at least that's the plan.   I've heard that pop ups used to be cheaply made and way too small.   There seem to be a few today that have as much room as a hard walled pull behind.   I plan to at least compare them in person...I could be wrong.  

So, on average, brand new, if the msrp is around $21k, you think I could get one for 35% off list price?   That seems like a steep discount.  

C130

I totally understand the convenience and the ability to store the pop up type trailers. It's a major ordeal taking our trailer out and honestly  too much trouble for just a weekend. 

I'm not sure on the pricing of the pop ups but definitely find out before purchasing. There's a decent markup on all of them. It's great family time and I'd be happy camping in any trailer. They all beat a tent and I liked tent camping but it would be hard to go back to one now. 

Mayberry

One more question, maybe premature:    I've read that having a good RV dealer makes all the difference in the world.  Some are great, others are horrible.  Same can be said for most anything, I guess...but if warranty service, repair, etc is needed, I want someone who will take care of me.   For anyone in Georgia, who did you buy from and what was your experience?   

C130

Mayberry said:

One more question, maybe premature:    I've read that having a good RV dealer makes all the difference in the world.  Some are great, others are horrible.  Same can be said for most anything, I guess...but if warranty service, repair, etc is needed, I want someone who will take care of me.   For anyone in Georgia, who did you buy from and what was your experience?   

I'd join some manufacturer specific forums and you can get tons of information about area specific dealers. Warranty service is a major issue with RV's and there's typically a long wait to get it done. I bought out of state to save over $12,000 from my local dealer and knew warranty work might be an issue. I can hire a mobile RV tech and get the parts delivered for the money I saved for one years worth of factory warranty. But, that's just my opinion and understand other views regarding this issue. 

Focker

If buying used, do your homework, and make a checklist.  Bought mine from a military intel guy, we popped it up, went through everything to make sure it worked.  Took about two hours to get the list completed.  We found the toilet pump seized.  A quick call to my local dealer, quoted $300.  He knocked off $500.

30-38% below MSRP seems steep.  Best time to buy is in the fall, offseason.  Dealers will be more willing to negotiate on the last years models.  I would still pop it up there and go through EVERYTHING.  

My cousins pay a dollar a day to store their fifth wheel.  I keep my pup next to the house for free.  Use traps at the wheels, and a crapton of dryer sheets, keeps the mice away.  

Having a good dealer is critical.  Mine(Thomson RV), has built a great reputation through the years.  I know the shop foreman from a previous encounter, he takes great care of me.  Didn't charge for a new gasket and sealant on my storage compartment.  All the service guys at the desk are nice and honest.  If I upgrade, it will be done there.  But I love my camper so much I have no desire.  And I've been in a few $40,000 fifth wheels.  

C130

I bought my wheel 5th 38% below the MSRP, 30% is the absolute minimum I'd ever consider. I'm not sure on the pop ups but the MSRP is a joke on any RV. I keep mine in a fully enclosed storage unit and won't ever keep it outside. I wouldn't buy one kept outside either. I've bought a used toy hauler before but it was stored inside also. There's no comparison to the overall shape of one kept inside vs inside. I sold a toy hauler last summer in less than a week. The buyer had been out looking for several days and a lot on the used market is junk. But, I know have spent a  lot on storage fees also so while I get more for my trailers I've spent more also. I can't store it outside, too much money to just leave out in the weather and heat. 

As Focker stated, be real careful with a used unit. My sister in law traded in their Jayco pop up a few months ago after about three years of one issue after another. It looked great cosmetically but it was a total piece of junk and they did not take care if it at all. They kept it inside but their kids were very rough on it. I feel bad for whoever bought that thing and it spent more time in the shop than anywhere else.