# Looks Like I May Get A Camper Update!! I Got It!!



## russlg (Jul 21, 2008)

For those that have tolerated my posts for the last month you know that I _really_ want a 21rs. You also know that I have stated that I am not in a good financial position to lay out $15-20k at the moment. Life has its ups and downs and we have our wants and needs. I want an Outback 21rs, I need to pay the mortgage!!! So, last week I went and put the _third car_ we have on craigslist to sell.
This is the ad:

http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/789940652.html

It is an older car that I anticipated selling to a college or high school kid. At the last minute I put "Will consider trades for a camper" in the ad. I was amazed at the response I got. Zero for buying the car and a couple for trades. The first one was a guy who had a 1989 36 foot







travel trailer to trade. I replied and asked to send a pic, this is what he sent:










I replied back and told him I was not interested, said my F150 would never tow that.

Then I got an e-mail from a guy that said he had a small camper to trade. I replied with my usual "send pics". I am intrigued with what he sent and am going to see it today. It is a 1998 Starcraft Meteorite pop up. Here are a few pics:




























So, if this guy wants my car, I will be the owner of an SOB pop up. Alot of reflective thought has gone into this and I was trying to go from a tent to an Outback. Kinda like going from a bicycle to a brand new Cadillac. My wife says this can tide us over until we can smartly purchase the Outback. She has been so cool throughout this. Calling me at work and telling me about Outbacks and SOB's she has seen on the internet. I think this will be the perfect stepping stone to my Outback.

So, If all goes the way I want it to, I will have a 'lil pop-up later today. I will keep you all posted and remember: Its not all about the camper, its all about camping!!! (Although its much nicer in an Outback!!)









Russ

If anyone has/had experiences with these I'd love to hear about it!!


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

I hope the deal works out for you. Camping in a pop-up beats no camping any day in my book









Mike


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## schrade (May 5, 2005)

Dont feel bad....I actually sold my outback 26RS and F250 when times got a bit tough, and am now in a palomino pop up. It really does feel good knowing I dont have a payment sitting in my driveway!

Pop up camping maybe takes an extra 90 minutes per trip more than the outback did to get ready, pop up, take down etc.

Congrats!!


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## Joonbee (Jan 18, 2008)

I agree 150%. It is definately all about the camping. You can camp and have fun within your means or you could set in an OUtback and worry yourself about "the means" and not have fun. Good thinking. DW sounds awesome, I have one just like her. That pop up is not tent and it has been given the blessing by the DW then you are on the path to enjoyable camping.

Hope to see you around the fire someday. DW sure does love NH and she would move there tomorrow if she could.

Good luck, Jim


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

The trailer looks in great shape.....good luck...I hope the deal goes thru.

Thor


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## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

I completely understand about having to make decisons based on cash in hand -- so the only thing i can jump in on and say is that you are in New Hampshire (a state that is known for its early and late winters) and a pop up, (take it from experience), is going to definitely be subjective to outside temperatures much moreso then a hardside ...

When we had our pop-up for that one short year many centuries ago - after my first time out I viewed it as nothing more then a tent on wheels and not as a "trailer"... yes it was fun -- and yes we did get to go out and camp -- but going from a pop-up to a Hardside is night and day ... especially when ti comes to staying warm or cool or dry inside...

just my .02


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

To add to what Ghosty said if it is from NH with the cold weather and short camping season there is a good chance that the trailer has light usage on it. It looks like its in great shape for an 11 year old pop up. As long as the mice didn't eat the canvas you should be fine. Repack the bearings and buy a set of new tires and go out and make some memories in it.

Good Luck

John


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

Hey - pop-up camping isn't all that bad! We had a pop-up for 9 years and towed it over 25,000 miles - through 32 states - from Maine to Idaho to New Mexico to Virginia. We visited the Tetons (twice), Yellowstone (twice), Mt. Rushmore area and Black Hills, Acadia NP, Adirondacks, Niagra Falls, Glacier NP, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Rocky Mt. NP, Pike's Peak area, Washington DC area, and a whole host of places in-between.

We traded for our Outback only because we're getting old enough that all that cranking up and down was beginning to wear on us. But sometimes, we wish we still had the old pop-up. We didn't need a 3/4-ton truck to haul it around, got much better gas mileage, and could drive further and faster than with our current 30' trailer.

You will enjoy that camper! It will fill the void for now and allow you to ease into a travel trailer when the time is right.

Good luck. It looks to be a nice one!

Mike


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## kmsjs (Apr 14, 2008)

There is a great forum for Popups. Try www.Popupexplorer.com The people on that site are as friendly and knowledgeable as the people here, only is all about popups!

My family camped in a popup before we bought the Outback, and I sometimes still miss the airiness of having all of the tenting open! I am actually thinking of buying a small popup to tow with my Jeep Wrangler!

If you post a message on Popupexplorer about the brand and model, I will guess you will get some replies of some that own that model, and can tell you more about it.

It sounds like a great deal!

Happy camping!


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## wingnut (Mar 21, 2005)

Nothiin wrong with a popup, and that looks like a nice one. We had a Coleman Sedona and had a great time. There us a magazine just for popups and they have a lot af good articles about up keep and the like. Pop Up Times. Also I think you were smart not to saddle yourself with the extra payments.


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## kyoutback (Jul 12, 2004)

"Its not all about the camper, its all about camping!!!"

Truer words have never been spoken.


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## shaela21 (Aug 16, 2005)

We camped in a pop up for a few years before we went to the Outback, and we loved it. The only reason we did go to a hard side trailer was I wanted to camp year round, and here on Vancouver Island, BC, that cannot be done with a pop up. Here is a forum that I used to be a moderator for www.popupexplorer.com, and they are great. A forum dedicated to pop up's.

Good luck, and happy camping.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

We had a Coleman popup before our Outback and I really liked it. It is a GREAT way to find out if camping is really for you and your family without having to drop a ton of $$. I say go for it...


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## russlg (Jul 21, 2008)

I went and saw the camper,IT IS NOW MINE!!! The canvas is in great condition! The camper has been closed for a year and a half and needs a thorough cleaning but there were no rodents, the tires are like new and the only blems are a hole in the inside panel of the door and a broken hinge where it attaches to the top screen part. The guy pretty much wanted the car immediately. I only had $900.00 into the car so I would say i got alot for my money. He also threw in a new unopened in the box rv porta potty and had all the literature that came with the camper.

As you can tell I am VERY excited and this will def tide me over 'till I can get an Outback 21rs (All in good time, the Lord says not to force things, to let things happen naturally!!)

Thanks for all the support and the link to the other forum!!

Russ


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

russlg said:


> I went and saw the camper,IT IS NOW MINE!!! The canvas is in great condition! The camper has been closed for a year and a half and needs a thorough cleaning but there were no rodents, the tires are like new and the only blems are a hole in the inside panel of the door and a broken hinge where it attaches to the top screen part. The guy pretty much wanted the car immediately. I only had $900.00 into the car so I would say i got alot for my money. He also threw in a new unopened in the box rv porta potty and had all the literature that came with the camper.
> 
> As you can tell I am VERY excited and this will def tide me over 'till I can get an Outback 21rs (All in good time, the Lord says not to force things, to let things happen naturally!!)
> 
> ...


Congrats!!! The family is now ready to go CAMPING!!!!

now...where are the pictures of this trailer at YOUR house?


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## russlg (Jul 21, 2008)

Oregon_Camper said:


> I went and saw the camper,IT IS NOW MINE!!! The canvas is in great condition! The camper has been closed for a year and a half and needs a thorough cleaning but there were no rodents, the tires are like new and the only blems are a hole in the inside panel of the door and a broken hinge where it attaches to the top screen part. The guy pretty much wanted the car immediately. I only had $900.00 into the car so I would say i got alot for my money. He also threw in a new unopened in the box rv porta potty and had all the literature that came with the camper.
> 
> As you can tell I am VERY excited and this will def tide me over 'till I can get an Outback 21rs (All in good time, the Lord says not to force things, to let things happen naturally!!)
> 
> ...


Congrats!!! The family is now ready to go CAMPING!!!!

now...where are the pictures of this trailer at YOUR house?








[/quote]
Of course it is thundering and is a downpour right now!! I will get pics up later!!


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

russlg said:


> Of course it is thundering and is a downpour right now!! I will get pics up later!!


Ah...come on. What better time to learn how to raise/lower that puppy then in a downpour!!! LOL...


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## russlg (Jul 21, 2008)

Oregon_Camper said:


> Of course it is thundering and is a downpour right now!! I will get pics up later!!


Ah...come on. What better time to learn how to raise/lower that puppy then in a downpour!!! LOL...








[/quote]
True, True!! I will send pics from the hospital after I am electrocuted


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

russlg said:


> Of course it is thundering and is a downpour right now!! I will get pics up later!!


Ah...come on. What better time to learn how to raise/lower that puppy then in a downpour!!! LOL...








[/quote]
True, True!! I will send pics from the hospital after I am electrocuted








[/quote]

small price to pay for our viewing pleasure. If you could set up the camera to "auto" we might even get a shot of you get hit by lighting.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Congrats on the new trailer! I get slapped by my DW every time she sees me checking out a pop-up with that longing look in my eye.








They are a very nice compromise between a tent and a hardside and I really loved ours....

Definetly try the www.popupexplorer.com site as it's members have more current info on the ins and outs of the various brands.

Finally, my only caution is that you said the tires "looked new" 
Please check the date. Blow outs happen on pop ups too.....


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## Lady Di (Oct 28, 2005)

Congratulations. We had a popup for 7 years before the OB. so have been there and done that. Enjoy.

Even though you nave a SOB popup, you are still welcome here.


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## Joonbee (Jan 18, 2008)

Awesome. Congrats on the find. Glad it worked out in your favor, but I had no doubts because you were making the right choice for the right reasons and god would not let that go unrewarded.

See ya around the campfire.

Jim


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## Colorado Campers (Apr 20, 2004)

Congrats on your new pop-up,







I first started camping w/a Starcraft pop-up, loved it, they are built really well. For me it was a lot better then sleeping in a tent on the hard ground







Then I moved up to the Trailmanor, and now the OUTBACK. Next the 5th wheel, it all comes w/time and $$. Enjoy and have fun.


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

Thats a nice looking pop up....Seems like a fair trade. I have traded a few vehicles in my life too. Had a 71 charger..got a conversion van...Ah, the van


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

*VERY NICE !! Congrats and Enjoy !!!*


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Congrats! I'm really happy for you and glad that you got a nice little pop up to camp in...

Sometimes our son tells me that he wants our coleman p/u back cause he misses it!


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

skippershe said:


> Congrats! I'm really happy for you and glad that you got a nice little pop up to camp in...
> 
> Sometimes our son tells me that he wants our coleman p/u back cause he misses it!


Buy a $40 tent...have him sleep in it and see how fast he comes back to the luxury of the Outback.


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## russlg (Jul 21, 2008)

It is my hope to have a 21rs for the 2010 rally in Goshen. That is the goal I am setting. I had $850.00 into that Saab I traded, I should easily recoup that $$$ when I buy my outback!!! Gotta get back outside, have a bunch of mods, minor repairs to do before we take her out in two weeks...


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

Rules state pics must be posted within 24 hours. Why wait until 2010 for a rally you can still go to one in the northeast with a popup. Besides I need company being the only other S.O.B in New England.

John


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Congrats on getting the deal done and happy camping!

-CC


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## russlg (Jul 21, 2008)

Nathan said:


> Congrats on the new trailer! I get slapped by my DW every time she sees me checking out a pop-up with that longing look in my eye.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Once it was home and I had chance to take a closer look at the tires, there are age/weather cracks in the tires. When I pull the wheels ro repack bearings I'm putting new sneakers on... No blow outs for me....


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## russlg (Jul 21, 2008)

johnp2000 said:


> Rules state pics must be posted within 24 hours. Why wait until 2010 for a rally you can still go to one in the northeast with a popup. Besides I need company being the only other S.O.B in New England.
> 
> John


Well, its been longer than 24 hours but... here it is at my home:




























This is the only thing that needs desperate attention, the door, which I am going to totally rebuild:










And the latches for the Top, they need sandblasting and paint:










Almost Forgot to add my TV: I love this truck!!










I'd love to join for a Northeast Rally, even if I am in an SOB. We could have our own two site section!! Wolfie told me she would let me sit outside under her awning to get my fix in wanting an Outback!! Hopefully her invite is still open although that was at Wolfwood...

We are planning on going to Maine Labor Day weekend somewhere around the Sebago Lake area I wanna have my Dad come and have a cookout with us, he is up there in age and wanna do it before its too late. We had a pop up similar to this when i was a kid. I'd like to relive a moment if I can...


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Congrats!
That looks like a fine little pop-up and I'm sure you're going to enjoy it immensley!
All it needs now is a set of Outbacker.com stickers in blue and you'll be all set for your first rally!


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## dunn4 (Feb 16, 2008)

Congrats on the popup. We loved out Coleman Westlake and towed it all over Texas and from Central Texas to Colorado twice without a problem. We had some cool mornings (28 degrees) in Lake City, CO on one trip. We used an extra extension cord through the canvass to plug in a small foot/space heater to take the chill off. But the snuggling was the best part!

I don't know much about those camping up north. I only camped in Navy barracks many years ago in Philadelphia and that was plenty cold for me. We worry about the heat down here and having A/C in a travel trailer or popup is a must have (50+ days of triple digits so far this year).

I highly recommend the magazine and website for Popup Times. The online forum is awesome and comparable to the Outbackers site. Lots of friendly people, great ideas for mods, and they know how to fix things. Okay, before anyone gets offended - the Outbackers are the best! This forum is why we chose to buy an Outback.

Best of luck and get out there and camp.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Congrats on the PopUp! There are times I miss ours (and sometimes I don't), but all in all we loved our PopUp.

I'll second the comment for checking out www.popuptimes.com - we made some lasting friends on that site and had a blast at the Rallies. Some of the people we got to know back in 2001 are still there, some others have changed RVs - but I would say everyone of us found a lot of knowledge being shared there.


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## MaeJae (May 12, 2005)

a 1998 Starcraft ....
It is in GREAT shape!!!
We popped-up for 5 years and there are times we all miss our Niagara!
When we camp we always look at pop-ups







with VERY fond memories!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Get out and make some Memories!
MaeJae









p.s. I was also a member on popuptimes.com ...there is a lot of good
pop-up information there!


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## Sluggo54 (Jun 15, 2005)

Great deal you made - I see in the pictures you still have the car, too!

Seriously, you're gonna have fun. Our progression was, tent, used postal jeep with rented Huck Finn pup, Dodge van with homebuilt innards, Dodge van with small Jayco pup, then larger Jayco pup, then nada for quite a while, then an F150 and a little Dutchmen Duck, then the current setup. Only think I didn't like about the popups was that I got old and creaky, and tired of having to build a little house when we got there, and tear it down when we left, and it always seemed to be wet when we tore it down... But we had lots of fun in popups, including a couple of bobcats having a fight underneath!

Sluggo


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## crawgator (Sep 16, 2007)

We have gone pop-up to hard side a few times and I think that was one of the models we had recently. If I didn't take everything and the kitchen sink we might have stayed with one. It is a nice little pop-up and looks in great shape. I think I even saw the "ice box" in there. Happy Camping!!


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## russlg (Jul 21, 2008)

Sluggo54 said:


> Great deal you made - I see in the pictures you still have the car, too!
> 
> Seriously, you're gonna have fun. Our progression was, tent, used postal jeep with rented Huck Finn pup, Dodge van with homebuilt innards, Dodge van with small Jayco pup, then larger Jayco pup, then nada for quite a while, then an F150 and a little Dutchmen Duck, then the current setup. Only think I didn't like about the popups was that I got old and creaky, and tired of having to build a little house when we got there, and tear it down when we left, and it always seemed to be wet when we tore it down... But we had lots of fun in popups, including a couple of bobcats having a fight underneath!
> 
> Sluggo


I have a yard full of Saab's, It's what i have spent most my life working on..... The one you see is a future project...

That Bobcat fight musta been pretty cool!!


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## daves700 (Jun 12, 2006)

congrats, I had 3 pop-ups before the outback!!!! we would still have the pop-up, but with the little one we wanted a bathroom.


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## Beaner242 (Jun 25, 2007)

Very nice, and camping is camping. Its about family time not what your staying in. I really enjoyed our popup. back into the site put the wheel on the jack and drag the front around and it gives you all the site to enjoy. Much easier to tow around too.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

russlg said:


> I'd love to join for a Northeast Rally, even if I am in an SOB. We could have our own two site section!! Wolfie told me she would let me sit outside under her awning to get my fix in wanting an Outback!! Hopefully her invite is still open although that was at Wolfwood...


Oh yeah, Russ. That offer stands - anywhere, anytime. In fact, maybe you can join us at Ashuelot outside of Keene for Columbus Day. We won't even make you camp out on the edges with JohnP2000.







Really!


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)




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