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Colorado Camper Friendly?

Original Post
Patrick Shyvers · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 10

I'm thinking about getting a small popup camper trailer, not much bigger than the ol' teardrops except a popup.

I've never done any RV/camper/etc stuff in CO, and I was hoping I could get some feedback.

I have visions of driving up to crags, skin tracks, and ski resorts the night before and 'camping out'. Is that realistic? Can I pitch the thing overnight in many places (side of the road in winter, parking lots), or will I be ostricized to RV parks? Would a popup truck camper (e.g. goes in truck bed) be the better choice?

Mike C · · Co · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 1,046

I see it all the time and am considering it myself.....just make sure you have 4wdr and good tires with maybe snow chains as a back up........you could sure stretch a buck that way!

aSteel · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 235

With good tires and four wheel drive, I think you'll be psyched at crags with appropriate parking/camping, like Indian Creek, Shelf, Vedauwoo, but it will be crag specific. Getting into some crags, like Wild Iris or various Castle Valley campsites, may not prove possible, and for any Front Range crags there won't be much chance to use it. In the winter it's more unpredictable, because you're at the mercy of the snow and the plows. You might have a nice camping spot at 8pm, but the next morning there's a 50' long stretch of 2-3' of snow between you and the plowed road. Or more. Or you can't find a spot to park because the plows are working 24/7 on just the roads and the pullouts are full of snow. It sure would be nice for the times it would work, though, or if you knew of reliable places to park. I think overall I'd be psyched to have one, but I know I wouldn't be able to take it with me every time. Good luck!

Debbie McLain · · Pagosa Springs, CO · Joined Nov 2011 · Points: 30

I have a small pop-up Fleetwood Taos model that I ruggedized by jacking it up a bit, and using special rivets to hold it together on rough dirt roads. We just got back from taking it past mile marker 10 at Devil's Head at a wilderness camp spot off Rampart Range Road and it was really nice having all the comforts of home while climbing for a few days, well...not ALL the comforts. We also took it to a lake side spot between Wild Iris and Sinks Canyon, called Louis Lake. Took it to Canyonlands in April and was there in a snowstorm...tough to get out of there until the roads were plowed. Next stop...Shelf Road.

J. Broussard · · CordryCorner · Joined Feb 2011 · Points: 50

I have an A-Frame and use it almost every weekend.
Easy to tow and the hard sides make for warm quite nights at rowdy campgrounds.

In the last couple of months I made it to the top of music pass, the sweet ninja spot off of Wagon Tongue Road, Veaduwoo back roads (that qualifies as Colorado, right?), Shelf, Lincoln Creek. Just about anywhere the 4Runner will go, the camper will happily follow. I still have the stock little 13" wheels and tires and no mods to increase off-road ability.

In August the wife & I lived out of it for 2 weeks between short backpacking and climbing trips/stops in WY & ID. I've never had more fun.

EDIT: My a frame takes much less than a minute to set up after I've leveled the wheels. Having some experience at this and having worked out the communication aspect with the wife, we're leveled and unhitched in about 7 minutes (considerably less at actual campgrounds as leveling is usually less intensive). That's only seven minutes until the tequila is pouring, the music is playing and cards are being dealt. Oh yea, I also like to give the solar panel a good cleaning once I'm docked to make the most of the early morning sun after a night of the amplifier and lights pulling on the batteries.

Patrick Shyvers · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 10

One of the big complaints seems to be setup time. I hear claims of anywhere from 30 minutes to a half a day to strike camp. Are those folks just big sissies with mondo campers? :)

I would predominantly use it for one night stays, sometimes two, rarely more. Many a folk on RV websites seem to say, 'for one night stays a popup is nothing short of a nightmare', but you all sound generally more positive than that, so I'm wondering if expectations and perhaps trailer size/fanciness differs.

A little A-frame certainly would be slick. I've set up a large A-frame a number of times, and it goes up quick! Not to mention I want to do cold climates, and from what I hear aside from being less insulating, canvas can tear or rip while unfolding in the severe cold... On the other hand, a 10' soft-side is much bigger when set up than a 10' a-frame.

DrugDoc · · Dix, IL · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 0

I've used a friend's 13'(closed) Coleman pop up several times in the past year, from week long stays at New River Gorge last winter, to single night quick trips, and don't think it's at all cumbersome to set up/take down. It's all manual, with 3 slide outs (bed on each end, and sink/stove on one side) and it only takes me maybe 10-15 min total to get ready or strike camp. Quicker, warmer, and more comfortable than any decent sized tent I've used. Especially if it snowing/raining.

Jeremy K · · Evergreen, CO · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 0

Ski resorts may be tough, I think most have banned overnight parking, both in the ski lots and in the towns. A pop-up trailer won't be good for stealth overnight stays. Do you have any info on legal overnight ski resort parking?

Patrick Shyvers · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 10
Jeremy Kasmann wrote:Ski resorts may be tough, I think most have banned overnight parking, both in the ski lots and in the towns.
Ah, I didn't think about that. Ski towns would naturally want to funnel as many people as possible to the hotels etc.
J. Broussard · · CordryCorner · Joined Feb 2011 · Points: 50
Patrick Shyvers wrote: Ah, I didn't think about that. Ski towns would naturally want to funnel as many people as possible to the hotels etc.
Vail being the worst of them. I can still think of a few places within 10 - 15 from Vail where you could set up. I frequent Keystone mostly, because they have that awesome outdoor hockey rink, and I regularly see camper vans in the River Run lot that spent the night before there.

It might be good to look into a condo renal share program. There are some really cheap one in Silverthorn and Dillon and some really nice ones in the resorts proper.

Using a camper in the winter comes with a couple of energy considerations.
-Hot water heater, usually left on as rewarming it from scratch 2x/day will use a lot of energy.
-Camper heat, needs to be on during the day, so your water lines don't freeze and crack.

That all equals a lot of propane.
Patrick Shyvers · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 10

Well, at least I have no aspirations of going to Vail this season.

Hot water heater? Water tank? I was just going to boil snow...

Mike Pharris · · Longmont, CO · Joined May 2007 · Points: 125

Boiling snow may not be very reliable in front country situations. That stuff gets gritty and nasty very fast in high traffic areas.

Greg D · · Here · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 883

A little known secret, Vail is camper friendly and cheap. You can park at the lions head oversized vehicle lot for the same price as car parking, 25 per day, and yes overnight. Super awesome to walk to Gondi in two minutes after camping in the lot.

Camping at vail bitches.

Greg D · · Here · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 883

And to answer your op, I've had pop up trailers, pop up truck campers and finally a hard side truck camper. Amen.

Pop up trailers are a pain and the moving parts will break in time. I promise. It is a glorified tent and does take some time to setup, aren't very warm in winter and don't block much noise and shake in the wind. Plus, parking can be a pain and towing in snow may be difficult.

Pop up truck camper is the next best thing. A few minutes to setup. More parking options and better in snow and off road. But still some setup time, moving parts that will break, and still tent like in the cold and wind.

Hard side truck camper. Yes. This is the best. No setup. No moving parts. Much warmer and quiter. We barely ran the heat in February at vail. Used normal blankets and wore normal pj's. Ahhh. Comfort.

And get real snow tires for sure. Not all terrain. You will blow by the usual Georgetown slush ice storm cluster fuck with confidence.

Patrick Shyvers · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 10

Truck campers are so enticing! However my little ol' Tacoma has a GVWR of 5500lbs and a curb weight of 4200lbs. Throw in me, one friend, and some gear and I've only got 900lbs left, and I'm pretty sure most truck campers are way over that. I'd have to upgrade my suspension, or buy a new aluminum camper ($$$), or both... ugh.

99% of the time I'm glad I have a small truck, but every now and again when I'm drooling over a hardside camper...

I've got a roof-height camper shell right now, I should probably just focus on making that livable. That, and practice sleeping sitting up. Tall guy with short bed problems.

Ian Stewart · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2010 · Points: 155
Greg D wrote:Vail is camper friendly and cheap. You can park at the lions head oversized vehicle lot for the same price as car parking, 25 per day
"Cheap" is relative. Sure, the overnight parking isn't any more than the day parking, but I wouldn't ever call $25 parking "cheap" when you can do it so, so, so many places for free. Though of course, not in Vail...

This is good to know to know though, thanks. Squatting in ski towns can be a bit annoying, so I'd be willing to pony up the $25 for a legitimate spot where I won't be bothered.
Peter Muk · · Captain Cook, HI · Joined Jun 2015 · Points: 0

Hey Greg
Does Vail still allow overnight parking in the oversize lot in season ? How about other mountains in the region ? We're looking at going to different towns each weekend and a truck camper is on our list of options (don't like the idea of driving a trailer in snow). Most of Utah, Silverton and Telluride seem to have places we've found to stay but I'd heard I70 mountains were extremely difficult until I saw this post.

Thanks
-Peter

Rigggs24 · · Denver, CO · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 45
Patrick Shyvers wrote:Truck campers are so enticing! However my little ol' Tacoma has a GVWR of 5500lbs and a curb weight of 4200lbs. Throw in me, one friend, and some gear and I've only got 900lbs left, and I'm pretty sure most truck campers are way over that. I'd have to upgrade my suspension, or buy a new aluminum camper ($$$), or both... ugh. 99% of the time I'm glad I have a small truck, but every now and again when I'm drooling over a hardside camper... I've got a roof-height camper shell right now, I should probably just focus on making that livable. That, and practice sleeping sitting up. Tall guy with short bed problems.
I have been thinking about truck pop up campers for awhile now. These are the ones i have been looking at seriously. Total weight is at or under 900 pounds.

fourwh.com/product/fleet-po…
doligo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 269
Patrick Shyvers wrote: I would predominantly use it for one night stays, sometimes two, rarely more.
A van or a regular size truck with a camper shell would be more appropriate for this application.
Patrick Shyvers · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 10
doligo wrote: A van or a regular size truck with a camper shell would be more appropriate for this application.
This is what I've started to think! An 8' bed is starting to sound very enticing for future truck purchases, but I do love my Tacoma. In the interim, maybe I can rig something for camping with the tailgate down.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
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