Colorado Camper Friendly?
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I'm thinking about getting a small popup camper trailer, not much bigger than the ol' teardrops except a popup. |
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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! |
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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! |
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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. |
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I have an A-Frame and use it almost every weekend. |
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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? :) |
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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. |
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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? |
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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. |
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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. |
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Well, at least I have no aspirations of going to Vail this season. |
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Boiling snow may not be very reliable in front country situations. That stuff gets gritty and nasty very fast in high traffic areas. |
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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. |
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And to answer your op, I've had pop up trailers, pop up truck campers and finally a hard side truck camper. Amen. |
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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 ($$$), or both... ugh. |
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Greg D wrote:Vail is camper friendly and cheap. You can park at the lions head oversized vehicle lot for the same price as car parking, 25 per day"Cheap" is relative. Sure, the overnight parking isn't any more than the day parking, but I wouldn't ever call $25 parking "cheap" when you can do it so, so, so many places for free. Though of course, not in Vail... This is good to know to know though, thanks. Squatting in ski towns can be a bit annoying, so I'd be willing to pony up the $25 for a legitimate spot where I won't be bothered. |
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Hey Greg |
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Patrick Shyvers wrote:Truck campers are so enticing! However my little ol' Tacoma has a GVWR of 5500lbs and a curb weight of 4200lbs. Throw in me, one friend, and some gear and I've only got 900lbs left, and I'm pretty sure most truck campers are way over that. I'd have to upgrade my suspension, or buy a new aluminum camper ($$$), 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… |
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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. |
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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. |