Bowhunting out of a popup camper?

[KSdan]

Just make sure the windows are zipped down when you shoot.  If the screens are tight it should not affect your arrow flight.    

[Steve O]

I have been wanting a pop up for a LONG time.  I can never part with the money for a new one and don't know enough to take on any "project"

The ones I think would suit our purpose best are this Coleman:

 


Or this Starcraft:

 


 


If a guy had a 4 wheeler, he could take it along, or use that space for big coolers, ect.

[leatherneck]

Owned a coleman and loved it!! I must say that the propane would be your only issue. The heater really eats it up. One thing we did that cut the propane heater in half was throw big tarps over the canvass and strap it down. This really holds the heat in the camper. Doesn't look all that attractive but works well. Just a thought.

[GingivitisKahn]

Originally posted by rice:
I am considering buying a used camper to go on bow hunts this fall. I like the idea of a lightweight popup, but worry about whether I will be warm enough for December bowhunts, if it can stand up to the Oklahoma winds, and how long the tenting will hold up. I can afford a small travel trailer but would have to have one light enough to pull behind an older toyota tundra. I worry that it would be a tough pull to south dakota for antelope hunting.

Any thoughts, Ideas, points of view or experiences from you all would be appreciated.

Chris Rice

We've camped in our pop-up in very cold weather before.  It helps if you camp somewhere with electricity so that you can run a space heater (or two) in there but if not you can still make do.

You might want more insulation than just the thin mattress under you for really cold nights, but they work just fine.

That said, I'd like to sell mine.  Tents / camping hammocks are more fun.  :-D

[Straitshot]

My Son-in-Law went to Colorado a few years back and pulled an A-liner. Best pop up camper I have ever stayed in. I can't remember the model but it slept four. The two of us were very comfortable. He took one side and I had the other. The following year my wife and I pulled it to Yellowstone National Park and stayed in it along the way in other National Parks and had a great time. Sets up in less than 5 minutes. Has a hard top and sides. I rented it from Services on the air base I work at. Cost me less than $150 for 9 days. It pulled really easy. Hardly ever knew it was back there.

Louis

[Billy]

Some of the guys that know me have heard way too much about ...  teardrop campers!
 Not much more than a bed usually, but; there are tons and tons of ideas that work for hunting and fishing rigs. Some are home built from scratch and some are utility trailer conversions.

Do a search for "tear drops and tiny travel trailers" and get ready to see more tiny, lightweight campers than you can imagine.

I'm in the process of building one - slowly but, surely...

[jonsimoneau]

I use one most of the season.  It's nothing special and I bought it cheap.  I use an electric heater in it.  If you are staying at a campsite that has electricity, this is the best way to go.  Stays warm, and does not cost anymore, since you already paid for the campsite.  I've stayed in mine in some really nasty weather and remained comfortable.  I also love tent camping, and have done it for years, but to be honest, when it gets cold here in Illinois in November, I like coming back after an all-day sit to a nice warm camper.

[J. Holden]

This is something I've always thought would be fun.  I've thought about turkey season as well.  Don't have to get up so early!

-Jeremy

[finkm1]

For Mudd  Just off I-96 west of Lansing MI, there is a pop up camper in a field that is camoflaged for a blind. The ends where the beds are are not pulled out and are hanging towards the ground. If the heater works it would be a great blind. I used a 1970 Starcraft pop up for  8 years to camp with my family and a fall bow camp. The heater in the older pop ups did not require electricity, it was nice for bow camps and State Forest campgrounds. I have a 94 Rockwood now that  like for the family, but if I would have had a place to keep the old Starcraft I would have kept it for hunting.

[Gatekeeper]

Another Scamp owner here.

I just bought this little camper last Saturday, so I have yet to use it on a hunt. Its a little rough but a few $ and time will get her into shape. The interior is 10' x 6.5' and 71" high. I have to duck a little when I'm in it, but I think its a cool little camper. This one was made in 1978.

   

I've stayed in a pop-up camper in the winter and we used a heater to knock off the chill.

[BigArcher]

We have used this camper in the Washington rain and the mountains of Montana. In The picture we a are about 8k to 8.5k feet up.
We have a forced air heater.  I added a second battery to last the night and a generator to recharge them.
The vinyl end tops will collect condensation and drip on you if you don't use the forced air heater on cold days.  It starts raining on your face in the middle of the night.
Comfortable enough though. My wife stayed in ours in Montana and made some great dinners for elk camp.

BigArcher

[dnovo]

I bought my first (and only) popup camper in '01.
Got it in May and spent 28 days hunting out of it by the end of the year. I bought it used so had no choice as to heat and ac. Ac came with it but no heater. To this day I have only been in a campground with electric 3 or 4 times. In hunting season we don't have any heat it it other than to turn on the stove when we get up to take the chill off. Been in it in temperatures down to 10- 12 degrees. Not very often thank God. I personally find the ac a waste. I just had to do some roof repair and ending up taking it off and leaving it off.
The best thing is having a dry place to sit, sleep, eat, change clothes, etc.

[rightminded]

I pulled a large sized pop up to Colorado a few years ago.  We got a heavy snow and the threat of more.  Decided to move down the hill.  Top would not come down.  It had a electric drive.  Finally found the hand drive adapter and cranked it down.  The dealer thought it was because of the weight of snow on the roof.  But could not really fix the problem.  The owner, my hunting buddy, traded for a hard side.  I think i would get a small to medium sized pull or fifth wheel to use behind a half ton pickup.

[Mocsin1]

I've got a 1987 model thats still in excellent shape. Just got through staying in it with my family this weekend. My Dad and I have hunted out of it ever since we have had it. Like its been said before just use a small heater and make sure to have a little ventilation. The canvas is still in excellent shape. We always make sure it is dry before we leave it down for a long period of time and always stored it in the dry when not in use. I love it. Its easy to get in to some the rough places we hunt and light enough to pull with a small truck or SUV.

[joekeith]

I've got this little Sport Camp.  Designed for towing behind a motorcycle.  Behind a car or truck you don't even notice it there.  It only weighs 300 lbs.  It's 52" wide and 7' long closed.  Open it's 52" wide and 14' long.  Real nice for one person or me and the wife. All you have to do is put down the outriggers, and flip the top open. Drive 3 stakes and use the poles for the awning.  I've stayed in it in a couple pretty rough storms up in Sturgis.  It held up fine.  No heater in it.  But with the bike I never used it in the cold.

Here it is opened.


 

[John3]

That is a great set up Keith...

[rice]

Thanks for all of the replies.Lots of good information here from people who have experience.Sounds like a popup might work for what I have in mind.

Chris Rice

[Shakes.602]

In Indiana, to Hunt from a "Vehicle" You need a Handicapped Permit and License. Please, Correct Me if I am Wrong.

[Billy]

shakes, he's only gonna use it for a base. not as a blind.
but, you're right on the special needs stuff.

[Jason Kendall]

I picked up this one last summer and although I didnt use it for hunting camp last fall I will this year for sure! It's an older one (94) the inside looks brand new and it's big, a 14' box 27' extended with a king bed on one end and a queen on the other, dinette, fridge, roof air, furnace, toilet with a built in shower pan base. The small tires will make it hard to get to some of my favorite spots, I will probably upgrade to something like Steve O posted in a couple years.