Popup

[TCWanderer]

I have an 8 foot bed F150 with a 2600# payload. I want a popup but here is the problem. I am REALLY allregic to mold, and it simply cannot be made of materials that are going to get musty. That leaves out what I really wanted, which was an Alaskan, because of the reputation for rot developing. I just can't go there. So nex choice appears to be Hallmark, which I can get for $$$$$ with no wood in it. I want to stay significantly below my payload because (contrary to what most people seem to think) the rating is not a spring rating (which is why everybody puts in air bags) but is an axle rating, and I refuse to void my warranty. So...can anybody think of anything else that would do? I would prefer a cabover but would do with an in-bed because I'm on the short side and don't need a lot of stuff. I'd like to boondock but mostly prefer to plug in at established campgrounds. Ideas?
I have spent the last three weeks hauling a 19' travel trailer around the eastern half of the country, and while it is not so bad, it is a problem in that I have to have spots reserved ahead of time, and on bad roads it is like having a bucking bronco back there, t the point where I'm amazed stuff still works. It hauls nicely, but I want a TC.

 

[Buddha.]

Four wheel campers seems to be popular on this site. Aluminum construction.

http://www.fourwh.com/

 

[TCWanderer]

Only the frame is aluminum. The rest is wood.

 

[TCWanderer]

I have a Camplite travel trailer, which has no wood in it. Despite leaks (which of course I fixed) it has not developed any mold over four years.

 

[Maninga]

Would a Northern Lite work?

 

[Regcabguy]

Despite the payload,I think a Hallmark would bog the engine and trans and yield terrible mpg.
A 4wheel camper shell model would probably work well.

 

[simple]

Any material can get mildew and must on it if it gets dusty and damp. Looks you're in Arizona though and I expect that problem is not nearly as bad there as it is here. Do you have an indoor, climate controlled place to store a camper? I would think that would help more than anything. Most of the problem with moisture is from condensation forming when the inside is cooler than the outside.

 

[Coachgeo]

The reputation of Alaskan and Mold is only because they are the oldest hardsided pop-up out there to have lasted long enough for somone to recognize mold growth in the walls. All the other are tent sided and older tent material molds way easier (but you see it for it is not hidden) but it wears out twice as fast IMHO. Granted new material in popups probably mold far less than canvas of the past but then again..... probably same for Alaskan as well.

I'de go Alaskan any day over other brands of pop up and have it professionaly cleaned, remove the two half's for cleaning and repair and replace seals. But thats up to $$$$. Your resell will be higher than the others possibly.

 

[baphenatem]

I met a guy recently who had an Outfitter camper that might meet your needs. They have a couple of composite options and can customize things as well. http://www.outfittermfg.com

 

[TCWanderer]

I went to the outfitter site and it must have been hacked, because it directed me to another site that looked like malware.

 

[TCWanderer]

Thanks. With my problem with mold, cleaning (for the Alaskan) does not work. The only thing that could possibly work would be intense exposure to ozone in an enclosed space for about 48 hours. That would be very, very difficult to come by. For that reason I am only looking at new anything at all, with plans to have it not mine any more within four to five years after purchase, passed on to someone else looking new but probably not usable by me any more.

 

[TCWanderer]

Any material can get mildew and must on it if it gets dusty and damp. Looks you're in Arizona though and I expect that problem is not nearly as bad there as it is here. Do you have an indoor, climate controlled place to store a camper? I would think that would help more than anything. Most of the problem with moisture is from condensation forming when the inside is cooler than the outside.

With a popup I would plan to keep it in the garage, assuming it would go low enough to get in. The truck will not go in and has to live outside. If the material is not "mold food" (generally any wood product) there are always mold spores in dust, and absolute cleanliness is mandatory. Different locations have dust with more and less mold spores, and where I live now was chosen precisely because the dust is very low in mold spores, making it safe for me. So even though my trailer does get, ahem, somewhat dusty, it is still fine. But it has had leaks and the lack of wood product has saved my rear.

 

[LakeLBJ]

Not a pop-up but these guys make all aluminum campers:

https://www.livinlite.com/truck-campers.php

 

[Sparse Gray Hackle]

Here's a link to the same topic in the popup forum...

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/160134-Here-I-go-again