Two "dirty" words to a HiLo owner.

#1. silicone caulk,unless it is used around the bath tub where it meets the wall. #2 Trail Manor(hope I didn't offend anyone). Saw what appeared to be a group of trail manors at the KOA on Grand Island ,NY. This particular campground "packs them in like sardines in a can." Camped here years ago in our popup and we were coralled in and couldn't even put our awning out.

You said the third dirty word also. Popup

Dirty words words to a HiLo owner.

We loved our partially hardsided Palamino popup camper. At the time we owned it it was fancier than my house. Owned it for six years and used to sleep in it out in my driveway. My sisters family enjoys it now. According to our RV salesmanpopup owners keep them 5-6 yrs before they upgrade. Popups are made with canvas bed ends and plenty of condensation when you have to use your catalytic heater.

We had five popups over the years. That was before we knew about or could afford a HiLo. As we added children, finally four, we expanded the sizes of the Coleman popups that we had. We had a lot of good times in them and went many places. Note: Popup is only a dirty word at some snobbish campgrounds and the ones that think HiLo is a popup.

I will be deleting this entire thread tonight:

Please remember that this forum is open to the public and does not require membership.

Slinging dirt and talking down about other types of trailers is not very sportsman like. We have chosen hi-lo trailers for our own reasons - they worked best for us. Others have chosen trailmanor or popups for their reasons. Maybe they needed more beds, more room, wanted a smaller tow vehicle, or had a lower budget.

Not everyone makes the choices that we have made. We need to respect that everyone has a right to their own opinion - not necessarily a right to ours!!

clarification on comment about trail manor.

It was not meant to be offensive mentioning this in my first post. Actually ,you need to get a sense of humor. I am glad to see anyone out camping no matter what they are using. Several members of our camping club have owned trail Manors. One took the time to do a lenghty post on another forum comparing the differences between trail manor and HiLo. It is called freedom of speech!! Sometimes in our forum it gets a little dry with the same questions,topics being discussed.

I might as well chime in too. I honestly don't see anything offensive in this thread. And, I don't think deleting it is an appropriate thing to do. I suggest you discuss this with the other mods and the administrators before taking that action (if you haven't already done so).

It simply seems to be an airing of honest opinions, which is what forums are all about.

- Jack

I feel that this has been a light conversation with some humor thrown in. I have had five Coleman popups and would buy another one in a flash. There are places we go that the popup would work better than the HiLo, in fact, we had both at the same time for about five years. My comment on popups was slanted toward those that think HiLo is a popup, and toward some campgrounds that think that way also which don't allow popups.

Sorry if I made it sound otherwise.

Personally, I took no offense to the term "Pop-up". We too have used them and I do not think Sam or any of the other posts were intended to degrade those who use these very popular pop-ups. Fact is, I borrowed a pop-up and hauled it to Colorado [high country] so that my older brother and sis-in-law would have a comfortable place to stay for our two-week family outing. They had nothing but high praises for the unit as it did protect them from the cold and rain that occurred just about every afternoon and definitely, every night. It was a little more difficult to set up in comparison to other RV's, but once set up, it provided everything that it was intended to provide, namely, protection from the elements at 12,000 feet altitude, a cook stove, a potty, and a shower. Heavy bed clothing compensated for the cold.

The big difference, so far as I am concerned, is that if you are South of I-40 anywhere along that interstate, a pop-up is just fine. If you venture very far north of I-40, be prepared to be cold when you bed down at night if you are in a conventional pop-up. Not so with a Hi Lo. A Hi Lo will offer much better security than a pop-up against predators, two, or four-footed.

Before one can walk, one must crawl. The use of pop-ups is the first step, and for some, it is sufficient to be the consummate in outdoor adventure; for others, it leads to the Hi Lo style and beyond. There are those in the camping world that look down upon those of us who love our Hi Lo Trailers and want nothing else. I do not look upon their demeaning outlook as an affront. I simply think, "you know, I have had 5th wheels that were every bit as nice as yours; I could still be in that high-dollar 5th wheel had we wanted, but we found something that satisfied our tastes and our pocketbooks much better". Also, I feel a lot better when I pull away from the fuel pump than those who pull the big rigs down the highway, just as those who pull the pop-ups must feel in comparing their lighter rigs with our heavier Hi Lo's.

I suppose it all boils down to personal tastes and desires. Someday, we may have to go back to a pop-up; if so, we will be content to stay South of I-40 and stay away from the colds of the high country and the far North except in the mid-summer months. But for now, we are extremely satisfied with the facilities, protection, and comfort afforded us, regardless of the weather, by owning a Hi Lo.

Jerry & Carol Curtis
Fredericksburg, TX
2406 T 2000 F250 4x4 7.3L Diesel Ext. cab

Last comment on my post.

Jack and Janet,Thank you for expressing your point of view. I totally agree with you. Rich R. Moderator, Thank you for expressing your thoughts. No need to apologize as you didn't say anything wrong. If I was wrong I would be the first to apologize as I have a weird sense of humor at times. We here in the western NY area are glad for any campers that come as we have alot of good sights to see and you could be here a month and still not do everything. I have been on other camping forums where the HiLo is critized for the cables that break, and the seal that needs to be replaced between the top and bottom half. Costs $1000.00 to have a dealer replace,8hrs. of labor. When I read this I didn't get offended. Just allowed the person to express their point of view. I recall a conversation on this forum where two members were exchanging harsh words over a difference of opinion and I thought the moderator would put a stop to it,no such thing happened. My daughter put it bluntly"the moderator needs to take a chill pill".

We must have been posting at about the same time.

Jcurtis very well said. I am in agreement with your popups comments. Nice discussion.

I own a popup along with the Hi-Lo that I am repairing. My popup is a 99 Aliner (Friends don't let Friends use Canvas) that the wife and I bought in 2001. We haven't decided whether we are going to get rid of the Aliner or the Hi-Lo, but one of them will have to go. We really like the Aliner except there is no bathroom and not a lot of space. We like the Hi-Lo, because of having a bathroom and more room. I don't know if I'm going to like dumping the tanks on the Hi-Lo. I'm sure it would be cheaper to keep the Aliner ie better fuel mileage, no state inspection, cheaper license fees, don't need a WD hitch. Now the Hi-lo, has more room, bathroom, better sleeping areas (bigger couch bed), wanted one after seeing them, a real awning instead of the itty bitty awning for the Aliner held on with Velcro thats a pain to put on, should get decent mileage even thou twice the weight of the Aliner. The deal breaker for me, may be dumping the tanks. I do have a weak stomach for that stuff

What to do Decisions, Decisions. I guess we'll make our decision after we have used the Hi-Lo a few times.

Cheers
garyk52
99 Aliner SofaBed
96 Hi-Lo Funchaser under repair
06 Tundra Tow Vehicle

HiLo Vs A liner wich one to keep.

You will never have the perfect RV no matter which one you choose. Just have your wife empty the dump tanks!!I I'm thinking after all the work you put into your restoration the Hi Lo will be the winner!!

I couldn't justify buying a pop-up that sleeps 6-8 people when it's just me, but I also knew I didn't want a camper that had a high profile going down the road.I looked at an A-Liner, but was "freaked" out by the way the walls / ceiling was. I looked at a Casita, but couldn't stand up in it... bigger models have higher ceilings as I found out later.

Then I found my Hi-Lo and bought it first time I looked at it, didn't even want to "sleep" on it...

If you need to have a place for 6-8 people to sleep, a Hi-Lo is probably not for you... If you have a smaller TV, a Hi-Lo is probably not for you...

We all buy what we need or like and just because "we" don't need or like them doesn't make them "wrong" or "bad", they are just not for us...

When I was growing up we used to camp with 2 other families almost every weekend all summer. 1 family had a pop-up and that's all they ever had - same one year after year and never wanted anything else... but they had 8 people sleeping in it...

Camping Out

This has been an interesting thread pitting pop-ups versus Hi Lo's versus large RV's. While our personal tastes and financial status may dictate our individual selections, we have overlooked what I think is the most important component. Comradery.

About 15 years ago, our daughter sent me a father's day/birthday package. It contained [2] tents, one large and one small. They were a little different than the conventional tent in that they were fitted with special steel hoops and were pancake shaped. To set one up, you simply took it out of the storage bag and tossed it into the air and when it landed, it had unfolded and all that remained to be done was to place a weather canvass over it and drive in the tent pegs.

We were asked to present an educational program at a convention in Oregon and we had accepted. Instead of hauling our 5th Wheel up there, we decided to take our Forerunner and 'tent it' in the larger tent. We took [4] days making the trip, each night stopping in campgrounds along the way. The tent proved roomy enough and very comfortable for us as well as our 125 pound Akita/English Mastiff dog.

We always chose a site with electricity for our morning coffee and in each campground, there was usually a pot luck dinner or ice cream social for us to attend. We met a lot of motor cyclists pulling little trailers that held their tenting supplies and were impressed when we visited with them to learn there were doctors, bankers, educators, etc., that chose this mode of seeing our great land.

Regardless of the choices of the campers, whether it be a motor home, big RV, tent, or cyclist, when we got together for our social hours, playing card games, etc., the one thing that was most important stood out; the comradery shared by all, regardless of social class or status.

That was one of our most memorable trips.

Jerry & Carol Curtis
2406 T

No matter what type unit you have, tent, pop-up, travel trailer, Class B, Class C, or a Class A bus, they are family memory makers. We started our camping experience with a Starcraft popup, as I had given up tent camping when I came home from Viet Nam in 1968. Had many years of great times with the popup. Wife decided she wanted something more "protective" than canvas around her from the critters if we went out west. That is when we were introduced to the world of HiLo. We are on our second HiLo now. So bottom line is no matter what type unit you have, it is a family memory maker.

Bob

My favorite "4 Letter Words"

My favorite "dirty words" are "Stay Home". I think that we all agree that's the two words we hate the most. It seems to me most of the members agree that it really doesn't really matter what you drag behind you. What really matters is that you don't STAY HOME. I said MOST. Those campers that have to have the biggest/widest/nicest rig on the road just don't get it. I spent many years carrying my campsite in a bag on my back and I loved every minute of it. Climbed Mt. Elbert(Colorado's highest peak) in February. Had to "pull stakes" when it rained a little to much in Arches National Park one night. Great fun for a young guy...but time marches on. Now I'm glad to have that fisrt cup of Joe without having to go find kindling. In fact, I don't even have to get out of bed, just sit up and turn on the stove. True luxury is a state of mind, not a statment of wealth. My HiLo is just 17' but it takes care of my NEEDS and WANTS.
As too Hard-sided Vs. Canvas, I personally prefer the protection of a rigid shell, although I do miss the flapping of the walls in a windstorm and the sleeping bags hanging in the trees trying to dry the tent wall condensation out of them. I've had lots of fun in both. They both have comparable goodies(furn. A/C, etc.), but one of them has a little more of that feeling of tent camping. The Federal government, in it's infanite wisdom(ie. Yellowstone Natioal Park, among others,)has determined that appearantly, soft-sided trailers are not as bear resistant as hard sided trailers. Therefore, it is illegal to camp in some campgrounds with canvas. I don't know about other campers, but, barring a storm, I sleep with my windows wide open. Just screen between me and the bears. Having seen a Black Bear tear an entire beehive into splinters in a few minutes, I really don't think my windowscreens are going to keep a Grizzly out of my pantry either. But at least I'm LEGAL. Maybe not safe, but LEGAL. So if you want to go tent camping with all the amenities, go with the canvas. But, if you ever plan on taking a trip to our nation's first national park, maybe the "bearproof" option is for you. The important thing is to NOT "STAY HOME" CAMP ON!

Hmmmmm...

I tend to sit on the fence in these things. While I agree about freedom of speech, in my lifetime I have seen it used wisely and in a helpful manner, I also have seen it abused. As I say, I tend to sit on the fence in this one. While I feel no harm or offense was intended, maybe it could have been thought about a bit more and worded more constructively in a more helpful attitude. "Dirty Words" wasn't exactly tactful. I see no reason to delete the thread, as most seem not to have been offended by it.

I realize that these are "old" posts, but I have to add my two cents. A few years ago, we were at Stone Mountain Georgia in our 2005 Roadtrek (in which we have traveled many miles). We were at our campsite next to one of my daughters and her family. Two or three spaces down, a Hi-Lo pulled in. He raised the roof, and walked down to talk about our Roadtrek. I showed it to him, then began asking about his HI-LO. After a demo, I was sold. I've looked at several over the years and finally found one that met our needs and was worth the price. We went up to MI, hooked it to the Roadtrek and started home. We stopped for dinner at a Bob Evans Restaurant. A pretty young lady was walking toward us and commented "Wow, that's the biggest pop-up I've ever seen"! After "educating her", we went inside and ordered dinner. Turns out she was the manager of the restaurant. She hung out at our table and we had a great time with her. I took her picture and told her I was going to post it on this forum and tell everyone she was my "new girlfriend". I told my wife that I (we) had purchased a "chick magnet" as my grandson's would say. BTW, I'm 72.

This is so cool hearing everyone's opinion regarding RV options. I agree that "Staying Home" are the dirty words. We started camping 40 years ago with a tent, even came face to face with a black bear in our camp site. Thirty years ago we moved up to a 17' Komfort then a 21' Hi Lo. Ten years ago we went back to a tent, then back to a Hi Lo in 2009, where we'll stay till it's time to hit the rockin' chair. There's definitely no such thing as a perfect RV, only a perfect memory while RVing. I wouldn't trade those 40 years of memories for anything. Time spent in God's green acre with loved ones is Heaven on Earth.