Is it possible to find such a no-frills pop up camper these days? We are considering buying one, but all the ones I see are fairly well equipped with AC, showers, potties, stoves and grills, etc. We love tent camping, and one of the reasons I love it is for the no-frills aspect of daily living. Primitive, yet comfortable. I like the rustic living (although I do need a clean shower house and flush toilets nearby!) Before looking at them, I had never been inside a popup, and was surprised to see that it was more than just a way to keep sleeping bags off the ground. I liked what I saw, but I'm hesitant spend so much money on options that I don't think we'll ever use. The price of new ones is outrageous!!!! And all those bells and whistles! I feel like I would be betraying my love of primitive camping! However, my husband feels differently. Sitting inside a tent with two toddlers for a hour during a downpour helped shake him of my opinion!!! I've priced used popups, and there seems to be some good deals to be had, but I still would rather chose something that has the least amount of frills. I just know I wouldn't use them! Can these types be found? (I also keep thinking that if we're going to be spending a few thousand dollars on some nice toy, I'd rather get new furniture for our living room!!!! (LOL!!)) Thanks! mozy

Jen: My father was in WW I, and he learned a lot of ways to do things when we went camping. We'd go up near Pytamuning Reservoir in the N.W. part of Pa. to camp out for a week or so. We had 2 old Army tents, camp cots, a very old gasoline stove, and everything we needed, except something to keep the milk, etc., cold! So, being near a small creek, Dad would dig back into the creek bank, where it was nice and cool, and there he'd place the milk and meat! This worked very nicely. Then, we'd rent a small row-boat and go out on the lake to fish! Usually we'd catch pan fish, nothing too large, but just tasty eating. We'd carry drinking water, but we'd wash with clean creek water! It never seemed to hurt us-heck, i'm over 80 yrs of age, and still going strong! There were several kids our age that lived near-by and we'd roam around the area with them! My Dad's father would go along on our trips, and he, being a very stuffy guy if you didn't know him, always relished our camping trips! AHHH! for the good ol' days! I'm glad i can still remember them! And, its always good to look at the pictures of our camping trips there, just to reminisce! By: rustyj

Jennymama, I just wanted to say congratulations on your new quarters! I came to this thread late so have just been reading through the posts...I kind of started chuckling about halfway through at the different "camps" we are all in (those who say "go for it" and those who shudder at the thought of living in a travel trailer for several months, LOL.) I wanted to do that when we were building on our land, and two years later I still think our lives would have been easier in many ways had we done so (we also thought about going ahead and building the shop and putting a small bathroom in it, to live in during the build.) I think you have three really big considerations that will make you very glad you did this. One is that the drive to your dd's school would take up so much of the time that you will need for dealing with things as the house is being built, not to mention time that could be better spent with your younger one. Two hours a day, five days is a week is a LOT of time that you just gave yourself! The two other things will be important to your sanity and comfort over the next few months, and they are the facts that you can put your travel trailer a bit away from construction site for privacy from the comings and goings of the workers (and safety for the kids re: construction materials) and also that you have that big finished shop. If you can keep that for your own stuff and not have it become a repository for storing construction stuff, it will be a real asset as far as storing kids' toys and household goods. You can both have things with you that might take up too much room in the camper, and start to move more of your stuff when it gets closer to time for the move. Good luck with the build and enjoy the outdoors.

Hey joanie. We have the Big Agnes insulated air mattresses. They are fantastic and very comfortable. They are the size of a qt bottle and are easy to blow up. They are very tough and as I said I have used mine almost every night in camping set ups for months and it has no leaks or problems. I will link below to the ones we have. I hadn't thought about the truck windows having screens to that would be great. A small fan would help to move the air. You would definitely need a canopy of some kind. We got one at Dick's Sporting Goods. It is easy to set up and very sturdy. Gives great protection if it is raining. We have even pulled it over so that it is 1/2 over our tent front and we can then get in and out without getting wet :) I haven't cooked on open fires for all meals. Just an occasional cookout. We have a 2 burner propane stove that I love. I can make pancakes and coffee and great dinners with it. We have a camp fire only for warmth and ambiance. We have a folding table and set everything up the minute we get to camp and then we are done for the time we are there. We have one cooler and restock often from the grocery. When I am on the road with my bike it is a whole different setup . I have a tiny campstove and we use a picnic table if there is one or the ground if there isn't :(. I have a one person tent that is very light. I still use my Big Anges though..it is never far from me ! If I can help with any other ideas let me know. I love to camp !! c Here is a link that might be useful: Big Agnes air mattress