From Pop-up to Waay Upscale

[George]

I've been on two weeklong trips in my Bobcat. I've been in a couple of windstorms, massive thunderstorms, and had a bear scratch the rear door. To me, it's simple, and if you keep it simple, it works.

But 10 days I ago I saw the camper of my dreams. Not practical, but dream stuff. It was parked next to me near Canyonlands, and then it showed up at Capitol Reef. Here's the site. I have some pix, but the site is pretty comprehensive.

http://www.earthroamer.com/tab_aboutus/about_history.html

Thing is, what led the owner and operator of this outfit to build this thing was, weirdly enough, owning a pop-up that looks mighty like what I have.

http://www.earthroamer.com/tab_aboutus/about_history.html

See the history and link. What he sells is nice. Well, beyond nice. But the sales tax would pay for two of what I have. And it's not that much more comfortable than what I have. I think there are ways to get around having a shower. I use no-rinse shampoos, which are OK. Not great, but OK. I use a PETT toilet, dry. You are camping.

You might think the guy could have fixed the leaks. I've camped to around freezing, but I don't have water lines. I haven't noticed condensation with the furnace running at the absolute lowest setting.

I talked to the guy in the one parked next to me. I didn't walk away feeling I'm slumming through life. If anything, I felt the whole is a little over the top. And I guessed the price to be half what it is.

Anyone know what brand this was, or why the guy might have had the problems. I'm not sure what the expectations were, but when you spend 25x more money, you probably get a better product?

Like I say, I've seen cold and wind. It can help to sleep with the top down. I put the top down after Yogi left. It seems like it works down to freezing. After two weeks, I still have 1/4 of the propane left. Funny, one guy buys a pop-up and sets out on a lifetime crusade to build the bulletproof camper of all time. Yikes.

Trips with the Bobcat:

http://www.pbase.com/gsears3025/idaho

http://www.pbase.com/gsears3025/burr_trail

George Sears
Cedar City, Utah

 

[HikerCook]

Impressive to say the least

Yep, the Earthroamer is an incredible vehicle. Perhaps the only commercial offering to compete with the one off solutions of the Turtle Expeditions http://www.turtleexpedition.com/ or the Hackney Basecamp Expedition Vechicle http://www.hackneys.com/mitsu/. I've found that there's a sweet spot in every market. That point that offers the biggest bang for the buck and beyond which you pay major dollars for only incremental improvements. My Bobcat isn't due from the factory until early next month, but I've spent so many nights in a 5'x7' backpacking tent that the level of comfort it will afford is already giving me wet dreams. It's fun to dream of Earthroamers or 80' sailing yachts, but I'm thinking a little pop-up, a good sunset, and a decent pinot noir will suit me just fine.

Mike Mattox
El Dorado, CA

 

[craig333]

Yeah its something, but just look how much truck you need to carry that thing. I need to win the lottery or retire before I can do a real "expedition" anyway.

 

[jarnis]

"had a bear scratch the rear door"

Huh? Why did the bear scratch your door? Was he requesting access? Were you frying bacon at the time? Where were you when this happened and what did you do about it?

JP