My wife and I are stuck on what to get. We keep going back and forth between a big pop-up with the bathroom/shower (probably a Coleman Niagara), or a Hybrid.

Hybrid pluses:
big refrigerator
real bathroom (a big plus for my wife)
easy access without setup
microwave/stove

Pop Up Pluses:
more open feel inside (a big plus for me)
easy towing
fit in garage
lower price

Since this is a Hybrid forum, I expect biased answers. But I'm curies about what you'll have to say.

What are you towing with? That may be a deciding factor.

We went with a pop-up because we can't tow anything more and it's easy to store and used ones are super-cheap. We just couldn't tow or afford anything bigger than what we bought.

I don't think you'll see much price difference between a high-end pop-up and a hybrid. The hyrbid will also be easier to setup, but you lose the "camping" feeling without canvas around you. You also get bigger beds with a pop-up.

-Mike

'99 Toyota Camry
'88 Jayco J-806


CampingColorado's Campsite

Dejay, many Hybrid owners were pop-up owners at first. We had a small pop-up (Coleman Columbia) and were looking at loaded pop-ups.

A hybrid cost about the same.
Much less set-up and take-down time.
Most of the Hybrid have a picture window and that with the canvas bunks still gives you a very open feel.
Another plus is you do not have to pop up to load the camper. Easy to load and unload after a trip.
If you do not have a pop-up now, I would suggest you rent one for a couple of trips and see how you like it.
Your tow vehicle may be a deciding factor in what you get. Keep in mind that the loaded popp ups are about the same weigh as some of the smaller hybrids.

Two other sites you may want to look at are http://www.coastexplorer.com/popupexplorer/forum/default.sap
and
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/HybridRV/



Chuck Roder, Wife & Son
2003 Chevy TrailBlazer EXT V8
2003 Starcraft 21RB
High Springs, Florida.
Click here to visit our camper page

We too, were Pop-Up owners before we moved to the hybrid. Our hybrid is one of the larger ones, but is an ultra light and weighs in at 3400 lbs dry. After having both, the Hybrid gets my vote. The ease of set up is wonderful, plus the fact that you can completely load your camper without having to open it up. The thing that has really been the largest advantage to me is that it is just not as stressful getting ready for a trip. Before, we pretty much had to plan much of a day immediatetly before the trip to pop the camper up, load it, and pop it down again. Usually took us between two and three hours, depending on how long we were going to be gone, and how much we had to pack. Now, I just plug the camper in while it is in the driveway, turn on the frig, and over the next several days, a few minutes a day gets us ready to go. Plus, since there is a LOT more storage in a hybrid, you can leave so much more in the camper, which also cuts down tremendously on the prep time. And it seems that when I am not strtessed out, everybody else has a much better time . You do get larger beds in some of the pop-ups, but we have more than enough room in the front queen bunk in out hybrid. You still get the outdoor feel with the canvas bunk ends, but the rest is orders of magnitude better in a hybrid (IMHO)

Donna & Stan

2003 SunValley XK23SD
2003 Toyota Tundra 4 X 4

I placed an answer to this question which was duplicated in the PU section. I'll add in one other thing I didn't mention in that thread, the cost for a fully equipped PU with everything was more than what I paid for my Hybrid, which is almost twice as big and has more amenities!

You can get good prices at your dealer, and even better prices from Wholesale RV outlets such as www.rvwholesalers.com (where I bought mine) and www.campersfactoryoutlet.com ....

*Cliff*
03 Trail Cruiser C-23B
98 Coleman Rio (For Sale)
94 Jeep Grand Cherokee
94 Ford Aerostar (For Sale)

Gone Camping • net
Victory Lane Online
Chaos reigns within. Reflect, repent, and reboot. Order shall return.

I wanted to go camping. My wife wanted a "full" bathroom and shower. Period. I had no problem with that. Happy we shkipped the PU's. I still get the tent ends, but I have a microwave, a pretty nice fridge, nicer bathroom facilities, and the option of using the trailer without folding the bunk ends out.
Ed

Kiwi 21C
F-150 SuperCrew 5.4l

Before I was married, I camped with my parents in a 16' TT for about 20 years. My wife & I both have the camping bug, so we rented a 12' Viking PU in 2000. Upon returning from that trip, we contemplated buying a used PU instead of renting. We flew to Vancouver for our 2001 vacation, but kept discussing what we wanted in a trailer. We bought our 1999 Bantam 17B in 2002.

PU Advantages:
lighter; easier towing; better rear view
mileage almost on a par with unhitched TV
very airy & spacious
can be garaged
cheaper to buy & maintain

PU Disadvantages:
less privacy & security (IMHO)
much louder inside
no bathroom
colder, more damp
less storage
fewer creature comforts
hard to access items unless opened
set-up/tear down

Hybrid Advantages:
easy access to items; can use washroom on the road
don't have to open up to use it
bunk ends allow teriffic use of space in the TT portion
bunk ends also allow breezes to cool trailer/remove dampness
much more storage
more features (stove, fixed cooktop, larger fridge, vent hood, etc.)

Hybrid Disadvantages:
more expensive to buy/maintain
can't garage; must store somewhere
harder towing; fuel economy cut in half

1967 Me, 1962 DW, 1998 & 2003 DD's

1999 Honda Odyssey EX, 1999 Trail-Lite Bantam 17B

See our rig here.

I was in the same situation, and finally decieded last week. For me it was the convienience factor. A popup is nice and feels larger, but wit the hybrid you get a much larger refer, more storage and a real bathroom. The Niagra is nice, probably around 11,500 with all the options, and a hybrid will be a few grand more. To me, it's worth it to spend a little more now, and I think it will last longer. Hybrids are a little longer, easier to back, easier to tow since it has double axle's. It may depend on your vehicle. Having a full bathroom will be so nice, cleaner, and at 2:00am you don't have to go across the campground to use the bathroom.


Rick

I bought the Hybrid for the convenience of being able to pack and unpack without setting up. What surprised me was that I found it much easier to tow the hybrid. The very large pop-up we had was a towing nightmare. It swayed and bounced the tow vehicle without mercy. While the hybrid is definitely heavier, it tows much more smoothely, probably due to the tandem axles. If your tow vehicle can handle the weight, I think you will find the hybrid a pleasure to tow.

We started out with a popup and sold it after the first year to get into a hybrid. There were several reasons for this. We enjoyed the popup however we are really glad to have the hybrid now. We have three kids and traveling with them can be a challenge sometimes, it is much easier if we can use the bathroom and galley in the hybrid and of course we could not do that with the popup. There is a lot more storage space in the hybrid and therefore less clutter of duffle bags sitting around. The hybrid definately handles weather extremes better for us with plenty of room if we get forced inside. A while back I got the notion that I wanted a different trailer (no reason,I'm just like that). After looking the market over I decided that there is no better unit out there for our family. Until the kids all leave the nest we will be in our hybrid.

Camping Hoosiers
Memphis, Indiana USA
2001 Jayco Kiwi 23B
2001 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9 V8 Gas