Your Trip:
On The Road

When you set out on your journey,

We want you to know all of the secrets of the road.

Taking your small pop-up camper on the road leaves room for plenty of exciting stories, activities, and ADVENTURES to take place.  So much of what you’ll discover will be unique, but there are helpful bits of information that will save you time, money, and hassle when you’re on your trip.  Pop-up camper tips on how to set up and take down your camper; lists of what you will need to bring to be most comfortable when you camp; hints about towing, backing up with a trailer; and much more.

Whether you’re thinking of a large or small camper rental, read the pop-up camper tips below before you leave for your trip—and then get ready to ROLL.

• What to Bring
• How to Tow Your Camper
• Setting Up Your Camper      

WHAT TO BRING

What we will supply you with

• Full tank of propane.
• Fully charged deep cycle 12V battery.
• $250 damage coverage on the camper. (We also offer damage waiver for an additional charge)
• water pressure regulators and electrical adapters for various campground hookups.

Accessory items we also offer for rental

• Solar Battery Chargers
• Generators
• Bike and Canoe Racks for the camper
• Camping Chairs
• Ice Chest Coolers
• Kitchen Convenience Kits for out of town guests
• GPS Units
• towing vehicles

What you bring in your large or small camper rental depends a lot on what is available at campgrounds.  Many private campgrounds offer electrical hookups, restroom and even shower facilities. All of these conveniences can make your stay even easier, but you at least need restroom facilities, as most of our small pop-up campers do not have them. Our luxury tent trailers or travel trailers do have toilets, please ask our reservation specialist if you require a toilet. Our units come with fully charged Deep Cycle batteries for power to the lights and furnace, as well as a full propane tank. Depending on how much you use the furnace in particular, you may want to consider a facility with electrical hookups or consider renting a generator which provides electrical power whenever you need it. Our solar panels are excellent for re-charging your camper battery on longer trips or when cold weather requires use of the furnace.

Suggested Packing List

Clothes

Due to unpredictable weather in Colorado, you might want to bring along the suggested items for cold weather or night weather, as the evenings here tend to be on the cool side even during our summer season. We suggest layering clothing—you can then add or remove layers as needed.

• Sweatshirts/Sweaters/Fleece
• Long Pants/Sweat pants
• Tennis Shoes
• Hiking Boots
• Rain Gear
• Hat for sun/rain/snow protection

Bedding/Linens

We recommend bringing sleeping bags as they provide the most warmth for cooler evenings, although you can bring sheets for the mattresses if you prefer.

• Sleeping Bags
• Pillows
• Blankets/Comforters

Pots/Pans/Dishes/Silverware

The campers are not equipped with any utensils, pots, pans, dishes etc. You will need to bring the items along with you.  

**Note: for our out-of-town guests, we can provide you with a convenience kit that includes: plates, bowls, cups, mugs, silverware/plastic-ware, utensils, pot, and pans.

If you need these items, please contact us with the number of people in your party, so that we can have these items ready to go for your vacation.**

• Pots/Pans
• Coffee pot
• Dishes/Bowls/Cups/Mugs
• Silverware/Plastic-ware
• Utensils
• Spices/Condiments/Oil/Pam Spray
• Aluminum Foil

Extra Items

The following items are extra items that we suggest bringing along for use with the camper:

• Ice Chest for food storage.
• Water Hose-standard hose-for clean water from a spigot.
• Drain Hose-standard hose-for water to drain from sink.
• Bucket-for drain water.
• Flashlights/Lanterns.
• 2 x 4's for leveling camper.
• Hammer/Mallet-for tent stakes for awning. Basic tools, pliers, screwdrivers, etc.
• Toilet Paper/Paper Towels/Kleenex.
• Entrance Mats/Spare carpet pieces-for muddy shoes.
• Spray cleaner.
• Dish soap/sponges.
• Fresh drinking water (camper sink should be used for dish washing only).
• Personal toiletries and sundries.
• Camp chairs and tables for outdoor use.

TOWING YOUR RENTAL CAMPER

Pop-Up Camper Tips: How to Tow Your Camper

Our tent campers are very light—so they’re easy to tow.  But it’s always wise to check with the dealer of your planned tow vehicle about the towing weight limits for your pick-up, SUV, or minivan.  

In general, virtually any truck or SUV is more than capable of towing any unit. Minivans and even six cylinder passenger cars can usually tow a medium or small camper rental. We do require permanently mounted Class II hitches with seven way round wiring connections to tow most of our campers.

If you need a towing vehicle we also rent pick-ups and SUVs along with our camper rentals.  See our Towing Vehicles page for more information.

We have several sizes of large and small pop-up campers.

Viking Camper Towing Weights

Towing a camper is not difficult, but there are a few key points to keep in mind. First, slow down! Leave more space between you and the vehicle in front of you. Second, shift your transmission down a gear or even two. Don't depend on your automatic transmission, be proactive and shift down. It is much easier on your vehicle towing in the mountains. This advice is even more important going downhill. Use your engine and transmission to primarily control your speed. Don't ride your brakes going downhill, shift down instead. Overheated brakes don't work!

To tow your camper, you will need a 2" trailer ball attached to at least a Class II hitch, with a seven-way-round trailer wiring connection.  If you are planning on towing the Grand Haven you will need at least a Class III hitch and an electric trailer brake controller installed on your vehicle.

What if I don’t have a hitch?

We install hitches and do wiring on tow vehicles, but any qualified hitch installer can perform this work for you. If you need a hitch or wiring work done or need a recommendation on a hitch installer, please call us at (303) 680-3670.

Remember that we also rent pick-ups and SUVs along with our camper rentals, if you feel that your vehicle is not equipped for the job.  See our  Towing Vehicles  page for more information.

SETTING UP YOUR CAMPER

15 Minutes to Fun!

The Fleetwood and Viking campers are not only two of the highest quality campers on the market, they are both known for ease of set-up. Allow yourself about 15 minutes to set-up and you will have plenty of time to enjoy your first day of camping.

Pop-up Camper Tips: How to Set Up Your Camper

1. Undo roof latches.
2. Remove crank for roof (for Santa Fe, in storage below door, for Viking, inside the door .) Insert crank in socket and crank up roof until crank stops (let the kids do it, it's easy).
3. Slide out front bed, pull down attached bed supports from underneath bed and attach to camper frame. Repeat for rear bed.
4. Step inside camper. Raise galley to operational position. Rotate tent bows to upright position at end of bed. Attach tent support bars over beds.
5. Unsnap door overhead. Lower door down into doorframe. Engage toggles at top of door. Attach tent fabric to doorframe with Velcro attached.
6. Set up dinette table.
7. Attach bungee cords at bottom of tent fabric to hooks underneath bed frames.
8. HAVE FUN!