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Home video outlines everything you need to know about pop up trailers By Chuck Woodbury, editor It's about time someone produced a video like this. In 45 minutes, the viewer will learn everything he or she needs to know about owning and operating a pop up trailer. Pop Up trailers are marvels of engineering, as this video, "Pop Up 101," clearly illustrates. How so many features can be packed in so little space nearly boggles the mind. I've never camped in a pop up myself, happy with my Class C motorhome. While I always knew pop ups were great RVs for family camping trips, I never realized how comfortable they were, thanks to most of the amenities found in traditional travel trailers and motorhomes. Host Mark Polk covers all the bases in this home video from Pop Up Times Magazine, stressing the importance of getting to know a pop up before heading off onto the highway. He carefully explains how to load a pop up, pointing out mistakes that can add up to trouble. He shows how to hook and unhook a pop up from its tow car. Does the trailer need electric brakes? Sometimes it does, says, Polk, and he explains when. He and co-host Dave Newhouse of Pop Up Times magazine, illustrate how to back up a pop up, either alone or with a helper. There's a simple trick that makes even solo backing a breeze. Did you know it's harder to back up a short pop up than a long one? Once a pop up is at the campsite, the fun begins. At least it should be fun. But it can be trouble, too — or at the very least a major hassle — if you don't set it up properly. Polk explains the proper way to level the trailer, and when to lower the stabilizer jacks. He points out very strongly that putting down the stabilizer jacks too soon can be a very "uplifting" experience, and not in the traditional sense of the phrase. Polk goes step by step through the set up process, talking as he performs the chore before the camera. He points out things you would never think of — what to do in the rain with the awning, and why it's important not to leave it up when you go off on a hike. He shows the "do's and don'ts" of hooking up in the campground to water, electricity and the sewer. And for those times when hookups are not available, he shows how the onboard systems do the job. Once the trailer is fully set up, he goes through each onboard system — electric, water, LP gas and sewer. Some pop ups have toilets and showers, and Polk shows how they work and how to dump the holding tanks. Then he goes inside the trailer and explains how to work the stove, refrigerator, oven, hot water heater, toilet, shower and other devices. Small pop up trailers may not have all these amenities, but it's still interesting to see how they all work. Host Polk is not a polished TV personality. But he does do an excellent job of explaining everything in 45-minutes in a way that makes what he says easy to understand. The video itself is straightforward with no glitzy graphics or fancy camera work. But it does the job very well of explaining just about everything the user of a pop up trailer would need to know before heading off on a camping trip. We recommend this highly. "Pop Up 101" is 45 minutes long, and is $24.95.
Copyright 2004 by Out West Newspaper |
