from Escape... to pop up truck camper (for us)

[Losangeles]

Originally Posted by HarleyD

We bought both a new 1999 and a 2006 hallmark Cuchara. They are a very good and honest company. We initially worked with Mike and later with Andrew. Excellent service and great customer care. Nice family business.
We were pulling a 16' race trailer at the time so the camper was great for race weekends.
We have a 5.0TA now and find it much more easier to live in for longer than a weekend.
Both are quality products, it just depends on your age and needs.
You will love it.

HarleyD
2016 F150 Ecoboost 3.5L
2018 Escape 5.0

great to hear yet one more happy Hallmark RV customer.

happy trails.

[salmo7000]

Before I decided to go with an Escape, I had thought long and hard about a popup pickup camper. One of the things I worried about is there are campsites in BC and Montana where tents and "soft-sided" campers are not permitted, because of bears. I was never sure where these popup pickup campers landed in that discussion, because a person can choose to leave them un-popped up. Anyway, it was one reason I decided to go full-out with a fiberglass camper. I also decided I didn't want to spring for the cost of a Northern Lite or a Bigfoot, even though I really liked the Northern Lites I had seen.

The other reason was I wanted the flexibility to establish camp and use the tow vehicle to run around and not have to break camp to do so. Watching a buddy loading and unloading his pickup camper was enough to convince me I did not want to go through that all the time.

I do recognize the main tradeoff of the trailer is not being able to access tent-only campsites. And of course having to deal with the whole towing experience, including turning it around in tight spots and worrying if there will be enough room.

As with so many things in life, the decisions one must make on their style of camping involve tradeoffs. Part of me is envious of your set-up, the other part is very happy to stick with my 19, which I love and am hoping to get out one of these days post-COVID. Really enjoyed the pictures you posted, thanks!

[Losangeles]

Originally Posted by salmo7000

Before I decided to go with an Escape, I had thought long and hard about a popup pickup camper. One of the things I worried about is there are campsites in BC and Montana where tents and "soft-sided" campers are not permitted, because of bears. I was never sure where these popup pickup campers landed in that discussion, because a person can choose to leave them un-popped up. Anyway, it was one reason I decided to go full-out with a fiberglass camper. I also decided I didn't want to spring for the cost of a Northern Lite or a Bigfoot, even though I really liked the Northern Lites I had seen.

The other reason was I wanted the flexibility to establish camp and use the tow vehicle to run around and not have to break camp to do so. Watching a buddy loading and unloading his pickup camper was enough to convince me I did not want to go through that all the time.

I do recognize the main tradeoff of the trailer is not being able to access tent-only campsites. And of course having to deal with the whole towing experience, including turning it around in tight spots and worrying if there will be enough room.

As with so many things in life, the decisions one must make on their style of camping involve tradeoffs. Part of me is envious of your set-up, the other part is very happy to stick with my 19, which I love and am hoping to get out one of these days post-COVID. Really enjoyed the pictures you posted, thanks!

Very well said. Wise words.

best to you all

J.

[Rossue]

We met someone 2-3 years ago in AZ who had a Hallmark. They were pretty proud of it we recall. Looking at the website I can understand...$40K+ for the larger units.

[Losangeles]

Originally Posted by Rossue

We met someone 2-3 years ago in AZ who had a Hallmark. They were pretty proud of it we recall. Looking at the website I can understand...$40K+ for the larger units.

Yeah.... FWIIW.... for me the pride of owning a Hallmark has nothing to do with the actual cost of it.... to me it is just an amazing pop up truck camper, very well made, and very effective doing its desired function.

and similarly I was 100% equally proud of owning an Escape - for exactly the same reasons.

I love them both. I actually miss our Escape.

[HarleyD]

Originally Posted by Losangeles

Yeah.... FWIIW.... for me the pride of owning a Hallmark has nothing to do with the actual cost of it.... to me it is just an amazing pop up truck camper, very well made, and very effective doing its desired function.

and similarly I was 100% equally proud of owning an Escape - for exactly the same reasons.

I love them both. I actually miss our Escape.

Our sales person with hallmark was Randy. At the time we traded our 1999 for the 2006 we were told the trade value was the full price we paid for the first unit, that was their policy.
I too was concerned with the price of the 1999, $14,000 was what I paid for our first home. But the more we used it the more we found we liked the features and reliability of the unit. The 5.0 does remind us of the hallmark, the U dinette is much larger and across the back, the bed is N/S rather that E/W. But there is 10 extra feet between the 2 that ETI used efficiently.
We hope to be as satisfied with the 5.0TA when we can get it out on the road again. We bought this 2018 in September 2019 from Fred and Loraine Lew in Calgary. Fred was marvelous to work with.
We had the trip back to Colorado (12) days and a follow up trip to Cortez (8 days) when the colors were in full song, so we too are anxious to get back at it.

HarleyD (not Davidson)

[Gary252]

We are moving from an Outfitters Apex 9.5 camper on a Ford F-350 to a new Escape 5.0. The 5.0 was completed in January and our plan was to pick up in May and go to the rally. We will probably wait until July to retrieve the 5.0.

We purchased our truck/camper setup new in fall 2012. We've traveled over 30k miles though out the western United States and have enjoyed finding and boondocking in some beautiful locations. The camper certainly got us into some remote spots that would not be available to a trailer. We have gotten a little older, retired and now have the opportunity to extend some of those road trips. We decided we wanted a bit more room. The truck & camper are now up for sale.

After our last camper road trip, we did some research for a small 5th wheel. The more I looked, the more we found Escape to be our choice. We visited the factory last October and was very impressed with the product and the people behind it. And also the fantastic support and feedback from all of the forum participants.

We've gone from a backpack to a tent to a small travel trailer to a van conversion to a truck camper - all of it has been fantastic! And now to the next step - our brand new Escape 5.0! We can't wait!

Here's pictures of our camper.

[HarleyD]

Most may think the Outfitter looks a lot like the hallmark, for good reason. The Ward family has been in the RV business since the late 50's. Hubert Ward was the first with his sons Robert and William. Sometime in the mid 90's Bill and Bob had an issue that they could not agree on. Bill liked the wood frame, Bob wanted an aluminum frame. So they split into 2 companies and made the 2 separate slide in campers. Bill and his 2 sons Matt and Andy now do the hallmark and Bob does the Outfitter. They started out with all the same suppliers, but likely have changed some on that too. Still all Wards.

[Gary252]

We went with Outfitter since they were building on an aluminum frame and not wood. We had a Wilderness 18' tandem trailer that developed leaks resulting in rotting some of the wooden frame. Outfitter is now under new ownership and I believe both Outfitter and Hallmark have switched to fibreglass/composite shells.
We had a lot of fun with ours and look forward to new adventures with our 5.0.

[Losangeles]

Originally Posted by Gary252

We went with Outfitter since they were building on an aluminum frame and not wood. We had a Wilderness 18' tandem trailer that developed leaks resulting in rotting some of the wooden frame. Outfitter is now under new ownership and I believe both Outfitter and Hallmark have switched to fibreglass/composite shells.
We had a lot of fun with ours and look forward to new adventures with our 5.0.

The Hallmark balsa frame is all encapsulated in Fiberglass (etc) so a true composite as you mentioned

so the balsa can't rot.

Hallmark can do aluminum OR "Koosa" frame for additional charge, but very few go for them, as basically not needed.

[Sean Murry]

Nice looking rig.
Before we bought our Escape 19 we looked very seriously at Pop Up campers and Hallmark was at the top our list. They remind me of Escape in terms of their flexibility and customer service. A friend of ours bought one a few years ago and they really like it.
The only thing they found was to keep a few spare fuses around for the electric roof lift. They from time to time didn't stop the lift mechanism soon enough after the roof was raised and they would blow a fuse. No big deal, just swap out the fuse.

I really liked the idea of the pop up camper, with it's lower centre of gravity and low wind resistance. My wife however wanted a trailer that we could drop and drive off somewhere. I know you can do that with a pop up as well, just not quite as convenient. Always trade offs no matter what you choose, but heading down into the deep back country is a sure plus for the pop up.

Hallmark pop-ups are not cheap, but you get what you pay for.
Enjoy!!