Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are looking at getting a camper, nothing really fancy. We have been staying at KOA's in their camping cabins, but would like to have more options. How are the pop up type campers, compared to the pull behind campers. We are hoping to find something used and reasonably affordable. The pop up type, look more like a tent on wheels, do they offer much more protection than a tent?
Last edited by BstYet2Be; 10-15-2011 at 04:43 PM..
Reason: Changed title to solicit more responses to your subject
We are looking at getting a camper, nothing really fancy. We have been staying at KOA's in their camping cabins, but would like to have more options. How are the pop up type campers, compared to the pull behind campers. We are hoping to find something used and reasonably affordable. The pop up type, look more like a tent on wheels, do they offer much more protection than a tent?
Yes.
I first got a tent when traveling with kids across country and staying in campgrounds to avoid motels and to enjoy the trip more -- until a couple of bad rains. Then I got the pop-up because dealing with a soaking wet tent and trying to fold up sleeping bags in a cloudburst was not as fun.
The pop up is great because you leave it attached to your vehicle if just camping overnight, you don't have to roll up sleeping bags and pack them, you can have all your essentials stored in the pop-up and you can have your meals inside or outside. Setting up and taking down your camp can be done in under 5 minutes.
If it snows, as long as you cover the sides where the air can come in - where the slideout beds are, you can stay fairly comfortable, and when you make coffee or boil water for oatmeal, the pop up will warm up pretty fast. You don't have to deal with a stream of water seeping through like you might with a tent, you're off the ground and if you have kids you have more sleeping space than many of the trailers do.
You don't have protection against bears if you're in bear country. You also wouldn't want to leave a lot of valuables inside it if you leave your campground, those you would keep in your vehicle.
I now have both, the pop up is easier and cheaper to tow, you can get them into places where you can't get a trailer, like right down by the lake shore or next to the river. The trailer is easier if you like to pull over and stretch out and rest or have a meal in it at a rest stop or truck stop. There is no set up needed.
Everything has it's pros and cons, and it's nice that there are so many options out there.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,694 posts, read 58,004,579 times
Reputation: 46171
pop-ups are great, but best in dry climates.
They do 'wear-out' with age, thus look carefully when buying and consider reselling while still serviceable. (And store under cover (not tarp) and away from mice). Get the biggest diameter tires possible and keep tires and bearings serviced (high RPM).
I prefer their low profile and vast sleeping space. Keep an awning to give plenty of outdoor space to reduce crowding during meal prep.
Enjoy... Free Campgrounds for RVs (I haven't been to a KOA in 30+ yrs, but used them early in my camping career)
(BTW, I always tent camped (a challenge in 100" + rain 285 days / yr) until retired. Then I got a 20 mpg motor home. http://rialtaheaven.com/
I still rarely camp, but instead use private guest homes ($10 / night worldwide). Guest homes were even more beneficial when traveling with the kids (2-3 month homeschool field trips / yr).
Kids liked camping, but it is a lot more work when out for a long period of time in inclimate weather. I was most bothered with having to pack up a wet tent in AM. (a potential problem with tent trailers IF you are 'on-the-go'. Best for extended stays in a single place.)
So...examine your plans and get what best fits your lifestyle. Trailers and (good) Tent Trailers are about the same expense, Then there comes storage, maint, and use expense.
For high mileage trips I 'fly-drive'. (SWA and $10/day priceline cars). We did that for Homeschool fieldtrips to east coast too.
Many folks find a nice camping spot and rent it extended (whole yr) and keep their rig set up, travel to and fro via econo car. (I got my last 52 mpg car in MSP !!) only had to stop 1 time for fuel in 1900 miles home
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 10-16-2011 at 12:00 PM..
We are looking at getting a camper...
How are the pop up type campers, compared to the pull behind campers.
They're both a b-itch in wind and even when it isn't.
We are hoping to find something used and reasonably affordable. OK
The pop up type, look more like a tent on wheels... good analogy
do they offer much more protection than a tent? No
None of this is reason to not buy either... just to be clear on the limits of them.
Be real honest about the number of nights in a year you even are available to be in the woods
then the number you'll actually go somewhere...
and what sort of travel radius you have (before getting back to work on Monday etc)
We just upgraded from a pop up camper to an expandable camper (with 3 fold out beds). We really enjoyed the pop up and would absolutely recommend them as a 1st time camper option. The reason we upgraded was the lack of a bathroom. I have two small kids and it was just a pain to always walk back & forth to the campground bathrooms with small children (who seem to always need to go immediately & in the worst possible weather conditions in the middle of the night! )
Our expandable is awesome....not too much bigger to haul than the pop up but has a microwave, more storage, 3 beds vs. 2 beds and of course the full bathroom.
... You don't have protection against bears if you're in bear country. ... .
If you check with the rangers at the parks, I doubt they'd agree with this. The soft sides of a popup are no more protection from bears than a tent would be.
We (two of us) currently camp in a Vanagon Westfalia, which isn't going to last forever. We considered a popup as a replacement, until my sister pointed out that to close it back down we'd have to shift all our gear around. So our current replacement plan is a small teardrop-trailer, with an easy-up tent to provide a sheltered "living room" when we need one.
If you check with the rangers at the parks, I doubt they'd agree with this. The soft sides of a popup are no more protection from bears than a tent would be.
We (two of us) currently camp in a Vanagon Westfalia, which isn't going to last forever. We considered a popup as a replacement, until my sister pointed out that to close it back down we'd have to shift all our gear around. So our current replacement plan is a small teardrop-trailer, with an easy-up tent to provide a sheltered "living room" when we need one.
Yes, that's why I used the word "don't". You are protected from snow somewhat, from the cold ground or a rocky campsite, even some wind, but not bears.
Sleeping in a pop-up is definitely comfortable in my opinion, even when the weather turns quite cold but obviously they aren't much protection in bear country.
It's a good idea to go to an RV show, one where they'll let you wander around versus being led around by a sales agent. That way you can take your time without pressure or someone eager to make a sale and you can decide for yourself what looks and feels best for you. I prefer being able to look around and take my time, check out things for myself before talking to the sales person.
There are so many options out there, some more affordable or better for beginners. It's a lot easier to tow a pop-up if you aren't used to towing but many trailers are just as easy to tow once you get used to them. You have to consider your own storage capabilities and space, family size, how often and where you want to use your camper.
Some KOA campgrounds won't let you camp in a tent in February or March, but I think you can use a pop-up. With my pop-up I always had a rain poncho stored in the drawer near the door in case we had to set up in the rain, but now I have a trailer which requires no set up at all but I can't take it down to a particular lake I like that I could take the pop-up to because of a steep dirt road.
We are looking at getting a camper, nothing really fancy. We have been staying at KOA's in their camping cabins, but would like to have more options. How are the pop up type campers, compared to the pull behind campers. We are hoping to find something used and reasonably affordable. The pop up type, look more like a tent on wheels, do they offer much more protection than a tent?
I've owned two pop up campers over the last 30 years, I enjoy them very much, easy to tow and park, lots of room inside and a comfortable place to sleep, on the flip side you do need to set them up to load and unload them (depending on the model) that is my bigest problem with one.
I've camped in high wind, rain and light snow and not had a problem as long as your prepared, I suggest a small generator if camping in the cold to run the heater because the battery will run down fast but of course that will bepend if you have hookups at the camp site.
Bears are bears, if they really wanted in nothing would stop them, they could tear a door off a trailer with no effort but how rare is that.
Good luck and have fun with whatever you do
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
