If you love tent camping but want a few more amenities, a pop up camper is a more substantial option that doesn’t always require a truck to tow. Plus, they’re affordable. If you’re looking for an upgrade from a tent or want a good beginner RV, a pop up is a smart choice.
Key Takeaways
- Pop up campers offer a budget-friendly, lightweight, and easy-to-tow upgrade from tent camping, making them ideal for first-time RVers or those with smaller tow vehicles.
- They provide essential amenities like beds, kitchenettes, and sometimes bathrooms, while remaining compact, easy to store, and simple to set up and break down.
- Drawbacks include minimal insulation, limited bathroom space, and extra care for tent fabric, with some campground restrictions due to wildlife safety concerns.
What Is a Pop Up Camper?
A pop up camper is a type of recreational vehicle that typically features a roof that rises straight up or opens at angles to create an A-frame. They commonly have folding tent beds that extend on both ends for expanded sleeping capacity. Despite being some of the smallest and lightest RV trailers, they can often sleep four or more comfortably. Pop up campers are an excellent choice for shoppers on a budget and first-time RV campers.
Pros of Pop Up Campers
Here are the significant advantages of a pop up tent camper:
Affordable
Of all the RVs, the pop up is the most affordable. This is true of new models, but the used market offers excellent options. You can often find a used pop up in good condition for less than $10,000 if you don’t mind a camper with minimal features. Even those with upgrades like solar packages and full indoor kitchens are typically under $20,000.
Their simple design keeps the price tags low, but that doesn’t mean you have to go without amenities. Most pop up campers feature a functional kitchenette with a sink, a dinette, and two beds for ample sleeping space.
Some include a wet bath or a hidden storage area for a portable toilet. That adds the luxury of avoiding campground facilities or doing your business outdoors if boondocking. Many modern pop up campers also boast outdoor kitchens, which allow you to minimize in-and-out foot traffic during meal times.
The scope of features in a pop up RV depends on the camper’s size and what the manufacturer can fit in the floor plan. Larger floor plans with more features and amenities will demand a higher price.
Lightweight
A common downside of fifth wheels and travel trailers is weight. Depending on dry weight and gross trailer weight once loaded, you might need a full-size or heavy-duty truck. However, pop up campers can usually be towed by your regular family SUV, minivan, midsize truck, or crossover utility vehicle.
Most pop up campers are under 3,000 pounds, and many weigh quite a bit less. Your current vehicle can likely tow one if you have the right trailer hitch.
Explore RVs you can pull with an SUV.
Small and Maneuverable
Pop up campers can fit in campsites that other RVs can’t. Their smaller size opens up more opportunities for adventuring to new locations, as their compact, folded-up size can be towed across narrower roads and put less pressure on your towing vehicle. It also makes maneuvering into campsites much easier. Because it doesn’t obstruct your rear vision, pop up campers are arguably the easiest RVs to back into campsites.
That same benefit pertains to driving pop up campers on the road. Their ability to fold down makes many new RVers feel more comfortable towing a pop up over a larger camper like a fifth wheel or travel trailer. Some of the best pop up campers include a fresh water tank and waste holding tanks, as well as a prep for installing solar panels on the roof. Combined with their small size and easy maneuverability, these features make pop up trailers an excellent option for boondocking.
Easy to Set Up and Break Down
Pop up trailers are easy to set up and break down, especially if you’re new to RV camping. When you pull into your campsite, they’re easy to back onto leveling blocks, and most models feature either a manual or electric crank to raise the roof. Both methods are quick and easy, allowing you to climb inside to set up the beds within minutes. Setting up a pop up camper is fairly easy, regardless of the type.
Require Minimal Storage Space
Finding a safe place to store an RV in the offseason can be challenging for new owners. Paying for a storage facility may or may not be within your budget, but it’s easier to find space on your property to store a pop up camper than with other RV types.
In addition to higher price tags, larger RVs may require a monthly storage rental if you don’t have a dedicated RV pad at home. Plus, you give up the peace of mind and security of walking outside and checking on your RV whenever you want.
More people have space to store pop up campers at home than larger campers. This reduces RV storage costs and keeps your camper nearby so you can pack up and hit the road at a moment’s notice.
Cons of Pop Up Campers
All recreational vehicles have some drawbacks. Here are some reasons you might consider another type of camper over pop up tent trailers:
Minimal Bathroom Space
It’s rare to find a folding pop up camper with a dry bathroom. The larger floor plans will offer a wet bath that combines the toilet, shower, and possibly a fold-down, airplane-style sink into a single space. Smaller models simply offer a hidden cabinet to store a portable RV toilet.
In contrast, even the smallest travel trailers with a bathroom typically offer a dry bath, which keeps the toilet, sink, and shower separate. Some models even offer walkthrough bathrooms that add space and allow one person to shower while the other uses the vanity to brush teeth or do makeup.
Tent Fabric Requires Additional Care
Aside from routine washing, travel trailers don’t require much exterior cleanup after a camping trip. Pop up campers do, however.
If you fold your camper away with the interior fabric wet, you’ll need to open it up as soon as you get home. That fabric must be allowed to dry completely to avoid growing mold or mildew. Pop up tent fabric must also be cleaned seasonally to prevent mold growth and mineral degradation.
Less Insulation
Although there are exceptions like hard-sided pop up campers, most folding tent campers offer minimal insulation. This makes them usable during the warmest months of the year, but rarely allows you to extend your camping season into the late fall or early spring. Of course, this will depend on your location. But pop-up RVs also offer minimal insulation for retaining the cool air their air conditioners produce, an important consideration for campers in hot climates.
Location Restrictions
Certain campgrounds or national parks may not allow pop up campers. In places with higher bear activity, pop up campers don’t provide the added protection you’ll get with a walled-in camper.
While tent campers should leave all food and scented items in a secured bear box overnight, RVers rarely take this precaution. And because there’s a cooking area inside pop up campers, certain sites won’t allow them because they only offer a thin layer of tent-like protection against curious animal intruders.
Is a Pop Up Camper Worth It?
Pop up campers are an excellent option for first-time RVers, anyone seeking a budget-friendly camper, and buyers looking for a lightweight towable that doesn’t require a tow vehicle upgrade. Affordability, maneuverability, and easy storage are probably their best traits. Still, it’s worth comparing them to the best small campers in other categories, as manufacturers have worked hard to bring prices down in other segments, too.
If you’re interested, here are some of the leading pop up camper brands:
- Rockwood Freedom
- Flagstaff OTG
- Aliner
Do You Need Insurance for a Pop Up Camper?
Whether or not you’ll need separate insurance for your pop up camper depends on your state, the trailer’s weight, and other factors. In some states, your general tow vehicle insurance may cover liability on your pop up camper. In others, you’ll need a separate policy. Even if your state doesn’t legally require separate insurance for a pop up camper, it’s smart to invest in additional liability or comprehensive coverage to protect yourself and your camper in case of an accident or damage.
Explore RV insurance plans.
While they don’t offer the luxury residential features and spacious floor plans you’ll get with other RVs, pop up campers are still a major upgrade from tent camping. Here are a few more resources to help you learn about this RV type and other small campers:
- Best RVs for Solo Travel
- Advantages of Hard-Sided Pop Up Campers
- How To Critter Proof a Pop Up Camper
Have you ever owned a pop up camper? If so, what did you think? Leave a comment below!
We purchased a new 2005 Jayco 1207 and it still looks great. They are easy to maintain and we just took some wind at Ninilchik , Ak, about 40 mph and it stood strong all night long. Suggest anyone who likes to camp and doesn’t want to spend big $$$ to please try the pop-up adventure.
Have you tried it in cold weather? How does it do? Stay warm enough?
I bought my first pop up camper this year for $1000. It was in need of repairs. First off I got new shower taps and got plumbing fixed by a plumber. Now we have running water with sink and shower and toilet. But the first thing I did was tear out the horrible cassette toilet from under it. I left the toilet above and directly put new sewage hoses out to drain station. That was time consuming. There’s one side rotted which will be replaced this year. I’ve been fixing leaks in ceiling with fiberglass and plan to repaint it when it’s dry. The canvas needs to be replaced as well. So much work has been out into it but worth it. I like the small lightweight towing options and I can basically put it anywhere. On or off grid mine can be used . We live in a horrible apartment building and this is our getaway. The kids love it and now it’s fall we plan to use it even more.
We love our pop-up without a bathroom. A simple potty can be easily set up if you’re camping as a couple. I use a combination bucket, garbage bag and a crumpled-up absorbent bed pad to get me through the night. No noise, no odor! Discreetly dispose of in the trash the next day with no one the wiser!