Do people only choose Pop Ups because they have no other choice?

[dodge]

I prefer a PUP because I feel closer to nature. When I'm inside my sister's 30' trailer, I feel like I'm in a box. There are only a couple windows and they're very small. AC is an absolute requirement in even mild temps otherwise her camper is an oven; boondocking is harder because of this. She's cut off from the sounds and overall experience of nature.

When I'm in my PUP, I feel like I'm still in nature. With my curtains open, I have a 360 degree panoramic view of my surroundings. (But if I want privacy, I can close the curtains.) I can hear the birds chirping in the morning, which I love. If it's raining, I have shelter but I can still see the rain falling. When I'm camping on the beach, I can put all the plastic windows down and welcome in the breeze, providing amazing airflow.

I have camped in a large camper 2x and I have camped in my PUP, and I prefer my PUP.

 

[Hilldweller]

I think we can boil it down to this:
A traditional p'up is still camping.
A hard-sided TT is RVing.

No judgement call. Dealer's choice.
Just have a good time, be a good neighbor, don't make a smoky fire, and fer God's sake, tell yer women to wear their bras...

 

[daduruguay1961]

wee could easily afford trailer camper, or an RV no problem, the reason we chose to have our popup is because we can keep it in our garage. Whereas a trailer camper or an RV we would have to pay for a storage facility.

 

[scubacamper]

When we decided to get off the ground we looked at a lot of options out there and a PUP was the best of both worlds. MY DW loves the open windows all the way around and with our sofa and table inside both girls have their own space. We spend very little time inside and seldom take friends so this is perfect. However times and needs change. I recently lost a kidney and at 62 I can still get it up, the PUP, but a TT would do us better especially since my girls, now 13 & 15 want bunk beds and less of a problem. My DW still doesn't want to give it up and so the $4k the dealer wants to replace the outside wall of the slide out (somehow it got wet and fiberboard expands making it useless) is now up to me to fix so we'll see. As I said, for us a PUP was the next logical step.

 

[Silveryrado]

A few months after I passed our ole fav Coleman Westlake to the grown kids to use I was in the market again. Money or tow vehical weren't issues, my mindset was "I'm camping" and knew about what I wanted to spend for that. After what seemed like hours and rows of inspecting "proper campers" I rounded a corner and gazed upon the "hidden from public view" pop-up section! It was like I'm home! No more hot and stuffy walls separating me from what I really wanted. The extra few minutes to set up (all electric now baby) didn't seem to matter at all anymore. I got what I wanted with all the necessities I felt I needed (everything 🤣). That was 11 years ago. If I had to do it again today, I wouldn't change a thing!

 

[Allamakee County]

Because they are Doctor-Who-style campers. Bigger on the inside.

 

[PaThacker]

I’ve owned 3 pups, a hybrid and 2 tt. The Tt and hybrid 100 percent different than a pup. My second pup was my favorite of 3 with no ac nor bathroom Jayco 1206. The only pos a pup has over any other camper is the ability to store in a garage or small parking area. All my pups were 19 to 21 feet overall length closed ( not small lol) all required a truck to tow.

 

[mickeytopher]

Our camper was my mother-in-law's. She left it after she moved cross country and has been following us around since. For the amount of camping that we do and being just the two of us doesn't really seem to make sense to get something bigger. Besides who can beat free?

 

[dbbyleo]

If you've ever been inside a TT vs a tent popup... you'll know very quickly why some choose a popup. If you have to spend any time in a TT... it feels like you're in a box. You just can't beat the tent, airy, open feel of a tent popup.

The biggest downside to popups is obviously the setup. Plus... you cant just pull over and access the facilities, fridge, make lunch, etc, with a popup like you can on a TT.

But if I did had capacity to tow a TT, then I would option for a hybrid... you get the best of both worlds.

 

[JohnoWolf]

I'm in the category of "I have both." I have had my current popup for about 19 years, and I love it for actual camping. We also have a TT that we bought for traveling to Square Dance conventions and festivals. My wife prefers the TT, as it's easier to set up and provides full facilities. We had a Class C previously; however, using it for conventions and festivals often required having to drive it back and forth every day between the activity and the campground (a major pain).
The honest truth is that we've rarely used the popup in the last 10 years and it's just sat in the back garage gathering dust and accumulated "stuff" stored on top of it. I miss using it, but it's not as practical for the family these days.

 

[jpcjtrtj]

We loved our dear PUP. But at one point in our lives, wife decided she wanted a bathroom. So, we upgraded to a TT. Like everybody said, the PUP is a more like camping and TT is a more like a hotel room on wheels. Both are awesome.

 

[rmihalcin]

I have had the same Coleman pop up for 27years ( west coast of FL) . Always garaged. I don't want to pay to store my PUP away from my house. HOA rules say no campers outside. Good comments from others on pop up benefits.

 

[DougP]

Truth be told I love my popup. Yes, someday I do see myself upgrading in the future. However right now for me there are more pos than cons in owning a popup. However the cons list is growing As I want to camp way more but weekend trips are beginning to feel more like a chore than a joy. I love the 360 degree view you get in the popup when all the windows are open. I love the breezes that come through on a beautiful day. Towing a popup is easier on the tow vehicle so long as you did your homework right not to mention you get way better gas mileage. Having a low profile camper makes going around really tight bends in the mountains less scary and parking at a campsite you don’t have to worry about hitting tree limbs as much as a hard sided camper. Downside, canvas is a very lousy insulator so your furnace and AC are working extremely hard and at times you will find cannot keep up And that’s with reflectix and PUGS in the windows and over the bunks. Setting up can be a pain and setting up in the rain just plain sucks. Lack of storage inside means your moving things around a lot. if you were tent campers before you ususully have a leg up because you are already familiar with the downsides. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Ditto. You nailed it. We came from renting tents to buying our first PopUp last fall. Your Pros and Cons match ours pretty much. Happy PopUp camping in 2023. Since I'll retire at end of year, we're using this year to train-up. Plenty of camping planned in the future. Cheers & good luck, Doug P. SE Pa.

 

[gcook12]

Hi,

Just looking to hear if anyone chooses to use Pop Ups despite being able to get a travel trailer if they wanted. Not everyone has the money and capable tow vehicle to haul a travel trailer, but for those that could if they wanted to, why do you still choose a pop up?

I have never had a camper, either as a kid or adult, and am looking into getting something for our family of 4 and this is something I’ve been wondering.

We had a popup for several years then parked it on some property I own and bought a large travel trailer two years ago. The travel trailer is being sold and we are hoping to restore the popup. Here are some reasons not to buy a travel trailer.
First is cost. You have to have a large vehicle to tow it. They are expensive and are probably not something you would buy if you did not need to tow something large.
Second is inconvenience. It takes me 2 hours to get it from storage just to put it in the driveway to begin packing. Two more hours to return it. Also on the one time in 5 I get it aligned to back it in the driveway, an irate neighbor will get upset unless you let them by and start over. Compare that with a popup you pull out of the garage.

Third is stopping to eat on your way to camp. Your only option is Cracker Barrel. (Why do they always coat their biscuits with raw flour?)

We have used ours on average once every 2 months and with 2 payments, two premiums, maintenance and storage it was been running $1000 a month. For comparison. Take a look at what $2000 will buy you for a weekend getaway every two months.

If you store a popup in your garage they will last a very long time. They are a pain to set up but it is still easier than a travel trailer.

 

[gcook12]

Hi,

Just looking to hear if anyone chooses to use Pop Ups despite being able to get a travel trailer if they wanted. Not everyone has the money and capable tow vehicle to haul a travel trailer, but for those that could if they wanted to, why do you still choose a pop up?

I have never had a camper, either as a kid or adult, and am looking into getting something for our family of 4 and this is something I’ve been wondering.

 

[armyvet25]

I'm good with any kind of Camping, Popup was wife's choice as she wanted something closer to Tent camping without the tent/floor sleeping etc, more windows and open air experience.

 

[WookieVR6]

Moved up to pup after years of tenting. Ability to stand is nice and still be close to the ground. Pup dosent take up much room when stored and give more room than small TT when open. Also when stored at home it dosent obscure the view since it’s only 4’ tall

 

[Bob Powers]

Hi,

Just looking to hear if anyone chooses to use Pop Ups despite being able to get a travel trailer if they wanted. Not everyone has the money and capable tow vehicle to haul a travel trailer, but for those that could if they wanted to, why do you still choose a pop up?

I have never had a camper, either as a kid or adult, and am looking into getting something for our family of 4 and this is something I’ve been wondering.

We bought our pop-up (about 18 months ago) because we owned one years ago when our two kids were small, and we LOVED it. We could have bought a small travel trailer, but the pop-up is more spacious inside than the bigger trailers our camping friends own, and easy for our 6-cylinder SUV to pull. It fits perfectly in our RV spot and has all of the modern conveniences.

We literally outgrew the old trailer as the kids got older and larger. Our son was a big kid and he quickly outgrew the kitchen table bed and we weren't going to bunk him with his older sister, of course. So we sold it. We're very happy with our new one. Good luck in your decision-making process and LMK if I can assist further.

 

[jmkay1]

Second is inconvenience. It takes me 2 hours to get it from storage

I hear you on this one. Sadly even my popup has to go to offsite storage. It’s expensive and inconvenient and downright scary as there is so much stuff you can hit and little space to maneuver. even worse my facility does not allow repairs, cleaning etc on lot grounds. So if something has to repaired it’s being done at a campground.

 

[FairyDogma]

I chose the pup not because that's all I could afford, but because I wanted it. I wanted the security of hard sides and love the wide open views. We have a Forest River A-frame with one dormer and a king-size bed, and camp in the lap of luxury. Plus, it can be towed either with our truck or SUV.