Pop up tent campers?

[Tgun46]

We have a small StarCraft RT-10. It has a lift and off-road tires, can take it anywhere I can get my truck. Very basic.. stove, sink, heater and small fridge. It is crowded camping with 4 of us but we are only in it usually to sleep and eat sometimes. Can set up in 15-20 min. Have had it in a few bad wind storms and thought the canvas was going to rip off. If it’s windy at night it is hard to sleep with the canvas flapping. It is just a glorified tent off the ground. I like it, didn’t pay much for it and is basic. My wife on the other hand wants a little more luxury but I’m hesitant. I use our camper more for hunting than we do camping . Late season hunts are rough, heater works good but camper doesn’t hold heat very well.

 

[cnelk]

Whatever trailer you decide to get, take it in and get the axle turned. It will give you more clearance on rough roads

 

[TheViking]

I don't know where you live but there are websites where you can rent different types of campers from private parties.

Might be something to try out before you potentially invest in one.

I will personally never own a camper again. They are a pain in the ass.

Wife and I are going to a roof top tent. Still have the cargo capacity in the bed of your truck, just hop upstairs to sleep, fold it down in the AM, off you go. Super simple.

 

[06 SB]

I grew up initially camping in tents then my parents bought a big Starcraft pop up (canvas) camper. It was glorious when it rained. We treated it like a tent though. It was for sleeping or shelter from the weather. We ate outside all the time. Set up was not hard but take down was a pain. My Dad was pretty organized and each of us boys had specific jobs and it was the same job every time. It worked well.

I have converted cargo trailers and did that for many years but it never felt like camping to me. A few years ago, I bought a used Aliner from my neighbor. I treat it the same as the days of my youth. It is for sleeping and shelter only. It is small though and only has a two burner stove and no oven or microwave. We cook and eat outside. I have a shelter that goes over a picnic table and that is our eating/cooking/dishwashing station. We rarely rough it but when we do, I throw two folding tables in the back of the truck. It tows so easy, it is ridiculous. My Aliner has dormers and would not have one without. The extra headspace is nice. It literally takes 1 minute to set up and 2 to take down.

 

[5MilesBack]

Two years ago I went on a buddy's elk hunt with him and his dad. They used their pop-up with two queen mattresses inside. I was surprised that those things could expand like that and setup two queens, a table with bench seating, and a cook surface. Seem like a great little rig, especially if you have kids.

But as for setup or take down........when we all packed up and left, I had my setup (14x16 wall tent) all packed up and ready to roll by myself before they were done with the popup. When you have the awning set up and your cook system under it with everything else stored there, it takes some time. I have the similar setup for my wall tent, but was still done before them. So as far as time or ease, it's probably a wash.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Do you have a place to store it when it's not in use?..Covered would be preferred.
I have had a few buddies sell there camper due to storage fees...you use it a couple times a month at best but pay to store it all year long. HOAs around here if you have one frown upon campers and boats.

As my kids got older and into sports, ect we found we had less time to camp. It's was all sports all the time. It got to point I was using it once a year for guys fishing trip.

 

[Weldor]

Had an old Palomino hardsided pop-up, 16 ft closed if I remember right? scissor side walls and a spring assist to lift the walls. Great trailer, furnace, stove,, refer, large beds on the ends(the only canvas and vinyl) they pulled out. No cables to worry about. Don't know if they still make that style, but worth looking into.

 

[Rich M]

My uncle had a pop up camper - it always smelled like mildew. We stayed in it a week a year for 10-12 years.

My dad got one for hunting and we ended up in there with frost crystals hanging down from the ceiling. Heater warmed it quickly. Had a diff camp the next year.

I'm threatening my wife with a hard side camper - 12-16 ft - she's big on the toilet. With 2 kids, you'd have to go bigger. The pop up isn't a bad idea.

 

[rem.ostrem]

If I could get one without ac I’d be game. I don’t want to lug a generator and we currently don’t have ac anyhow. I know buying used(and new in most cases) you’re kinda stuck with what you get, but there’s some stuff I couldn’t care less about and AC is one of them.

Totally get that. There are some models out there that don't have the after factory ac unit installed and they should have a solid roof. I think we used the ac only once when camping and that was in Utah outside of Capitol Reef. Usually we are out doing stuff in the heat of the day or just opening all of the windows is enough to get a good breeze through.

I have found that the gear we can haul in the camper popped down and the bed of the truck was perfect for a 10 day trip with 3 adults with a little room to spare if needed. Setting up the camper after parking is maybe a 20 minute job and packing up was about the same.

Having the generator wasn't necessary but we take it with anyways because it's nice to use to recharge the battery/run the camper without worrying about the battery dying. We also have a little air compressor in the bed that runs off the generator in case of flat tires. To us it was worth taking up the small space in the bed.