the great debate Tent vs Pop Up

[Whosemom]

Last year we bought the cheapest, smallest tent we could fit into to see if we would like camping. And we did! So next year, we either need a larger tent, or, dh says, a pop up. Other than the obvious expense, anyone have a strong opinion? My beef is $, and spending the summer watching people go crazy trying to get trailers hitched to cars - they took as long as it took me to strip camp, roll everything up and move out with 3 small kiddos helping me.

Justcurious to run it past you all. This is THE BEST camping forum I have found!

Micki

 

[We4mickey]

If you can swing it, definately do the pop up. We tent camped for about 14 years and went to a pop up. To get off the ground, especially when it rains is worth it. We have our whole set up down to a system everyone knows their job and we are ready to go in no time.

 

[Rhonda]

I like both ways - but for Ft. Wilderness, we definitely like the pop-up! We tent camped at FW for years, then last year we bought a used pop-up and we love it! It's great to be up off the ground! Hitching and unhitching is no big deal, and once you set it up a few times, you can do it with your eyes closed!

 

[clkelley]

We prefer the tent camping. Instead of a large tent for all of us, we go with individual tents. We have more privacy that way. Even the largest pop-up is awfully small. Air mattresses get us up off the ground sufficiently. Plus we can fly and tent camp. There is no way to fly with a camper.

 

[tim5055]

I also vote for the pop up! Take a look at my web page for pop up information.

I think if you are happy in a tent, a pop up will be fantastic.

Some dealers rent pop ups if you have a tow vehicle & hitch. It may be a way to try it out.

Check out my Frequently Asked Questions for Pop Up Camping

 

[TomM]

We do both, like was said earlier it is hard to fly with a popup and to get to some great off the road places. But the popup is #1 for my wife and daughter. It is easy to put up and take down, about 15 minutes for us. We have a microwave & take meals to cook quick after getting in late. It is warm and my wife can read, daughter can watch a movie if it's bad weather. We can cook outside under the awning, and stand up and move around, eat inside if weather is bad. I still like a good backpacking trip but for a Disney vacation a popup is great or if my wife & I go fly fishing, it's nice to have a good place to come back to to sort gear, tie a couple more flies, etc. $$ was the issue for us for awhile. Tow vehicle is the down side, cost more to own and drive to places.
Good luck in your decision.
TomM

 

[Whosemom]

You guys are great. I knew this was the place to come for advice.

The need for a tow vehicle cracks me up. We just bought a '90 Cadillac Brougham with a big engine, and thats what re-fueled Dh's longing for a pop-up, as opposed to one of those little hitch extensions to carry stuff on the back of the minivan. I guess by the time we bought that, and a bigger tent and a new screen house that we need too, we're half way to a used pop-up.

Next question - do used rv dealers share the same upstanding reputation as used car dealers?

Thanks again

 

[Memph1s]

Let me start by saying we got a pop up after camping in tents for 20 years and love the pop up. But it really depends on your camping style. How often you camp, where you like to camp and how long you go for at a time.

We got our pop up because we wanted to camp more often. For us it was just too much work to tent camp for just a weekend. By the time you round up all your gear, load it up, unload, set up tent, put your gear in the tent, set up the rest of camp, spend one night and then have to do it all in reverse to go home the next day was just not worth the trouble. It seems all you get to do is pack setup and unpack with no real time to relax and enjoy. Then if you throw bad weather in the mix tent camping can just be a miserable time that is exhausting. With the pop up we keep all our gear in the camper. we only need to add food and clothes and we are ready to go. Last weekend we called FW at 12:30 on Saturday and by 4:30 we were there checking in to camp and that included a 2 hour drive and a trip to the grocery store. If we were still tent camping we probably would have still been at home packing. It is true that many tent campers can pack up and get off the campsite quicker than I can but when we get home we back the camper in the garage take left over food and dirty clothes in the house and we are done. Plus we are far more comfortable with beds that you don't have get on your hands and knees to get in and out of, a place to hang your clothes, a table to sit at for eating or games, a refrigerator, a sink, a stove, and the big thing for Florida, an A/C and a dry place no matter how bad the weather gets. I could go on and on.

Pop ups are a lot more money and the newer, mid size to larger ones do require a good tow vehicle. We would never go back to tent camping. However, if we only camped 3 or 4 times a year I would have a hard time justifying the expense.

Renting one for a long weekend is a good way to see if you like them. Just keep in mind that they are much easier to set up after you have done it a couple of times and you will still have a lot of packing and unpacking to do.

 

[Gillian]

I'm dying to get a pop up! For us, it's the tow vehicle that's a problem. We have 2 sedans now, neither of which can tow. We are planning to get a minivan in the future, but they're not the greatest tow vehicles either. It can be done, but it's not ideal. An SUV would be better, but with 2 little ones in car seats, a minivan would be best for everyday.

Good luck with your decisision!

 

[lfw]

We struggled with exactly this question, and finally made the decision this fall and bought a pop-up. (The bad news is that we spent our disney savings on it, so our first trip to the World has been postponed). I will go on record as saying I despise tent camping, mostly because there is no where to store all your "stuff". All the organizing, packing, loading, unloading, setting up is a nightmare, and I hate sleeping on the ground,even with airmattresses. We rented a small Coleman for a few days a couple of years ago and knew then that we were ready to move up from tenting, but we wanted a model a little larger than the one we had rented. In order to do that we needed a larger vehicle, so a few months later we bought a '97 Pathfinder. A month after that, we bought a house, which meant we could not afford the pop-up we had just purchased a vehicle for, and it took 2 years for us to get back to the point financially where we could buy the trailer.(We hadn't planned to buy the house when we did, and had just decided to start looking a little so we would know what features we were looking for when we were ready, and a good deal just fell in our lap. I tell people that I bought a house by accident, however, it has increased in value by $35k in 2 years!)
I say rent a pop-up for a trip or two, so you will be able to compare the camping experience before you put out a pile of money, and then do some research on the various makes/models. We had our hearts set on a Coleman Santa Fe, but in the end bought a Damon Camplite with a slide out dinette.
We took the plunge because it was a great deal, and we knew that no matter what else we looked at we were always going to compare it to the Damon. I can't wait for spring!

 

[mkandk]

For us, the main reason to get a pop-up was the Air Conditioner!! Sleeping on the ground in the summertime in Texas is miserable. Other than that, I like tent camping, so it's probably personal preference.

 

[hybrd1]

I would go for the popup too. I also think that Your car could pull it. Check to see what your tow wt is. We had a 80 caddy that had a 6000lb load wt for towing.

 

[sandieb]

We love to camp, and we did so for many years in a tent. However, several times all our gear was soaked in a storm, and we had to pack up and leave. We ended up buying a 10 year old pop up (very basic) and have had wonderful experiences using it. We have stayed dry in even the worst storms (and a noreaster in Maine). While we have replaced the canvas and cables, we have used the popup for the past 11 years. Every year we think we may buy a new one, but our old one keeps serving us well. Good luck with your decision. Sandie

 

[dgaston]

We spent thirty years camping in tents, and finally bought a used pop-up from a senior couple who were not longer able to camp. It was the best thing we ever did. While I still treaure the memories from more primitive camping, the pop-up is wonderful! I can't wait until I have another FW report to comment on.

 

[loriandmatt]

Gillian - take heart! You can certainly get the practical family minivan and have that be your tow vehicle. As long at the pop up you are getting is not huge. We have a Viking pop-up (smallest unit - sleeps 2 adults and 2 kids very comfortably). We were pulling it with our V8 truck, and it was overkill - not to mention that anything in the back of the truck was exposed to the elements.
I was in the market for a new minivan anyway so we got a nice V6. (Ford Windstar - i am in love with it and it pulls the packed camper - total weight when packed @ 1500 lb - with ease. We did put the investment of a transmission cooler into it though. - After market - the dealer would charge way too much! Every mechanic we spoke to said for what we were towing we probably could live without it, but it couldn't hurt at all.) When not camping it is my primary vehicle - it gets me to work everyday and serves as the "shuttle of choice" to school, food shopping, boy scouts, more sporting events than i care to mention.
We splurged a bit and got the one with the in house video system. It makes the trips to WDW (and any place else over an hour) quite enjoyable and a lot less whiney!
Do your research - consumer reports and pop-up times.com are good places to start. Keep in mind that some info may be old and that manufacurers of both pop ups and automobiles are always making improvements - so if you like a product, dig for the most current info.

Good Luck
- lori

 

[Whosemom]

Thanks guys! We found a pop up in our meager price range. A 79 Jayco. Its roughly the size of the Taj! sleeps 8 pretty easily, we only have 5, so we have elbo room! And we're putting the hitch on the caddy.

yipeeee

 

[Rhonda]

Congratulations! You will have a wonderful time with it! We love ours!

 

[ssilykids]

Hey,

Just thought I would send a quick reply. DH and I tent camped for eight years, but with three extremely young children and their junk to carry around we splurged last year on a pop-up. We love it!!!!!!!!!!!!

I even went camping with out DH for 9 days with 5 kids the oldest was only 7. I could never have attempted with a tent.

We purchased our pop-up used from a elderly gentleman who had used it one time at deer camp. He was diagnosed with cancer and they opted for a RV for the time he had left. If you will search your newspaper, there are always great deals in ours.

Can't wait to get to FW!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Memph1s]

Congratulations!

Here are a couple of free msg boards for pop ups you should check out. You can get a lot of great ideas and hints.

Popup Explorer



iRV2 then goto fourms

 

[clkelley]

I'm happy to hear that all of you love your popups!!

I'm still a tent person and had the best time at Ft. Wilderness with my tent and sun/rain shelter!!

Can't wait to go back!!