Convenience of the Tent Trailer

Why Tent Trailers Are Convenient to Camp In

The main convenience of a tent trailer or pop-up trailer, is the fact that the trailer can be towed with a relatively small car or truck. When my family had our tent trailer, I towed it with a Toyota station wagon. My trailer was very light so I did not need additional safely equipment, like brake controllers and anti-sway bars. The vehicle you plan to tow with is a determining factor of what type of camping trailer you purchase, just remember to stay with the constraints of (GVWR) the Gross Vehicle Weight Requirement of the vehicle and the trailer. The GVWR is usually found on the driver’s side door of the tow vehicle, or in the Owner’s Manual. The trailer often has this information inside a cabinet. This requirement includes: weight of the trailer, all personal belongings, and the weight of passengers in the vehicle. Do not go over this requirement, in fact, in many states you can get ticketed for being over this requirement for the safety of all other driver’s on the highway.

Before we bought the tent trailer, my family and I camped on a monthly basis in tents. We loved tent camping, there actually are more campgrounds that you can go to when you tent camp. But there is a lot to be said for having a mattress that is off the ground for comfort and for warmth. Our family at the time was just the wife and I, and our two small children (we eventually had four children), and the small tent trailer was no longer viable for our family.

A few other considerations for owning a tent trailer or pop-up are as follows:

The cost of a Tent Trailer: Our pop-up or tent trailer did not have all the conveniences of a travel trailer or motor home, but it only cost $300. I must confess it was a step up from the hassle of setting up a tent. Today’s pop-ups come with heaters, air conditioners, bathrooms, full kitchens (mine had most of the kitchen outside which we liked), and hard sides. You can spend up to $30,000 for a new pop-up trailer.

Feels like the Outdoors: A pop-up or tent trailer has the feel of the outdoors because it is not fully enclosed, they use screens and canvas for walls, they can quite breezy, but this actually provides the feel of the outdoors  without the pain of sleeping on the ground in a tent.

Sleeping Capacity: Pop-up trailers can sleep between four (like the pop-up my family had) to eight, with minimal privacy. There are no doors but there are drapes or dividing screens that add privacy on the beds at each end of the pop-up.  It would require several tents to sleep that many people and not all campground have room for large or multiple tents.

Portability: My families pop-up trailer was light enough for me to maneuver in to place at home by hand, it took very little room on the driveway, and if the city didn’t like it in the driveway, it could very easily be stored in the garage or backyard.

Ease of use for a camper: Tent camping requires that you pack a tent, ground cloth, sleeping bags, perhaps an air mattress, lanterns, stoves, ice chest, cooking utensils, etc. These items are already in the pop-up so packing for a camping trip becomes easier.

Towing a pop-up: When my family used the pop-up, the station wagon and later minivan that I towed it with had no problems with trailer sway in the wind, was easy on gas, easy to park and/or back up at a campground, and I could see over the trailer while I was towing it.

Truthfully, pop-up or tent trailers are not for everyone, but they are affordable, have the options most families need, are convenient to use and set up, fit in a driveway or backyard, and are easy to pack for a weekend camping adventure.

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