Pop Up Camper: The BEST Small Camper Trailer for Families

They may not be glamorous or new to the industry, but pop up trailers are absolutely the best small camper trailers for families. We are sharing our 5 reasons why pop up trailers are hands down the best small camper trailers for new and growing families. And this is pretty incredible when you realize they have been around since the 60s with very minor changes made to the design. As small camper trailer enthusiasts we thought it was finally time to set foot in a pop up trailer. With a bit of reservation and some preconceived ideas, we were a bit shocked to find how much we fell in love with these little canvas houses on wheels.

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[PlayingwithSticks]

Did any of you grow up in a family with a pop-up trailer? Or do you currently own one yourself? We see so many of these on the road, but don't hear a lot of stories about them from all of you. Just curious.

[nightsrv]

We owned a pop up camper for 15 years. Our three kids grew up with that camper, and all the journey's we took it on. Yes the size is good, the open air feeling is awesome, but the greatest benefit from our pop up camping days was the teamwork our children learned. When we pulled up to camp, every person had a job to do. From the youngest running to all four corners to bring down the stabilizers, to the oldest setting up our outdoor area. All five of us played a part, and camp would be set up inside 15 minutes. Many times I would hear comments about how efficient we were from one of our neighbors.
Of course, now that the team has broken up (all growed up), we've ditched the pop up and went to the opposite end of the spectrum with a Class A.

[FromShetoMe]

Another great video. Growing up we had a pop up for a family of 8. We had a screened porch with bunk beds for 4 kids. We had a blast.

[lucus]

Love the popup camper. We had ours for over 20 years and traveled everywhere in the US with our kids and even used it after they left.
Only down side is it takes time to set up. It always needs to be unhitched too. As we are in our 60's it seems little harder to set up. We moved on to a hard sided camper we like but man do we miss the space. Oh by the way we still have our popup for those times when we want the feel of real camping.

[bucktalesoutdoors]

We had a pop-up and used it as a base of operations when we were building our house in the woods. It was a great unit, but we never really travelled with it except for once when we loaded the canoe on top of it and headed to a lake in northern NH . A new pop-up has been an option in our minds as we look at getting a small trailer for our retirement. Good stuff Drew. Thanks

[pkeeney]

I remember sleeping in a family member's popup, nothing but good memories! There were probably 6 kids in that thing, haha. So much sleeping space! As a grown person I appreciate their towability, and their very low price to get into the world of more comfortable camping. Especially being in Florida, it's the cheapest, easiest camping you can get with air conditioning!

[toddthomas]

You hit the nail on the head. Popups are lightweight spacious cheap to buy and own.

[azadabbasi-ruby]

What a great video, man! For a long time I was against pop up trailers but my spouse has been warming me up to the idea, then I realized how many people they can sleep, and I was sold on it. Once we have kiddos, I'll definitely get one of these - the small footprint outside but large sq ft inside is a pretty sweet deal. Thanks for sharing this one!

[AdventuresinPopUps]

Great video, we agree on all points. 😎 We are on our second pop-up and just love it. It's huge when open but still fits into smaller spaces and it's great to see out that review mirror when towing. 💗

[klauswelch]

Hahah, my wife called it after watching a few other videos from you guys. "THEY NEED TO GET A POPUP!"

We are also here in Alaska, and was recently gifted a pop up camper (99' Coleman Niagara) that my family bought and moved to Alaska in 22 years ago. We had to do extensive cleaning and rehabbing things on the outside, but it's been well worth it. After taking the pop up these last few weekends, my wife loves the pop up better than tent camping, travel trailers, ect. When we go out camping in our popup, others sort of gravitate to the open and welcome feeling of our camper.

It really is the closest thing to tent camping without being on the ground.

PS. Check out attaching solar panels with VHB tape to allow you to boondock without worrying about generators, or mobile solar, ect

[krippleinacaravanxxx]

Peter here from the U.K. WE WERE BROUGHT UP WITH A DANDY camper! Look it up! I’m now 62yrs I have a small 9ft Freedom caravan. I love small campers! Great vlog! Many memories! 👍🏼👍🏼❤️❤️

[aprilcuster]

This video has been a game changer for me! I’ve been struggling with wanting a small camper, but feeling priced out of the market for something that would fit my family. While so many of your videos have been an inspiration, stumbling back on this one gave me the chance to look at pop ups with a fresh perspective. I picked up a 1994 Colman Roanoke last month and couldn’t be happier! While the camper market is overpriced these days, I was still able to pay cash and stay well under a $3000 budget with a gem that is easy to tow with my low tow capacity SUV, can sleep up to 5 people, and fits into our garage. Thanks for making this video!

[pamflowers]

I had a small pop up years ago when I lived in Texas. It was easy to set up even for a tiny woman like me and it went up faster than the cabin tent I struggled with back then. Like all campers it has it's place.

[ohtoseemusic]

Camper/Schmamper... Yea, Yea, Yea... Just give the people what they/I want!
MORE ADORABLE BABIES!!! PLEASE!😊

[TammyTalksActs]

I'm so excited I'm going to be buying my popup camper soon I just got to get my hitch put on my vehicle I always wanted to have a camper! I did make a little camper out of my minivan awhile ago now it's time for my popup 🦋

[LisaMarli]

I would go pop up camper camping as a teenager with my boyfriend's family. It was great. His parents slept on one side. His sister slept on the converted dining table (those still make a bed) and we slept on the far side (no hanky panky). Still it was fun. It didn't have an inside bathroom so they did the porta potty with privacy tent. It was weekends, so we just washcloth cleaned up. And one Christmas it SNOWED. So we buttoned up all the windows and put rocks on the fire to act as bed warmers.
But the hiking and the nature. I'm glad his parents were willing to share their family time with me.

[WisconsinWanderer]

These campers are such great memory makers, I always remembered the smells as a kid and thought yup it camping time!! Thank you 🙏

[mikemead]

One thing I remember from my youth was how much faster setup and takedown was with the popup compared to our gargantuan canvas cabin tent and how much easier it was to re-setup at home to dry each out. It was really magically revolutionary. We used to fight to see who got to “crank up” the popup and raced to see who could pull out their bed the fastest 🤣. I think my parents liked our sibling competition. Camping at home for the kids and neighbor kids was great too!

[justinfowler]

Grew up with pop up campers. They do work, don't forget to consider the wear on the canvas and the need to keep the canvas dry to prevent mold and mildew.

[guyh.]

Hey sir, you've probably seen me post a couple of times, today, on your videos. Enjoying them. I had a 12' Coleman Royale pop-up that I sold.... that I'm now kicking myself for selling. I loved mine & I should've fixed the slides rather than selling it. The footprint vs opened up was amazing. It had a king & double bed, and a table that made into a double bed. I took mine into areas that people wouldn't take their normal trailers to. And gas mileage was awesome. I even took it camping in late fall and all I used to heat it was turned on the range top and made coffee. I love them.