Going to a campground and pitching a tent is the popular way to go camping. It’s easy, it’s fun and it doesn’t cost an arm and leg. Problem is that someone in the family is going to claim it isn’t usually very comfortable.  If you want to take it up a notch in comfort level, you should consider a tent trailer. They are a great alternative to traditional tent camping and a lot of people are buying and renting them these days.  With the help of Fitzgerald Auto Mall of Lexington Park, MD, a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram dealer, we put together a checklist of all the things that you should know about pop-up tent trailers.

Sleeping Comfort – Air mattresses are the standard “comfortable” way to camp in a tent. Tent trailers are way better.  They typically have traditional cotton mattresses, and big ones too. Use this attribute when you are trying to “sell” vacation camping to the family.

Basic Capacity – Pop-up tent trailers can usually fit a lot of people. They typically have two large, foldout beds and sometimes a centrally-mounted dinette that can converts into a small bed. This is one of the real advantages of pop-up tent trailers, you can fit a lot of people in a comfortable space.

Light – Pop-up tent trailers have very large mesh panels, surrounding the foldout bunks. This allows a lot of natural light to come into them.  This can eliminate the closed-in, stuffy feeling that turns some off to camping in regular tents.

Amenities – Basic pop-up tent trailers may have a sink and a two-burner stove, but higher-end models can have refrigerators, toilets, showers, and even air conditioning. Some may not say this is really camping but you can’t argue that it’s a pretty comfortable way to enjoy the outdoors.

Cargo capacity – Pop-up tent trailers usually provide storage space inside for your gear. Some pop-up tent trailers also offer external storage trunks in the front, or back of the trailer. This can be important if your tow vehicle is too small for all of your family camping gear.

Towing weight – Most cars, minivans, and small SUVs are rated to tow 3000 to 3,500 pounds. This is perfect because most tent trailers are in the 2,800 pound (or less) range.

Easy towing – The low profile of a pop-up tent trailer makes them less susceptible to buffeting in the wind. This low profile also lends itself to being cheaper to tow too.

Lower cost – Pop-up tent trailers are about half the price or less than a hard-sided camping trailer.

Off season storage – In addition, their relatively small size allows them to fit in a driveway or even a garage. Many larger hard-sided camping trailers need to be stored in mini-storage lots which means you have monthly fees to pay.

Extensive online support – If you are looking for advice from other pop-up tent trailer owners, you will find plenty on the internet. As matter of fact, if you are in the market for a pop-up tent trailer, these forums are an excellent place to solicit opinions from real owners and other experts.

Image Source: jayco.com