Best Pop-Up Campers: 2024 Buyer’s Guide

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September 3, 2024

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Pop-up campers are the perfect middle ground between true camping and the home-away-from-home experience of an RV.

They can provide a variety of comfort levels, and knowing what the best pop-up camper is for you is about knowing what kind of camping experience you want.

If you’re new to the world of pop-up campers and are considering purchasing one, we’ll take you through the types of pop-up campers, their pros and cons, as well as important considerations before making the jump, and a checklist for purchasing a used pop-up camper the smart way.

Let’s start with what exactly makes a pop-up camper unique and then talk about the types of pop-up campers.

What Is a Pop-Up Camper?

A pop-up camper is essentially a combo between a tent and an RV, with a solid wheeled base and a tent section that folds down when not in use (of various materials). This makes pop-up campers uniquely portable.

Some pop-up campers attach to your truck while others are designed to stand alone. In every case, they’re far lighter than your average RV and don’t require a truck to tow due to their weight.

Types of Pop-Up Campers

Pop-up campers come in several varieties. Which is best for you will depend mostly on how you want to use your camper and what vehicle you’ll be using to tow it.

Let’s take a look at them now:

Pop-up or flip out camper

The standard pop-up camper, these typically have a solid base with a cloth tent and can either be standalone or connect directly atop the bed of a truck.

High wall camper

A high wall camper is more like an RV hybrid with a large living space, sleeping area, kitchen, and storage space.

A-frame

An A-frame camper is a camper with a unique “A” shaped frame, akin to a small house with a pointed roof.

They tend to be made out of more solid materials making them appear as mini RVs and offer a bit more interior space due to their high roofs.

Toy hauler pop-up

A toy hauler pop-up is a pop-up camper with an additional loading space for large toys like dirt bikes and ATVs.

They typically have the tent portion sitting horizontally at the head of the base of the camper with the storage area in the back for easy unloading.

Pros and Cons of Pop-Up Campers

Next, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of pop-up campers.

If you’re considering a pop up camper (or some type of RV), you have a lot of incredible memories to look forward to.

However, there are some cons you should be aware of before purchasing that might sway you depending on what you want from your home-on-wheels.

Here are the pros and cons of pop-up campers:

Pro: Low price (compared to most RVs)

Compared to the average RV, pop-up campers are super affordable, ranging anywhere from $5,000 – $20,000 new.

If you’re looking to save, you can find used campers at a considerably lower price, as low as < $1,000 if you’re willing to give up certain amenities.

Pro: Easy portability and towing

Larger RVs and trailers are known for being a bit of a pain to lug around (at least, they take some getting used to).

However, pop-up campers are much smaller and their fold down aspect makes them super easy to port around and tow.

They’re also capable of being towed by smaller SUVs and other vehicles, while all but the smallest travel trailers require a pick-up truck.

Pro: Convenient storage

Similarly, pop-up campers are also easy to store. As opposed to RVs, the fact that pop-up campers can fold down means they take up very little vertical storage space.

Con: Setup

One of the main cons of pop-up campers is that they require setup each time you get to camp.

If you’ve ever owned a travel trailer, they’re not much more work than leveling your trailer, but you can’t just pull into camp like you can some RVs.

Con: Fewer amenities

One of the main cons pop-up campers have when compared to RVs is that they have fewer features and amenities.

Before purchasing a pop-up camper, make sure you know what features are important to you and which you’re willing to do without.

Some campers have kitchens and a decent amount of sleeping and living space, while others are simply a pop-up tent.

Used Pop Up Camper Checklist: 6 Things to Check

Next, let’s talk about purchasing a used camper.

Buying used can be a great option, as you can often find barely used campers for a drastically reduced price.

The only issue is you’ll need to do your homework to make sure the camper is in good condition before buying.

To help you do that, we’ve broken down a quick checklist of the most important items you’ll need to review when buying a used camper.

Make sure to take this list with you when you’re

Title record
Lift is functional
General wear-and-tear
Upgrades / Modifications
Weather damage
Tire condition

1. General wear-and-tear

The first thing you’ll want to take a look at is the general condition of the camper.

Take a look at the tent portion, the lift, base, wheels, interior, and see how much general wear-and-tear there is.

Check for:

Tears in the tent
Mold
Dry rot
Missing components

You won’t necessarily be able to see any major issues by doing this, but it will bring to your notice any immediate problem with its condition.

Also, straight out ask the seller: how much has this camper been used? How long have you had it (if it’s a private seller)?

The less general wear-and-tear the better as it means the camper wasn’t used much, so everything on the camper is likely to be in better condition.

2. Clean title

Title is the next thing you’ll want to check and one of the most important.

Just like any typical vehicle, a pop-up camper often has a title with a vehicle history that shows a record of how many owners it has had.

Knowing how many owners a camper has had is a great indicator of the condition the camper is in.

Keep in mind, however, that in some states a title isn’t required if you’re staying within state lines.

If that’s the case, you can always ask the owner if they purchased it from someone else. The information might not be reliable, but it’s the next best option if it doesn’t have a title.

3. Lift is functional

The lift system is the mechanism which allows the pop-up camper to, well… pop up!

The mechanism lifts the roof of the camper, without which it wouldn’t properly function and your camper would no longer be campable.

Newer campers use electricity or hydraulics to automatically raise the tent into place, while older models typically need to be cranked manually by hand.

In both cases, you’ll want to make sure that the lift is fully functional and doesn’t get stuck in any way.

4. Upgrades / Modifications

It’s not common to find campers sold with modifications, but it is something you can encounter.

Whether this is a bad or a good thing really comes down to what those updates were. Namely:

Cosmetic / minor (interior design, flooring, shades, etc.)
Or major system-related (electrical / A/C / etc.)

Minor modifications can be a welcome upgrade and typically won’t have any impact on the condition of the camper.

However, major updates attached to things like the A/C or electrical system can make the camper unsafe if not upgraded properly.

5. Weather damage

Water damage is one of the few things that should be an instant “no” when shopping around.

If the camper has any indication of water damage, just walk away.

Properly repaired water damage is another thing, but you’ll need to make sure that the damage was completely and properly repaired (and all of exactly what was repaired).

In addition to this, ask the owner how they’ve handled their camper when wet. It’s impossible to avoid the rain entirely if the camper was used frequently, but if they properly dried it after use then it may be fine.

6. Tire condition

Camper tires tend to be pretty low-quality already, so they need constant replacing.

Because of this, the tires are going to be one of the most important things to check when buying a used pop-up.

In particular, you want to check the tread to make sure that it’s not too worn down. The best way to do that is by buying a cheap tire tread depth gauge, like this one from HZJD:

What Is the Best RV / Camper for You?

If you’re still unsure about whether a pop-up camper is for you, check out our other “best” guides on every type of RV:

This post may contain affiliate links. Check out our disclosure for more information.

Best Pop-Up Campers: 2024 Buyer’s Guide

Table of Contents

What Is a Pop-Up Camper?