Rpod or pop up for family

When we got rid of our 2 man pup tent,( my wife and I could no longer fit us and  2 kids in it) we went with a 4 man Rockwood pop-up.  Being a golf course superintendent I could only camp in the off months, April-May and Sept.-Nov., and got used to camping in the cold wet weather of the north.  As the family increased in size we upped our space to a 6-man Jayco, 22' long when open, that seemed like a lot of room.  However, we still had to deal with wet canvas and cold winds blowing through the canvas.  All our kids have fond memories of those days, being home-schooled, they enjoyed the many lessons that the great outdoors had to offer, but the day came when we were at Fort Wilkens State Park, in Copper Harbor, MI when we saw our first r-pod, that was October 2010.  Didn't take us too long to order our R-Pod.  That was in January 2011 and since we were used to boondocking we special ordered ours w/o A/C, the entertainment system and the microwave/convection oven.  Now 6 years later we have had no regrets, yes there have been 2 instances where it would have been nice to have A/C but since we were in areas where there was no electricity anyway, it didn't matter, we were just a bit on the warm side.  As far as cooking, we do ours outside over charcoal or sometimes on the stove inside, especially if it is snowing, sleeting or rainy/windy outside.  We don't miss the wet/cold canvas or the 7 minutes it would take to set up or take down the Jayco. The R-Dome has been used a lot as well, doubling the space of the pod.  The pod takes only a few minutes to set up: level left to right, front to back, put down the stabilizers, put out the slide, all done, it is a wonderful unit.

Everything everyone has said is legitimate. Now I have used a popup for 20 years after tenting for many years before. Two kids from 6 months and 4 years old until both in teens with a large yellow lab.  I loved being able to sleep "outside"! Had an attached 8x 10 screen room which doubled the space. Stove came outside and attached to propane hookups in the screened part. Many rainy days and nights. Yes, packing a wet camper was a pain but no big deal setting it up when we got home.. Needed to do some cleaning anyway! Easy to tow 1500lbs dry weight. Much less stuff to go wrong than a trailer. Retiring now and ready to do more traveling and an RPod fits our needs now with extended season camping and longer stays. I will miss sleeping on the pullouts because I really loved the feeling of sleeping outside but much more comfortable, dry and no bugs. Know your needs and comfort level. Using park or campground facilities vs. dealing with black and gray water. A feeling of being outdoors while still protected inside or in a mini home environment. Packing much more carefully for a popup but keeping it simple too. So your past experiences along with current and future needs will help decide what you need and want.

When looking to go from tent to trailer... One choice was the A-liner. Looked at it seriously. But same thing as pop-up. If its raining going up or down... Stuff would get wet before you got the frame up. Went with the pod.   Glad we did. Not as good gas milage... but everything is dry.. :)

You couldn't give me a pop-up.

I rented popups for years and that whole time I told myself if I ever bought one it would be a hard side.  Wind and rain.  Its just better in a hardside which I have had to cram my wife and I, our 11 and 14 year old our 45 lb rescue and a Pug.. roughly the same size as yours.  Man that dog makes the trailer small.