Making the jump from tent camping to RVing

A pop-up trailer gives you a lot more usable interior space than a teardrop, which is more along the lines of a hard-sided pup tent (okay, somewhat bigger than that, but not a whole lot).

Maybe a little "egg" trailer like a Scamp or Casitas or similar would be worth considering. As was mentioned, they do have quite small tanks, so water conservation is important if you don't have hookups available.

If you'll be spending a comparatively large amount of time actually traveling from place to place (rather than spending the time at any destination), a motorhome of some sort is definitely more convenient than a trailer. You don't need to go outside to get to the bathroom or fridge, just pull over and walk a few steps back. When stopping for a night, a minimal setting up of camp consists of setting the parking brake and turning the ignition and headlights off assuming the area where you're stopping is reasonably level, and breaking camp in the morning is pretty much just the same steps taken in reverse.

Here's the typical sequence for RV'ers:
1. Start out tent camping
2. Buy a small RV and like the RV lifestyle
3. Buy a bigger RV right away for comfort
4. Buy an even bigger RV for more comfort and because you can afford a bigger RV or the family has grown

Most people start out with a small RV because they are afraid of driving or towing a larger vehicle. In reality once you get used to driving a large vehicle it's not much different than a small vehicle.

My advice to folks contemplating what to buy is to buy the largest RV you can afford at the time. Find one that meets your needs now and what you feel your needs will be in the next 5-10 years.

Keep in mind it's a lot more comfortable to wait out a storm for 3 days inside of a 25 to 35 foot RV than it is to be stuck in a teardrop.

I second the opinion of getting a "regular" TT that is around the 19' range over one of those "compact" models. Especially when the compact models are the same price as the larger units! I had a 19' TT and was glad I bought it instead of a smaller one or one that had tent siding on it!

If you are concerned with gas savings with a compact unit, don't be. You have to drive tens of thousands of miles to really save anything on gas versus a regular sized trailer.

We have a small 17' trailer and are upgrading to a 19'. We really like the small trailers, but as pointed out, they typically have small holding tanks.

As far as going bonkers in bad weather because of being cooped up, that happens to me in our house! No matter what the weather while we use our trailer, we always do something outdoors. It's why we have a camper.

Small trailers will almost always mean small tanks. That then means lots of trips to dump stations and to refil water tanks. Small trailers do have their place, but you need to decide what is a good size for you.