First cool weather trip in my new (to me) pop up

Last summer I finally bought a pop-up (a 2003 Starcraft 2406). I had wanted one since my parents sold the one we had when I was a teen (I was 18 when they sold it, I was 45 when I finally bought my own). Because I had done many summers of pop-up camping as a kid, I thought I could ignore the advice given to so many newbies to buy cheap (though I did) in order to be sure you like pop-up camping. I knew I liked it. Well, 27 years is a long time and things can change and I'm glad I went with an older used model instead of new. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely things I like about it, but I really love tent camping and I'm not sure the benefits of the pop-up outweigh other options.

I got it to make it easier to camp during the heat and humidity of MD and southern summers and to let me get out more in cold weather. Well, after this trip (I'm camping in Williamsburg, VA) I prefer a tent in cool/chilly temperatures. It got to 50 last night with moderate winds. I've been out in a tent in much colder and windier weather and it was more pleasant. The large tent walls of the pop-up just catch the wind like a sail, my dome tents feel much more stable in the wind. The pop-up is also very drafty (no less so than my 3-season tents). Now, I did forget to bring a space heater and I couldn't get the furnace to light (I need to do some troubleshooting, though it is probably the supply, I didn't get the tank refilled nor did I check it before I left), but I can do either a space heater (at an electric site) or a propane heater (I have a Mr. Heater Portable Buddy heater) with the tent too.

I'm also not happy with the set up time. It takes me longer to set up and take down the camper than it does a tent. The longer more pain in the rear aspects of setting up camp (setting up the outdoor cooking and living space) is just as much a thing with my pop-up as it was with a tent so it doesn't really provide any benefit in these aspects.

There are several things I like. It was nice to have the AC last summer, and it does extend my usable camping days. My middle age back loves having the bunk to sleep on instead of a thin sleeping pad (I have a good pad, the pad itself is reasonably comfortable, but getting up from the ground can be tough some days). When in for the night or starting the day, having a comfortable bench and table to sit at is nice (I'm sitting at my dinette on the computer now, and when I'm camping with friends it has been a nice place to sit and play games). It makes storage in transport easier (though I replaced my sedan which was limiting in that respect with an SUV/CUV in order to be able to tow so that won't be much of a problem tent camping now either) and I can store some of my camping gear in the pop-up which is nice for the next year or two while I'm still in an apartment and I'll possibly be in a condo for a few years when I buy. The fridge is nice, not having to deal with ice and a cooler (at least on trips short enough that the fridge is big enough) is very nice. The model I bought has a shower/cassette toilet and while I haven't yet needed to use it, it is nice to know it is there should I end up at a campground with subpar facilities (or if I take it someplace without facilities).

Of course, some of what I like can also be had with a tent. When I bought my pop-up, I had thought about getting a portable AC unit to extend my tent camping during the summer, I was also thinking about getting a cot (I already have a nice air bed) which around here, would be safe from late April until early October. I had a cheap portable toilet and bathroom tent set up for when the facilities were unusable and I was shopping camp showers (though the only time the campground facilities were so bad that I needed it was before I bought any of it). Of course, transporting these won't be an issue anymore with the SUV/CUV (though it would have been with my Ford Fusion), but all that extra gear could pose a storage problem in my apartment (I'm trying to avoid renting a storage unit). Of course the cot and airbed are only usable part of the year while the pop-up bunks are safe year round, and the pop-up "bathroom" is much nicer than my tent-camping "bathroom".

One big advantage of a pop-up over other camping trailers is ease of storage. Well, the place that will probably be my next apartment complex doesn't allow them in the parking lot, and they charge $165 a month to rent a garage. If I don't rent the garage I'd need to pay an RV storage lot anyway.

So, does anyone here have some advice on things I can do to make the pop-up more livable? It is nice to have the sheltered and air conditioned/heated space to play board or card games when camping with friends, especially when it rains. Should sell the pop-up and go back to the tent and buy an AC unit (having to rent a storage unit wouldn't be any more money than having to rent an RV storage space)? Before I bought my pop-up, I seriously considered buying the cot, AC and a Springbar or Kodiak canvas tent and I'm wondering if it would have been more (or at least similarly) comfortable for a lot less money. Would I be best off with a tent for when that's what I want and trading my pop-up for a hard-sided R-pod, TAB or teardrop for the best of both worlds?

Now, a lot of this post has been complaining. Don't get me wrong, overall I do like the pop-up. I'm just a bit disappointed in some aspects of it (especially when camping in cooler weather). While I'm not making any decisions right away, I'm not sure if it was the right decision or a mistake. Does anyone have any ideas which would make it more clearly a right decision? Of course, come Memorial Day weekend I may only be seeing the positives (around here Memorial Day weekend should be perfect pop-up weather: cool evenings perfect for the tent sides and opening it up, with daytime temps that can be hot and perfect for the AC).