Pop up camper vs hard sided camper

...double post ...

They are really two different kinds of animal. All the advantages you listed do exist, but they come at a price.

Yes, in principle, you can camp in a popup in all seasons. But if you come from a Class A, you will need to compromise on many things.

Most popups are smaller than most hardwall campers. Many have no or limited bathroom/shower facilities. I am not aware of a popup camper with a dry bath. Outfitter and Hallmark offer some level of foldable bathroom compartments, most others have curtains at best. None of that is good or bad, you just need to be comfortable with it.

Interior space is quite limited. Keep that in mind for rainy/bad weather days. No slideouts, either, for additional space. Storage space is very limited, too. More so than even in a hardwall TC.

Setting up camp and getting ready to leave always involves raising/ lowering the roof. No stealth camping either, as most popups can not be used with the roof down. Some campers require you to lift the roof to use the toilet.

The fabric does not insulate very well against heat or cold, but that can be handled with more heating or AC. You just need more energy (solar, batteries, propane). The sound isolation is also poor, and there is nothing you can do about that.

I have had both, an Outfitter Apex 8 LB popup which is among the most luxurious popup campers out there, as well as our current hardwall Northstar Arrow and a Lance 915. Both would be on the smaller side for hardwall campers - but they were still much more spacey than the Outfitter.

Also heavier and more cumbersome. The popup was very nimble, our rig handled like a sportscar. In the right weather, where you spend most of the day outside and just need a place to sleep, dress, store and prepare food, a popup is a great solution. There is nothing quite like that airy tent-like space. On cold, wet, rainy days ... less so. It is warm and dry all right, but not a great place to spend a lot of time.

Look at as many campers as you can, and try to imagine a typical camping day in your own camping style. There is no one size fits all solution out there...

We went back to a hardside for a number of reasons. One was the local climate here in central europe with many cool, chilly, rainy periods.

That’s quite a change from a Class A (of any size or type) to a truck camper (of any size of type). What is the DW trying to avoid that would have her want/accept a TC? Just curious. Lots of options.

I have had both types and only sold due buying fixer-upper house, otherwise I most likely would still have a TC.. that said,

I started out with pop-ups because I was really into getting away from it all as safely possible in the mountains of the Rockies within the region I live. It was a combination of comfort and remote camping as hassle-free as possible.

Pop-ups (PU) have their advantages but are not always as light in weight as the stance might make it appear. There is still the lift mechanism and the rood itself. I liked it because sleeping in the woods next to a stream or hearing wildlife is sorta' like camping in a tent off the ground and letting the night dynamics enter inside. They can make do for winter camping (and I have done it) but for the more winter ventures that I wanted to do a PU is more challenging.

The hard sides (HS) when I graduated to them did restrict access to some favorite haunts that I discovered. Stealth camping/ overnighting when I was on the road is much easier. Using in the winter has the obvious advantage... in 2010 when I was laid off, I ski-camped the winter around the state following the winter storms as they happened. There is a huge difference of weekday powder days instead of weekend tourist-crowded slopes. The camping in town or in parking lots was so much easier to do. Lifting or lowering the roof on a PU might have been a bit of a challenge with feet of snow atop it. HS's are more of a "park-and-use-it" right away RV making it slightly more hassle-free.

If I ever get back into a TC I still think it might be a HS but who knows! I have come to learn that to really capture it all is to get one of each!

joerg68 pretty well said it, those reasons listed are the main ones way we went with a hardside in 2002. Our 2002 Lance 815 has been on all 3/4 ton SRW truck (only one exception a 1/2 ton), even with a pop up you'll see many TCer's carrying them on 3/4 ton truck and of course you still have that canvass strip that's not very heat or cold proof. The exception to the pop-up camper would be campers made by Alaskan Campers, a hardside pop-up
I would also suggest you read the Truck Camper Trip Reports 3.0.

I have owned both kinds of TCs. With the small living space its all about the wife, how much luxury does she want. I own a Northern Lite 811 and I love this camper but the wife hates the bathroom. So down the road we could end up in a trailer.

I've never owned a pop up but have owned 5 hard sided campers. I had considered pop ups many times and researched them extensively. My main conclusion was that they are more utilitarian and spartan. Functionality over comfort. The deal breaker for me was always the bare bone minimum dinette seating designs. Having a 90 degree seat back angle consisting of a 12 inch tall back cushion with minimal thickness just didn't appear comfortable for extended periods of time.

I have followed some adventurers on YouTube who owned pop ups and they all mention issues with condensation in certain conditions.

This is obviously just one man's 2 cents worth :)

When I am traveling and when I am in a national park or other scenic area, I like to stop for lunch. Depending on the temperature, I might make a hot meal and maybe coffee or tea. After lunch, especially if I have been driving for hours, I really enjoy a quick power nap. None of those work very well with a popup.

I also do a lot of stealth camping. I know I am not invisible, but just looking like my TC is parked works well. I don't like to advertise that I am staying the night.

Pretty good comments and advice so far -- none of the 'never a popup' kind. If you want to have a look a the kind of places you can camp in a popup, that a look in the Trip Reports link at my, and especially Whazoo's, trips.

Never a popup ... they stink .... joking.

Popups (and hardsides) vary quite a lot. There are the ones that are very basic and the ones that are not. Some popups approach hardside weight and other than height and wind resistance don’t have much of an advantage compared to the lighter hardsides. As someone noted, you have to open them to make the usable, but the other issue is the door. Many of them are kind of short. Possible to get in, but definitely different.

From Class A to TC is a big jump especially on a SRW. You will be losing a lot of storage as well as the ability to access your amenities without going outside. I think you should be also looking at Bs and Cs. They will still lose a lot of length.