For us camping is sleeping in a tent or tent trailer for which a hybrid qualifies with the added niceties of a nice galley, and bathroom. Different strokes for different folks: my wife refuses to even consider a hard-sided "RV." We have a camper. :)
Sleeping under canvas remains paramount for us. Yeah there are compromises including drying the tentage if you have to close up with it's wet. But that's really all there is. Ya gotta make choices. Temperate weather with all the screens open is wonderful.
14 camping seasons in the same 2006 Roo 23SS with just minimal preventive maintenance and tiny repairs. 4 camping seasons prior that in a Coleman Bayside popup which was only replaced because we ran out of room inside. My wife and daughter used every cubic foot of space for their "stuff" and I literally had to keep mine in the truck. We plan to get another 14 seasons out of the Roo.
Because of their complexity popups and hybrids are often more expensive than "sleep in a box" trailers so they're not necessarily stepping stones to a RV.
-- Chuck
