I've lost my love of camping with the pop-up

[neilc88]

I really never thought I would say this, but I've lost my love of camping.:S

I have a family of 5, kids are 13,13 & 10. Tow vehicle is Ford Excursion.

It seems like too much work to pack everything. 5 bikes is a killer. 3 are inside the excursion and 2 on the bike mount above the trailer hitch. Hard to crank the camper tongue wheel up or down as bikes are in the way.

I feel like I spend half a week packing everything, then a day to unpack upon return.

We do keep the pop-up open in the summer at home and kids like that.

I think a bigger non-popup would be nice, but it is not really in the budget.

I'm looking for suggestions.

I don't know if I should go the hotel route, rent a bigger camper for a week, or just grin and bear it for 1 trip a year. :h

[Kennedy64]

I recently upgraded from a pop-up to a used hybrid TT. Best decision I made. We we camp, it's me (mom), the 14 yr old twins (B & G), 7 YO & 2 YO (GD's). Hubby and pooch hold down the homefront. The kids are all good about helping but it was a hassle with the PUP, setting up, folding down and being crowded.
We can load and leave most items in there now. Set up is a cinch, pop the ends down for the bed...BAM..chair out relaxing, kids running like hooligans 🙂
I grew up in a tent, PUP, TC and TT, so I wasn't opposed to the PUP when we purchased it but I'm so glad we upgraded

[the_bear_II]

By the time I was 10, my dad had me helping with all aspects of the trip except driving. Help him pack, park, setup, unload and whatever else was needed. I enjoyed it and found a love for camping which still exists now that I am 61 years old.

Only problem now is no kids of my own so I ended up having to do everything. I still enjoy it.

Like others have said the kids should help to ease your burden.

[KMP44]

We had our popup for 13 seasons, and we did 2-3 trips a year. Eventually time started catching up with it. We ended up selling it more for maintenance issues than the fact that we really didn't want to deal with the extra work.

Ended up buying a hybrid and we are so happy we did. Now, it can stay packed and ready to go for a short weekend trip. The camping season expanded from July and August to May - October. No midnight trips to the bathroom, a true kitchen, no cranking the roof every time you need to pack or unpack something...

We had to try to squeeze the new trailer cost into the budget, but no regrets. And, when we figure out our cost per night - its not too bad. Our youngest is 12, so we figured we didn't want to wait to take some of the longer trips we wanted to make with the kids. They grow up quick, and get busy with sports and school activities, so we thought the time was right.

Nothing beats a popup for low cost camping, so for one trip a year you could keep going with the current setup. If you want to get more use/enjoyment out of a camper, maybe upgrade or rent if that's an option. The hotel/restaurant every meal thing with kids doesn't get me excited, but it is an option.

[Dakota98]

downtheroad wrote:
Gosh, one trip a year? Hardly worth complaining about the effort.
Get the whole family involved in the prep work.

We switched to a travel trailer because we camp a lot and the set up and take down, packing and unpacking of a pop up was becoming a pain.
Also, constantly dealing with WET tent ends was a problem in the Northwest.

X2

[korbe]

....and on the other hand, you could all just stay home and play video games.

[robsouth]

It won't be long before the kids will not want to go camping anyhow, so if one trip a year is all you do, you might seek another avocation that you actually enjoy, as I'm sure the kids will find their own interests very soon.

[ford_truck_guy]

I also would delegate.. Those kids should be learning the ropes now... No reason to have it all on you.. Some may say that sounds a bit harsh , but there are no free rides in my home..

[downtheroad]

Gosh, one trip a year? Hardly worth complaining about the effort.
Get the whole family involved in the prep work.

We switched to a travel trailer because we camp a lot and the set up and take down, packing and unpacking of a pop up was becoming a pain.
Also, constantly dealing with WET tent ends was a problem in the Northwest.

[fla-gypsy]

All valid concerns and some of the reasons we moved to a TT. Anything worth doing has some labor attached to it. If the pastime you choose does not provide the reward you need then perhaps it's time to look for another pastime that does.

[MickeyBrennan]

Delegate!
Spread out the chores a little at a time.