Are you a camping enthusiast looking to step-up from your tent? A pop up trailer rental may be perfect for you. Or perhaps you love your trailer camper, but you’re looking for something more maneuverable and easier to tow in city traffic. Again, a pop up rental is a good solution. These little campers are convenient, maneuverable, and provide enough living space for a small family.
Space in a Pop Up Trailer Rental
The folded down trailer is usually from 8 to 18 feet in length, and up to 30 feet long when unfolded and set up. Slide-outs provide even more living area, usually a dining space. Also, many pop up rentals come with an additional screen room that attaches to the camper awning. A screen room gives you outdoor living space and serves as a barrier to mosquitos and other pests.
You might miss the overhead cabinets available in a traditional travel trailer. When you rent a pop up, everything packs in the bottom portion of the trailer, and some things might end up on the floor during travel. Counter-top items like coffee makers and microwaves that come built into a travel trailer or motorhome usually end up traveling in a cupboard or the aisle space and moved to the counter top on arrival.
Amenities You Might Expect in a Pop Up RV Rental
Every pop up trailer rental is different, and you will find very basic models with beds and a dinette and little else. You will also find fully loaded models with all the comfort of home. Here are some of the amenities available on some pop up trailer rentals. Compare models to find the creature comforts that are important to you.
· Small but functional bathroom, sometimes a hard wall shower and bathroom
· Outdoor shower on some models
· Fully functioning kitchen with refrigerator, freezer, oven, and microwave
· Outside cook stove or grill
· Air conditioning and heat
· Outdoor awning or screened room
· Bike or boat rack
· Cable TV hookups and TV
· Outside storage for hoses, fishing rods, tools, etc.
· Entertainment system with outdoor speakers
· Fire extinguisher, carbon monoxide detector, and LP leak detector
· Power lift system
Advantages of a Pop Up Trailer Rental
Pop up trailer rentals are extremely convenient for casual campers with small families. They can go most anywhere. Consider these advantages of a pop up trailer rental:
· Pop up camper trailers fold down into a very low profile, making them easy to tow
· Easily maneuvered – their smaller size and low profile make them easy to maneuver in any traffic
· They are light and can be towed by most vehicles, all you need is a hitch
· They provide the basic creature comforts in a small profile vehicle
· Inexpensive – they are usually the cheapest RV rental available
· Easily detached for the use of your tow vehicle as local transportation
· Good fuel economy compared to other RVs
· Spacious interiors provide the basic amenities. Some models have slide-outs for even more space
· Comfortable sleeping space for four to six people in a small pop up RV and up to eight in a larger model
After set-up, pop up RV rentals are fairly spacious and comparable to a basic travel trailer. Newer versions with slide-outs offer more comfort and amenities. You’ll be surprised at the comfort available.
Disadvantages of Pop Up Rentals
With all of their advantages, there are still some disadvantages to pop up trailers. To begin, they require time and effort to get them set up and ready for use. With a traditional travel trailer, you can level it and go to bed when you arrive late and tired. In a pop up trailer, you probably want to arrive during daylight so that you can see well to get the trailer set up. Other disadvantages include:
· Many models require two people to set them up and take them down
· If you need something from the trailer during travel, it can be difficult to get to
· Limited amenities. Most cheaper models have only the basic amenities. You may have to use the public showers. High-end pop up trailers provide more of the creature comforts. See our list of amenities above.
· If you have to take the trailer down during or after rain, you’ll have to open it again later to dry out the tent walls
· Not so comfortable in stormy weather. In high winds, the tent acts like a sail, and the light weight of the trailer allows it to rock a bit. In wet weather, you might feel cramped
· Lack of privacy. The walls are then, making your conversations audible to anyone walking by outside. Bathrooms have a curtain, with less privacy than you might prefer
Finding a Pop Up Trailer Rental
You may not be able to rent pop up trailer campers at a dealership, but you will definitely find plenty to choose from on a peer-to-peer site. These sites offer RV owners, including pop up trailer owners, the ability to list their RVs for rent on their own terms. Since the owner sets the price and conditions, you will find some real bargains. Many owners are not looking to make a profit; they only want to recoup some of their ownership costs.
When you use a peer-to-peer rental site to find pop up camping trailers for rent, feel free to compare daily rates and usage fees. You can search listings based on your home location or your destination. You can also search by price, type, and size. Click on a listing, and you will find the basic information about the RV and its rental rate.
One little-known advantage of peer-to-peer sites is that you can negotiate with the owner directly. If you see a pop up trailer that you like, don’t be afraid to contact the owner and discuss your needs. Work together for a solution that benefits both you and the owner.
Pop up RV rentals are an upgrade from tent camping. They are more comfortable for sleeping – you’ll never feel a rock or stick under your mattress. And they definitely provide more protection on a cold rainy day. Most pop-up campers have air-conditioning and heat, but no real insulation. You don’t want to go camping in one during a blizzard; but the rest of the year is bliss.