Buying a Camping Trailer?

5th wheel camping trailers are named after the way they're attached to your truck. As you can see in the picture, they have a unique design that usually features a bed over the area where the trailer hooks up to the truck. The biggest advantage of a 5th wheel camping trailer is in the way it pulls. If you think about it, 18 wheel truck and trailers are pulled the same way. This is for a reason - they're easier to pull and navigate in more challenging spaces. 5th wheel camping trailers can also be larger and weight more. As opposed to a bumper pull trailer - a 5th wheel trailer is designed to place the campers weight directly over the rear axle of your truck - providing a much more stable ride.

Advantages of the 5th wheel camping trailer:

* Superior towing configuration.
* Lots of room for your camping stuff.

Disadvantages:

* Usually cost more than other camping trailers.
* 5th wheel towing configuration takes up inside trailer space.
* Usually need a heavy duty truck to pull these.
* Need a 5th wheel towing hitch in the bed of your truck which costs extra money.

This is what the inside of some 5th wheel camping trailers looks like. Looks nicer than many homes, doesn't it?

Pop up camping trailers receive their name from the way you set them up. They actually pop up when you set them up. Usually driven by a motor or hand crank, the top of the camper rises and when all the way up - takes the form of a full sized camping trailer. When you're finished camping, you simply fold the trailer back together and lower the top.

Advantages of the pop up camping trailer:

* Less weight and easier to pull. You shouldn't need as big a vehicle to pull a pop up camping trailer.
* Usually less expensive than traditional camping trailers.
* Smaller when folded up and easier to store when it's sitting at home.

Disadvantages:

* Not as sturdy as a traditional camping trailer.
* If you don't fold them up properly, or fold them up wet, you can easily ruin them.
* You can't take as much stuff in your camper. (chair, tv, etc.) When folded up, the pop up doesn't allow much room for extras.

This is the inside view of a pop up camping trailer when it's all set up (or popped up). I was amazed at the amount of room available in these when they're all set up.

The basic bumper pull camping trailer (also known as a travel trailer) is similar in almost all respects to the 5th wheel camping trailer - except - it's pulled from the bumper of your vehicle - rather than the 5th wheel arrangement. The biggest advantage to the bumper pull trailer vs the 5th wheel trailer is that you don't lose trailer space required for a 5th wheel configuration.

Basic bumper pull camping trailer advantages:

* Larger interior space.
* No need for an expensive 5th wheel towing setup on your vehicle.
* Usually a little less expensive than a 5th wheel trailer.
* Setup time is minimal.

Disadvantages:

* Doesn't pull as well as a 5th wheel camping trailer because all the weight is on the bumper of the vehicle.

This is the inside view of a basic bumper pull camping trailer (or travel trailer). As you can see, it's not much different inside than a 5th wheel camping trailer. Probably, the only major difference is that you won't see the inside space that is over the 5th wheel towing equipment.