Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors

6 RV camper styles perfect for every family and budget

One of these RV types will match your needs

By
Family outside a pop-up camper
Sean Locke Photography / Shutterstock

For those who enjoy spending time in the great outdoors — but don’t want to totally rough it — RV camping offers the best of both worlds: You can eat, sleep, and use the bathroom inside while also soaking up nature and enjoying the flexibility of travel.

Campers also make adventure weekends easy for busy families; instead of rushing home from work and school on a Friday evening to pack up the tent, sleeping bags, camp stove, and cooking gear, an RV lets you simply hook up and go. So, let’s take a look at the different types of campers to see which style fits your needs.

Recommended Videos

Types of campers and RVs

Pickup truck with travel trailer
Matthew Osborn / Unsplash

Buying a camper could make sense for a variety of reasons, but before heading over to the dealership, you’ll want to know about the different styles and price ranges on the market. We’ve put together a quick guide to help you get an idea of what you need to know to find the perfect fit for your family’s next adventure.

Truck camper

Truck campers sit directly in the bed of a full-size pickup truck. Although compact, they offer many of the same conveniences as other campers. They are easy to maneuver on the road and in the woods, making them popular with outdoor enthusiasts for hunting and fishing trips in remote areas, as well as families who don’t want to tow a big load across the state … or the country. Some truck campers sleep up to six people, although most sleep between two and four, and prices range from $8,000 to $40,000.

Related

Pop-up camper

Pop-up campers are the first type of tow-behind camper many families choose for their outdoor adventures. The base and roof are hard-sided, like other campers, but the walls of the upper section are soft-sided so that the unit can fold up for easy towing and storage. These lightweight campers are easy to tow behind smaller vehicles like minivans, SUVs, and even sedans. Pop-ups generally sleep four or five people, and pricing starts between $10,000 and $25,000.

Travel trailer

The travel trailer category is incredibly diverse in sizes, styles, and price ranges. This type of camper offers more living space and amenities than pop-ups and, because the tow vehicle can be detached, they offer more flexibility than motor homes. Small (up to 20 feet long), medium (21 to 30 feet), and large (31 to 40-plus feet) travel trailers, with or without slide-outs, offer nearly endless possibilities for details like furniture, appliances, entertainment, and more. Lower-priced models offer a comfortable night’s sleep, while those on the higher end feel like a true home away from home.

The size and capability of the towing vehicle are extremely important considerations when buying a travel trailer. Lightweight models often weigh less than 4,000 pounds, but many of the larger ones weigh well over 10,000 pounds. A few of the smallest ones can be towed by light-duty trucks or crossovers, but most require the power and rugged suspension of a full-size pickup truck. 

Smaller travel trailers sleep four to five adults, while mid-sized models sleep up to seven, and the largest can sleep up to eight or more. Size does not always correspond with the price due to the availability of high-end details in smaller campers and the availability of budget-friendly large-model packages. Overall, new travel trailer prices average between $12,000 and $50,000.

Fifth-wheel travel trailer

A couple of unique RV subcategories include the fifth-wheel travel trailer and the toy hauler. Fifth-wheel trailers are pulled by large pickup trucks with the hitch located in the bed of the truck rather than below the bumper. This system makes the trailer much easier to maneuver. The raised forward section of the trailer over the hitch is typically configured as bedroom or living room space. Extended length combined with slide-outs create lots of living space, making fifth-wheel travel trailers popular with full-time campers.

Toy hauler

Toy haulers are so named for the rear-loading ramp door and garage space with room to haul ATVs, motorcycles, golf carts, bikes, or other small vehicles. The toy hauler configuration is available in both towables and motorhomes, but most are fifth-wheels. Most of the RVs in the fifth-wheel and toy hauler subcategories sleep six people, and prices average between $20,000 and $60,000.

Motorhome

Unlike other campers, motorhomes are built on vehicle platforms. Instead of hooking up to a tow vehicle, motorhomes are driven. Many families who travel in motorhome campers tow a “get-around” car so that they can set up camp while also having convenient mobility. Another difference between motorhomes and other campers is that motorhomes are categorized as class A, B, or C types based on their size.

Class A

Diesel- or gasoline-powered class A motorhomes are the largest, most luxurious types. They are popular for extended, cross-country trips and perfect for full-time RVers. Class As offer home-like comforts such as residential-style refrigerators, microwaves, washers and dryers, master bathrooms, designer furniture, and high-quality electronics. Most gain plenty of extended living space from slide-outs. Some class As sleep up to 12.

Class B

Class B motorhomes are also known as camper vans. Like the larger class As, these can have either a gasoline or diesel engine. They operate and feel much like conventional vehicles, making them quite nimble to maneuver in town or off-road. Their size makes them most suitable for individuals or couples. Class Bs sleep two.

Class C

Built on a truck chassis, the class C motorhome also comes in both gas and diesel options. These RVs are recognized for their unique cab-over design. They offer similar upscale details as the larger class A models but in a smaller package. Class Cs sleep up to six.

As with other broad categories, size alone cannot determine the price of a motorhome. High-end appointments easily drive up costs, even in small class As. On average, the entry price for a new motorhome is about $50,000. On the high end, the price can far exceed $250,000.

Which is right for you?

Scenic RV camping spot during sunset with a Class C motorhome camper
Virrage Images / Shutterstock

An RV is the single largest luxury purchase that most campers will ever make, and it’s a convenient way to travel, explore, and make memories that will last a lifetime. While there’s no set formula for determining the best camper for you, in order to make a good choice, take time to learn about the options and the experiences that other RVers have had.

Most RV shoppers spend at least a year researching and learning before they finally buy. Social media communities offer invaluable viewpoints and tips on everything from camping hacks to the best places to stay, but they also are some of the best resources for personal experience on all types of RV campers. Plug in, ask questions, and soon you’ll be ready to go for it.

Do campgrounds usually have spots for RVs and other types of campers?

RV settled into a camping spot
lindsywilliams / Pixabay

Yes, most campgrounds have spots for RVs. In fact, many campgrounds are specifically designed for RVs and offer amenities that RVers and travel trailers need, such as full hookups (water, electricity, and sewer), pull-through sites, and dump stations.

However, there are some campgrounds that are more primitive and may not have any RV sites. These campgrounds are typically located in more remote areas and may not have any amenities at all. Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing a campground for your RV:

  • Make sure the campground has sites that are large enough to accommodate your trailer or RV.
  • Do you need full hookups, or will you be dry camping (without any hookups)?
  • Is the campground located near the places you want to visit?
  • Campgrounds can range in price from very affordable to quite expensive.
  • Do you need reservations?

Here are some resources that you can use to find campgrounds that have trailer, camper, or RV sites:

  • Recreation.gov: This website allows you to search for campgrounds on federal lands, including national parks, national forests, and Bureau of Land Management lands.
  • RV Camping.org: This website allows you to search for campgrounds in U.S. forests.
  • KOA: KOA is a large chain of campgrounds that offers a variety of amenities, including RV and trailer sites.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Mark Wolfe
Mark Wolfe
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mark Wolfe is a freelance writer who specializes in garden, landscaping, and home improvement. After two decades in the…
Camper van vs Class B RV: How to choose which to buy for your outdoor adventures
Class B RV vs Camper Van - who ya got?
Man building a campfire in front of a Winnebago Ekko Springer camper van.

If you would love to go on road trips and experience the best national parks, there is no better way to do it and still feel comfortable like you’re at home than camping in an RV. Let’s be honest: You will enjoy sleeping on a cozy bed in an RV with an air conditioner more than in a moist and chilly tent. It’s also easier to prepare your meals in an RV because of the refrigerator, and you don’t have to worry about packing and unpacking your camping bags every night or morning. 

However, the big RVs can be a headache if you're driving through low-hanging bridges or tight spaces. They’re also more expensive to fuel and maintain compared to smaller-size vehicles. Alternatively, you could choose a Class B RV or a camper van if prefer an RV that strikes a balance between rural camping and big-city adventure. But the question is — what’s the difference between a Class B RV and a camper van? And which one should you buy?
A Class B motorhome is built with all the camping amenities

Read more
Campfire cooking: This is the absolute best way to make a pot hanger
Make the most of campfire cooking with this ingenious pot hanger guide
A campfire pot hanger holds a kettle over a stone circle

Campfire cooking is an art form. Sure, you can always just skewer a sausage or a s'more and roast it directly over the heat, but with a little camping cooking gear, you can elevate your camp cooking to new heights. With the cooler nights of fall just around the corner, camp cooking becomes even more important, as you'll need the extra calories to stay warm overnight. There are plenty of styles of campfire cooking to explore, and a suspended pot over your fire is one of the most versatile.

By hanging a pot or a kettle over your fire, you can keep your dish away from direct heat, but retain a rolling boil or a gentle simmer. This means you can always have hot water ready and waiting for a cup of coffee, heat yourself a cowboy casserole of beans and ground beef to pour over a biscuit, or simmer a stew for a substantial meal under the stars.

Read more
Dust off your gear, it’s time to hit the trail: The spring hiking tips you need
These tips will keep you safe and comfortable on the trail
A person hiking

I don't know about you, but I love the fact that spring is here, and I can hit the trail again. I went out the other day without having to load up in all of my outdoor layers and enjoyed a trail run along some snow-free tracks. It's that time of year when you can dust off your hiking boots, dig out your trekking poles, and start to make some hiking plans. But spring isn't all sunshine and dry tracks. A little like fall hiking, spring trails can be muddy, and some of the wettest, coldest days I've had on the trail have come in springtime. Maybe it's not quite a time to pack away all that warm gear after all.

Spring is changeable. That's what I'm getting at. It's perhaps the toughest time of the year to pack a hiking pack because, on any given day, you might need to change layers four times. The days are long enough to get a good hike done, but you can still find yourself caught out after dark if you're not careful, and once that sun drops, the temperature goes with it. In return, though, spring rewards us with those golden hours at sunrise and sunset — the outdoor photographer's dream — raging waterfalls as the snow melts off, and the sounds and sights of nature coming back to life after a winter's hibernation. It's great if you get it right, and if you follow our spring hiking tips, you won't go far off track.
Dress and pack accordingly

Read more