Memorial Weekend: Pop up camping

[SchralpTheGnar]

For what it’s worth I’ve been camping with the kids without a pop up, and just a north face trailhead tent,
and when they were really young we used to put the pack and play right inside the tent. It’s a little more flexibility and just easier not having to tow anything, kids are 8,11, and 13 and still love tent camping.

[BillMiddlebrook]

^After years of tent camping, my family demanded beds, heat and electricity.

[kaiman]

I've camped in Fruita/Colorado National Monument area over Memorial Day Weekend several times and it's usually not too bad (70s-80s during the day and 40's-50s at night). Bill's suggestion of the Great Sand Dunes and Scott P's suggestion of Dinosaur National Monument are also good ones for that time of the year. Other places I remember camping as a young lad, were Sylvan Lake/Fulford Caves near Eagle and the Flat Tops near Steamboat Springs (but that was probably later in the summer). Most other places I've been in Colorado over Memorial Day Weekend require backpacking and/or dealing with colder temperatures so they may not be ideal for your family.

Also FWIW, I grew up in Western Colorado and started camping at a very early age (1-2 years old) and we never owned a pop-up camper, and always tent camped. 40+ years later and I'm still at it, so you might as well start your kids tent camping at a young age.

Kai

[Zoe Saldana]

Hi, we are getting a new pop up. As a climber, skier, hiker, etc, I am new to family camping. we have two very young kids and want to take them camping.
Any suggestions for a good first outing with the pop up? An established campground is fine. I was thinking maybe grand mesa? fruita? Lower elevations because it will be early season.
It's very different planning with a family and not a backpack!

If it isn't too late look in to something like this:
https://www.funtownrv.com/product/new-2 ... -258949-29

There are a lot of small campers with bunk beds and a bed for the 'rents. You can do so much more with them then a pop up. Also, with 4 people storage is a big factor. From what you are saying you could do more and expand your camping season with a hard sided TT. If you really get into it you can add solar and sat'l TV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0cJ-grc8xs

[Dave B]

Not trying to turn this into a dick measuring contest but i also started camping at a young age; even spent seven months in 2006 living in a tent. I used to love it.

Now that i own a truck camper, i can count the number of mornings i've woken up in my camper wishing i'd spent the night in a tent on zero fingers.

Backpacking with the intention of being in the backcountry is a different story, tho.

[Mtnman200]

^After years of tent camping, my family demanded beds, heat and electricity.

Gotta keep Mrs. 14ers.com happy, right?

[BillMiddlebrook]

^After years of tent camping, my family demanded beds, heat and electricity.

Gotta keep Mrs. 14ers.com happy, right?

That's a full time job!

[SchralpTheGnar]

Plus bill is a wimp so it probably didn’t take much convincing.

[BillMiddlebrook]

Guilty

[jrs1965]

Enjoy it while you can. My first camper was a pop-up. They're a lot of work compared to a hard-side camper, but much easier to pull and can be pulled by a smaller vehicle. Now, my son will be 15 in a month and not so much a fan of camping. Back then, kid friendly was a must. He loved it. We had stayed at all three of the Yogi Bear Campgrounds in Colorado. Only two of them are left now. Larkspur and Estes Park...

Yogi.jpg

[davebks]

Thanks for the info. I fought with whether we should just jump into tents but with the kids being 2 and 3, and a wife who grew up with a pop up in Wisconsin, it just made the most sense to start there. If the kids like it, we can definitely still tent camp at times too. Once they are old enough we can do some car camping in cool spots that the pop up can't reach, then go backpacking.
So I figure it's a progression. I want everyone to have fun, including my dog too, so this makes sense I think. I don't see this as a pop up vs tent issue. They present different opportunities. I have never slept in a pop up or RV in my life so this will be new to me too. It sounds like fun!

Anyway, we decided to take Memorial weekend to get it set up and then go the week or two afterwards. It was just too hard to find a spot that weekend. I think we missed the boat on booking sites for that weekend. I guess it's like getting concert tickets these days. you have to be online when they "go on sale" ugh.

I know a ton of places we can just go and set up but I think for the first go we will try a formal campground. It will be painful for me though