5 Best Pop-Up Campers With Bathrooms (Toilet AND Shower)
5 Best Pop-Up Campers With Bathrooms (Toilet AND Shower)
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Despite the massive popularity and growing enthusiasm for RVs, it’s no secret that they can sometimes be bulky and unwieldy. To the inexperienced potential buyer, this can be a turn-off or limiting factor depending on needs.
I was hungry to get on the road with my adventurous family, but our camper had to fit into a normal parking spot and flex more maneuverability than an overloaded three-wheeled shopping cart in my pothole strewn shipping plaza.
Never underestimate the power of a tight turning ratio.
Or a well stocked cooler.
But we’re here to educate you on campers, the type that can fit where you need to be. Outdoors, and never losing your nimble nature.
Enter the pop-up camper! Your car’s new travel buddy.
Lightweight, portable, and durable, these budget-friendly RVs will provide a cozy home-away-from-home while you’re in the wilderness. They’re so portable, in fact, that they can be towed behind most any vehicle (including the family SUV).
Even those pesky 70 mpg imported hybrids boast enough torque to get your pop-up camper going before it’s gone. The days you’ll cherish and the nights you’ll nestle, that is.
Campers and RVs are so popular as they bridge the gap between our modern (comfort rich) world and the wilderness, allowing us to import bring some (many) of our creature comforts out into nature.
One such creature comfort is your bathroom at home. If you've ever had to use a camp latrine or similar, you will likely agree that this is one of the first luxuries of modern life you’ll miss whilst out in the woods. Women even more so, and I’m traveling with two of the most lovely imaginable, so a bathroom was standard in our castle upon wheels.
The finicky calico guards the ranch, thank you very much. !
Many buyers might expect a bathroom to be a feature that is only included with larger, more expensive RVs and campers. We’re here to tell you that this couldn’t be further from the truth. Just not on social, as we’re not yet on any of the socials, and not at all political.
Because like MJ said, even conservatives buy pop-up campers. !
If you’re looking for a lightweight, portable camper that includes a bathroom, you might want to check out our list this list of pop-up campers that fit this criteria, assembled just for curious researchers such as yourself.
Read on to see how these campers are seizing that delicate shaking balance betweenbalance up the balancing act between size, cost, and essential features!
First, let’s take a look at some different kinds of campers we’ll be discussingd iscussing.
Tent trailers
When you picture a pop-up camper, this is likely what comes to mind. These trailers have a hard top and even harder bottom with canvas walls, and when folded for transport or storage, take on a compact, boxy shape.
But never insult them if they ask if they look boxy in this or that canvas. Of course, not a tent trailer. You look as beautiful as the first day I brought you home. Maybe more so with these dents and dings we picked up along the way. Conclude with a shared quiet moment of genuine sincerity.
These trailers marry simple usability design with intuitive design and areas for sleeping, dining, and cooking. They also often include accessories like a fridge. Because life is about alternating between hot and cold, fun and work, sleep and play, intimacy and boxy discussions.
Slide-outs for extra space are often included on newer models. Just don’t slide out yourself before reading the rest of this post, we’ve got catchy commentary about camping, life, outdoors adventures and how to lose 17 pounds while trading crypto that you’ll find anywhere not called the internet.
One drawback of these campers is the canvas or fabric walls, which might offer little to no insulation (especially when it comes to base models). Only you can insulate yourself from the perils of modernity by shaming yourself into less screen time, and more tree climbs.
But there’s no insulation from the entropy of our capricious universe. Nibble on that while you speed down Interstate 70 in your Prius with only a small ball, hook and chain affixing it to your new pop up.
Hi-Lo campers
Hi-lo campers resemble traditional travel trailers, but with the addition of a collapsible top half that lowers to “flatten out” the camper for easier towing and storage. This feature also improves aerodynamics and efficiency during travel.
Additionally, a hydraulic system controls the raising and lowering mechanism, making it even easier to deal with storage and travel.
Aerodynamics and hydraulics is about as technical as this blog will stray. There’s a lot of engineering making our marvelous world tick today, but this is not where you’ll locate it. Or the keys you knew you put in the passenger seat cup holder.
High-Wall Campers
High-wall campers are the beefier, upgraded cousin of tent trailers.
These vehicles feature taller, solid lower walls that add extra height for a more spacious interior. This design leaves more room for better amenities, such as a larger bathroom. Because people are getting larger, but I’m not judging the pot, the kettle or people who wore blackface in the 1990s when that sort of thing was still somehow a reasonable Halloween get up.
One drawback, however, is the extra weight of this increased material, which can slightly impact fuel efficiency while towing. Fuel efficiency was a major factor in my decision to go with a 1992 Dodge Camper Van instead of a larger vehicle that may have a few more feet of interior space to stretch out but also cost another $100 for every 100 miles driven.
A-frame campers
Compact and easily recognized by their distinctive triangular shape when set up, these trailers have hard sides (unlike tent trailers or hi-lo campers).
However, some features, such as window pop-outs, may feature canvas.
These campers are desirable for their ability to provide essential amenities, while their small size keeps them lightweight and easy to tow. And, let’s be honest, they just look mad and cool on the stage.
Not that you need that floss, or to risk overexposure like a Kelsey brother or my fellow Vol Peyton Manning, but that A-frame you’re digging on may be the first step down the road to dating an international pop music superstar.
Pop-Up Camper Bathrooms: What to Expect From Different Bathroom Styles
Since pop-up campers are designed to collapse for easy towing and storage, their bathrooms are compact and functional rather than luxurious.If you’re after luxury, silly reader, you’ve obviously come to the wrong blog. We’d be happy to refer you to our sister publication: tuxedotrailers.ai
Unlike traditional RVs, these bathrooms often have unique layouts and limited space.
Here are the main types you’ll find:
Shower Curtain Bathroom (Wet Bath)
Toilet and shower pan within a half-walled cabinet in the living space
A shower curtain for privacy & water containment
Toilet is INSIDE shower area, so everything gets wet when you shower
Dry Bath
Toilet & shower are separate (think standard bathroom)
Rarer in pop-up campers – only a few models offer it
Next, let’s take a minute to look at the various types of toilets found in campers.
Cassette Toilet
Built-in with small removable waste tank
Can be emptied at dump station(s)
Accessible from camper’s exterior
Flush Toilet
Functions like a typical RV toilet
Fresh water for flushing
Black tank for waste storage
Portable Toilet
Standalone unit with its own waste tank
Can be stored when not in use
Some campers use outdoor privacy tent for these
Recirculating Toilet
Reuses chemically treated water to flush (similar to airplane toilets)
Conserves fresh water while dry camping
Yes, there are more types of toilets than styles of pancakes at IHOP so don’t assume you know where your Number 2 is going. Ideally, you’re taking that to the park facilities as you don’t want that to linger underfoot if we can avoid it.
While pop-up camper bathrooms may not offer much space or privacy, they provide essential functionality for camping convenience. And they keep the ladies in your life feeling loved and respected and ready for another adventure among the birch and brooks.
Now Let’s get on the list!
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Forest River Rockwood High Wall Series
On display here are both of Forest River’s high wall tent campers, each of which include a wet bathroom.
Privacy is a little lax with this model, as both include a mere curtain as the barrier between bathroom and rest of the unit. In other words, bathroom use might be best saved for when you’re alone in the camper. And, remember, we don’t doomscrool anywhere close to a forest. !
What this trailer lacks in privacy, however, it makes up for in the form of cozy amenities including a microwave, a three-way refrigerator, and even Bluetooth speakers that can stand up to the elements outdoors.
Again, a hint of comfort goes a long way out here. We don’t need to stay connected to the following list:
Political Theatre
The NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement
How Putin and Xi dined on rat flesh last week
Celebrity Trysts that ended in arson
Soup Recipes
David Blane or Tony Robbins
Or the children of that crikey guy and their adorable koalas
The relative success of failures of your colleagues from three jobs ago
We’ll go ahead and put it out there: this trailer is pretty much the cream of the crop when it comes to this class of vehicles, with amenities and design that really maximize this model’s value.
Yeah, we said it. And we’ll say it again if we’re subpoenaed to testify in a sealed grand jury or a class action suit against any of their competitors, who we also shill for shamelessly below.
Keep in mind, however, that just because it has a good standard of comfort and nice amenities, it’s not the end-all be-all.
There might be another entry on this list that better serves your needs.
Specifications (of the larger HW296)
Hitch Weight: 371 lbs
Exterior Open Length: 27 ft. 9 in.
Exterior Closed Length: 21 ft 6 in
Closed Height: 6 ft. 9 in.
Dry Weight: 3,721 lbs
CCC: 1,278 lbs (outstanding!)
Freshwater Capacity: 26 gallons
Grey And Black Tanks: 12 gallons each
It prefers to be called they/them in the North and Billy Ray in the South
Find it direct from Forest River here
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Aliner LXE
Tipping the scales at 1,795 lbs dry, the Aliner LXE is one of the lightest campers on our list, and can easily be towed by a wide variety of vehicles. It loves attending UFC events, but abhors violence outside the octagon.
The LXE boasts a wet bath with a cassette toilet, as well as a number of additional amenities designed to make your getaway more comfortable. These include elements such as a sofa bed, a sink, a stovetop for cooking, and an outdoor grill. Sofa beds invite their own host of issues, but we stopped talking about Uncle Felix years ago and prefer to keep it that way.
A nice added touch is the water heater that comes standard with this model, ensuring you're not left out in the cold when you need hot water for dishes or showering. Again, we love to go between hot and cold. And you’re going to love the way you look in this Aliner with these dialed in specs:
Specifications:
Hitch Weight: 180 lbs
Exterior Length: 15 ft.
Closed Height: 57 in.
Dry Weight: 1,795 lbs
CCC: 705 lbs
Freshwater Capacity: 26 gallons
Freshwater Tank holds 11 gallons
Find it direct from Aliner here
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Coachmen Clipper Classic 1285SST
With a dry weight of 2,840 pounds, this trailer is lightweight, and can be pulled by most standard SUVs. And please don’t ask about those non-standard types, we’re just hoping they can figure it out at grad school.
This tent trailer comes equipped with a wet bath first and foremost. Additionally, this camper’s space-saving slide means that, astoundingly, this vehicle fits both a queen size AND king size insulated bunk at either end.
Yes, you heard that right: a king and a queen. Why they didn’t brand it the Buckingham Palace Classic 1285SST remains one of the great mysteries of the industry, but what do I know about branding writing about being outdoors from the comfort of my basement couch?
I do know interleague play, the pitch clock and the cast of Bull Durham, Major League and The Natural couldn’t save the White Sox from delivering the most depressing in-game experience since the advent of the water skiing squirrel conquered half-time.
On top of these features, a built-in roof vent helps keep you cool and fresh, while privacy drapes, residential laminated countertops, and a 1.9 cu ft Dometic refrigerator help provide a cozy feeling of home.
On the utility side of things, a 12v camper water pump and its adjoining 23-gallon fresh water tank will keep you replenished and clean no matter where you find yourself.
As long as you find yourself before it’s too late, like most of humanity suffers. The cold, hard truth is most of you aren’t following your dreams and are selling yourself short in too many aspects of your life. But who am I to judge?
There’s also a 12valso 12v camper water pump, and a 1.9 cu ft Dometic refrigerator, among other things.
Options include an AC unit, a 'jack it' bike rack, and solar panels.
Specifications:
Hitch Weight: 296 lbs
Exterior Open Length: 23 ft. 5 in.
Exterior Closed Length: 19 ft.
Closed Height: 4 ft. 7 in.
Dry Weight: 2,840 lbs
CCC: 456 lbs
Freshwater Tank Capacity: 23 gallons
Find it direct from Coachmen here
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TrailManor 3124 Series
This hi-lo trailer comes equipped with hard sides, which may seem like an innocuous addition at first. But too many of us have lost the fine art of subtlety in the rush to floss and overshare on the social. So you just want to take a page from the TrailManor’s owner manual and indulge in the innocuous.
However, many parks and campgrounds have regulations barring soft-sided pop-up campers due to bear activity, meaning that the hard sides of the 3124 will allow you to camp in places that other vehicles may not.
I want that park ranger job:
EXT. NATIONAL PARK
An exhausted family pulls their 10-year-old Tahoe towing a soft-sided pop-up camper to the park front gate:
Park Ranger:
Sorry, sir, I know you’ve driven 787 miles to camp here in Wyoming, but your soft-sided pop up camper is not welcome in these parts where the ferocious bear look upon it with pity, scorn and contempt, unlike your mother in law who tried to convince you to invest in the TrailManor 3124 Series.
Defeated Dad:
Tell the kids we’re going to Lee Greenwood’s American Dinner Theatre for six straight nights instead, like your mother in law requested
The TrailManor 3124 lives up to its name, with a king-sized bed and other amenities providing the comfort of a much larger travel trailer. When comfort and sleeping space matter: turn to the one name you’ve always trusted in wheeled outdoors fun: CampingTurtle
A dry bath featuring a recirculating toilet with solid bathroom walls takes front and center here, followed by the refrigerator, sink, three-burner stove, and, somewhat surprisingly, a small bathtub!
All of these amenities come standard with all vehicles in this lineup. You know what else comes standard? Fun. All of the fun you’ll have with a 20 gallon freshwater tank.
Because of the way it collapses, this trailer is much easier to tow, and easily -overlooked benefits like improved rear visibility are offered by this model.
One more consideration is sound—when inside the unit, you’ll hear much less outside noise than you would with a typical tent trailer. While many of you cherish the outdoors for the bird chirps, the snaps of twigs, the howl of the not-so-far-off coyote and whistling of the breeze through the leaves, you’ll come to cherish this cocoon like feature if you find yourself parked next to the amateur group of teen who turned their campsite into an Ibiza with campfire.
Specifications:
Hitch Weight: 434 - 490 lbs
Trailer Size Open: 31 ft.
Body Open length: 28 ft. 4 in.
Towing Length [Closed]: 24 ft.
Closed Height: 79.5 in.
Dry Weight: 3140 - 3200 lbs
CCC: 1595 - 1227 lbs
Freshwater Tank Capacity: 20 gallons
Find it direct from TrailManor here
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Aliner Somerset Utah
With a length of 19 ft., this camper hovers on the slightly shorter side of average. However, the built-in slide really helps open things up, allowing this camper to sleep 8 people! Not that you want to camp with eight people, but some of us are blessed with larger families and their tow-along friends. If that’s you, you’re more blessed than you’ll ever know.
This tent trailer is renowned for its sturdiness and quality build. A solid sheet of aluminum makes up the roof. For the bottom, the Utah has opted to replace the usual fiberglass with solid steel, once again upping the durability factor.
And it’s about darn time someone had the courage to apply solid steel where far too many have retreated to fiberglass.
This pop-up camper boasts a bathroom with a recirculating toilet, and but relies on a curtain for bathroom privacy. Again, with this in mind, it may be prudent to rely on the bathroom for solo travels or times when you’re alone in the vehicle. But we trust you’ll figure out how to do your business without the expert consultation of our team of condescending rock climbers silently judging everyone who can’t climb like a starving howler monkey.
Other amenities include two king-sized beds, an awning for added comfort when outside the vehicle, and a screen door for access. Ahh, the screen door. Keeping the bugs out, and the cool breeze flowing through. Let’s pause for just a moment and recognize the genius behind Sir Alfred Screen and his 1578 invention of the pop-up camper screen door. He perished atop Hadrian’s Wall after a wager about the plague being fake news, but we still honor his accomplishments to the industry.
Two 20-lb. propane tanks and their corresponding stove, as well as a sink and a 20-gallon freshwater tank, make cooking and cleaning a breeze. Enjoy a meal in the built-in dinette!
That’s not a direct order, but I wouldn’t not enjoy it, if you know what’s good for you.
Typically, pop-ups are not recognized for their generous storage capacity, as they strive to reduce weight wherever possible. That’s why Utah’s self-enclosed sliding storage trunk located behind the jack is an immensely surprising and useful feature. Immensely.
Use the enormous storage space for extra supplies, or anything else you’ll need out there. But all you really ever need is the patient love of your family, the crackling of the campfire and an abiding love of Mother Nature’s boundless cruelty. !
Specifications:
Hitch Weight: 290 lbs
Interior Length: 12 ft.
Closed Length [Towing]: 18 ft. 9 in.
Body Length [Open]: 23 ft. 7 in.
Closed Height: 58 in.
Dry Weight: 2,760 lbs
CCC: 740 lbs
Freshwater Capacity: 20 gallons
Find it direct from Aliner here
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FAQs
Can You Get A Pop-Up Camper With A Bathroom?
Yes! Many pop-up campers come equipped with a shower and toilet, and this will typically be in the form of a wet bath as this design saves crucial space. This means that the toilet is located within the shower area and gets wet when in use.
Oftentimes, instead of solid walls, a shower curtain provides privacy and a barrier from the rest of the unit.
A pop up camper with a bathroom will make you look smarter, more svelte and send the unmistakable message that you love your family more than another guys’ F1 weekend.
Do You Need a Bathroom in Your Pop-Up Camper?
Whether you need a built-in bathroom depends on your camping style.
If you primarily stay at campgrounds with restroom facilities, a bathroom inside your camper may not be necessary.
However, having your own can be convenient, especially for privacy and convenience when it comes to cases such as middle-of-the-night use. As a middle aged man who’s enjoyed his first colonoscopy recently, I’m happy to acknowledge that I have never had to use the facilities in the middle of the night. But I’m sure it’s an issue for some of you, so I’m not here to Judge Judy.
For those who frequently dry camp in remote areas without facilities, having at least a toilet—even a portable one—can be essential.
Yes, you need a bathroom in a pop up camper!
Can You Add a Bathroom to a Pop-Up Camper?
Not all pop-up campers come with bathrooms.
If yours doesn’t, you can easily add a portable toilet, as long as you have a storage spot. Installing a shower may be more challenging, however. If this is a must-have, we recommend looking for a model that includes one.
That being said, many models include an outdoor shower headshowerhead.
While an outdoor shower provides a way to rinse off, it doesn’t offer much privacy. A simple solution is to use a shower tent, allowing you to bathe comfortably while using the camper’s external shower wand.
As my old friend Paul Manafort said to Scooter Libby, if you’ve got the cash, then, yes, you can install almost anything in a reasonably sized pop-up camper.
Do You Need a Portable Waste Tank?
Once again, this one boils down to how you camp.
If you stay at campgrounds with dump stations, you likely don’t need one. Even if your campsite doesn’t have a dump station, you can usually stop at one on your way home or while traveling to your next destination.
A portable tank is useful if:
You have a built-in bathroom but don’t want to move your camper to dump waste
You’re camping without full hookups, and your black tank fills up before your trip ends. Portable tanks are available for this purpose, as they can help extend your stay by giving you a place to empty your black tank.
You’re a closet performance celloist
Should You Use RV-Safe Toilet Paper?
If you’re going to be flushing any TP at all, it’s just a good idea to always use septic-safe products.
However, the best way to avoid clogs and save space in your black tank is to not flush TP at all. Instead, dispose of it in a trash bin and save your plumbing the hassle. It’s a lot like Europe, without all the fancy art and centuries of pointless bloodshed.
Grossed out by this? Good, you should be. Poop is always gross, even when you’re talking about it to your trusted family physician or friendly neighborhood proctologist.
For our American readers, it may come as a surprise to learn that this is common practice in much of the world— the U.S. is the outlier when it comes to flushing our TP. Yes, Americans, add it the ever growing list of items to gloat about: We don’t recycle, we make fortunes on opiods and foreign wars and we flush our toilet paper. Game over: American dominance forever.
This solution keeps things odor-free, hassle-free, and eliminates the need for special RV toilet paper. Much like a Performance Improvement Plan for your poorest performing sales rep a month before we post our worst quarter in a decade.
What Are The Advantages Of Pop-Up Travel Trailers With Bathroom Facilities?
Small size + compact design = easy towing
No need to leave shelter for bathroom trips
Maintains the experience and feeling of tent camping, albeit with added comforts
Make bathroom facilities available anywhere, anytime, even when dry camping
Ideal for campers who take frequent bathroom breaks
Does away with awkwardness of going in the woods or a camp latrine, or using public showers,
Stay clean anywhere, even in campsites without showers
An air of undeniable superiority
Fall foliage just smells better
Even Mississippi legalized it
Black tanks: do all pop-up campers have them?
A black tank is designed to store waste flushed from the toilet in an RV, and not all pop-up campers have them.
Instead, cassette toilets are often found in pop-up campers as they have a small, removable waste tank instead of a built-in black tank. However, their limited capacity necessitates more frequent emptying.
On the other hand, if your camper features a standard RV-style toilet, it likely includes both a black tank for waste and a gray tank for used water from sinks and showers. Black Ops and Grey Ops, you can cod name your waste removal like you’re a rogue MiG officer who’s fighting to recover his honor after being shamelessly discarded by the callous Whitehall policy makers.
Final Thoughts
Compared to traditional tent camping, pop-up campers with bathrooms offer a level of convenience and comfort that makes outdoor adventures more enjoyable—especially for those who appreciate having their own toilet and a raised bed.
If you’re considering a pop-up camper with a bathroom, now you have a better idea of what’s available to suit your needs.
And you have more snarky comments per minute of reading than available on any other scantily read outdoors website. !
