We’ve been a camping family for several years. Our boys were involved in Cub Scouts, so we would go camping a few times a year with them. A couple summers back, we took a couple of tents and some camping gear and worked our way up a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We’ve not been afraid to rough it every now and then.

Last year, however, we decided to take some extra $$ and purchase a used pop-up camper. We wound up finding a 1998 Coleman Taos that had been well-cared-for by its previous owners, and took it home, naming it “Jim Bob” after Kyle’s father who passed away in 2012 (his actual full name was James Robert). We figured if we wanted to move into camper territory, this would be a good “beginner” camper.

Jim Bob had two slide-out full-size bunks and a dinette that folded down into a twin bunk. For a family with three boys, this worked out ok, as the two younger ones could share one bunk, and the older one could use the twin bunk. There was a galley with a sink (which we never used), and a removable propane stove that we used outside exclusively (to avoid any cooking mishaps). It was tiny, especially when we rolled up to an RV park in Myrtle Beach and saw all these nice new RV’s, fifth wheels, and travel trailers next to this dinky old pop-up, but it was ours, and it gave us a place to sleep, which is really all we needed. Even our dog, Elwood, was happy because it meant he got to sleep in the bed with us.

Jim Bob went with us to Lake Erie, Gatlinburg, Myrtle Beach, Indiana Sand Dunes, and several closer locations for quick getaways. On each of these adventures, we learned something new about camping in a pop-up. Some places got rather cold overnight, so we learned to throw some pillows along the bunk ends to insulate (and carry an electric heater to keep warm!). We learned that you don’t leave the awning open when it gets windy at night after it went billowing over the roof one night. We learned that, unless you are in perfect physical condition, you’re gonna want something other than just plain camper bunks at night.

Of course, we time went on, we began to notice the things we lacked more and more. While camped at Myrtle Beach, for example, we realized that having no air conditioning at the beach was a bad idea, as even with the window flaps wide open, the thing simply radiated heat. We also noticed that, when camping in cooler weather, it becomes quite a hassle to get up in the middle of the night and walk to the nearest bathhouse, since we didn’t have an on-board facility.

That’s not to say that pop-up camping doesn’t have its benefits. The last trip that we went on with Jim Bob was a weekend test run with Kyle’s brother, Kevin, and his family. We got adjacent camping lots, and when we arrived, we simply unhooked Jim Bob and turned him around by hand so our door would be facing their camp site. That’s not something easily done with anything larger like a travel trailer. We also could very easily park as well as open Jim Bob in our residential garage, which allowed us the luxury to make updates and pack at our convenience.

While we had no initial intention of upgrading so soon, a planned trip to Glacier and Yellowstone this summer meant that taking a pop-up like Jim Bob just wouldn’t be the most ideal situation. As our boys get older, we were becoming more and more cramped in such a small space, even when it came to sleeping (our 13 year old opted to move into a tent next to Jim Bob on most nights just to get a little space). Even just packing for five people becomes tricky, especially on longer trips where space for food and clothing is at a premium. Jim Bob was great for weekend get-aways. He was not great for longer trips, of which we planned on taking more and more.

So…we decided to find Jim Bob a new home and upgrade to a travel trailer. We received quite a bit of interest in the pop-up, but we are happy to say that a young family with two young sons have adopted Jim Bob, and he will continue to provide shelter and comfort (relatively speaking) to yet another family looking to start their adventures. Meanwhile, our family has become the proud owners of a 2021 Forest River Cherokee Wolf Pup 16BHS, which gives us the benefit of a solid camper with a restroom and shower as well as enough sleeping room for two adults, three kids, and the dog, while still being small enough to tow easily and not have a high profile.

Are we happy with our new camper? Absolutely. Will we miss Jim Bob? Of course we will. For all of his flaws and shortcomings, Jim Bob was our family’s first camper.

And you always remember your first…