How Much Does a Pop Up Camper Weigh? With 15 Real World Examples

Pop up campers are some of the smallest and most lightweight campers in the RV world. So how much does a pop up camper weigh? Pop up camper weights vary, with smaller models weighing less than 1,000 pounds, and the largest pop up campers weighing 5,000 pounds or more.

Let's take a look at some of the most popular pop up campers to see how much each model weighs.

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Pop Up Camper Weight Chart With 15 Real World Examples

Brand & Model	Weight	Weight Designation
Rockwood 1640LTD	1,465 lbs	UVW
Rockwood Freedom 2514F	2,654 lbs	UVW
Meerkat Pop Up Camper	900 lbs	UVW
Aliner Ranger 10	3,000 lbs	GVWR
Aliner Expedition	3,500 lbs	GVWR
TAXA Outdoors Cricket	1,753 lbs	UVW
Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD	2,194 lbs	GVWR
Safari Condo Alto R1713	1,825 lbs	UVW
Flagstaff 206LTD Pop Up	1,608 lbs	UVW
Jayco Jay Sport 10SD	1,720 lbs	UVW
Coachmen Clipper Classic 1285SST	3,296 lbs	GVWR
Sylvan Sport Go Tent Trailer	800 lbs	GVWR
TrailManor 2518KB	2,580 lbs	UVW
TrailManor 3124KB	3,140 lbs	UVW
Coachmen Clipper 108ST	2,687 lbs	GVWR

As you can see from this pop up camper weight chart, the weights of pop up campers varies a lot.

On the right there are weight designations labeled either GVWR or UVW. Let's take a closer look at what these designations really mean.

What Does GVWR Mean on a Pop Up Camper? And Other Weight Abbreviations Explained

GVWR, UVW, CCC… What does it all mean?! There are several abbreviations for weight when it comes to campers and tow vehicles. Here's what you need to know.

Abbreviation:	Definition:	Explanation:
GVWR	Gross Vehicle Weight Rating	This is how much weight your camper can carry altogether. It includes the weight of your camper itself and all cargo/liquids onboard.
GAWR	Gross Axle Weight Rating	This is the weight rating of the axle itself and how much your axle can safely carry.
UVW	Unloaded Vehicle Weight	This refers to the weight of the camper alone with no added cargo, liquids, propane, or batteries. Sometimes called dry weight.
Dry Weight	Same as UVW	Dry weight is the same thing as UVW.
CCC	Cargo Carrying Capacity	This refers to how much weight you can safely add to your camper for towing. This includes personal belongings, fresh and waste water, etc.

When looking for how much a camper weighs, you may encounter different abbreviations like the ones in this list. The number you really need to pay attention to is the GVWR, because this is how much your camper will weigh when it's fully loaded with cargo. You must be sure your vehicle can safely tow the GVWR of your camper, otherwise you're going to have problems!

If there is no GVWR listed, simply add the dry weight and cargo carrying capacity together to arrive at the weight of the fully loaded camper.

UVW vs GVWR

The main difference between UVW and GVWR is that UVW is the weight of the unloaded trailer, and GVWR is the fully loaded trailer weight. UVW stands for “unloaded vehicle weight”. GVWR stands for “gross vehicle weight rating”, which essentially means how much weight the trailer can safely carry.

As such, you should always try to find the GVWR when determining whether or not your vehicle can tow the trailer. The GVWR is essentially the max weight, so you should be sure your tow vehicle can pull the GVWR at minimum.

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Pop Up Camper Tongue or Hitch Weight Explained

According to GMC, understanding tongue weight is the key to safe towing. “Tongue weight is the static force the trailer exerts on the hitch ball.”

Essentially, tongue weight – which is also referred to as hitch weight – is how much weight the camper is placing on your vehicle at the hitch connection.

If a trailer doesn't have enough weight on the tongue, it may sway and be erratic when towing. If there is too much weight on the tongue, it could overload the rear tires of your tow vehicle.

Proper tongue weight should fall between 10% to 15% of the total loaded trailer weight.

Average Weight of a Pop Up Camper

The average weight of a pop up camper is between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds. There are many pop up camper models that fall within this weight range.

There are many brands and models that weigh less than 2,000 pounds, but there are also many brands that weigh more than 3,000 pounds. In general, pop up campers weigh more than 1,000 pounds but less than 5,000 pounds.

What is the Smallest Pop Up Camper?

Image Source: Sylvan Sport Go

The smallest pop up tent camper in production today is likely the Sylvan Sport Go pop up tent trailer with a GVWR of 800 pounds. The smallest pop up RV camper may very well be the Meerkat trailer with a UVW of just 900 pounds.

If you want to go even smaller, you can find motorcycle pop up campers that weigh considerably less. There are plenty of smaller used pop up campers still for sale on popular used RV marketplaces, too.

Here are 13 small pop up campers that don't skimp on creature comforts!

What is the Largest Pop Up Camper?

The largest pop up camper that I've found is the Flagstaff Tent HW29SC. This camper weighs in at a whopping 4,999 GVWR and has a open length of almost 28 feet!

Other large pop up campers include the TrailManor 3124 series, the TAXA Mantis, and the Rockwood Tent High Wall series.

What Kind of Car Can Tow a Pop Up Camper?

Any car with a towing capacity of 1,000 pounds or more can tow a pop up camper. Which kind of camper you can tow will depend upon the towing capacity of your specific vehicle.

Towing capacity simply means the amount of weight your vehicle can safely tow without damage to the engine or drivetrain.

A good rule of thumb to follow when towing any kind of RV or trailer is to stay within 80% of your vehicle's maximum towing capacity. That means that if your vehicle is rated to tow up to 3,500 pounds, your trailer shouldn't weigh any more than 2,800 pounds of GVWR.

How to Find Your Cars Towing Capacity

Most automobile manuals will list towing capacity in the “towing” section of the manual. Some cars aren't rated to pull any weight at all. If that's the case, your owners manual will let you know.

If, for some reason, you can't find your towing capacity (or you lost your manual), you can always look online. Check your cars VIN for your specific make and model to find out your total max towing capacity before attempting to pull a trailer.

How Fast Can You Drive With a Pop Up Camper?

Every state has a certain towing speed limit, believe it or not. So, to find out how fast you can drive with a pop up camper, you need to find out what your state towing speed limit is. Never drive faster than feels safe when towing a pop up camper. In many cases, staying between 55-70 mph is the safest idea.

Is it Hard to Tow a Pop Up Camper?

Pop up campers are the most low profile and lightweight campers on the market today. In terms of RVs, pop up campers are the easiest to tow of all camper trailers.

If your towing vehicle is well equipped to pull the weight of your pop up camper, it's likely that you won't even notice that it's behind you. Be sure to follow proper loading and hitching procedures to have the safest and most comfortable towing experience.

Pop Up Camper Weight Summary

Pop up campers can weigh anywhere from 900 to 5,000 pounds or more, but the average weight for most models falls between 2,000 to 3,000 pounds. There are many different abbreviations to be aware of, but once you're familiar with them, it's a breeze!

Be sure to understand the weight designations and find the proper towing capacity of your car before attempting to tow a pop up camper.

Carrie Wilder

Carrie has a passion for location independence and nomadic lifestyles. After traveling full-time in an RV and living the van life, she created Making Money and Traveling to help others make the switch to a remote lifestyle. Learn more about Carrie on the About page or connect on social media below.