Tent trailers, or pop up trailers, are small and lightweight recreation vehicles. Because the walls collapse (usually made from canvas or fiberglass) this makes the unit much easier to store, to tow and to park. Moving a large fifth wheel or motor home can be difficult, and most places – besides RV parks – will not even hold such a large vehicle. Tent trailers fit in smaller parking locations and can even be pulled with cars instead of heavy duty trucks.

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While these trailers tow as small and low profile units, manufacturers actually fit many amenities into these trailers, such as ice boxes, refrigerators, counters and bathrooms. Other advantages of riding with a tent trailer include: better gas economy than an RV, the feeling of open air camping while using the convenience of an full size RV and a less expensive price.

The Coleman Columbia Tent Trailer

Coleman (now merged with Fleetwood) manufactures many units of RVs, both tent trailers and full size motor homes and travel trailers. The Coleman Columbia Tent Trailer was a popular model in the 1980s but has been discontinued after the merger with Fleetwood. However, many Coleman Columbia Tent Trailers can still be found on auction sites like Ebay (click here to see Tent Trailers on Ebay), or from used RV dealers. These models are primarily sleeping units and lack water, kitchens and measure a little over sixteen feet.

The Coleman Santa Fe, Under the Americana Brand

Coleman The Santa Fe is another classic model first introduced in the 1990s and still available today under the Americana brand. Coleman Santa Fe's are equipped with refrigerators, hot water systems, gas and electric cooking, air conditioning, porta potti and with the ability to add a room later on. Open dimensions for the Santa Fe models are 21' 4" x 8' 9".

The Coleman Niagara Luxury Tent Trailer

The Coleman Niagara (commonly misspelled Coleman Niagra) tent trailer is of the luxury tent trailer under the Highlander model name. The Niagara tent trailer includes two beds, a portable dinette table and seats, a solid walled bathroom and shower with a flushable commode and open dimensions of 26' 10" x 10' 6". The Coleman Westlake model is part of the Destiny series, which is an intermediately priced line of tent trailers with some extra amenities. It comes with two beds, a cassette toilet and shower, and an optional stove or furnace.

Coleman tent trailers are a great buy if you can't afford a full RV or if you prefer the open-air feeling of a camping trip to an on-the-road expedition.