Clamshell vs. Full Pop-Up

[jk6661]

I'm in the market for a truck camper and have a basic question: Why would someone choose a clamshell-style camper (e.g. Alu-Cab) over a full pop-up (e.g. Tune)? I guess the clamshell designs are a little easier to open because you only have to push up one side, but the full pop-up style has so much more room and better access to the sleeping area, plus they aren't that hard to open. Obviously a lot of people buy the clamshell style, so what am I missing?

 

[Xplorer99999]

We’ve had a Bush Company clamshell for 5 years and it’s been great. The reasons we chose it over a full pop-up is wind. With a clamshell, you can position the tent so the wind flows over it. Nothing worse than heavy tent flapping in the middle of the night. Also works really well for solar.

 

[jk6661]

We’ve had a Bush Company clamshell for 5 years and it’s been great. The reasons we chose it over a full pop-up is wind. With a clamshell, you can position the tent so the wind flows over it. Nothing worse than heavy tent flapping in the middle of the night. Also works really well for solar.

Ah, I didn’t think of that.

 

[Xplorer99999]

If you camp in the desert, it’s a big deal. You’ll definitely sleep better!

 

[AbleGuy]

We’ve had 3 different full sized pop up campers in the past…including an 8’ Hallmark, a 10’ Jayco and a Sportsmobile.

We camped all over the Midwest, the upper Midwest, the entire western parts of the US and Canada from the plains to the Rockies to the coasts and also the Yukon and Alaska.

Wind was never, ever a big issue or problem, just fyi.

And having the full bed made up and out of the way was really nice. The extra storage was very nice too.

 

[sancap]

I have had both an AT Overland Summit (wedge) and a FWC Hawk (full top goes up). I can say the only advantages would be that the wedge will shed snow better and you can position the wedge camper into the sun during winter months for better solar panel operation. I have had both in extreme winds and was not worried about wind, noise or failure of the struts, both were similar.

 

[2025 deleted member]

I'm in the market for a truck camper and have a basic question: Why would someone choose a clamshell-style camper (e.g. Alu-Cab) over a full pop-up (e.g. Tune)? I guess the clamshell designs are a little easier to open because you only have to push up one side, but the full pop-up style has so much more room and better access to the sleeping area, plus they aren't that hard to open. Obviously a lot of people buy the clamshell style, so what am I missing?

I have a wedge RTT and my next purchase is a pop up camper- the wedge has way more drawbacks than benefits IMO