For those in the market for a lightweight, easy-to-tow, roomy and uniquely versatile camper, you might want to check out a camper called an "Aliner". What's unique about the Aliner is that it offers many of the best benefits of
both a hard-sided camper
and a fold down camper.
Like most campers, they come in various sizes and configurations. Ours, the "Classic" is larger enough for two adults and two Labrador retrievers (or children) to comfortably spend extended amounts of time in. You can get these Aliners completely load, including a shower/toilet; or you can can them quite modestly equipped. Our is loaded, except that we have an outside shower (works well for rinsing down the dogs). Loaded down with enough gear to take a cross-country trip, an Aliner will weigh right around 2,000 pounds and have a tongue weight around 180-200 pounds. And because, in their towing configuration they are considerably more aerodynamic that a hard-sided unit, they really lend themselves to smaller and mid-sized towing vehicles like our 4Runners.
I think that most people would agree that the primary benefit of a hard-side camper is that once you pull over and park somewhere, you are essentially, instantly"camping". No need to disconnect a hard-sided camper from the tow vehicle; no worries about leveling a hard-sided camper for a quick overnight's rest. Just pull over and enjoy a convenient night of rest. Well, you can do the same thing with an Aliner because it can be set up or taken down
in less than 1 minute. And this is not an exaggeration. So you get the ease of towing associated with a lightweight popup camper (again, perfect for our 4Runners), and the convenience of "instant camping" associated with a hard-sided camper.
My wife and I have been camping for nearly twenty years and to say that we've "been there, done that" comes pretty close to describing the variety of ways that we've camped in that time. From the perspective of an experienced, camper/hunter I can tell you that this Aliner comes pretty close to being a perfect camping unit for today's six cylinder engines.
Just FYI...