Micro-camping marvels: 14 tiniest, mightiest RVs of 2024

I don't understand the interest in tiny campers or camper vans. They are awkward, cramped, cold or hot and the humidity from your breath builds up to condensation levels in just a few hours. I would prefer a pup tent and air mattress with a small gas grill over most of them at considerably less cost. If you want comfort on a budget, a 17-19 foot travel trailer has room to move around with all the conveniences you could want for less than $20,000 new and even much cheaper used.

These are a very interesting variety of campers and there are a few I would even consider buying except that I already own a teardrop. One thing that did strike me is the lack of a happy medium. The campers listed all fall into one of two camps, they are of either fully loaded and cost an arm and a leg, or they are bare bones with only a place to sleep.
Thanks for the post, Mr. Weiss and have a happy new year.

@ Nobody. I just read your comment and I see you don't camp very often, if at all, do you? The only thing you got right was the availability of used trailers. As for the rest...
It takes me around five minutes to set up my teardrop, including getting the kitchen ready and leveling the trailer. When I was tent camping, the issues of setup, starting with finding a level spot to pitch the tent. FYI, sleeping on an uneven surface can ruin your experience. Then came the fun of wrestling with the tent, which was never as fast or easy as the brochure said it would be. And, the really easy to put up larger tents will cost you a fair bit and will need much more care than you think. Just put away a canvas spring bar or bell tent when it is damp.
Then there was setting up the camp kitchen. At the very least, there is the need for overhead protection from a tarp or a pop-up tent. Cooking over a small gas stove is very romantic until you have to cook a meal in the rain. As for cooking, I have a Camp Chef in the kitchen at the back of the trailer. To get at it, I simply raise the hatch, which forms a rain cover.
Oh, and if you camp in the spring or fall, there is the issue of your sleeping bag getting wet because of your condensation from exhaling in a nylon tent. I don't have this issue because of a ceiling fan that brings in fresh air. When it gets cold, I have a Mr. Buddy heater with a C02 detector to keep me warm. As for tent camping in the summer, that's wonderful except for having to leave the flaps open because of the heat with only a bug screen to, hopefully, keep animals out. I still remember the last straw for tent camping when my wife found a snake in her sleeping bag one lovely late August day.

@Uncle Anonymous, I camp quite often thankyou. I have tried everything from a small cabin cruiser boat which I took from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic to the Florida Keys. Then there was the pup tent across the West national parks on my senior pass along with my motorcycle. Then there was the small travel trailer which I took across most of the U,S. Then there were the class A and C motor homes and camper vans which I took all across the U,S. and Alaska. So I have camped coast to coast and from North to South and about everywhere in between. I have been to all 50 States and camped in most of them so it is possible you have more camping experience than I do but I SERIOUSLY doubt it. Enjoy your teardrop because you probably don't know what else is out there. I always love listening to an expert such as yourself.