A-Frame campers, also known as hard-side pop-up campers, are increasingly popular with families who want more than what a tent can offer but don’t want to invest in a large pickup truck just tow a heavy travel trailer.
Of course, a lot of families also prioritize an onboard toilet and shower when they camp off the grid away from a fully-appointed RV park or campground.
If this sounds like what you are looking for, then you are probably wondering, what are some of the best A-Frame campers with a bathroom.
Two of the top contenders are the Forest River – Rockwood Hard Side A214HW and the The XL-1920 By Chalet.
Though they are not the only options worthy of considering. So, we decided to take a closer look at this increasingly popular niche to try to highlight some of the best hard sided pop up campers with a bathroom on the market today.
5 Best A-Frame Pop-Up Campers with Bathroom Facilities
Every year an increasing number of RV manufacturers wake up to the demand for lightweight campers with a truly functional bathroom that can support a family for more than a day or two of boondock camping.
So, we turned a discerning eye toward this growing market segment to try to find some of the best A-Frame campers with a bathroom to meet the needs of an adventurous family.
This included special features that might be more appealing to certain niche needs.
Let’s check out the four of the best A-frame pop-up campers with toilet and shower.
1. Forest River – Rockwood Hard Side A214HW
The Forest River – Rockwood Hard Side A214HW is one of the more impressive A-frame campers with a full-size bathroom. It offers a complete wet bath with a sink and toilet combo in the front dormer. There’s a privacy curtain for family members to have their own personal bathing experience.
It also helps prevent shower water from escaping into the nearby kitchen. It uses a cassette toilet, which is easy to remove and empty without having to break camp just to relieve the black water.
The Forest River – Rockwood Hard Side A214HW also has an impressive amount of storage. You see this reflected in the relatively large 20-gallon freshwater storage tank.
Large front and rear storage bays also translate into a robust 653-pound payload capacity. This makes it easy for a traveling couple of a small family of three to bring all their personal items with them.
2. Aliner – Expedition
Aliner is arguably the biggest name in the A-frame camper segment. So, it’s no surprise that they would offer a well-appointed A-frame camper with a bathroom like the Expedition to accommodate the needs of a small family.
It houses a modest-size private cassette toilet at midship. This keeps most of the primary bathroom weight directly over the A-Frame campers wheels where you want it to be when towing it down the highway or backing it into a tight campsite.
Regarding sleeping accommodations, the Aliner Expedition can comfortably sleep up to four people. While this might not seem like a big deal at first, it is somewhat of a rarity in an A-frame camper with a bathroom.
A lot of competitor models will only sleep up to three people comfortably, or a fourth needs to be a small child to keep from feeling cramped.
3. The XL-1920 By Chalet
The chalet is somewhat of a newcomer in the RV marketplace, and their lineup of A-frame campers has started giving niche giants a good run for their money. You really see this showing through in 2021 The XL-1920 By Chalet, which is a spacious A-frame camper with an optional bathroom.
When you work directly with Chalet, they can replace some of the midship cabinetry with a cassette toilet and the plumbing for an exterior shower. The midship bathroom isn’t the only thing that helps make The XL-1920 By Chalet a popular A-frame camper.
It comes with a lot of thoughtful features infused into the layout. This includes a nicely-appointed kitchen.
There are also optional 46” X 80” bunk beds in the front and a convertible dinette in the rear. It’s a great option if you have a small family or you are a single parent who wants to travel comfortably with their two kids.
4. Aliner Family Expedition A-frame camper
As the name implies, the Aliner Family was designed to cater to the needs of a traveling family who wants to comfort and security of a walled camper but still wants a model that is light enough to tow behind the average mid-size SUV.
Among its key features is a cassette toilet located right near the door. The 5-gallon blackwater tank was designed to slide out and drain for quick disposal easily.
The nearby sink will also accommodate a shower hose line for an exterior shower right outside the main door. When it comes to sleeping space and living accommodations, The Aliner Family really impresses.
You’ll appreciate that it has a sofa bed that converts into a dinette at the rear and a pair of beds that are the perfect size for a teenager. There’s also a slide-out kitchenette, a DC-powered RV refrigerator, and a stainless steel flush-mounted stove. This is somewhat rare with A-Frame campers with a bathroom.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bathroom Location Matter In An A-Frame Camper?
While it’s not a major factor, you ideally want to see a bathroom in an A-Frame camper positioned at midship or in the front.
Since the bathroom and the water storage tanks that support it add significant weight to the camper which is meant to be as light as possible, keeping that weight over the wheels or biased toward the front helps the towing characteristics.
If a bathroom is positioned toward the front of the A-Frame camper, then you want that model to have a dormer to increase the available headroom.
Does A Bathroom Increase The Cost Of An A-Frame Camper?
A bathroom does add a small amount to the cost of an A-Frame camper, but it doesn’t make it prohibitively expensive.
When you consider the high demand for campers with a bathroom, it does also help the potential resale value if you decide to upgrade or make a trade-in a few years later as the family grows.
Do Cassette Toilets Smell Bad?
It all depends on what you use them for. A cassette toilet used only for “Number 1” won’t smell bad. Though using appropriate chemicals and emptying them will go a long way toward reducing the odors that some people complain about in hard-sided popup campers with a cassette toilet.
Conclusion
There are a lot of great A-Frame campers with bathrooms on the market today. The one that is best for you depends on the size of your family as well as how highly you prioritize a shower.
If you just want a cassette toilet and a sink for handwashing but you still need to sleep with a family of four, then the Aliner Family might be the best A-Frame camper with a toilet to meet your needs.
Not only can it comfortably sleep up to four people, but it also comes with a slide-out kitchenette. Though there isn’t any form of shower included.
If an interior shower is a top priority for your family, then the Forest River – Rockwood Hard Side A214HW might be the best A-Frame camper with a bathroom for you. It has a complete wet bath with a toilet and shower combo, all contained behind a tasteful privacy curtain.
