camping with kids isn't bad, pets can be an issue ( barking dogs in a campground are a real nusince, barking kids seem to be frowned upon as well
)
there are a few things to watch for in a popup to keep the kids INSIDE, they tend to find ways to get OUTSIDE by falling out the sides of the beds, be sure what ever you get has good bunk end tenting and tethering.
go larger than you think you need. our first camper was small, weighed about 1800 lbs. loaded, full size bunks on each end, and the dinette made a third full. I'm 6'5"tall, full size bed doesn't fit well for long.
our current camper has a slide out dinette, queen on the rear, king up front, roof AC, fridge, cook top, heater and a cassette toilet. weighs about 3500 lbs. loaded and has electric brakes. It's not the largest one out there, but it is pretty big. opened up it is 24.5 feet long. ( and has more room than some travel trailers of the same size ) my '97 4Runner 5spd handles it just fine ( with brake controller )
Small is easy to move around by hand, but cramped to move around in. Big is not easy to move by hand, but has enough room for those days when you're caught in the rain.
figure out what features you want, and need. and look around as much as you can.
just because it's there doesn't mean you have to use it. you're better off with a camper with more options than you think you need, than getting one without things you want.
the toilet sure makes it nice @ 2am and it's raining and you gotta pee ( dropping a duce isn't recommended, but sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do ) cassette toilets are a breeze to clean and maintain ( as long as you keep chemical in the black water tank )
AC is pretty much a NEED in NC if you want to use the camper in the summer months.
check out
www.popupportal.com a lot of NC/SC folk on there and more info than you could ever dig thru.
