Hi all, I am in middle of selling my older tent and buying a new one. But there is something pulling me to look at TT instead. You can buy a good 6berth tent for £500, but what will £500 get me in terms of TT. Without sounding silly whats the reasoning behind you all changing over. I have 3 boys and a wife, will a TT limit places where i can camp. (in respect to sites not half way up a mountain). Thanks
------------- Its not your job that counts but what you do in your spare time!!
£500 will get you a used, 5/6 berth conway trailer tent. Sleeping 3 foot off the floor on a proper bed was a good enough reason for me to convert. Add to that the fact you can blag your way onto caravan only sites aswell as camp anywhere a large family tent can.
They also stay put in bad weather. Poles attached to trailer is a good anchor. Most of the camping stuff goes in the trailer (if its Conway, Cabanon, Trigano style.
A trailer tent is rectangular, so actually easier to find a pitch for than some of the big family tents on the market.
The beds are off the ground, the car isn't packed to the rafters, the kitchen is more substantial, and its canvas rather than polyester. I actually hadn't realised how much difference the canvas would make, but I wouldn't go back now!
Ebay is a great place to look. Often a poor-looking listing for a tt - lack of/poor photos/info can put people off but in fact hides a gem. We bought a lovely 2007 Sunncamp for less than £400 last year because the poor photos made it look awful!
When we erected the tt for the first time it felt like luxury compared to our old tent!
On a practical level it frees up tons more storage space.
Frees up space in the car. More comfortable with beds off ground. Canvas is more substantial and durable. Canvas also breathes unlike polyester, which means a more comfortable living environment and it is much safer to cook inside a canvas tent than a polyester one - trailer tents are designed to be cooked in. The kitchen is more substantial. Trailer tents tend to be more stable. They do open up the possibility of caravan only sites (trailer tent owners can join the Caravan Club for instance). Offer better head height in living area. Can be easier and quicker to pitch depending upon make and design.
I would never go back to a tent, but if you aren't persuaded because of concerns about towing or the like, then seriously consider a decent canvas frame tent.
I love my TT but I have ordinary tents as well. We use the TT for our long summer holidays but it takes too long to set up for an overnight or two night stop. Of course, it depends on whether you get one of the quick-erect models...ours is a classic design Conway.
Pluses? Comfort is definately superior, as is having a lot of storage in the trailer, having a kitchen on board and of course it's canvas. On the minus side it's more of a faff to put up, drying it out can be a problem, you have to have somewhere to keep it, you have the towing restrictions of 60mph etc, it costs more on the ferry if going abroad.
I've never had problems with pitch size and mine is pretty big once the sun canopy is on as well as all the awning sections. (See profile pix.) It's a neat rectangle when up. Campsites like TTs too..they're nice respectable tents!
Cost? Mine cost £200 second hand, from a friend, when it was 14 years old and in perfect nick. £500 nowadays would get you a good condition one around 10 years old,. The lifespan of a well cared for quality make TT is about 25-30 years, btw, so a 10 year old one has plenty of life in it yet. Prices will only go up between now and the summer though. If you want one, start looking now.
we had a tt to start off with but the canvas had had it so looked into buying a tent but couldn't find a tent with all the space we'd loved in the tt without being too large for a pitch. Having the beds off the floor gives you all that space underneath without needing a large pitch. And you can get under bed tents making your tt a 8 man tent without needing a supersize pitch. Plus the kitchen is included on the back of the trailer so not taking up much needed storage space. The only down side to a tt is that you don't get sewn in groundsheets like you do with the brand new ones.
Quote: Originally posted by Steve McV on 13/4/2010
Yes. You'll never be flooded.
Steve.
Really???? Lol....the one time I've ever had to abandon a tent it was because a sudden monsoon had caused a small river to start running through the TT, which was pitched on a slope. We dug a trench above it to try and divert some of the water but there was a very real danger the water was going to undercut the wheels, so we grabbed our gear, told the campsite owner we'd be back in the morning and drove the 30 miles home. (There was nothing downhill of the TT so if it had slipped, only it would have been damaged.) Next day we went back and it had held, by some miracle...possibly the rope we'd run from the towbar to the nearest tree?....so we bailed out the awning and stayed for another three days, lol. But we were up to our ankles in mud every time we stepped down from the cabin into the awning area.
We flooded in October! I suppose if you have living space off ground its not so bad, but ours doesn't; more mud than Glastonbury!!
Our new tt will have a zip in groundsheet, but I believe from other threads that Camperlands will make bathtub groundsheets for older tt's, which should keep streams out of the awning!
we did it last year,as i have a back problem,best thing we did.you are off the floor,so a bit warmer,has its own cooker unit.We only paid £350 for our conway canterbury,but it is in very good nick.Only thing you need to do is make sure it has been looked after,all poles are straight,the canvas has no rips or damp,and you are away.Always make sure you see it erected then you know.There are plenty about,so if you are not sure,walk away,you will soon find another
yes yes yes.. we swapped from tent to TT as the great British weather meant cooking outside was near impossible, and family long holidays in the rain and living off cold pre packed food wore off. I like being able to cook inside, beds are definitely more comfy than and airbed. Shape of tent is better on sites we had a khyam 6 birth which we used as a 4 birth and storage in the extra birth and TT gives us same living space but an easier shape to pitch.
As mentioned before you can camp at caravan club sites, gravel pitches are not a problem (apart from on your feet), The first site we took our to level pitches were at the top of a field but couldn't take car up but owner attached our trailer to his quad bike and took it for us .
Didn't find it cost much more to take our TT abroad as its not very long and you dont have the height of a caravan and I find european camp sites cheaper in main season than across here it cost us £700 including ferry, 4 passengers, a cabin for 3 week holiday last year
------------- Taffy
2012 Planned
Easter - Cornwall
July scout camp
August North Wales
Had the awning flooded a few times, but never the living area in the camper. It would be up to my waist to reach the beds. I can't say the same about the tent we had before.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Is it worth going from tent to TT
