Just got back (last night) from our first trip in our trailer tent. We had a week at Clippesby Hall, near Gt Yarmouth. Setting up was abit easier than I expected (not saying it was easy, just a bit easier than I expected). Hardest part was getting the trailer level to start with. We used one of those eco friendly ground sheets which looked good and felt nice under foot. But when it rained, which it did every other day, the wet came up through it. Also, when we packed up to come home, the grass was just as yellow under ours as it was everybody else's.
We found it much more comfortable then when we used to use a tent. The kids slept underneath in inner tents and they thought it was great. We had so much more room with the big awning. Looking forward to going again, hopefully in drier weather.
Had to pack it all away damp so have got to try and dry it all out now. Just need it to stop raining so I can make a start.
Had to pack it all away damp so have got to try and dry it all out now. Just need it to stop raining so I can make a start.
MrB
Glad you had a good time.
Just a quickie. Don't leave it packed away too long if it's damp because it will quickly go mouldy. If it doesn't stop raining, it would be better to put it up and let it get wet again until the dryer weather comes along. Spread the awning out somewhere to dry as well. I'm probably preaching to the converted - if so, sorry.
East Anglia was a great place for your first outing (very flat)...and Clippesby is delicious.
Siter owners are getting ever so pedantic about the use of grass friendly groudsheets..and yes...when it rains they dont work. But, if its dry the dust comes thru too, and you wont be any better off.
Experience will show that when we are having a worse summer than expected...( I cant believe I just said that..!)..book a full hard standing pitch..buy £40.00 worth of rock pegs, or "screw ins" and relax....use a proper groundsheet in the tarlaulin type (no holes), no dust, no moisture, no grass kill (embarassing isnt it), and you dont need to clean any kit when you leave.....
Glad you had a good holiday, we love our cabanon saturn trailer tent but are thinking of trading it in for a cabanon stratos as it has a zip in groundsheet. It does concern me a little that it isn't an eco friendly one but then again alot of regular tents, which are getting much bigger have built in groundsheets which kill off the grass. Whenevere its a nice dry pitch we don't put a groundsheet down but we had no choice in cornwall for the last two weeks because it was pure mud covered with a scattering of sawdust before we pitched our tent, At £40 per night i don't expect to wear my striking spotty wellies inside the tent.
Everythings all dry and packed away again. It dried a lot quicker than I thought it would. Just need to get a different ground sheet and we will be ready for the next trip.
we just got back with our Trigano TT from Cornwall and Devon Cornwall brill weather Devon not so good rain i can take but the winds were someting else came home two days early with a very wet tent now dry and put away untill next year
Quote: Originally posted by sally lou on 19/8/2007
Mr B, Good evening........!
East Anglia was a great place for your first outing (very flat)...and Clippesby is delicious.
Siter owners are getting ever so pedantic about the use of grass friendly groudsheets..and yes...when it rains they dont work. But, if its dry the dust comes thru too, and you wont be any better off.
Experience will show that when we are having a worse summer than expected...( I cant believe I just said that..!)..book a full hard standing pitch..buy £40.00 worth of rock pegs, or "screw ins" and relax....use a proper groundsheet in the tarlaulin type (no holes), no dust, no moisture, no grass kill (embarassing isnt it), and you dont need to clean any kit when you leave.....
Take care, and enjoy a drier outing...
Muddy Phil...(Sals Minder).
i think thats a great idea. We are just back with ours, 3 days at Barnsoul Farm in Dumfries and the rain meant the mud was up to our ankles, inside and out. Is it the case then that site owners will let us use hardstandings, that would have been great for us. we never thought to ask and there were plenty free.
We're hoping to take our TT off for the first time this weekend. Had another 'practice go' at setting up and taking down last night - took just over 2hrs in total - that's a bit quicker than the 2.5 hrs to set it up the other day, and then another hour to take it down! It's a Trigano Chantilly GL and looks really nice. Desperatelly hoping for a dry-ish weekend!
No probs with hardstanding requests, infact site owners prefer you to use them and preserve the grass when the weather is bad.
Sal and I book a hardstanding pitch with a folding camper. Put up the awning, put down a waterproof type sheet (Netto/ £4.99 maybe..) then put your woven groundsheet over the top and you would never know the difference. No water, no dust, no worm casts etc, and when your deck chairs wear the bottom sheet against the shale, throw it away and buy another cheepy. It will preserve the life of your "now known as awning carpet" indefinately.
Make sure you have put your mudwalls inside and under the bottom sheet to deflect any running water underneath, and hey presto a dry sociable awning or living accomodation in a large family tent...whatever the weather.
Anothet tip for large tents with sewn in groundsheets (you are going to kill the grass anyway.!), is to buy large cheap tarpaulins that will keep your tent from touching the ground at all. Get a waterproof bag for the "underliner", and you will never have to clean the complex/shaped underside of your tent groundsheet before you put it away.!
Grass is cool, but you really have to know the site/and pitch etc, oh yes and you need to start believing the weather forecaster (pause here for laughter pls).
To confidently book to camp on grass in blighty, when you are next out and about, reccy a few sites, get the brochure, note a well drained pitch, (number position etc), and book it for next year when your ready.
thanks for that, we have just spent a rather uncomfortable 3 days up to our knees in mud, and i felt bad when we packed up and i saw the state we had left the grass. In future if bad weathers forcast im going to try and get a hardstanding. Im embarrased to say it hadnt occurred to us as we have only just bought the trailer tent.
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: First Time
