Hi, we are campers of the tent veriety and I was wondering what the difference was between the three above named types of camping? Ignorant I know, but trailer tents and folding campers seem like the same thing to me. Please put me right without shouting too loud at my idiotness
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Description coming up - a folding camper (canvas, pvc or solid) opens up from a trailer and forms a sleeping platform the size of a caravan, usually with a central kitchen/dining area. A trailer tent is a trailer from which a tent, connected to a frame, folds out and is pegged out like a normal tent. Folding campers have an open space under the bed at each end, whereas trailer tents are fully enclosed. Hope this clarifies things a bit for you!
Folding campers have the kitchen inside the main unit, trailer tents generally have it on the a frame to tow and it has to be moved into the awning on site.
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i like seeing people's reactions to folding campers never knew they had so much room and when the window by the doors is rolled up to so its all open plan they look even bigger lol.
A folding caravan is a caravan which has solid sides and roof which are folded up for travelling and on site opened up to make a proper caravan.
A folding camper is similar but has soft sides made of canvas (or PVC fabric in the case of the Dandy/Riva) and a roof which is either part of the canvas or a hard top. Think of them as being the caravan equivalent of a soft top car. When erected they have all the mod cons of a caravan inside, and like a caravan you can attach an awning. Most need no pegging out unless an awning is used.
A trailer tent is simply a tent which opens out of a trailer and is then pitched very like a frame tent, with the trailer providing the bed area so you sleep off the ground. As said above, there is often a kitchen unit which travels on the drawbar of the trailer and is moved in to the awning once it is pitched. The awning is sometimes separate but generally is attached to the canvas which goes over the trailer/bed area so the unit cannot be pitched without it. And if it was you would only have a sleeping area, no living room or space for cooking. Even the main unit requires pegging out.
Then there are Combi-Camps, Camplets, Raclet Solena and Quickstop, etc which are a sophisticated trailer tent that can be pitched more quickly and require little or no pegging apart from the awnings.
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The two major benefits of a folding camper over a caravan are the bedrooms are additional space and permanent whilst open and the fc is a fraction of the weight of a caravan.
The design and method of construction means they can be set up or packed in a few minutes even in the rain and once opened up the detail work of tensioning fabric and connection sink and cooker etc is done inside in the dry.
The more complex models with built in shower rooms and toilets are much heavier and need more time to erect.
We also prefer a portaloo as it can be sited anywhere for privacy and odours and is easy ro service and use.
Quote: Originally posted by bordercaz on 09/9/2007
A trailer tent is simply a tent which opens out of a trailer and is then pitched very like a frame tent, with the trailer providing the bed area so you sleep off the ground. As said above, there is often a kitchen unit which travels on the drawbar of the trailer and is moved in to the awning once it is pitched. The awning is sometimes separate but generally is attached to the canvas which goes over the trailer/bed area so the unit cannot be pitched without it. And if it was you would only have a sleeping area, no living room or space for cooking. Even the main unit requires pegging out.
Our first trailer tent, which was a very old late 70s/early 80s Conway which we got second-hand 10 years ago, was one with the main canvas and awning all as one, it was 13ft wide and 18ft long and took us a good couple of hours to erect. The one we have now, which is about the same size, has a separate zip-on awning which makes it easier to put up. If we are only camping for one night we don't use the awning, we just erect the sleeping area, put a windbreak round the front and cook outside. I think all the large modern trailer tents have separate awnings now, and you can even get zip-on extensions for some of them. That's my next goal - persuading OH that we REALLY DO need an extension on ours!
Thanks for all your replies guys, that's cleared things up a bit. If I went down that route I think I would head towards a folding camper as it gives the space of a caravan without the weight and size and easier to tow as I don't want to have to change the car as well. Not too keen on a tt as I know friends who had them and they do take a bit to put up and down (or theirs did anyway).
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Topic: TT Foding Campers, wots the difference?
never knew they had so much room and when the window by the doors is rolled up to so its all open plan they look even bigger lol.
