I am off to the caravan show in october at the NEC and i am very intrested in buying the pennine crusader but would like to know what the pro's and cons are of owning a folding camper and what is the best folding camper on the market as i know nothing about them
We had one for a while, but seeing as we are retired we found it too much like hard work putting it up. Particularly the canvas awning, which was particularly hard work.
The main things on the negative side were the lack of a shower (that's one reason why we went to caravans), and the lack of space. That's probably because we have 3 dogs, one of which is a newfoundland. You'll find yourself spending nearly all your waking time in the awning, the seats aren't big enough to spread out.
I could erect the trailer part in 9 minutes (15 if anybody helped me ). Probably another 20 minutes for the awning, where you will need some help.
On the plus side, it's much easier to move manually (but still not easy), and needs far less space if you are parking at home with limited room. Towing it is a doddle.
Overall, I think they fill a gap between tent trailers and caravans, but for us, not really matching the benefits of either.
Your needs/wants may be different so it might well suit you. They are certainly built to a high standard.
Pennine make the pathfinder, conway the crusader. (although both are owned by the same people) There is also a conway owners club. Pennine are at the NEC in October as are the owners club so I would go and have a nosey. If you have somewhere to open them up at home if you pack wet they are are great. Easy to tow and loads of room on site. Highbridge on the M5 have agood display if you want to look before the show.
As to the best well I am going to say Pennine of course but there's not a great deal in it. Dandy are also front runners, now called riva. They have the advantage of not needing to be dry to pack but counter that with being made of pvc and older ones having a very heavy awning. To me they seem to be less well equipped but they will last forever. Also a very active owners club.
------------- Good friends are hard to find, difficult to leave and impossible to forget.
Tykey i dont know which folding camper you had but the ones i have owned, have had loads of room inside more than any caravan ,awnings are the same whether on a caravan or camper
It was a Conway crusader we had. There WAS loads of sleeping room, but what we found very limiting was the sitting area. I couldn't stretch out on the seat without putting my feet on the cooker.I'm a real gentleman, so I let my wife have the longer side. Far less sitting room than we now have in our 5.2m caravan. My existing caravan has two comfy bench seats 2m in length, plus two further comfy seats. If I had a 6 berth (like the crusader, I'd probably have even greater space.I also found the seats a bit narrow. But at the end of the day, it's up to the individual to judge.
I can only give my honest opinion, but I don't know which caravans you have had either.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: pennine crusader
). Probably another 20 minutes for the awning, where you will need some help.
