Were thinking of making the big jump from owning a tent to purchasing a trailer tent. Our friends have a sunncamp 400se which we quite liked. How do they compare to the Conway or Pennine ?
------------- Think this year is to follow old meet friends for 2014.
If you cant do someone a good turn,don`t do them a bad one,its nice to be nice you know,and little things mean much more later in life.
Pete.
As Jan said a trailer tent and a Pennine are different things. Conway do make trailer tents though. Both manufacturers use top quality canvas etc for trailer tents. The beauty of a Pennine which is known as a Folding Camper does not require any pegging out of the main unit and are quicker to errect. They also have more comfort in and are more like a caravan interior. They are more expensive but having owned Conway trailer tents and many Pennines I prefer Pennines. Its all down to oersonal taste. Juast to add to your confusion Conway also make Foldfing Campers as well as trailer tents- Pennine only make folding campers!
Hi all i can say we have a sunncamp 400se and we love it so much its easy to put up and take down and in my mind very well made also the one we have is 7 years old and is as good as new .If it was me i would go for it
Hi, we have a pennine fiesta and prefer that to a tent (not saying it's better, we just prefer it ). The main unit needs no pegging and can be up in less that 15 minutes. It has comfortable seating, and a nice kitchen area. Its a 2+2 so you can have one side set up as a bench seat with storage behind rather than a bed. Built in 240v and 12v electrics. It has a 3 way fridge that works really well (not on the gas though) essential for could beer and Ice!
Draw backs as opposed to a tent:-
Storage, you need some where to keep it, ours fits down the side of the house so we can put the whole lot up on the back garden.
Towing, you need a car big enough to tow the unit. We use a 1.6 05 Zafira
Cant think of anything else, I'm sure others will. We have also had a pennine sterling and that too was great for a larger family.
We brought our off E-bay, but have a good look and ask questions as there are some right wrecks to, we know from bitter experience!
Quote: Originally posted by jeanm on 29/8/2008
The beauty of a Pennine which is known as a Folding Camper does not require any pegging out of the main unit and are quicker to errect. They also have more comfort in and are more like a caravan interior. They are more expensive but having owned Conway trailer tents and many Pennines I prefer Pennines.
Can I be nosey and ask why you've owned so many? Do people trade them in regularly like cars?
I just ask because we're thinking of buying a trailer tent ourselves, having camped in trailerless tents up to now, and I would definitely prefer to own as few as possible. (Then again, that's what I do with cars as well.)
I like to try different units! I guess when we first started out it was driven by finance. We had second hand ones and we continually upgraded when we could afford it until we eventually were able to buy a new one. We have also tried different types of trailer tents and even caravans.I think in total we have had 4 trailer tents and 3 Pennines. When we retired the first thing that we bought was a new Pennine again-I guess some people buy their dream cars upon retirement! To be honest, as we have traded and always tried to buy something a little newer each time we have always got a good deal selling our second hand ones. I think if they are looked after they really do hold their values well. Having tried tents, caravans. motorhomes-you name it I think a Pennine suits us best-no hassle-easy to put up- ideal for overnight stops- the luxury of a caravan without the hassle (Isn't that their advert?!) but its true! No- I am not on commission from Pennine but they really are a lovely thing!Good luck ! Ps I have been camping for 40+ years-another reason why I have maybe tried so many units!
Quote: Originally posted by jeanm on 30/8/2008
I like to try different units! I guess when we first started out it was driven by finance. We had second hand ones and we continually upgraded when we could afford it until we eventually were able to buy a new one.
That seems very logical, thanks for the explanation.
Quote: We have also tried different types of trailer tents and even caravans.I think in total we have had 4 trailer tents and 3 Pennines. When we retired the first thing that we bought was a new Pennine again-I guess some people buy their dream cars upon retirement! To be honest, as we have traded and always tried to buy something a little newer each time we have always got a good deal selling our second hand ones. I think if they are looked after they really do hold their values well. Having tried tents, caravans. motorhomes-you name it I think a Pennine suits us best-no hassle-easy to put up- ideal for overnight stops- the luxury of a caravan without the hassle (Isn't that their advert?!) but its true! No- I am not on commission from Pennine but they really are a lovely thing!Good luck ! Ps I have been camping for 40+ years-another reason why I have maybe tried so many units!
Good point! As a late starter myself I'm looking to find something that will do the job for a good ten years, and preferably longer. (Which means we have to plan for additional children we don't even have yet.) After that, who knows: we may even be ready for the comfort of a caravan and if we are then a Pennine may well be just the thing. But for now we're still in thrall to the romance of (trailer-)tents.
If you do decide on a TT it might be worth bearing in mind the overall size, a lot of campsites seem to be shrinking pitch sizes, so it gets more difficult to fit the big ones on. That's why we ended up with the Chantilly. A very similar overall size to the Sunncamp, but as the awning comes in two seperate parts it means we can use it with one or other, or both. This year we ended up on a small EHU pitch, so just used the main awning, which worked fine, still plenty of space. If we'd wanted to go the whole length I don't think it would of fitted! Last year in the one sunny week we had, with loads of pitching room, we put up both and had a porch/sun canopy area. Then you have the option of using the smaller awning on short trips. The Cabanon Saturn [I think] is very similar, there are a few more models with two awnings, not sure of the models though, I'm sure someone will know.
If you do decide on a TT it might be worth bearing in mind the overall size, a lot of campsites seem to be shrinking pitch sizes, so it gets more difficult to fit the big ones on. That's why we ended up with the Chantilly.
I currently have my eye on the Trigano Odyssée, with a relatively compact footprint of 4m x 5m, partly for this reason. It's odd that pitches are getting smaller as caravans and mobilehomes get bigger and moonbase-style multipod tents are apparently becoming all the rage, but there you go.
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A very similar overall size to the Sunncamp, but as the awning comes in two seperate parts it means we can use it with one or other, or both. This year we ended up on a small EHU pitch, so just used the main awning, which worked fine, still plenty of space. If we'd wanted to go the whole length I don't think it would of fitted! Last year in the one sunny week we had, with loads of pitching room, we put up both and had a porch/sun canopy area. Then you have the option of using the smaller awning on short trips.
I've thought about this option, but I'm not sure it would suit us. As we're based in the Netherlands, the shorter the trip the more unpredictable the weather and to have just an small awning up here and then a big fore-tent when we finally get to the sun in France just seems rather the wrong way round! The Odyssée is marketed as being quick to set up, including the integrated main awning, so that it can be used for overnight stays along the way, and then we could put up the extended awning when we reach the sun. That's my theory at the moment, anyway.
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The Cabanon Saturn [I think] is very similar, there are a few more models with two awnings, not sure of the models though, I'm sure someone will know.
Good luck whatever you choose.
Thanks! We're still very much in the research phase at the moment: it's a complicated business!
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Topic: the big jump !
). The main unit needs no pegging and can be up in less that 15 minutes. It has comfortable seating, and a nice kitchen area. Its a 2+2 so you can have one side set up as a bench seat with storage behind rather than a bed. Built in 240v and 12v electrics. It has a 3 way fridge that works really well (not on the gas though) essential for could beer and Ice!
