i have 4 little girls and the first time we started on trailer tents we had a conway corniche DL there are 2 double beds which are quite comfatable and its not a bad tent but make sure you get a awning with it. if you can get one with underbed tent as these come in useful for storing your cloths in while on holiday best thing to keep an eye out for is that all the poles are straight and the pole sprinngs are all working.
some people colour code the poles wich makes it alot easier and preferably get one that as been waterproofed regular.
then the obvious when you go and look at one look for wair on the canvas
as for storing in winter you can take the canvas off and store them inside
we took them off folded them nicely placed in hesian sacks and shoved them up in the loft
as above.We paid £350 for our conway canterbury and it is superb.its not the price you pay,we bought a new raclet quickstop 3 years ago,and hated it,it was such a faff to put up,and the quality was not good,sold it 13 months later at a great loss.Our poles are built together to start with,so we just have to open them if you like.can be up in 20 mins.only thing extra i would look at is the canvas has no tears
i bought a trailer tent in april and spent a couple weeks in the new forest and a long weekend nr north devon. im a single dad with 2 boys aged 11&14 and we love it
We are 2 adults and 2 kids (6 & 8)and we've just come back from our first trip in our 27 year old Conway Campa - what a beauty! We bought it from some friends for £200. The trailer itself is in good condition, the kitchen is immaculate, the canvas is in good nick with a couple of small tears which have been easily sorted out. It stood up to some severe wind and really torrential rain and didn't leak a drop - certainly the safest looking tent on the site.
So, you can get a bargain, not only on the auction site but look around your area and in shop windows etc. Make sure you have a good look at what you are considering buying first. Sniff it and make sure it doesn't smell potentially mouldy. Age isn't necessarily a deciding factor as I've seen newer models to ours in far worse condition.
Have fun looking and I hope you find something lovely.
Get a biggish one. Ours is a 5 berth & is a snug fit for the three of us. You will fill it! A folding camper is a bit more flexable as the unit is usable without the awniong, the stove being in the same room as the beds. They are also generally quicker to put up as they don't need tent pegs. Dandys are PVC not canvas so don't need to dry out & will not rot. You are at the lower end of the food chain for £400, but there are bargains to be had. As already said check the fabric for tears & rot. Repairs are to be expected, as long as they are neat. Check under the floor for corrosion on the chassis, it isn't uncommon for this to go first. Check the woodwork for rot, again this can be replaced.
We recently obtained a 1993 Conway and we've been camping with two kids (8 and 9) and a 10 month old baby. My wife and I had one double bed, my 8yo daughter the other double, my 9yo son had an underbed tent and the baby went in a travel cot in the sleeping/sitting area between the beds. This left a huge awning area for living, where we had a picnic bench (the 'suitcase' folding type), three director' chairs, a high chair, the kitchen unit, a fridge, kettle, toaster and all the baggage. We had friends staying in a tent alongside us, so we often had 8 people seated comfortably in the awning!
For drying out - either wait for a dry day and put up the tent in your garden (not easy) or put it up inside a garage. The industrial unit option sounds ideal!
For winter storage; you can buy waterproof covers that protect the whole thing against the elements.
When it comes to buying, the same rules apply as for tents - check the state of the canvas and poles before you buy! Also, check the bed boards for signs of water damage and make sure all the supports are straight and in good condition.
Your budget should get you a good trailer tent, so take your time and find one that suits you..
Canvas quality is the be-all and end-all of cheap TT buying. Bedboards, mattresses, inners, curtain etc. can be replaced, TTs without canvas can be picked up for peanuts, but unless you have decent canvas, you are sunk.
Check for mildew (little black dots - to be avoided), check all the seams for threads coming apart (not a problem but you have to buy a denim needle and a bigish sewing machine to resew). CHeck the zips, and for tears (not a problem but have to be patched with something like tenacious tape).
Don't worry about getting one with a kitchen - by the time kitchens are 30 years old they tend to be clogged and grotty. Personally I would avoid ones where the kitchen hangs on the back - it makes it difficult to go away without it. Just buy a camp kitchen and stand.
£500 will get you a cracker, but look at them first! Also, it might be worth checking out Camperlands etc. - they sometimes have decent part exes.
Trusted names include Conway, Raclet, Combi-Camp, Camp-Let, Cabanon, Trigano, Jamet.
Conways, Sunncamps and Cabanons have a different erection system to the rest. Personally I don't like it; you fold the frame out first and then fold the beds out later. It takes longer and really needs two people to be convenient. The rest of the "trads" have a frame that folds out with the beds.
Sunncamps are newer and made a bit more cheaply. That said, they seem to last all right and you might be able to get a much newer one for the cash.
If you can put yours on a drive or something you can get covers from Kampa to protect them, but personally I pay £25 per month to have a council lock-up and store it in that.
I personally would avoid anything in orange-and-brown 70s colours unless you are a practical person prepared to sew, waterproof and generally hand out loving care and attention. Also, orange canvas makes me feel sick in the mornings!
Buy the hugest TT you can. It takes an extra 15 mins to erect a Raclet Hex (for example) over a Raclet Minto and the time is well rewarded in interior space. The last thing you want is to feel cramped.
Once your three year old is big enough to sleep by him/herself, you can put them in an under-bed tent, which they will love (like their own den). Just sleep on the OTHER side if you think you might get up to any, er, extra curricular activities in bed. I am still traumatised from when I was 11.
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: Trailer Tent Questions
