I am seriously considering buying a trailer tent - a second hand Cabanon Neptune. As an owner of - *ahem* - several Cabanon tents I am used to canvas, metal poles etc.
I have no experience of trailer tents though.
How do you store them in winter? I don't have a garage but have a huge driveway - are they OK outside or do they need to be kept under cover?
Are they easy to tow (I've never towed before - not even a trailer) - my car has a towbar though.
How about erection? I'm only 5'2" and a bit of a wuss.
Are they easy to pull/push to where you want them to go when you pitch as I can't see I'd be much good at manoevering it!
What about maintenance? Is there anything vagualy technical I need to know?
Told you I was a novice.
Oh and is the canvas all attached to the frame or seperate?
Anything else I need to know?
I've done a few searches on here but there's so much and I think what I need is VERY basic!
------------- Anne - mad mum to one - foster mum to many - adoptatent to you guys!
How do you store them in winter? I don't have a garage but have a huge driveway - are they OK outside or do they need to be kept under cover?
They are fine to be kept outside but I recommend you get one of those Kampa storage covers to cover it over winter. Also bear in mind that on your drive they are eminently nickable. In the wonter you might want to remove the canvas and store it inside.
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Are they easy to tow (I've never towed before - not even a trailer) - my car has a towbar though.
Easy as pie. A TT weighs enough to register but not enough to be a problem for even the smallest car (well, maybe a Smart). So long as you don't have to reverse they are so easy to tow you'll wonder why you worried. To reverse, go into your local sainsburys at 5.00 on a sunday and practice! You'll soon get the hang.
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How about erection? I'm only 5'2" and a bit of a wuss.
Ah. Well there you have picked the wrong sort of TT. TBH, and I'm sure I'll get shot down in flames for saying this, there are easier (and cheaper, and nicer) trailer tents out there than Cabanons. To erect a Cabanon, Conway or a Sunncamp you need to be strongish, be able to reach the central ridge, and they go up rather slower than most other makes.
If you are getting a real bargain, then I'm sure you can work around it given practice and time, but there are several types where the act of unfolding the beds unfolds the canvas and frame as well, and you never need to reach up to the central ridge. For that type, look for Trigano, Raclet, Jamet, or for less traditional types if TT like the Combi-Camp, Holtkamper, Camp-Let and certain types of Trigano and Raclet.
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Are they easy to pull/push to where you want them to go when you pitch as I can't see I'd be much good at manoevering it!
Dead easy. In any case, people on campsites are always willing to give you a hand. Again, the Cabanon Neptune has a kitchen which is a bit of a p in the a to handle on your own. For an easier to handle TT, you either have to get a) a TT without a kitchen, or b) certain types of Raclet, or a Camp-Let or a Combi-Camp.
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What about maintenance? Is there anything vagualy technical I need to know?
The trailer needs maintenance every so often - a trailer dealer can do it for you, but on an unbraked trailer it essentially consists of greasing hubs, changing tyres every 4-5 years, greasing the towhitch and checking lights.
The canvas will need re-waterproofing if it has ever been waterproofed - this needs done every 2-3 years and costs about £100 to use Fabsil or much less if you use Thompsons waterseal.
Everything else is the same as frame tents - pole springs, spring buttons, tent rubbers, bent tent pegs etc.
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Told you I was a novice.
Oh and is the canvas all attached to the frame or seperate?
Not a problem. The canvas is tied to the frame by tie straps which can be undone, and on certain types it is screwed to the beds as well. On cabanons the whole canvas can be taken off by untying knots, with no tools.
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Anything else I need to know?
Many people say that the advantage of the Cabanon/Conway/Sunncamp folding system is that the canvas gets folded on top of the beds, as opposed to getting interleaved between them. This is better if the canvas is wet. If you think that is important and you think you will be putting the canvas down in the peeing rain lots, you might like to consider getting a Raclet, where either erection system can be used depending on the weather.
Make sure you put up the Neptune awning before buying it. If you like the hooped awning with zip in groundsheet, then great, you need a cabanon, or a Raclet Safari.
If you find it a p in the a to put up on your own, go for a more traditional awning frame like Triganos etc. Less sexy but faster and they work.
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I've done a few searches on here but there's so much and I think what I need is VERY basic!
Many thanks racletcharlie for all the helpful info - I'm going to see it tonight so will be able to bear in mind what you have said - much appreciated.
Tunstallwood - I'm just looking - honestly - I've failed to convert the whole of my family to tenting so thought this may be another option!
------------- Anne - mad mum to one - foster mum to many - adoptatent to you guys!
If you are going to keep it on your drive to avoid it being nicked I use axle stands, simply remove the wheels and leave it standing on the stands, You cant nick something without wheels.
You might want to check the advice though, racletcharlie says grease the towhitch? I thought grease anywhere near the towball, inner hitch was dangerous. can anyone clarify please.
No, not dangerous. It reduces drastically the effect of stabilisers, so should not be used if you have an Alko stabiliser or similar.
However, if you are towing an outfit which needs a stabiliser not to be dangerous, then something is very, very wrong.
I personally do not use a stabiliser, and would not do so. I regard the alarming swaying effect as the trailer warning you that you are driving too fast. A stabiliser allows you to ignore that warning until it is too late.
So yes, I always grease the towball. And, indeed, the towhitch and handbrake assembly as I was taught to years ago by my dad!
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Topic: Need lots of info/advice about trailer te
