Hi
We are toying with the idea of getting a trailer tent. We have a Vango Aspen at the moment which we love, but the trailer tents look fab! As we've never had a canvas tent before I've a couple of questions, if someone could help?
Does the trailer tent have to be stored indoors?
If we have to take tent down wet, we have room to erect and dry cabin on our front garden but not the porch, would we be able to dry the canvas indoors or maybe throw it over the trampoline or does it need to be dried on the frame?
Hi Helen, There is no Need to store a TT under cover as the normal top cover is designed to be weather proof even during the winter month's,however you can buy a specialized winter cover,or the use of a tarpaulin for extra protection. On some makes it's quite easy to remove the canvas from the frame & store it indoors although I have never bothered.The awning canvas can be dried seperatly,over the trampoline seems a good way to do it.
I used to take the canvas off my TT and erect the awning frame in the garden, then I could dry both cabin and awning canvas over the frame.
But trampoline sounds just about ideal.
If you store a TT out in all weathers the water/sun proof cover will eventually fall apart - the sun damage did it for our PVC cover. This may take quite a few years! But if you buy a cheapy off ebay (a good way to dip your toe in the water, especially if you post the link here before you bid to ask advice) then bear in mind you may have to get a TT cover for it. They are expensive but universal so you can always put it on the next one!
the last time we used ours.. it got taken down wet on a very wet and windy sunday morning... and we did exactly as you said... threw it over the trampoline to dry on the first dry day we got.
The canvas is now folded up safely under our bed for the winter untill our fist outing where itl get stored outside again during spring/summer/autum, well thats the plan anyway... lol :)
Also i baught a large car cover from argos to cover the trailer to keep it dry over the winter.. it maybe overkill but it made me feel better for the sake of 20 quid
Thanks everyone for the replies, they were our main concerns about getting a trailer tent, so I guess we can get down to some serious thinking/looking!
Are there any favoured brands/units for ease of putting up etc or are they much of a muchness? I only ask because we have 3 young kids (too young to help really) to keep an eye on whilst setting up.
Hell, no! Trailer tents and folding campers are all different, with different advantages and disadvantages. Broadly they divide into 4 groups as follows:
1: Traditional Side Folders:
Examples include Sunncamps, older Conways and Cabanons.
Essentially a frame tent in a box. The frame folds out, you have to connect the ridge pole up, unfold the beds and then the canvas pulls down and around the frame. The awning is a frame tent missing its rear wall which zips onto the tent, which needs a stepladder or a tall person. This is the basic bog standard, reliable and well tested, but slow to put up and a challenge with fewer than two people.
1a: Easy erect side folders:
Examples include some Raclet, Trigano, Jamet (TTs), Conway Countryman, Pennine Fiesta, Raclet Quickstop (FCs)
This is a subset of the trad version, in that the act of unfolding the beds erects the cabin frame for you. Knocks about 15mins and one person off the erection time once you take into account that the roof linings and bedrooms stay permanently attached. The TT sort peg to the ground, the FC sort have the canvas attached to the bedboards, making them quicker and easier still to put up. The awnings work exactly the same. Both sorts have examples by Cabanon and Raclet which have hooped, tunnel tent style awnings instead of the traditional frame tent style. They tend to have SIGs as well. With two, they are much faster to put up, with one they are well-nigh impossible.
2: Hard-topped single side folders:
Examples include: Raclet Allegra & Solena, CombiCamp, Comanche Brisa etc.
These are the easiest to put up, in that you just swing the hard top over and the tent puts itself up. No pegging, 3 minutes and you are done. The awnings go up just like the first lot, except for Combicamps which are slightly quicker to do. There is a subset which don't have a hard-top, which do need to be pegged down. Some Comanches are like that, as is the Raclet Moovea and some Holtkampers. With the exception of the Raclets and some Comanches, these tents are comically, insanely expensive. They tend to be bigger as trailers and smaller inside.
3: Clam Shell tents:
Examples include: All Camp-Lets, Trigano Odyssee and Olympe.
In this sort, you open the hard topped trailer up like a clam, and then pull the whole tent up and out like a pram hood on one of those silver cross perambulators. They are incredibly quick to get waterproof and in, and the awning puts itself up automatically, unlike any other type, but they still need pegging and the awnings tend to be small, and you lose the seating space in between the beds. The exception is the Trigano Olympe which is like a huge clam shell tent on steroids. Camp-Lets are cheaper than Combi-Camps. But only just.
These tend all to be folding campers - in that the canvas is fixed to the side of the camper and not pegged to the floor. For that reason, they are very quick to get waterproof, but tend to be so stuffed with gizmos and technology that you can be all week setting up the endless wardrobes, toilets, ovens, etc. etc. etc. The exception is the frugal Globetrotter, which is very very quick to put up, mainly because it has no oak-effect veneered toilet compartments to swear at. They tend to be expensive because of the amount of kit included. The awning needs to be put up separately and unless you are at least 6' tall you can forget it without at least 2 helpers. A real downside of this type.
In the end, you will find the ideal compromise between luxury, ease of erection, quality and price for you. You will find some Sunncamp owners who couldn't care less about taking 20 mins longer to put up, but smile every day when they think of the £5k that they saved over buying a Combi.
Similarly, you will find Conway Crusader owners who think that their 4 ring gas hob and built in heating, oven and flush toilet was worth every penny of the £12k they spent buying it.
Whatever sort you think you might want, go to showrooms and look around, and then why not consider buying an oldish one for a couple of hundred from ebay? You could probably make your money back selling it in 6 months, and you will be able to find out if you like it or not!
Wow! Thanks Charlie - you've given me plenty to think about!!
I think a trip to a showroom (or 2) is definitely in order. I didn't realise there were so many different types. I suspect I'm the type of person who would 'smile every day when they think of the £5k that they saved over buying a Combi' though lol
We may well get a second hand one off ebay to start with, as you suggest. It would help get clearer in out minds exactly what features etc. we are prepared to pay more for.
I'll print out your post and check out the different models.
I love my 1978 Combi Camp Star (Easy style) which I got last year from eBay for £122!!! It goes up in under 60 secs and is ample for a singleton like me, the awning doubles the living space, the kitchen is on the drawbar and it tows like a dream!
My advice is to look at as many as you can in showrooms, play with them if you can, and ALWAYS go to see it before bidding if getting one off eBay or the classifieds. I'm glad I did, the first I looked at had rotton canvas which was just ripping. This one is fab!
There is a Combicamp forum if this is a type that interests you, with lots of very informed people who are happy to advise a newbie, they were a great help to me. http://combicampers.forumup.org/
Glamper Granny I'm amazed you got one for £122! Certainly means 'trying it out' can be affordable.
We do love our Vango Aspen, it gives us plenty of space but did find ourselves drooling over the trailer tents when we were away in the "summer" and the idea of beds off the ground is SO appealing.
You can get loads of bargains like that on fleabay. Wendy did rather well with hers, and she's done so much with it as well, but £200 spent in the right place can get you a real gem, especially if you have a sense of humour when it comes to 80s decor!
Do a search of fleabay, you'll be surprised! (Especially now; nobody wants to buy them in winter...)
I would imagine this would go for about £100, which given that the canvas looks all right could be a bargain if you are a competent DIY-er (for the lights). And if it's a dog, well you've lost £100, not the end of the world!
Good luck!
CHarlie
* This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, as an eBay Partner Network member we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
These tend all to be folding campers - in that the canvas is fixed to the side of the camper and not pegged to the floor. For that reason, they are very quick to get waterproof, but tend to be so stuffed with gizmos and technology that you can be all week setting up the endless wardrobes, toilets, ovens, etc. etc. etc. The exception is the frugal Globetrotter, which is very very quick to put up, mainly because it has no oak-effect veneered toilet compartments to swear at. They tend to be expensive because of the amount of kit included. The awning needs to be put up separately and unless you are at least 6' tall you can forget it without at least 2 helpers. A real downside of this type.
I'm tempted to take exception to some of these comments!
I bought my Pathfinder because it has a toilet inside - that way when I'm camping at zero-facility sites for only a few nights I don't need the awning. Speaking of which, I'm under 5'6" tall and have nearly always put my awnings up on my own.
Overall though it really is horses-for-courses. I made the mistake first time of buying a very small Conway trailer tent - but it only cost me about £100 on Ebay. Have a good look at what's available and see what you fancy. If you're in doubt I'd be inclined to buy older and cheaper first off - you can always upgrade later.
Hehehehe. I didn't say that the gizmos weren't useful! I had a Conway Cruiser and the bits and bobs were very comfy.
I am also 5'6" tall and also put up the awnings on my own, hence the comments. Come on, admit it. You swear at the damn thing every time at least 20 times.
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: Trailer tent questions
