yesterday i decided to erect my aztec fc ..easy i thought .. but boy oh boy did i struggle putting it away.. eventualy i got it folded but not without bending at least one if not a couple of poles...i managed to get one side flat but when foldinfg it flat it caused the other side to come up vice vera is there a certain way to have to start its hard to describe it when your not there ..also when it was up the door was too tight to close causing what was an already stiched up rip on it to rip open again...now what should be a great start to owning a folding camper has cheesed me off abit .. can anyone who owns one please give me a tip on how to pack it up properly as im going to have to erect it again to assess the damage cheers
Hmmm - Well to start with I've only had one since last Sepember'ish. Had it up six/seven times.
Firstly there seems to be a sequence to folding.
Fold one particular side first. (Last one to be folded?)
I also noticed the "door strain" but have not sorted yet!
I'll keep reading this post
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brianaa
Oh poor you, what a BAD start. I have a Pennine Pullman FC. I have to fold the right side in first (as you look from the front of FC) as it is the larger bed
------------- Enjoy life whilst you can, it doesn't last for ever!!!!!!
As said their usually is one bed that folds before the other.
The zip problem is common we have had the same problem on a canvas frame tent also on our Conway challenger, I think it may be to do with the canvas shrinking when it gets wet then drys? We didn't like to force the zip just lived with it.
You should tension the poles so as to allow for the zip(s) to open and close smoothly after the cabin is up and secured to the trailor. When packing away always release tension on all poles (it sometimes helps to untie the canvas from the poles as well).
It will all come with practice, the golden rule is do not force it, if it does not go easily, there will be a reason for it.
Good luck
Mike
------------- Some people have nothing much to say, but you often have to listen for a while before you realise it!
Stewey, if you have ripped where it has previously been sold it would probably be best if you could stick then sew on a canvas strip in order to give more strength. I had to do this on one of the folding campers I had. In order to avoid extra strain on the zip, zip it up whilst the poles are in the lower position, and then slowly adjust until you have the right tension.
Our Countryman is a 1997 & folds the opposite way to the newer ones. So, facing the door, its left bed first, then right. It sounds like you've done yours the wrong way if you've bent some poles.
I find we get the door problem with both the main unit and the awning. It's usually best to close the doors (zip them up) before velcroing stuff down and when erecting poles. I usually get it all up and done then open the doors again. Works for our Stirling. Ours open over the back and front. Goes up back to front , that's how I remember it.
The only tip I can give you is before you start to fold your beds in look at where the beds join the trailer at the front near the door. you will see one of the frames is taller than the other. this is the bed you fold over 2nd as it is higer up when fold on to the trailer, I hope this makes sense and helps you.
Hi, Just like Stewey my, Cabanon Venus t.t. gives me problems, when i attach my awning, my cabin doors wont zipp up, the instructions state that the cabin canvas should be as tight as a drum skin, if it is, the door will not zipp up, so i take the tention off, and the door will zipp up.When i attach my awning, the door will not zipp up, because the awning poles, that i put into the cabin,stretches the canvas, i must be doing something wrong, i hope that some one can put me right.
You may well find it's because you are not level - sometimes it only takes one corner to be out an inch or so for the whole thing not to sit right and then zips don't work properly and you get saggy bits - I think to be honest it's just practice. Keep trying - you'll get there.
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Topic: bad start..really bad start
