Hello everyone, been browsing this great site for a few years now primarily for campsites so it was about time i signed up & introduced myself.
Having used tents over the yrs for festivals & short breaks i then progressed to a VW camper, all was well until we spent 2 weeks away in France last summer & realised just how impractical the van had become for a family of 4. A wet Easter on the Isle of Wight made my mind up that the van had to go.
I've spent quite a while reading posts on here, browsing ebay & other sites looking at different options of folding campers, trailer tents & large tents. Ideally we'd like a folding camper but weighing up purchase costs, storage & how much useage we'd get we've decided a trailer tent is probably a better option.
I'm hoping to get some advice from you knowledgeable people if possible.
Whilst looking at trailer tents for sale, i'm finding Conway Classics around 10 yrs old for a similar price as a 3 or 4 yr old sunncamp 400 & for not a lot more could purchase an 18 month old acrylic sunncamp 400. Are Conway classics that good or is it the sunncamp's aren't?
Are the acrylic tents an improvement over the canvas models?
Also in a similar price category is the cabanon jupiter, do people rate this model?
Occasionally, i'm hoping to have the odd short break just me & my 2yr old son using just the trailer without an awning or in the case of the conway i'd use the small awning. How easy are these to set up alone?
Hope i haven't asked too much too soon but all advice is welcome.
After camping in a tunnel tent for years and admiring the all the trailer tents we have finally taken the plunge and bought a 2005 Raclet Quickstop which we collect on Saturday! Exciting!!!!
The reason we went for the Quickstop is that the cabin erects in minutes, the awning will take a little longer, but we have also purchased a sun canopy which we can use on the cabin without the awning for a weekend away.
After doing lots of research, the Sunncamps always came short in quality, ease of putting up etc.
Do your research, think about what would work for you. Our original choice of what we thought we wanted is not actually what we bought!
the sunncamps and the conways share the same design.. or should i say that the sunncamps are a replica of the conways of old that are no longer manufactured.
the conway trailers do have a slightly better build quality but dont let that put you off buying a well cared for sunncamp as they are a very good product....
as to what you should buy???
well tbh i dont think the make or model is that important, you just have to be sure that its in good condition.. any trailer tent that has been well maintained and cared for will give you good service for many many years, my sunncamp is 8 years old and i expect it to last much longer than that.
the conway classics have the advantage of a split awning so it means you dont have to erect the whole awning like the sunncamps, but saying that you can erect half of the sunncamp awning and leave the 2nd half folded on the awning if you wish, although ive found that it takes no time to erect it all as apposed to half.
the cabbanons are another trailer based on the conway design but again the build quality is slighty better than the sunncamps ie: canvas and pole thickness
all of the trailers you mention use the old conway design to erect the cabin, there are many better designs or should i say "quicker" design of trailer but the conway is proven to be strong and reliable as its been used for 30 years or more, if you look at the raclet there cabin design is a absolute doddle to erect, but i found that the awning on the raclet i put up was a pain in the arse compared to the sunncamp awning because all of the poles are adjustable.
whilst the suncamp/conway awnings can be heavy there simple in design so if your fit and healthy then there very easy once you know how to do it.
if you want something easier to erect then you can look at the raclet quickstop or a combi camp both these trailers take very little effor to erect the cabin.
when all said and done though, just look for something thats been well loved and at the right price, whatever you buy you will learn how to put it up quickly if you use it enough, and you will find yourself wanting to use it more than if you was tent camping
Henry. As an ex Trailer tenter I can state for the record that you will get more use from a folding camper than a Trailer tent. There is nothing wrong with a trailer tent and we absolutley loved our old Cabannon Discovery BUT it was a pain to erect for short breaks away. The awnings on these tents can be alot of graft to erect. The FC on the other hand is quick and easy and no need for an awning. This makes hitching up and spending a weekend away feasiable. Just something to think over. Yes FCs are more expensive but you can get hold of older models for the same sort of money that a new TT will set uyou back.
regards
F
------------- No matter where you go....there you are
Our Combi Camp takes seconds to erect the cabin, which has two double beds on one side & a good sized floor area on the other side, so perfectly adequate for an overnight stay. The awning takes another 20 minutes to erect.
We have a Raclet Quickstop, which sleeps 4 in the main cabin, and is designed to be used without the awning for weekends, or overnight stops.
The Quickstop is a trailer tent that thinks it's a folding camper. Unlike a tt you have a basic cooker which can be used in the main unit, but you don't have a fridge, wardrobe, toilet etc that you would find in a fc.
However the canvas, which is the most important part of the tt is top quality, and if looked after will last for years.
I'm a teacher and like to be able to go away in the school holidays with our girls, 6 & 13, while my husband is still doing a proper job!
The Quickstop means I can do just that, as I can easily put up the main cabin on my own.
For longer holidays, the awning takes us about 40 minutes. Over the last 20 years we have had several trailer tents and folding campers, and our rule is however long the manufacturers tell you it takes to put up the awning...double it!
------------- I wish I were a glow worm,
a glow worm's never glum.
'Cause how can you be grumpy,
when the sun shines out your bum!
Lots of the photos I've seen on eBay show lopsided trailer tents. It makes me think they are hard to put up or have bits broken/missing. Is this likely to a problem or can they just not be bothered to put a decent picture on. What are the things to look out for on an older model so you don't buy a pile of rubbish?
I've never yet had a lopsided tt, so I can only assume it is laziness on the part of the seller.
In my opinion, bent or broken poles can be replaced relatively cheaply. The main thing I check is the canvas. For tears etc but mainly signs it has been left packed away damp.
Personally I wouldn't buy a canvas that has been treated with a waterproofing solution either, because once it has been treated once it will need reapplying regularly.
------------- I wish I were a glow worm,
a glow worm's never glum.
'Cause how can you be grumpy,
when the sun shines out your bum!
We recently bought a Sunncamp 400se paid slightly over the average for it, but it was in excelent condition. We were away in 3 days of torential rain & gale force winds, we were snug as the proverbial bug
Ours is 8 years old & in almost brand new condition (we also love the colour scheme)
Personally I could not recomend the Sunncamp highly enough, no, it's not a Cabanon or Conway, but my mondeo aint a Mercedes or BMW & that has never let me down either...lol
Whatever you decide make sure you erect it & THOROUGHLY inspect it BEFORE parting with any cash & if buying of ebay I would never pay a "non refundable deposit" Just my own opinion.
Hope you find something that makes you as happy as our "Sunny" makes us
-------------
June:New Forest
August:Peak District
October:Lymme Regis
Quote: Originally posted by tarob on 22/6/2012
Lots of the photos I've seen on eBay show lopsided trailer tents. It makes me think they are hard to put up or have bits broken/missing. Is this likely to a problem or can they just not be bothered to put a decent picture on. What are the things to look out for on an older model so you don't buy a pile of rubbish?
it can depend on the pitch and the tent, our sunncamp has almost fixed non adjustable awning poles so if the ground goes up and down then the awning will.. theres not alot you can do about it.. some trailers have adjustable poles and can be "levelled" but even then you can only adjust as much as the canvas will allow you without it becoming baggy or to tight.
you are also correct though in the fact that some of the awnings/tt on ebay look like theve been put up by a blind man, there's a saying that you should do it right and do it once, if you make a hash of your awning youl only be up again at 3am in the pouring rain trying to mend it .. lol
Thanks for all your comments, weighing up everything i've read & looked at so far my gut feeling is a fc is probably still my favoured choice for ease of setting up & for those quick midweek breaks with the little one. Having a toilet, fridge & hob all within the unit would certainly help.
Which means with my record for changing my mind i'll end up buying a tt.
Apart from buying from a dealer the difficulty for me seems to be finding time to actually view before buying & when there is only a week to go on an auction site & the pics look great it is tempting. But i've never bought an old VW without checking it 1st so i guess i'll stick to the number 1 rule!
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Topic: Buying a trailer tent
