We're currently finalising a holiday in France staying in several sites for different durations (3, 6, 6 and 4 nights). There are four of us, two adults and two girls. I've got a Trio complete with sun canopy (currently without side walls). Due to the length of time it takes to pitch I don't intend to take all of it. I'm debating on acquiring two side walls from TVS for the canopy and for the shorter stops having just the cabin and canopy, and for the longer stops the cabin, canopy and one awning (either the 1.5m or 2.5m). One problem with taking all of it is that there isn't much room to pack other stuff as there's an awful lot of poles and canvas to fit in somewhere.
Last time we went we didn't even take the cooker unit as my wife found it hard to manhandle off the back of the unit, so we used a camping gaz stove on a camp kitchen table. I'm possibly thinking of doing the same again.
Part of me is thinking that I should maybe sell this TT and get a smaller one . There's a Cabanon Discovery on fleabay at the moment which looks very similar to a Conway. Anybody know if I could get the Conway sun canopy to fit to the cabin?
If you take the cooker off you'll unbalance the trailer and it will ride nose down onto the towball. Not a great idea for stability. Best to leave it on.
As to the speed of erection + packing space for canvas, it's not necessary to unzip the awning canvas from the cabin when packing up. Fold it back smoothly over the top of the cabin, then forwards again, then pick up the cabin skirts and make it into a neat package, keeping the folds inwards of the poles while folding. The running cover will look a bit humpbacked but it will be fine if you loosen the shock cord slightly. We do this with the awning sections on our old Camargue which are 2.5m and 1.5m, it definitely all fits. We sling the bag of poles in under the running cover too btw, the trailer well is for table, chairs, gas bottle, BBQ etc. I can pack 90% of what we need into the trailer well, side boxes and kitchen and that leaves the car boot for the fridge, clothes and personal belongings.
If I was only taking one awning section it would definitely be the 2.5m, it can still rain and be chilly in the evening and it will be nicer to sit indoors under cover. Plus the sun canopy.
I wouldn't sell a Trio just to get a Discovery. There's sod all difference in the erection time. Just leave the 1.5m section of the Trio at home and it will be just the same, give or take five minutes. If you are going to change models get one with a swing out kitchen rather than a lift-off one. If you want a faster set up get a TT that opens up like a pram, with the canvas all attached in situ.
I hadn't considered the effect on the nose weight. But then, when we went last time there was probably so much weight in the front storage box that the lack of kitchen unit was hardly noticeable :0
I'd been warned off keeping the awning attached all the time as it someone said that the extra weight could bend the poles - but thinking about it, some tent awnings don't zip off anyway, so it's no different.
I hadn't thought of putting the poles under the cover, I'll see if I can get them to fit okay.
I hadn't considered the effect on the nose weight. But then, when we went last time there was probably so much weight in the front storage box that the lack of kitchen unit was hardly noticeable :0
I have to say that's even worse if you've been weighting down the front box without the kitchen to balance things at the back. The wheels are positioned differently in the older TTs that didn't come with a kitchen, they were further forwards. If you've taken off the counterbalance of the kitchen and loaded the trailer down at the nose it will be riding nose down which could have an effect on the steering of your car and will definately have an effect on the road handling of the trailer.It's best not to put heavy objects in the front box if you can help it, the best place for heavy stuff is over the axle low down in the trailer well. Remember too the payload of the average Conway TT is somewhere between 100kg and 125kg, depending on whether the trailer is braked or not.
I've been folding my Camargue canvas back for 15 years now and not bent the poles putting the cabin up. The most likely way to bend poles is by shoving them up too much on one side before you push up the other end, it's best to put them up one button at a time with a person at each end of the pole set so it goes up evenly. I'm 5'4", the OH is 6'4" so communication is the key here, I usually stand on the drawbar or use the step to get purchase on the poles.
As to the kitchen being a bit heavy for your missus, the top tip here is to get it roughly in position before you take it off the back of the trailer so you really only have to slide it free of the runners rather than manhandle it over half the campsite. Then put the tent up round it, basically. You or rather she can slide the groundsheet underneath the legs while you lift up the ends one at a time.Or fit some rolling wheels to it, there's a thread about them round here somewhere.
I usually end up erecting the cabin myself, shuttling backwards and forward moving each pole up one click at a time. I'm also pretty good at getting the cooker unit off by myself now. I'm sure a caravan must be quicker :) but not the same as being under canvas.
Val - do you leave the curtains attached as well, or remove them?
I'm thinking of taking the 1.5m extension as well, but leaving the sun canopy behind. With the Trio I can have the doors at the end of the 2.5m extension and effectively have the 1.5m bit as a suncanopy with side walls.
Quote: Originally posted by Valk_scot on 06/6/2013
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As to the speed of erection + packing space for canvas, it's not necessary to unzip the awning canvas from the cabin when packing up. Fold it back smoothly over the top of the cabin, then forwards again, then pick up the cabin skirts and make it into a neat package, keeping the folds inwards of the poles while folding. The running cover will look a bit humpbacked but it will be fine if you loosen the shock cord slightly. We do this with the awning sections on our old Camargue which are 2.5m and 1.5m, it definitely all fits. We sling the bag of poles in under the running cover too btw, the trailer well is for table, chairs, gas bottle, BBQ etc. I can pack 90% of what we need into the trailer well, side boxes and kitchen and that leaves the car boot for the fridge, clothes and personal belongings.
If I was only taking one awning section it would definitely be the 2.5m, it can still rain and be chilly in the evening and it will be nicer to sit indoors under cover. Plus the sun canopy.
I wouldn't sell a Trio just to get a Discovery. There's sod all difference in the erection time. Just leave the 1.5m section of the Trio at home and it will be just the same, give or take five minutes. If you are going to change models get one with a swing out kitchen rather than a lift-off one. If you want a faster set up get a TT that opens up like a pram, with the canvas all attached in situ.
I take the curtains off to pack up. They get in the way of folding the canvas and the faff involved takes more time than packing them separately. We don't use the roof liners in the awning btw, we've never camped anywhere so cold that they were necessary. We don't use the big groundsheet either. I think it's dangerous to have a potentially slippy area round the kitchen unit. We use a broad strip of groundsheet across the front of the cabin section and two big picnic rugs for the side opposite the cooker. It all saves time, especially if you're only stopping for a couple of nights.
Top tip is to use a sheet of plastic under each undertent btw, saves the base getting filthy. Clip the undertents in place before you drop the cabin skirts, if the weather allows.
Sounds like the two awning sections will cover all the bases. Remember that you don't have to put them both up on your short stops either, you could just put the 2.5m on.
Why doesn't your Missus help with the cabin? It must take ages running back and forwards, it's much faster with two. Even when our kids were very small we'd do it together, we'd dump the kids in the car with a DVD, firmly shut our ears to the wails and get cracking. Fifteen minutes max to get the cabin up and the four corner pegs down, then it was stable enough to let OH get on with things while I wrangled the kids and tried to get them to help carry things in.
DS was five when we got the TT, he was quite useful for pushing the buggy up and down with 6m old DD to keep her occupied. Now at 17 he's 6'2" tall and built like the back of a barn so I don't have to do anything to help build the TT, he and his dad do it and DD and I do the inside. We've got them both well trained, we added it up recently and we'd spent over 16 months living in the old Camargue one way or another. Don't be in any hurry to sell the Trio, it will outlive any caravan and it's incredibly versatile for family camping, our Camargue was top of the range for its day and even though it's 24 years old now and getting a bit faded it's as solid as a rock and has never leaked.
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Topic: Conay Classic Trio - what configuration?
