I've always loved the idea of camping but at the same time i like luxury too. Now i have a wife who doesn't like camping and a little kid.
I would still like to try this camping thing, but to add some luxury to it, i'm looking towards folding caravans or trailor tents. The problem is, i don't want to spend a lot of money and then find out this is not for us.
So...i'm looking in adds and checking really old trailor tents which cost up to 500 Eur (420 GBP). Is this a stupid idea and all those old campers are really bad? I LOVE the idea of Pennine folding caravans, but i just can't get them in my country (Europe).
So, what do you think about really old, cheap trailor tents or even folding caravans? Where could i get older Pennine campers out of England?
I think that anything you buy at that sort of money is not likely to 'sell' the idea to your wife!
Not sure whether you could hire one for a hol ... maybe someone else might know.
A reasonable Pennine under £1,500 is rare.
If you are a fantastic DIY guy, who can take a beaten up old FC/TT and do a great conversion/refurbishing job ... then go ahead ... but that will take quite a while.
Maybe BlueSky will provide some ideas when he reads your thread .... ?
The Pennine folding campers, or similar (for example, Conway) are really your best bet, if you want the combination of comfort and camping.
The problem you have is that there is no market for them in Europe, so no one really sells them over there.
You've nt said which part of Europe you're in, but the situation is pretty much the same in most parts. Due to the fact that the weather is, generally, a lot better there than it is in the UK, campers tend to spend a lot more time living and cooking outside, so the trailer tent lifestyle is far more popular than the likes of the Pennine folding campers, where, generally, you do most of your cooking etc inside the main trailer.
There used to be a number of manufacturers, in Europe, producing folding campers, like Raclet and Trigano, but they now only do trailer tents, due to the above.
There are folding caravans for sale in Europe, by the likes of Eriba and Gobur, but you will have to look around a while to get one within your budget.
If you are looking for a trailer tent, though, you will be spoilt for choice. Plenty around, in Europe, including the likes of Combi-Camp, Raclet, Cabanon, Trigano etc, so that may well be your best starting point, although, the level of luxury you're looking for may not be quite there with many of them, unfortunately, but still a great way to get started.
------------- The one good thing about being wrong is the joy it brings to others..
I really loved camping as I had done quite a lot of it as a kid...and later at bike rallies( on my own without the wife n kids) My wife wasn't so enthusiastic and just had terrible memories of camping...being cold n wet and fed up as a kid.
Eventually I convinced her to get a trailer tent. We got one for under £500. And we love it...she is actually the one who is always going on about going away in it.
I think its like anything really.. there are bargains to be had, but you have to be careful and look at what you are buying without the rose tinted glasses that the excitement of buying something sometimes give you.
I was actually in a similar position, to start with. Had a budget of a grand, just to give it a go. Got a 1997 Pennine Sterling. OH hated it (although 90% of that was because I hadn't told her about it beforehand). She soon grew to like it, and the flexibility it gave us to go camping (it's the one on my profile - still not updated that yet). I've just upgraded to a 2003 model, and she absolutely loved that. My daughter is 16, and just finishing her GCSEs. No longer cool to go camping with Dad, but the two of us are off to Shell island for a long weekend, in a couple of weeks. She loves it too.
As Kelper says; you can do lot with a basic one. Mine was, admittedly, double your budget, but it was gorgeous when I'd finished with it, compared to how it was when I bought it..
------------- The one good thing about being wrong is the joy it brings to others..
I was in a similar situation, desperate to start getting away but with a wife who had never been camping and always suffers with being cold, so camping wasn't really an option and we couldn't afford a caravan. So a trailer tent/folding camper was the ovbious route. I managed to get a bargain 20 year old Pennine Aztec off a friend (£150). It's in really good condition. Then I've added a memory foam mattress, heated mattress cover, blackout linings and porta-potti in the awning. Luxury! We went away in May....and my wife loved it and can't wait to go again! And so did our daughter.
As ChrisPF said take your time (I was looking for months before this one came along) and check them out carefully, there are bargains to be found and it doesn't take much to add some comfort to it and convince a doubting wife. Good luck!
------------- Returning to camping after many years.
I suspect your problem is that you want to go away this summer ... so time is not on your side .... best time to be buying is after the holiday season when demand is much lower.
As BSP says ... FC's in Europe are much rarer than TT's ... we store our FC in France so's not to have the added expense of towing it all the way there and back plus extra ferry costs.
I have seen one other Pennine on the Continent since 2007! But lots of TT's ...
We do most of our cooking 'al fresco' using a Cadac, or a slow cooker (great for returning to after a long day out). The three cooker rings are only used for boiling the odd veg/potatoes or boiled eggs.
Assuming you find a Pennine that suits your pocket and taste, it's likely to be in the UK, so a trip over to collect it and return to where ever you are is likely to double your cost.
When we bought ours (new), I got a friend to tow it to the ferry, then I collected it at the Northern Ireland end ... was a little cheaper than taking a car over and towing back ... that may be an option for you? The problem with that is that you would be buying 'sight unseen', which is very much against everyone's advice.
Maybe a TT would be your best solution?
Go and have a look at some.
It needed work - but thats what i wanted - made sure it was all there with no leaks/tears/rips.
All in ive spent about 200 on it. now i have 240v hookup, 12v electrics, gas has been overhauled and checked properly and just an overall tidy up
I bought it in december - when i noticed on the classifieds more came up chaper as people wanted rid before the next season. maybe something to bear in mind - play the long game and maybe save a few quid or get a better deal.
Have a look at a dandy. PVC instead of canvas so is insulated making it war n winter and cool in summer. Doesn't flap like canvas. Cannot leak or blow away in high wind. Has a proper wooden door and caravan style window with carpet on the floor. inside kitchen with cooker and sink with running water. plenty of storage.
Has proper comfy beds, well up off the ground and some convert to comfy settees.
They last for years so even an old one (40 or 50 years) is still going strong. You can get a decent one for £500 up. Buy an old one and paint the wood work, recover the seats etc to make it your own.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: New to all this and with crazy ideas!
She soon grew to like it, and the flexibility it gave us to go camping (it's the one on my profile - still not updated that yet). I've just upgraded to a 2003 model, and she absolutely loved that. My daughter is 16, and just finishing her GCSEs. No longer cool to go camping with Dad, but the two of us are off to Shell island for a long weekend, in a couple of weeks. She loves it too.
