We currently have a normal tent which we love, but we would like to extend the camping season (currently we go end of May to beginning Sept). There would be us and two children. We would love a caravan but can't afford one (or a new car to tow one!)
Are trailer tents warmer? Could we tow one with our Focus 1.6? We currently tow a trailer full of gear and that is heavy, with no probs. Do they have wardrobes.
What are the plus/minus points.
hi yes trailer tents are warmer & with the beds of the ground very comfy, you should look at both trailer tents & folding campers,the folding camper is a lot quicker to erect, some models do have wardrobes ,& towing with a focus 1.6 you should be able to tow most trailer tents or folding campers we tow with 1.4 saxo,with no problems just make sure you have a good look around at whats avaliable, & choose one that suite you best.have a look at the free ads papers preloved trailer tents & the ads on this site,some bargains around.
we used a frame tent until this year. TT's are warmer, bigger and generally comfier for sleeping in. i tow ours with a 1.6 primera.
Think at the moment the TT takes longer to put up, but with practise it should get easier. paid under £700 for our raclet (see picture in gallery) and it came with the handy 1.2m extension, spare wheel and the handy fridge box
Hi easycamp, just looked at your photo it looks impressive.
Where did you get it from, was it from the free ads?
I think we will be getting one. We were considering waiting until we upgraded our car in a couple of years and getting an older caravan, but after looking at the cost of all the extras I think a trailer tent is more up our street. A second hand one is what we are after, and as you said you usually get the extra bits thrown in. we have a combicool so not so worried about the fridge, but we don't have any ehu cables etc.
As you are in Sheffield if you fancy a short drive Don Valley Sports just south of Doncaster on the Bawtry road do new and used Raclet and folding campers, Yorkshire Caravans just a bit further down the road also sell used TT's and campers.
Mike
------------- Some people have nothing much to say, but you often have to listen for a while before you realise it!
I loved tenting but it was so nice to be able to sleep off the ground on a comfy bed..... I know you can get some fab airbeds but it was so lovely when we bought our first T T having owned our tent.
FC 's are easier to put up and quicker though that is the cabin area. It doesn't really matter what awning you have to any unit it does take time. We looked at changing to an FC but I have bought a new car lol so the T T it is.......... our T T has given us years of happy camping it did take time to master the awning. Though we use ours quite a bit now the children are older with just the cabin part for short stopovers.
Look at your budget and then look at everything that is available..........
Quote: Originally posted by Mike Richardson on 06/6/2006
As you are in Sheffield if you fancy a short drive Don Valley Sports just south of Doncaster on the Bawtry road do new and used Raclet and folding campers, Yorkshire Caravans just a bit further down the road also sell used TT's and campers.
Mike
Thanks, looks like I'm going for a drive this weekend
Another question though, can you store your chairs and stuff in the trailer, as we have our clothes and fridge in the boot of our car. I presume there is room underneath the canvas?
Quote: Originally posted by anorak on 06/6/2006
Hi everyone,
We currently have a normal tent which we love, but we would like to extend the camping season (currently we go end of May to beginning Sept). There would be us and two children. We would love a caravan but can't afford one (or a new car to tow one!)
Are trailer tents warmer? Could we tow one with our Focus 1.6? We currently tow a trailer full of gear and that is heavy, with no probs. Do they have wardrobes. What are the plus/minus points.
Any advice gratefully received. .
yes and yes i towed our tt with a 02 1.6 petrol focus and it towed fine with 3 kids the missus a boot mounted cycle carrier and a fully loaded tt on the back complete with all my fishing gear and a crate of stella....plus point great fun...minus pain in the rear when windy!!!! other than that go for it...reason i got rid old age of tt and it was hard work with the baby running around every where....now i got caravan...(oh how i miss my tt sob sob)
Quote: Originally posted by anorak on 06/6/2006
Hi easycamp, just looked at your photo it looks impressive. Where did you get it from, was it from the free ads? I think we will be getting one. We were considering waiting until we upgraded our car in a couple of years and getting an older caravan, but after looking at the cost of all the extras I think a trailer tent is more up our street. A second hand one is what we are after, and as you said you usually get the extra bits thrown in. we have a combicool so not so worried about the fridge, but we don't have any ehu cables etc.
we found it in the "for sale" section on here. went away for the first time last a couple of weeeknds ago and it's great
Another question though, can you store your chairs and stuff in the trailer, as we have our clothes and fridge in the boot of our car. I presume there is room underneath the canvas?
Yes, we can get all sorts of kit in there, and I don't think that's unique to the model we have. In addition to the awning and its poles, we get the chairs, the cobb, the electric lights and EHU kit, two folding tables.......
Quote: Originally posted by Trekkin Tekkie on 06/6/2006
Quote: Originally posted by anorak on 06/6/2006
Another question though, can you store your chairs and stuff in the trailer, as we have our clothes and fridge in the boot of our car. I presume there is room underneath the canvas?
Yes, we can get all sorts of kit in there, and I don't think that's unique to the model we have. In addition to the awning and its poles, we get the chairs, the cobb, the electric lights and EHU kit, two folding tables.......
plus we have left our sleeping bags in there too, cooking pots, pans plates. on the raclet the cooker sadly eats away into the TT walkway....
We are off to look round Don Valley Outdoor on Saturday to get an idea of which we like, then hopefully we can pick one up from the ads. We have about £1000 to spend so hopefully should get something we like.
go for the folding camper(used) beleive me they are a lot easier,done them all except the f.c.,missed out and bought a van,easier still.in all honesty,the t.t.was the worst thing weve ever bought for setting up etc,bloody hard work.but don't let it put you off,everyone is different
------------- its nice to be nice,if you cant be nice, don't be nasty
I don`t think there`s any difference in the time it takes to pitch a big tent (ie my current Vango Colorado 1200 dlx) and a standard design TT (ie the Conway Camargue we used to have on long term loan.) Where the TT scored hands down was in the interior/equipment set up time, the fact that we could leave a lot of stuff permenantly in the TT and the way it eased the weight burden on the car.
At the moment I`m jumping through an extremely complex set of hoops in order to get my hands on my friend`s old Camargue permenantly. (Storage space is the problem...but I`m working on this.) I like tenting and have made a point of getting the equipment and car packing down to a fine art but I`m desperate to get back to a trailer tent again. I think they have every advantage of a tent (except above storage problem) and few of the disadvantages. I don`t want a caravan or FC at the moment...nothing against them, just not for me.
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: Trailer tent or not.
Hope you find a bargain. 
