I'm looking at getting a trailer to carry our ever increasing camping gear and wondered if any of you have any recomendations about what size and make.
I'm leaning toward a 5x3' size trailer, but want a secure lid [ or do I?] with a lid the Brenderup seem the best but are pricey. Are they worth the extra?
I expect to do some miles so are some better towers than others?
There are quite a few things to consider when buying a trailer....
How much camping equipment do you need to transport?
Do you have any experience at towing? I have found that the bigger a trailer is, the easier it is to manouvre when reversing
How much weight can your car tow safely? Look in the hand book for the car it should tell you there.
You may be restricted on how much weight you can tow by when you passed your driving test. I think it came in around 1997 (check dvla website to be sure) you can only tow upto around 3.5 tonnes, this is a combined laden weight of car and trailer. If you passed your test prior to this it is 7.5 tonnes combined laden weight.
Check if your insurance covers you for towing and also if your breakdown service will recover you if you are towing a trailer, especially if you are travelling abroad.
How often do you change your car? towbars can cost from around £75 upwards if you fit it yourself or you can be looking at £125 upwards for one to be fitted. It can make it very expensive for something you may only use a couple of times if you change your car every few years.
If you are also planning on being able to use your trailer to transport garden waste etc. to your local tip then check with your local council as there is often a restriction on trailer size and you may have to get a permit which will restrict the number of times you can use the tip.
Personally i have never bought a new trailer from a shop, i've generally sourced them from ebay or had them given to me. I have usually gone for old trailer tents and removed the tent as these trailers are well built.
That way you can often get one that has a secure lid and sometimes a luggage carrier on the top, which can be useful if you wish take bikes with you.
I like that the back often drops down on these trailers, which makes it easier to load. They also have very good heavy duty covers that go over the top of the trailer to keep everything dry.
They usually have jockey wheels fitted which will make it easier to move when loaded and that they have built in lights so no messing with a lighting board. I also have never paid over a hundred pounds for a trailer.
I hope that you find some of the information in here useful.....
I would certainly recommend that you get a Branded trailer rather than a home made or converted one as you may otherwise have insurance or breakdown recovery issues. You will also need to inform your insurance company that your car has been modified by the towbar. It won't make any difference to your cover but avoids an excuse for them.
Erde, daxara, brenderup are the typical brands to go for. I have an Erde 122 which is ok but 5x3 you will probably need to go for a 143. I think brenderup are better quality but have not used one.
Covers are easily obtained as accessories for all or a simple "tarp" may do the job.
You don't really need a jockey wheel on this size of trailer and as long as it's under 750kg all up you won't have licence issues.
we have a Franc trailer GE133 with ABS lid - used. but in good nick other than we lost the keys for the lid and had to drill them off! (So it needs new locks) It has a jockey whell which is handy for manoevring and means you can leave it fully loaded all year if you so wish.
We are selling it along with our Khyam ridgidome and eqpt as we now will only use our trailer tent and it is surplus to requirement. We were looking for 500 for the whole kit and kaboodle -EHU, loo, chairs .kitchen , etc,etc - but would look at spltiing if the price were reasonable.
We may be selling our trailer in the next few weeks so thought i might mention it! We decided to give camping a go in the summer season last year, we spent a small fortune only to decide that we wanted a caravan!! For the last week we have been selling all of our camping items...tent...tables...electric hook-up...coolbox....etc etc & we are really pleased with the outcome as they were only used 4 times & some of them only twice! The trailer was purchased for the last 2 trips to Dorset as we couldnt stand the fact that everytime we opened the boot of the car everything fell out So we are now the proud owners of a 17yr old beauty (well ok that may be a little lie......but she soon will be a beauty) so we think its time for the trailer to be rehomed!!! If you are interested let me know.....its a Daxara 148... it has a hard top lid which is must say is fantastic. Whatever you decide to buy make sure it has one of these as it gives you extra height & you can leave it locked when you leave the campsite for a day trip with items inside with no need to worry. We still have the receipt & its in perfect cond. Feel free to contact me for more info. Good luck!
------------- I hope caravanning is as much fun as camping!
Hi CoolFox.
We have a Lider Alicante (Gallery) aprox 5x4 Trailer with ABS lid c/w RoofRack and trailer tongue box. towed it down to the South of France last year, and at half a ton in weight, cruising at 81mph it was very stable, it's a 13" wheel model, but they also do a 10" wheel model.
Have a look at the Anssems range of trailers, more camping specific I would say, my favourit being the Anssems GTB 750-211 VT2 it's a small box trailer with an internal deck size of 7ft x 4ft and an internal height of 4ft but at £2000 will have to remain on my wish list.
Also my Bro is selling his Daxara 127 c/w ABS Lid, Jockey wheel and spare wheel. he has only used it the once from brand new, and it's been stored in his garage ever since, as he does not have a towbar on his new car.
It's in mint brand new like condition, and he is asking £390 he is in Preston if that's any use.
I will be putting it on the Adds section here come Spring, but when I see a post like this I always mention it.
I have a 7x5 brenderup (they're made by Thule) with an abs lid and can't fault it. Easy to tow (you don't notice it)
Check you get one with decent size wheels (the brenderup is the car type), the small ones can blow easily
And always go for bigger size than you think you need (I could still fill mine twice)
The beauty of the abs lid means you can leave a lot of the more robust stuff in the trailer throughout the year (I bring material and canvas things in)
Quote: Originally posted by teepee on 03/2/2011
Trailer porn! lol I would love one that size but sadly funds will only allow a little rickety old one.
must admit it was quite funny at hopleys with 3 grown women standing round it, saying 'oh it's lovely'.....it may as well have been a pair of jimmy choos
Quote: Originally posted by teepee on 03/2/2011
What part of Wales are you in J+K and how much are you asking for the trailer?
Hi
To be honest not really sure! We phoned the company that we purchased it from & they said its worth £450. We live about 9 miles out of Cardiff of the A470.
------------- I hope caravanning is as much fun as camping!
Thanks for all the replys, knew I would get a good response.
That brenederup is HHHHHuge if I was using that for camping I think I would just put a mattress in it and be done!
I'm trying to avoid getting to large a trailer because my better half would be after getting a caravan instead and after everything I've muttered about caravans I've been stuck behind I'm not ready for humble pie just yet .
and why is it that on ebay all the trailers I'm intrested in are 130 miles away!!
Whereabouts are you?
I may have (when oh has come round to the idea ;)) a Erde 122 with ABS roof and Erde roof bars on it, fab to tow. We have carried bikes on top or a roofbox onto of the abs trailer lid.... It's very versatile :) were South Liverpool
Back to working on oh for my folding camper.... That were viewing tomorrow!!!!
------------- Fab time in France again.... Roll on next year!
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: Best trailer for camping?
So we are now the proud owners of a 17yr old beauty (well ok that may be a little lie......but she soon will be a beauty) so we think its time for the trailer to be rehomed!!! If you are interested let me know.....its a Daxara 148... it has a hard top lid which is must say is fantastic. Whatever you decide to buy make sure it has one of these as it gives you extra height & you can leave it locked when you leave the campsite for a day trip with items inside with no need to worry. We still have the receipt & its in perfect cond. Feel free to contact me for more info. Good luck!
