Hi, we are thinking of moving from a folding caravan ,to a pop top 2 berth with toilet compartment, We fancy one of these because we have been told they are more stable when towing and should fit in my garage.Looking for advice pros and cons etc, and what makes are better than others. Thanks.
We have a pop top 2 berth, a 2001 Fleurette Tamaris 31t. Our is the French configuration with the door on the 'wrong' side, this has caused us no problems even on site, the van is so small that we usually put it across the pitch with the awning at the front. We have a toilet compartment with an electric flush built in Thetford loo, a wash basin (no shower) with running hot water to the basin & sink, there is a fitted Truma water heater. We have a 2 ring hob & an Electrolux fridge,(no grill as it's a continental van but we take a toaster). The lack of an oven is compensated for by my beloved Remoska which more than makes up for it. The seating area makes into a wide, comfortable bed & there is plenty of storage under the seating & lockers all around the upper part of the van (under the pop top roof).
We moved on from a FC, which we hated, but that's another story!!
We love our van to bits, we have limited storage living in West London, the garage is full with our classic cars so the van lives in our back garden. We also tow with a 1.5 Micra Diesel & it copes easily with oomph to spare.
There are a couple of pics in my gallery, if you'd like to see the interior I'll post some more pics on here for you.
------------- Harvey 15.8.1995 - 18.11.2010. Run free, sweet boy x
Thats easy. Trigano Silver. Very stable when towing, and at under 2 metres high when folded should fit in a garage.
First the pros:
1. Light weight 750kg unladen, 1000kg laden. Dead easy to tow.
2. Very very comfortable
3. Well insulated, and free from draughts, super in winter.
4. First caravan I've had that did not need a damp repair at one year old. (both a Stirling and a Bailey failed this test).
5. Very strong and wears well. After a lot of use in the past two and a half years, ours is still like new.
6. Alko ladder chassis with dampers and a jockey wheel that tucks up into the A frame.
7. With the spare wheel in the front locker, the van is easy to balance to get a noseweight of 75kg.
8. Well appointed, 4 burner cooker with grill (no oven though) fridge, hot/cold water, toilet, shower, warm air heating, spare wheel.
9. Loads of storage space, and the wall cupboards are ideal for OH who is somewhat vertically challenged by normal caravan wall cupboards.
10. Will go under the barrier of the French Payage so a cheaper rate than full height caravans.
Now the cons:
1. A little expensive, though with the euro exchange rate improving, they should be getting cheaper.
2. erm... erm ... erm ...
I LOVE my pop top, its an oldie without a toilet compartment but its so easy to tow that I overlook that slight nuisance, would throughly recommend them, I'm very envious of freeatlast's Trigano Silver because they look so brilliant, if the boat comes in thats what I shall buy.
I have a fleurette 31t & have owned it for 9 years. But I would ask that you are really sure that you can cope with a small van. If it wasn't for the awning & the fact that I can store it in the garage , I don't think that I would have kept it as long. They are easy to tow and hold their price well compared to bigger vans.
The door is very small and after all the time I have owned one I still often bang my head when entering the van. When you visit one make sure that you try moving around when there are 2 of you in it and ask yourself if you will not feel a bit claustrophobic in it. You have to be very tidy to be able to cope with the small space inside the van.
But having tried to put you off , I do love these vans as they are well made and you can use most of their facilities when stopping at service stations without having to bother putting the roof up, even if you have to bend a little. And you save on fuel costs.
Quote: Originally posted by PopTop Man on 07/7/2010
I have a fleurette 31t & have owned it for 9 years. But I would ask that you are really sure that you can cope with a small van. If it wasn't for the awning & the fact that I can store it in the garage , I don't think that I would have kept it as long. They are easy to tow and hold their price well compared to bigger vans.
The door is very small and after all the time I have owned one I still often bang my head when entering the van. When you visit one make sure that you try moving around when there are 2 of you in it and ask yourself if you will not feel a bit claustrophobic in it. You have to be very tidy to be able to cope with the small space inside the van.
But having tried to put you off , I do love these vans as they are well made and you can use most of their facilities when stopping at service stations without having to bother putting the roof up, even if you have to bend a little. And you save on fuel costs.
Hear, hear to all the above........but if you are looking for an easy to tow & easy to store van then you can't find better (IMHO). As far as being tidy is concerned, that doesn't bother me, can't bear too much clutter around at home & as the van is small it asks to be kept tidy! This always has used pop tops for sale & you can see both the interiors & exteriors there. Not very convenient for the OP to visit but quite informative.
------------- Harvey 15.8.1995 - 18.11.2010. Run free, sweet boy x
I quite like pop tops too there's quite a lot out there to choose from. Anything from freedoms to Eribas & what's been mentioned above plus Rapido pop tops. Good site Anglebox I've been having a good old nose around lol.
Ok mine aint a pop top but it's not posh either at 30 years old. If I went for a pop top I'd go for an old Eriba towed behind a VW camper. Ahhhhhhhhh bliss.
Mind you I still wouldn't get rid of my old Export either as I just love the space inside it.
Every caravan/pop top will have its followers who swear by the attributes of their particular van and rightly so.
When we gave up motorhoming we thought long and hard about the van that was to become our final choice.
This had to last us about 25 years and so not suffer from the usual dreaded damp etc of most vans. It had to be small and economical to keep. It had to have all the good points that we had found very useful on all of our previous tents, trailer tents, caravans and campervans, without the frivolous empty space. And last, but not least, it had to have 6' 6" single beds.
To my knowledge, all this can only be found in our final choice, the Sprintaway Lux.
Rather than tell you all about it, take a peek in our gallery and if you like what you see, you can see more in the 9 minute movie on the link.
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: Pop Top Caravans.
