Anyone got a Trailer Tent?

Bitsy_Beans

Used to go camping and then after youngest was born we sold all our stuff. We currently borrow my parents caravan (who have to tow it for us) and this basically means we have one weeks holiday away from home a year. Now I am not complaining about that single week, we're very lucky compared to some BUT I would really like to have a few more weekends away. So I wondered what trailer tents were like? Are they worth it? Are they quicker to put up than a tent and a bit more robust or just a waste of time? H doesn't really want to go back to full on camping or glamping considering the stuff we took with us so is a trailer tent a good mix of the two?

Any experiences or comments welcome.

kittykarate

I've not been in a 'modern' trailer tent, but I have happy memories of going away in one when I was a kid.

It has the advantage of being easier to tow behind a car than a caravan, but don't forget it's behind you when you're driving somewhere, I've seen some idiots trying to fit into a car sized gap while they were towing one.

It's better than ordinary camping because you generally have more space, you can stand up, you can use electric hookups, the beds are off the ground so can be warmer. As the tent infrastructure is all in the trailer you've got more space in the car for stuff.

It may be worse than a caravan because you don't usually have any built in plumbing so you still have to rely on the sanitation facilities on the site for bathroom visits, washing up etc.

They are pretty fast to setup, but you still will curse a wet day when you arrive on site.

Bigmoney2

Have a look on ukcampsite dot co dot uk. Lots of camping info.



Jules

Gloomendoom

We have a small one that folds up narrower than the car. It also has built-in plumbing (no loo) and gas underfloor heating.

It's a very comfortable half way house between a tent and a caravan. I like to have carpet under my feet when I get out of bed in the morning.

My sister had a huge one complete with full oven, a shower and a loo. Her husband had to go on a half day course to learn how to put it up. They also ended up buying a Discovery to tow it. I think they used it about three times in four years.

hethmar

We were looking at them and there are some wonderful ones that go up in minutes but they are expensive.

Rachie_B

get a folding camper they are fab! and only take 15 mins to set up ( main cabin ) and can be used without an awning for short trips ( unlike a trailer tent)
also the beds can be left made up and store loads of stuff in the camper.

only been away in ours twice for wkends so far as we haven't long bought it,but we plan to do lots more between now and Oct !

lots of discussion etc here : http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_forum_topics.asp?ForumID=10

Rachie_B

Gloomendoom wrote: »

We have a small one that folds up narrower than the car. It also has built-in plumbing (no loo) and gas underfloor heating.

It's a very comfortable half way house between a tent and a caravan. I like to have carpet under my feet when I get out of bed in the morning.

My sister had a huge one complete with full oven, a shower and a loo. Her husband had to go on a half day course to learn how to put it up. They also ended up buying a Discovery to tow it. I think they used it about three times in four years.

you are talking about folding campers not trailer tents ...

trailer tents need pegging out, and have a moveable kitchen unit,which can be used outdoors too

folding campers are like half a caravan with a canvas top lol ,no pegging out needed of the main unit

PasturesNew

I knew a couple who had one, they used to come on holiday a few times a year where I live and left it here. When they packed it away it'd often have been wet - so when they unpacked it it could be a bit mildewy. It also used to take quite some time to assemble it and put it all away again properly.

You should also check out things like the Rapido, folding and pop top caravans. Or maybe one of the tiny caravans (not the teardrops).

I have a long list of small caravan models you might like to Google: Esterel Caramatic, Elddis xplore, Elddis Wisp, Freedom Jetstream, Freedom Microlite, Freedom Sunseeker, Swift Abbey Iona, Elddis Hurricane, Avant! 362, Silverline Nova, Trigano Silver, Eriba, RAPIDO ORLINE 39S, Sprite Alpine, Coachman Mirage 380, ABI Monza, Elddis Vogue.

This is a random list of pop up caravans and small/dinky caravans I started putting together when I was trying to work out whether I could tow a small caravan and pitch it alone.

Rachie_B

just like a (normal )tent,if you pack a trailer tent or folding camper away when wet, you must dry it out / air it when you return home! or yes,it will go mouldy

Gloomendoom

Rachie_B wrote: »

you are talking about folding campers not trailer tents ...

trailer tents need pegging out, and have a moveable kitchen unit,which can be used outdoors too

folding campers are like half a caravan with a canvas top lol ,no pegging out needed of the main unit

Huh? I think we are now down to semantics. We've owned ours for years and, as far as I am concerned, it's a trailer tent.

Rachie_B

lol there really is a difference between TTs and FCs !

but hey you call yours what you like