Has anyone ...........

[Parksy]

Has anyone owned a trailer tent?
Are they ok when erected and the wind picks up?
This is nothing to do with caravans which is why I used this message board.
My eldest son, daughter in law and granddaughter used a family tent for holidays here.
They are just about to move into their new home as first time buyers, so money has been a bit tight after paying their deposit and other fees.
They took their tent to a site in Perranporth recently but very high winds more or less destroyed it and they had to pay to holiday in a static caravan instead.
With this in mind I've bought a used trailer tent for them which I'm collecting in the morning.
The couple who are selling it have included every possible accessory that a newbie could ever need because they're giving up camping, they assure me that the trailer tent has no leaks or damp and my son will be able to tow it with his Fiat Grande Punto 1.3
If it's ok in windy conditions, for me, job done!
For my son's little family, holidays sorted until the expensive time is over.

 

[Icaru5]

Hi Parksy,

Is it a trailer tent, or a folding camper ?

 

[Parksy]

A trailer tent - I think 😳
The tent bit is part of the trailer and it all unfolds to give a double bed each side off the ground with the floor of the trailer making a sort of central corridor. A separate awning attaches to the front to provide more living space

 

[Icaru5]

Congrats ! ... You’ve actually bought yourself a folding camper. Most likely a Pennine or possibly a Conway ?

Fantastic things, we had a Pennine Pullman before taking the plunge and buying a new van.

 

[Gagakev]

Parksy, I would have asked my daughter for you, she has had one, well apparently according to icuru5 it's a folding camper for over two and a half years BUT she has never used it!!!
So I wont ask her

 

[Beehpee]

We had a trailer tent before we changed to a caravan, it was great, comfortable to sleep, cook etc etc, we just simply wanted more home comforts, a little bit of hard work erecting it, probably not much more hard work than a full size awning with annexe.

BP

 

[Icaru5]

We had a trailer tent before we changed to a caravan, it was great, comfortable to sleep, cook etc etc, we just simply wanted more home comforts, a little bit of hard work erecting it, probably not much more hard work than a full size awning with annexe.

BP

A folding camper really is completely different though, and takes closer to seconds rather than minutes to erect. Unless of course you choose to erect the optional awning.

 

[Parksy]

This one that I've agreed to buy (subject to it being as described) is a Conway Clipper.
My son and daughter in law are both young and strong enough to be able to erect it if it's a bit of a faff, it's an old one but according to the seller it's well looked after and in good condition with fairly new tyres.
He's getting rid of everything, TV, aerial, table,chairs, new melamine 4 places dinner service, water carrier and waste water hog, toilet tent, he's even included a box of scrabble all for six hundred and fifty quid 😊

 

[Mandarin]

Back to the OPs question, we had one many years ago and it survived a gale when tents were destroyed, that said we had to nurse it right through the gale, checking everything regularly, extra long guy ropes etc. With the extension up it was essentially like a frame tent in a wind.

Many of those in tents went out for the day and came back to find nothing left.

(Right now we're sitting in a caravan with 40 mph winds and the awning up, its OK but some of the pegs are working loose every now and again, we have storm straps on, extra guy ropes and the car parked upwind for a bit of shelter)

 

[Ferrodo]

We have owned both a trailer tent and a folding camper. Both were exceptionally comfortable and withstood all sorts of horrible weather without issue in the slightest. Having said that it will, of course, depend on how well you erect them. The pain in the bum concerning either of them was the size and weight of the awning. If the owners are fit and able then not a big problem. From pulling up on site to opening the first beer was about two hours for the trailer tent and an hour for the folding camper. Other major problem is packing away when wet. You need the space at home to erect to dry out or you will end up with mouldy canvas and a destroyed unit. Not so with the modern materials but traditional canvas is very fussy when put away wet.
We loved both of our units but now we don’t have to worry about the weather on arrival and departure.
F

 

[Beachball]

This one that I've agreed to buy (subject to it being as described) is a Conway Clipper.
My son and daughter in law are both young and strong enough to be able to erect it if it's a bit of a faff, it's an old one but according to the seller it's well looked after and in good condition with fairly new tyres.
He's getting rid of everything, TV, aerial, table,chairs, new melamine 4 places dinner service, water carrier and waste water hog, toilet tent, he's even included a box of scrabble all for six hundred and fifty quid 😊

Hi Parksy i hope it everything for your son and daughter in law to handle and serve them many years to come .

 

[audiorob]

The Conways were set up as you have described, the '2 lids' opening up to rest on drop down legs to form the bed bases, with the main frame poles opening out like 2 pram hoods as the 'lids' are lifted into place. From my recollection the advantage of the Conway was that the canvas was not connected to the outer edge of the bases, so the bed inners did not sit against the outer canvas when it was pegged out. You might well find that the awning and main body is a single canvas, so erecting the tent you get the body up, then attach the poles (front legs half up) by hooking the ends into holes on the main frame corners, then draw canvas off the main roof over the poles before fully raising the legs. The XL model had a kitchen unit that clipped onto the rear of the trailer when towing and could be lifted off to set up in the awning space. The 'corner steadies' were drop-down square tubes with a screwed wheel to stay in place at the correct height. Likewise the bed legs had extending poles and 'clippers' to pop out to set the bed bases more or less horizontal. There are several images if you google Conway Clipper and open images.
We previously had 2 trailer tents before our first caravan and a small Pennine Countryman camper in between 'vans.

 

[Parksy]

Thanks everyone for the replies.
I've collected the folding camper and every accessory anybody could wish for and then some!
It towed really well from North Wales back to the Midlands and it has the kitchen unit clipped onto the rear as described by Audiorob.
My eldest son, daughter in law and granddaughter are very excited and can't wait to try the camper out.
All I have to do now is to get a towbar and 12n fitted to my son's car before I go on holiday next week, I've had a quote and have asked a local towbar fitting firm to order the towbar so that they can have a couple of weekends away before winter.

 

[Mel]

Our entry to caravanning was a trailer tent. Also a Conway, a Conway Canterbury. Massive heavy beggar and took a while to put the whole thing up. Putting it up when windy was a swine and once in Cromer the thing would have blown away had half the site not run to our aid. Once up however it was pretty solid and did OK in strong winds ( although everything will have its limits). We had lots of good holidays in it when the kids were young.
hope they enjoy
mel

 

[Parksy]

Our entry to caravanning was a trailer tent. Also a Conway, a Conway Canterbury. Massive heavy beggar and took a while to put the whole thing up. Putting it up when windy was a swine and once in Cromer the thing would have blown away had half the site not run to our aid. Once up however it was pretty solid and did OK in strong winds ( although everything will have its limits). We had lots of good holidays in it when the kids were young.
hope they enjoy
mel

The one I collected today isn't very heavy, I can manoeuvre it on my drive by hand myself.
My son has already been checking out campsites so I'm sure they'll enjoy it Mel

 

[Marsh Harrier]

I had the Conway Deluxe (well it was in 1980 when my parents brought it). The deluxe side of it, was the trailer floor had carpet, and it also have the removable kitchen unit that clipped onto the end of the trailer, with the towing lights on. And free standing while in use. I inherited the trailer tent when my mum seconded to dementia, and spent many happy years camping with my kids in the New Forest.

With the Deluxe, you didn't have erect the whole tent, the trailer part had its own separate canvas with foot or so over hang, so that you could store the stand alone kitchen unit if you wanted to travel light, the living are zipped on to this, the poles for the awing area were hooked into the frame of the trailer.

It survived all sorts of weather, major gales etc without any real problems, if we knew the wind was going to get up, we'd would tie spare guy rope onto the frame inside, and peg the frame down to stop it jumping, as this is the major cause of damage to tents when the wind is up. More often than not the frame jumps and buckles a leg, then all hell lets loose with the canvas.

And boy was it water tight, I never reproofed the canvas, and I can't remember my parents reproofing either, but at almost 30 years old, it still looked good slight fading to the roof of the tent, that was about it.

Yes some hairy moments over the years, but never any wind damage.

 

[Buckman]

We also used a trailer tent as an introduction and what a hassle setting it up, but this was over 40 years ago and we were totally newbies. Used it a couple of times, had great fun when away and then sold it.

 

[Dustydog]

Many many years ago I had a NR Nimrod trailer tent .Made in Poland with hydraulic brakes! Solid as a rock frame and canvas. Never had a problem in winds. They still crop up on eBay from time to time. Well made , four berth with internal bedroom liners etc.

 

[Parksy]

Many many years ago I had a NR Nimrod trailer tent .Made in Poland with hydraulic brakes! Solid as a rock frame and canvas. Never had a problem in winds. They still crop up on eBay from time to time. Well made , four berth with internal bedroom liners etc.

You never know DD, my son, daughter in law and granddaughter might come to a Woosiefest one day 😊

 

[otherclive]

Many many years ago I had a NR Nimrod trailer tent .Made in Poland with hydraulic brakes! Solid as a rock frame and canvas. Never had a problem in winds. They still crop up on eBay from time to time. Well made , four berth with internal bedroom liners etc.

Remember having an NR full-size awning which although quite heavy was excellent quality.