BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?

Subject: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 11:22 AM

My lovely old two berth caravan has finally reached the end of its usable life and I'm faced with the option of scrapping it and buying something else.

Being a solo camper it occurred to me that a trailer tent might be worth considering. Might there be anyone out there who has any experience of such units?

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: GUEST,Rapparee
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 12:10 PM

Depends on where you're going to be. Out where I am I wouldn't have anything except a hard side -- we got grizzly and black bears.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 12:16 PM

I had a great one, Fred, and used it on my own to great effect a Fylde a couple of times. It was not dear as I got it second hand - £100-ish rings a bell. It was by no means top-class but it certainly did me proud.

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 12:29 PM

Putting a trailer tent up on your own could prove to be very difficult, certainly the one I had was at least a two-person job to erect and it was easier with three people !

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: selby
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 12:46 PM

obviously depends which one you fancy we had a Conway although do able with one person it was hard graft but once up excellent in all aspects again taking down do able with one but hard work this is on a windless day definitely a two man job in the wind and the rain.

There is one but i can't remember who made it you just unclipped the top, hinged it out and it was a complete tent I have seen these up and they look easy.

A roam round a festival campsite would yield loads of answers and ideas

Keith

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 01:34 PM

Most trailer tents are HUGE once up and far too big to be necessary for a mostly solo camper. They usually have a double bed in each end's fold-out and a couple of inner tent sleeping compartments that go under the fold-outs. Also the flexible fabric is inherently shorter-life than a hardtop caravan. And if you put it down in the rain you may need to put it up again later to dry out (or rot).

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Rapparee
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 02:28 PM

We had one when we were first married, but gave it to my brother after four or five years. It worked, it did what it was designed for, and that was all you could ask of it.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 02:51 PM

I had no problem with my erection! Or subsequent folding. Maybe it was the tent but I cannot remember the make - Sorry. Wheel it to the spot. Drop down the corner legs so it is stable. Unclip the the edge and it cantilevered out with little effort. A bit heavy but well within my limited capabilities. I suppose the lesson is try before you buy.

I concur with Richards points though - It was used as a 2 adult and 2 child tent often. On my own I could have a dance on the sleeping platform! The fabric did eventualy rot but for what I paid it lasted long enough.

If either things are a worry how about a Folding Caravan? Seems to tick the hardtop and ease of assembly issues.

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 02:53 PM

...just seen the prices though! Get what you pay for I suppose.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Bobert
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 03:18 PM

There is a wonderful little fiberglass camper called a Scamp... No, it's not a "pop-up" tent variety but at 13 feet long and a little over a 1000 pounds it's as easy to tow as a pop-up and there is no canvas to rot...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: selby
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 03:21 PM

Tents are now a good option we have one 3 poles 17 pegs and its up in less than 10 mins we have folding aluminium camping beds to lift us off the floor and it all goes in a Ford Fiesta

Keith

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 03:33 PM

Out where I am I wouldn't have anything except a hard side -- we got grizzly and black bears.

Then don't buy a Casita brand trailer. I recently witnessed a Casita's door being impaled by the end of a split-rail fence when the driver approached the entrance into a camping area at the wrong angle. Wanna know what the door's made of? Two thin sheets of plastic and a Styrofoam core. Ol' Grizz'd slice through one of them like it was room temperature butter.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Rapparee
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 04:52 PM

In bear country you keep the door closed and lock the food in your car's trunk (boot for you Other People). It's the smell that attracts them. Bears generally won't bother a hard-side, especially if you slip some bacon under the tent of the noisy, drunken louts next door.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 05:10 PM

Them Scamps look good but they seem to be in the US - I believe Fred is in the UK. Well, Liverpool, which is nearly the UK...

Dave the ex-Mancunian Gnome ducking and running.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 05:45 PM

Those pop up caravans look temptimg, but after I have paid for one, had the tow bar fitted and paid a storage company for when I not using it I don't think there will be the cash left over for the festivals that I want it for. Back to the tent!

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: kendall
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 05:54 PM

Damn the pop ups. you couldn't give me one. The cable that raises the top broke, it was less than tight so the mosquitoes nearly carried us off. In rain they are damp and musty, and if you touch the canvas top it lets water in.
What Bobert said.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 06:06 PM

Ah well. Plan B it is then I guess. Try a trailer to see if you can erect it easily. If not I would also recommend the 3 pole tunnel that I think someone else recommended. I have one and can erect it myself in half an hour or so. Pitches all in one go with bedroom (2 in my case - it's a big un) ready attached. Easy to stand up and move around in and not too heavy to lug in and out of the boot. I think mine is this one but I got mine from Macro last year - £120 for the tent and separate porch/canopy area which doubles the size. Good luck with whatever you chose.

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 07:40 PM

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Freedom-Microlite-Caravan-/221240707098?pt=UK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes&hash=item3382f9481a

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/teardrop-pod-caravan-/200935619989?pt=UK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes&hash=item2ec8b23d95

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Little Robyn
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 09:34 PM

We have an old Campomatic - a fold out thing like a tent on wheels, with aging canvas but in Australia they have a more solid fold down A frame thing called an Avan.
I've seen inside one, here in NZ, and it's a lovely wee thing.
When I win the LOTTO......
Robyn

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 09:52 PM

We used a Jayco something like THESE for about ten years, and it was quite satisfactory for our annual festival trip. (Note that the ones at the link are quite a bit fancified over what we had 20 years ago.)

The biggest problem with setup comes when people try to use the stabilizer jacks to level the trailer. That bends the floor and nothing fits and nothing works. You need to carry a couple of leveling boards to put under the tires to get side-to-side level, then use the tongue jack to get fore and aft level, and then put down the stabilizers so it doesn't wiggle when you get in. We've seen a lot of "bent trailers" from trying to "jack it straight."

Canvas has a maximum useful life of about ten years at best, and perhaps less if it's left up more often and/or longer than our month per year or if it's stored even a little bit damp. Consider the canvas condition - and examine carefully - if you're looking at a used trailer.

Being somewhat of a "putterer" I did lots of off-season "maintenance" and found that every time I opened up to do something it rained. The canvas must be dry before you fold up or mildew (here) will destroy it in short order. You can fold up to go home, but need a place to open back up and clean/dry the rags soon, before storing. Lots of the newer "pop ups" come with electric "lifts" for running the top up and down. That would be a convenience, but I never had any trouble with the hand crank (only 64 turns either way, but I did take a break half-way sometimes going up).

"Security" is about like a tent when it's open, so if bears or vandals are a consideration you're probably better off with a hard-side.

We reached the point where the canvas was getting "weak" and the refrigerator failed ($1,300 for new replacement, or $700 for a "kit" and a lot of work - a dozen years ago.)

(In a small camper with a "short stack" vapor cycle reefer, getting absolutely level is critical for the life of the refrigerator. They can die in a couple of days of major off-plumb operation. A "half-bubble" on the level was my usual rule, although the handbooks say "one bubble" and we got about normal life.)

The mini hard-sided ones are cute and useful, but a serious look at layout is recommended. In many of these you have to remove the dining room table to get on the potty, and then "eat in the outhouse" when you replace the table and sit down to dinner. Some of these also have the only "cook stove" outside, under a small "awning" at the rear, which is fine in a little drizzle but miserable for cooking in the wind and rain(?). Lots of them have only an "outside shower" that's good enough unless some of your fellow campers are "overly modest" - and/or you camp in crowded sites where there might be too many oglers for comfort.

Even with a small trailer it's best to check the "rated tow capacity" of every vehicle you might use to tow it. One recent Dodge Ram with a gazillion horsepower engine ("the biggest you can get") listed rated tow capacity as ZERO, so don't just guess if there's any question. (But if it's close, you can probably ignore it (+50%? and go a little slower for a small trailer) - when you hit the road unless you're going on a long trip.) Note that mfrs generally show empty weight and you'll want food and water and "gear" onboard when you use it, so make allowances to get to what you'll actually be towing.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 18 Jun 13 - 11:21 PM

I used a big old canvas tent at some festivals. When the cloth eventually rotted, I decided motels worked pretty well. By then I wasn't in to the all night jamming and air conditioning and showers looked pretty good.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 19 Jun 13 - 04:55 AM

John, the UK is MUCH tougher than the US on towing weight limits. And PC plod does patrol. One year I remember they were taking EVERY caravan (you I think call them "trailers" - we use that term for a non habitable towable thing usually used for taking rubbish to the tip) off the road (M3) to a motorway service station and inspecting them.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 19 Jun 13 - 05:55 AM

You have to go with the rules that apply where you're going, so no argument about the inspections. I would expect that if there is enforcement of small towed loads the makers there would be more likely to specify a "loaded weight" (MGVW). That's something that US manufacturers almost never do, at least in the advertisements.

Here, a "trailer" is anything you drag behind a vehicle.

The foldable ones like in my link up above are called "tent trailers" or "Popup campers," although the terminology gets bent quite a bit depending on who's talking.

Another version, sometimes called a "Hi-Low" has hard half-walls that overlap when the top is lowered and make a more or less solid wall when cranked up. These often combine the worst of everything by having canvas walls on "slide-outs" that move the bunks out of the "living room" when you set them up.

The Scamp and Casita are similar, and usually just refered to by the brand names. Sort of "bubble shaped" small units. They can have "luxurious" accomodations inside, but due to the small size you may have to toss one luxury out the front door to take advantage of a different one. Designed, perhaps, to evoke the "Airstream" concept that was popular in the 40s and 50s, but the Airstream is a full sized "Camper."

A very few of the "A-Frame" foldables, mentioned above, have been seen here, but so far as I've seen none of them seem to have come back the next year. I haven't talked to any of the users to see what they have to say about them.

I suspect (with little evidence) that the variety of common rigs available in the US (most of which you can get in Canada as well) is probably a lot broader than what's seen in the UK; but it should be possible to find pretty nice ones almost anywhere. the main decision needed is whether the one you can find does what you want it to do, when YOU use it.

It's also not surprising that enforcement is somewhat stricter elsewhere than around here. I see lots of rigs on the road here that scare me when I think about load factors and suspension stability. (And I've seen pieces of a couple of them in the ditches beside the road.)

John

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 19 Jun 13 - 06:38 AM

Sorry folks. I seem to have confused everyone mightily. First of all, I should have said that I'm domiciled in north west England, so grizzlies won't be a problem unless I decide to camp in the nearby safari park :-)

Also, I'd forgotten that Stateside folks use the term trailer to mean what we would call a caravan over here. By trailer tent, aka folding camper, I mean a tent that opens out of a trailer. By trailer, I mean something which is designed to be towed behind a car and, were it not for the tent, would look like something you might use to cart rubbish to the rubbish dump. For a clearer idea http://www.rvsales.co.uk/?frameload=http://www.rvsales.co.uk/rvs/trailertents.asp .

Once again apologies. What was that Churchill said about the US and Britain being two nations seperated by a common language?

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: kendall
Date: 19 Jun 13 - 07:35 AM

In this part of the world, a caravan is a string of Camels used as pack animals.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 Jun 13 - 07:39 AM

See many of them in Maine, Kendall :-D

Dave

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Mr Happy
Date: 19 Jun 13 - 07:55 AM

or maybe try one of these http://www.365campingcaravanning.com/cvanstents.htm?

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: BrendanB
Date: 19 Jun 13 - 09:37 AM

I had a pennine trailer tent a long while ago. Easy to put up single handed and when you added the awning it was vast. I believe Pennine were bought out by Conway (or the other way round) but you can still get Pennine brand trailers.
They are fairly sophisticated now with 'fridge, cooker etc. built in. If I was in the market for one I would check out Pennine and Conway campers and then look for second -hand.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Joe Nicholson
Date: 19 Jun 13 - 11:05 AM

Mo and I had a Trailer tent for twenty years it was a Conway smashing just like a bungalow when erected, the only problem being we had no where to dry it if we had to take down wet.We re erected it all over the place to try and get it dry. We kept it in our garage but eventually the mice took bites out of the canvas and we had to give it up. We think they were wise mice telling us we were to old to camp

Joe Nicholson

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 19 Jun 13 - 03:30 PM

There are many folding camper trailers for sale. No experience with them.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 19 Jun 13 - 03:36 PM

The one Mr Happy linked is only a little bit bigger than the ones people here drag along behind their Harley.

When I started going to our big local festival (Winfield ca. 1983) everybody was in tents, with the exception of a few performers' tour buses and a couple of "old people" (migratory snowbirds) with self-propelled bus-sized campers. Gradual aging of the regulars has swapped the proportions so that now tents are becoming fairly rare, and almost everyone has some sort of towable or self-propelled. Fifth-wheel units up to about 60 ft long are common, and self-propelled units are occasionally a little bigger.

We recently sold our ten year old 21 ft trailer because it was "too big" for an old fart like me to manage, so we may have to start a reversal of the trend and go back to a tent - or just drive down at dusk and home in the morning, since our main interest was always the campground pickin'. (It's only about 100 miles (160 km) round trip.)

Lots of people assume that when you get older a "self-contained" facility will make camping easier. There's some merit to that argument, but hookup, towing, and maintenance present their own difficulties depending on "how you age" so it's not a clear choice in all cases.

(As a side note, tires on low-mileage vehicles rot at about the same rate as the canvas on a foldup, so at around ten years you'll probably need a full new set. Anything over about ten ft long (folded) probably has four wheels - and maybe a spare. If buying a used unit, be suspicious about how old the rubber is, since most dealers - and many private sellers - are less than fully open with the info.)

John

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Gurney
Date: 19 Jun 13 - 04:49 PM

My Dad once built a trailer that fitted inside a tent, as a bed-base! Removable tow-bar. The tent was a ridge type which he modified to allow the passage. They slept on a standard mattress in there!

Before I left England, they were advertising car-top tents that clamped onto a roof-rack. You would have to find a car that could support a roof-rack, of course.

I like the look of the campers that fit in the bed of a Ute/Pickup. One that fitted into a trailer (what are trailers called in America?) would give service in two capacities.

Hmmm.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 19 Jun 13 - 07:46 PM

Gurney -

In the US, anything that can be hooked up and unhooked to be dragged behind a tow vehicle is generally called a trailer. It's a very generic term that includes things towed by bicycles, motorcycles, tractors (farm and highway=semi-tractor), automobiles, trucks, and anything else they can be hooked up to. The key is that they can be unhooked.

Most trailers have wheels, but the term is used for special purpose things with skis (snow) or rarely skids (for mud). In general, anything that can be dragged behind and can be separated from what drags it. The only exception I can think of is that the term is seldom applied things towed behind a boat, where more specific terms are usually used (other boat, skier, idiot, fool ... etc)

A Google Image Search shows a fairly general variety of "US Trailers" although they mixed in a few clinkers.

(I'm not sure whether the hot(?) chick pulling a suitcase with wheels quite qualifies, but she's walking past a bigger trailer (trailer house?) in the background so that might be what they meant.)

The link does show a number of "campers/camping trailers" that have been mentioned in the thread.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: kendall
Date: 20 Jun 13 - 08:32 AM

Dave, we have caravans of a sort. Heavy haulers sometimes line up on the highways and jamb the CB radios with inane chatter.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: olddude
Date: 20 Jun 13 - 03:43 PM

I covered the entire southwest with one when my kids were small. I loved it. Every second of it and they are easy to setup and tear down and comfortable

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 20 Jun 13 - 04:24 PM

Ahhh - OK Kendall. No camels though? Except those in paper packets!

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: LilyFestre
Date: 20 Jun 13 - 04:31 PM

We have a pop up camper (Coleman) and are pleased with it. It's great for camping if you like to be outside most of the time.   It's small but great for a family on a budget. Putting it up is kind of a pain but one we can deal with. Some day when we're rich and famous, we'll have a big camper...course, then it's not REALLY camping then, is it? ;)

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 20 Jun 13 - 09:40 PM

The Ultimate Camper custom built, available now.

Unfortunately it would appear to have a minor drawback similar to the need to dry the canvas on your popup carefully before storage. In this case you need adequate and appropriate storage for your towing equipment, which should of course be clean and dry - and warm and well tended - for storage.

(Shipping cost to the UK is unknown.)

John

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Little Robyn
Date: 20 Jun 13 - 10:06 PM

Our one is a Camp-o-matic
but about 30 years older than the one in the pictures. Scroll down to the 7th pic to see inside - the mattress/bed is on the base of the trailer and the floor just folds over, dragging the canvas over to make a high roof. It can be put up or folded away by one strong male or two not-so-strong females but the canvas does get old and rotten after time.
It has served us well for many years and many Folk Festivals but it's getting past it now (and so are we).
Anyone want to buy a Campomatic with holes? It's in NZ - too far for you to collect it!
Robyn

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Mooh
Date: 21 Jun 13 - 07:14 AM

We put thousands of miles on a Coleman tent trailer, and for most of ten or twelve years it was used for at least 3 months. We left it up in the yard for the times it wasn't used camping. Not a single leak, no flat tires, 2 bearing replacements (small, and lots of heat). It withstood a wicked wind storm on Cape Breton Island a decade ago, but didn't survive a tornado here at home 2 years ago and was written off by our insurance company. It was simple and easy to erect with one hand (minds out of the gutter please), towed easily behind a minivan or small SUV, and I could carry a canoe on top with ease. I dearly miss the thing, insurance didn't cover enough to replace it. We used it as a guest house, extra bedroom, temporary storage room, kid's playhouse, and it seemed to be a favourite hide out of the dogs too.

Inexpensive (we bought ours used), cheap to maintain, comfortable and practical.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 21 Jun 13 - 08:36 AM

You've got me on a mission now Fred :-) This looks great, is small, easy to erect and is cheaper than most although still pricey if your budget is very tight -

The Tipi Trailer

The showroom is also nearby so, providd you don't mind driving to Manchester, you can have a look.

Cheers

Dave

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 21 Jun 13 - 10:40 AM

One of the minor things often overlooked when thinking about a camping trailer is that the vehicle you intend to use to tow the trailer will have to have an appropriate hitch that matches up with the load you intend to tow.

If you don't already have a hitch installed, you might want to discuss what you need for the trailer you have in mind with the seller (esp. if a dealer) and also with someone who installs hitches (some dealers do, others don't).

If you do have a hitch on the tow vehicle, you'll want to make sure you get something that the hitch is rated to tow, and that doesn't exceed the MTW* rating of the vehicle itself.

* MTW = Maximum Towed Weight

Even for a small (or very small) towed load, there are a number of factors that can be adjusted a little to make a lot of difference in how much fun you'll have running around with something tied onto your a**, although most things are standard enough that you can get by with the basics.

In the US, hitches are generally to SAE standards, while I believe the UK will probably follow ISO. As I'm not fully familiar with the ISO** variety, I'll leave it to the people affected to look up what they find of interest.

** Either place, there's also the NATO system/standards, but those are NOT RECOMMENDED for most expected uses with camping equipment.

Installing a hitch (coupler?) shouldn't be a major cost on most tow vehicles likely to be used for things discussed here, but could be enough to merit knowing at least approximately in advance what you might need - if you might need to change something.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Bettynh
Date: 21 Jun 13 - 11:01 AM

My parents wanted to travel in the 1980s, but Dad hated hotels and restaurants. After trying a popup tent trailer, they decided it was comfortable enough but dangerous to tow (one windswept drive was enough). They ended up with a shell that sat on a truck bed but was removable on stilts like these. It was supposedly light enough for a half-ton truck, but Dad decided after one season to mount it on a full-size truck. They happily visited every continental state except Alaska and Dad sold it for a good sum a few years after Mom died. Theirs had a double bed, table that dropped down to support a single bed, sink, stove, heater, and storage, but no bathroom or AC.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: redhorse
Date: 21 Jun 13 - 11:23 AM

Interesting point John.
USA and Europe have quite different attitude to tow hitches.

I used to work for a British car manufacturer that exports to USA. For Europe, towbar was always supplied with ISO 50mm ballhitch, standard height off ground, as all non agricultural trailers comply with this standard. For USA, towbar was always supplied without hitch: hitch was dealer fit to customer requirement.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 22 Jun 13 - 09:55 AM

Thanks for all the advice folks.

Dave your comments about the Tipi Trailer are particularly interesting. I could combine a look at one of those with a music or song session while I was in Manchester. Is the Beech singaround still going?

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: GUEST,Broadside Man without a cookie
Date: 22 Jun 13 - 02:28 PM

Hi

My wife and I have had a trailer tent a raclet if memory serves it was great but heavy to put up. We are now looking for something new and found this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRDShDD8nXE
It weighs 250kg and has a pay load of 250kg you can store it on its side for ease as well.

Not a salesman for these guys but they do look good.

Geoff

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 22 Jun 13 - 03:13 PM

Broadside Man. Thanks, it just gets cooler and cooler. Camp-let seem to be based at Camperlands, the same crowd who are selling the Tipi Trailer which Dave mentioned, and which is dead handy for the Beech singaround. If the Beech singaround is still going that is.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 22 Jun 13 - 03:33 PM

I believe the Beech is still going, Fred, but I am an expat Manc now - Living in Yorkshire. Les in C has summat to do with it I believe.

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: selby
Date: 22 Jun 13 - 04:26 PM

Thread creep DtG its nice to see lost souls from the dark side, find salvation in gods own county. :-)))))
Keith

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 22 Jun 13 - 07:56 PM

The Camp-Let that Broadside Man linked the erection video for is a sophisticated setup, but as with the many such sales pitches it shows how easy it is to put it up but omits any mention of how long it takes to get all the folding and tucking (& cleaning/drying, etc.) done when when you take it down.

It's not that it looks like there would be any particular difficulties, but when considering something of this complexity for purchase I've found it quite important to have all of the steps for everything necessary to go and get back home either demonstrated or at least fully described, especially for anyone without prior experience with something very similar.

The indicated 250 kg payload isn't a lot for most people who want the "comforts" that go with a trailer instead of just a tent, and I didn't see from the video where/how you would stow any payload, unless it just goes on top(?). The "payload" capacity is equiv to 60 US gallons or 49 gal Imperial of water, which is a little more water than you'd need but its a handy way of relating weight to volume for estimating purposes - - - but is it sufficient for both banjos that you'll want to take to the festival?

The storage on its side is a common idea, but experience shows that the third time it's rolled up onto the lower tire the user will have forgotten to check the inflation - which will always be low - and they'll pop the bead on that tire. Not necessarily a big deal, unless the tire is left "bent" long enough to take a set, in which case it may take explosives to reseat it - or just a new tire.

Not intending to be critical of this particular idea, but to caution against anyone being impulsively infatuated with a one-trick pony.

Check the teeth too.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 23 Jun 13 - 05:58 AM

John. The thing that struck me about that video was the ease with which he put the canvas up. Great if you're in a showroom but would it be quite that easy if there was a stiff wind blowing?

Having said that, I used to have a large chalet tent which I regularly put up on my own in some pretty adverse weather. In fact it only defeated me once and that was in a near gale in the Pennines.

Regarding storage, I wouldn't expect a lot in a trailer tent, but I've got a large Nissan X-trail with bags of boot space. So that may not be a problem.

But the only way to solve the conundrum is to go take a look at some of the units on offer, which I will be doing shortly.

Subject: RE: BS: Trailer Tent. Anyone used one?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 23 Jun 13 - 06:21 AM

No problem, Selby. But I am not finding salvation - I am doing missionary work :-) In fact, I said only the other day, if I could find a missionary position here...

:D tG