Trailer tents

[takemetocedarpoint]

We love camping and have a polycotton Vango Air tent (Vango Illusion TC 500). It's absolutely brilliant but takes up a lot of space in the car. One day I'd like to take our dog camping but with all the gear and the tent that's just not possible. I'm quite tempted by a trailer tent - ideally one of the ones that has a kitchen you can open out when you're on the road. I wondered if anyone else uses trailer tents and/or has any recommendations please? Having enjoyed polycotton (so much cooler in the summer), I think we'd want a similar fabric. One day we'd like a motorhome but that's out of our budget for now so I thought a trailer tent might be a good interim step.

Wrote a long post and lost it so short version is:

They are great and can be picked up cheaply as have been made for years

They are really light weight so shouldn't be an issue for most cars to tow.

You obviously need a tow bar, these can actually get expensive (more than I thought), but we went for a detachable one so we could remove when not towing. Make sure it deactivates the rear parking sensors etc.

Find the layout that works for you. Ours had 2 large king size beds which was great for 2 adults, 2 children and large dog.

The awning was huge on ours so we practiced putting it up at home and colour coded the poles so we could remember how to do it.

We bought and then sold ours on eBay. Find a local one and inspect it, you want to make sure all the internal fabrics have been kept dry.

We loved ours but changed for a caravan after a few years for an easier life and all year holidays

Trailer tents are great, they are also a great place to store camping stuff when not in use. Just be careful of rodents when storing.

One notable thing is If you passed your driving test after 1997 the weight situation and towing gets a little more complicated. But trailer tents are lighter so it shouldn’t be an issue really - with the caravan sale boom I’m not sure how widely this is known as it affects them more than trailer tents.

We had a trailer tent which was brilliant when up but took a long time to put down. We loved the canvas though so sold it & bought a bell tent, which we love bit is massive. That wasn’t a problem when we had a van to take it in, but we’re now car based so our next plan is to get a camping trailer to put it all in!

Had one - great until you have to fold it up with wet canvas, and you don’t have enough room at home to open it up to dry out.
Other than that - great to use and easy to tow. Initially they do take a while to set up, but you do get quicker with practice. Best nights sleep!

We bought a Raclet Safari last year and have since acquired a dog. We managed to get all dog related additions in comfortably. It has two king size beds and a cooker/sink unit. It’s mostly canvas and cooled down very quickly last week. We’re very pleased with it.

We're on our second trailer tent - our first was a Trigano Randger 415 (£300 on ebay) which was massive inside - fully two king size beds and loads of storage. We sold it for the same again, but only as the awning was a bit tricky due to its age. We now have a Trigano Galleon, again bought on ebay which has a smaller trailer part, but came with three awnings and so a potentially massive footprint. Very easy to put up, easy to tow, and the polycotton does make it cool and storm resistant

Thanks so much for the helpful replies. DH wants us to save for a camper van or motorhome instead - we both agree that this is the ultimate aim. We also have a very good tent already. It is quick to put up, slightly harder to take down. It’s just that we tend to take so much stuff camping and I wondered if a trailer tent would simplify things. We had a Conway when I was growing up and it was good but I seem to recall it taking ages to put up. Lots to think about!

you can take a dog tent camping....but you have to be ruthless about stuff!
I had started downsizing all my camping gear ... then got a dog :) so am upsizing again! .... so have now got roof box (soft one so easy to store) but downsizing our kit is paying off... dog crate/tent/sleeping/kitchen stuff goes in the car - everything else in the roof box ... its tricky and am still trying to work out windbreak as the compact ones are rubbish...we have got tarp in main space and picnic rug under crate which is by the tent door so the dog is not around the tent if yswim- only goes in to sleep at night..and the area he walks is covered in multiple layers so doesnt affect the groundsheet..

DH wants us to save for a camper van or motorhome instead

I know somebody who has just bought a trailer tent to tow behind their camper van. More room and easier to keep your pitch at the site when going out for the day or popping to the shops.