Talk to me about folding campers/caravans

[MsMiaWallace]

We are torn between caravan & FC.
We don't have anywhere to to store caravan at home so leaning towards FC but if it was worth it we would pay for storage of a caravan.

We're a family of 5. Used to camping in a tent.

FC owners please tell me about yours.

Family of 4 here and have had a folding camper for over 5 years and adore it.

Pros: It fits on our drive as it is less than the space of a car, you can store some items in the cupboards in it all year round, it's easy to tow/move (my husband can shove it into place on his own if needed), it has effectively two double bedrooms that we use for the kids with curtains so we could put them to bed when they were younger and still stay up later (I have looked but can't find a caravan that would have the equivalent of three small double beds and separation for those wanting to go to sleep earlier), definitely get one with an awning to give you extra space to eat/ sit if it's wet, love having power to plug in lights/devices, a small fan heater on for half an hour is usually sufficient to keep it warm inside if wet outside, we have a fridge inside that's also got a small freezer so enough for meals for a good couple of days, there's space inside to store folding chairs alongside the water/waste water stuff so we keep everything packed in there so it's ready to go, relatively simple and easy to put up (simpler than a tent I'd say once you get the hang of it).

Advantages over a tent are that you're off the ground so warmer and less wet, more storage, more space to keep the camping stuff in the camper year round so you can just hook up and go, and easy electrics and a fridge.

Cons: it has a canvas roof so you do feel/hear it if the weather is bad, we've had to abandon one holiday early as it was miserable, you do need to ensure that it's dried out like a tent before putting away for long periods (so extra work when you come home if you've had to put it away wet), we have extra curtains (ours was second hand and came with them) but it is relatively light inside on summer evenings (if you've got kids who need a darkened room to sleep you'd have to keep them up a bit later), ours is an old second hand model so doesn't have a toilet inside but we make do by going to caravanning and motorhome sites with toilet blocks (and playgrounds!) And had a small toilet tent for the awning when the kids were small.

Very cost effective as we'd not manage to afford a big enough caravan to be comfortable and store it most of the year.

Ask me any other questions!

We have that doesn’t have conventional canvas. The roof and walls are a double layer of PVC fabric with foam insulation sandwiched between.

It means that it stays cooler in summer and warmer in winter. It’s darker inside too which can be good or bad. There is also heating so it can be used comfortably year round. Another advantage is that PVC doesn’t rot, so drying it after packing up wet isn’t so critical.

Agree that an awning is essential for longer stays. We don’t always put ours up, if we are only staying a night or two.

Check that the beds are long enough for the tallest adults. Some of the ones we looked at were only 5’ 10” long.

Would you be comfortable travelling to the continent with it?

Also is it better than a tent in bad weather?

We haven't taken the camper abroard but I would if I could be sure the power connections would work - we've not looked into it though but assuming it should be relatively easy as caravans have the same type of hook up and they clearly make it work. We've driven it quite long distances in the UK and the only disadvantage over a caravan would probably be that if you need the loo during the journey you need to stop at a services but a caravan you can pull up in a layby and use your own facilities.

Yes - I much prefer the folding camper to a tent in bad weather (and we've experienced some shockers). You're off the ground and we've never had a problem with water coming in. And the electrics means we usually have a small fan heater going which is sufficient to keep the whole camper warm. As we're canvas you do hear the wind though but it's quite thick and two layers in most places so quite comfortable. You used to be able to visit some showrooms with examples of campers and folding campers so you can take a look before you buy. We did this and then found a second hand one with everything we needed.

I’d have no worries about travelling on the continent. Getting replacement gas cylinders can be a problem. Calor is the most popular type in the UK but unobtainable abroad. We haven’t used them yet, but we have a spare pair of Camping Gaz cylinders to get round that problem. You also need an additional insurance green card for the trailer. Make sure you have a spare wheel for the trailer.

In my opinion it is far better than a tent in bad weather. It is a lot warmer for a start and doesn’t flap about and distort in the wind like some modern tents do. We have used ours comfortably in below zero temperatures. There’s carpet under your feet when you get out of bed and the floor isn’t lumpy. Ours has blown air gas heating so we aren’t reliant on an electric hook up. We have one but we rarely use it. Power is from a leisure battery charged by the car while towing or solar while pitched.

Okay, I love talking about my FC so you don't need to ask twice!

We bought a 1998 Pennine Sterling about 5 years ago, just to see if we liked the FC (we had tents before that). Fell in love with it, then just before the pandemic we replaced it with a newer Pennine Pathfinder as I fancied the mod cons such as an onboard toilet.

Absolutely love the folding camper. All the advantages of a tent (the lovely evocative zip noises, the sound of rain on the canvas, that 'fresh' smell in the morning) but the luxury of a caravan (beds, sofas, hot and cold running water, fridge, hob and oven, toilet and sink!).

I'm not as experienced with caravans I'm afraid but when I looked at them I couldn't see any that had two double beds permanently fixed. If anyone wants a nap during the day they can, without disrupting the seating areas. We make the sofa into a third double if needed, so the camper takes a family of five (including three teenagers) with ease. Our awning is the same size as the camper itself so when we put it up it doubles our available living room, but the added advantage over a caravan is that the front canvas 'wall' of the camper body zips down, so you effectively can make one big room of the camper and the awning by doing so - feels VERY roomy and decadent.

We keep ours in our garage, we wouldn't be able to store a caravan at home. As a pp said, quite easy to push around manually but I might get a motor mover at some point. Towing is a breeze but I've never towed a caravan so I can't compare. And I've never taken it to the continent but lots of people do (and I plan to, one day) and I understand the ferry charges are cheaper than a caravan....?

Totally recommend it. 100%. You could always do what I did - buy an old battered one (although it was totally serviceable and is still going strong today, I gave it to a family member!) to see if you like it first.

I understand the ferry charges are cheaper than a caravan....?

That depends. In my experience, you get charged by overall length.

We're going to look at one today!
It's an old model (98 Conway Countryman) but looks lovely on the pics. Comes with awning etc.

Had one for over 10 years and absolutely loved it- when ex and I split up I think I was more upset at having to sell the FC!. So easy to tow, put everything in it before travelling so virtually nothing in the car except for children's 'stuff' for travelling. The big advantage is that if you arrive late or can't be bothered to put the awning up, you can still put the beds up and get to sleep. Never had one with a toilet as I knew who would have to empty it!

Big downside is having to have somewhere to 'air' it and pack/unpack especially if the weather is a bit damp but you would need to do the same with a caravan awning anyway.

I bought myself a Conway Countryman 2003 a few months ago - its lightweight enough for me to deal with on my own if I want to go away by myself but easily sleeps two adults. If I had younger children I would go for a slightly bigger FC that has the living area along the width of the camper rather than up the length like the Countryman. It gives more space to play on damp days but will inevitably be bigger and heavier and need a bigger car to tow. .

We had one - a Penine Pullman. Bloody lovely. We never cooked inside but had a camping cooker in the awning. Husband and me had the doubles each. Kids had their own tents. We went abroad a lot. Putting up was easy but the awning was a killer. Very heavy and my husband is completely fastidious about setting it up and that made things a bit stressful. We put up a shower curtain in the awning and bought a proper flush thetford loo - great for night time wees. Put memory foam topper on the mattresses.

Down sides - packing up or setting up when wet and we did have to cut holidays short. Because everything is packed inside you have no where to put the stuff except the car when sheeting down with rain. Likewise wet canvas.... canvas is also heavy and as I say, the awning nearly finished us off on more than one occasion. It is a lso really easy to overpack inside and thinking about it now, we think it was probs over the weight limit.

We loved it and it was fab to tow. We did store ours elsewhere. We've moved on to caravans now but still love seeing a 'Polly' put up. The more modern ones have fibreglass poles for the awning and aren't canvas so are a bit more flexible with weather. Also, we found it too much faff to just go somewhere one night or a weekend so if we went abroad we stayed over night in a chambres d'hote with big enough parking.

Well we are now the proud owners of a FC! It is fabulous! Can't wait to take her out! Just booked a site in August.