Trailer tent or folding camper?

[BG2015]

Looking ahead towards retirement in the next 3 years we are considering buying one of the above.

We have thought about caravan but our car is too small, plus motorhome - very expensive and tricky if you want to do site seeing.

So we've been investigating TT or folding campers. I think the folding campers would suit us better as I like the idea of the kitchen and sleeping areas being inside.

We're going to look around Camperlands in Manchester next weekend to get some ideas.

A TT has an awning so the kitchen is sort of inside.
The sleeping area was inside in our TT. I can’t think how it wouldn’t be, or what would be the purpose of the the TT?
Is there a caravan & camping place near you where you can go and view and sit inside each one? Mobility wise would putting a folding camper up be okay? Or the awning of a TT?

Both in our mid 50's so will manage fine putting it up (although I've heard divorce can be on the cards when adding awnings etc 😂).

Camperlands is a big unit that have loads of TT and camping stuff on display. It's not far from us in Manchester.

Yep. We were late 30’s doing our TT & awning & came close to murder on several occasions.
I would check out camperlands, sit/stand in them, ask for demo’s etc.

We have what I call a trailer tent but everything is inside. You don’t have to put up the awning. Perhaps it’s a folding camper.

I was going to suggest an opus camper but they only seem to have the air version nowadays and I preferred the poled version.

I’d go with a folding camper rather than a trailer tent, especially one with a wind up roof and sides as it can be pitched on any surface for overnight stops.

We also looked at folding and micro lite caravans but number one on my wish list was an old school dandy for the insulated walls which meant it would be better for year round use.

We had a folding camper with an inflatable awning that was really easy to put up!

I saw someone on a site with a remote controlled folding camper that looked great!

Friends of mine had something like this. Was amazing!

https://campersandleisure.co.uk/products/pennine-pathfinder-600tc?variant=43723722293493&utmcontent=blenddfeed&utmmedium=blend&utmmsource=google&currency=GBP&utmsource=google&utmmmedium=blend&utmcampaign=16971&gclid=CjwKCAjw44mlBhAQEiwAqP3eVqHDw8XitPVBPKOgsY9fnKQ6kdNsMTTUcmGG7OdBsDfRGJc4q8vG4xoCjjgQAvD_BwE

They had an extra awning on the front for more space but it was so clever. All collapsed down onto the trailer to put it away.

We had a trailer tent for years, but now our children are not children any more, we've gone for a campervan. Small enough for a car park space was our main criterion. Not a lot of space inside obviously, after the palatial dimensions of our trailer tent, but fine for the two of us.

number one on my wish list was an old school dandy for the insulated walls which meant it would be better for year round use.

That’s what we have. With heating and double glazing.

@Polis I’m very envious. They are just perfect!

Neither, as they are cold unless it is very warm. And putting up a trailer tent is really hard work specially if you are quite small.

Get a really small caravan, eg one of those pop top German ones, or a tiny Bailey, or a Basecamp and be so grateful for a warm dry bed, a heater and a loo in the middle of the night you don’t have to walk to.

You will extend your season to March to end of October and be comfortable all the time. And a small van does not need a big car to tow it.

Either go for a really good tent with really good air beds and sleeping bags or duvet or a very tiny caravan.
If you have decent camping equipment it’s much easier and not cold.
Ive not had a trailer tent but do know loads of people who have had them and don’t really use them. I have a caravan (old and shared with family) and old but good quality tent and camping equipment and camping is much easier. It would be easier still with an air tent. The caravan is quite literally a drag to drag round and as much hassle to set up as the tent!

Had a tent in the past so don't really want to do that again. Luckily we're both tall at 5' 10" so that's not a problem.

Also loads of folding campers have a toilet I believe.

@BG2015 Having had both, I would choose a folding camper every time. The convenience of having the cooker and fridge in the trailer bit cannot be over stated!! (didn't have an inside toilet so can't comment on that!) However, not all FC are equal! I purchased a 2002 Conway Countryman a couple of years ago and its nowhere near as comfortable as the 1998 pennine Sterling we had 2002-2015. Yes there is a size difference but the basics should be the same. Pennine was just more luxurious. There was something decidedly satisfying about sitting on the comfy bench seats clutching a warm cup of coffee whilst listening to the rain on the canvas

Having visited the CC show at the NEC in February however, I've decided to go for a teardrop caravan if I ever win the lottery!! The newest FC are vastly overpriced (imo!) and the mini caravan will be much easier for me on my own.

A folding camper doesn't need to be pegged out (unless you use the awning) so you can use hardstanding areas. You can't with a trailer tent.

We have a Penine Folding Camper. We have used it lots. Advantages are

1. Very quick to put up especially if you don't use awning which we don't half the time. 2) Its not cold because you leave a thermostat heater on all night if required. 3) It is easy to tow because you can see over the trailer. 4) Skirts go around the 2 fold out beds that give you a 'garage' while you are camping, good for bikes etc. 5) It is not heavy so you can manoeuvre it around by hand. 6) Due to their lightweight it can be towed by a small car! A Fiesta can tow up to 900kg! So overall we thoroughly recommend a folding camper! The Opus ones are very cool!

We had a trailer tent, still married but by god it tested us sometimes! I’d have preferred a folding camper but at 6’3” my husband couldn’t fit in any of the beds.

If we were retiring we’d get something like the swift basecamp caravan, v lightweight and almost the same layout as the Ford Transit camper we had pre-kids, but without the hassle of a camper van.

We went to Camperland in Manchester on Saturday and looked at trailer tents ( Camplet was good) and folding campers and definitely fell in love with the Pennine Countryman. We would buy a toilet though for night time wees. The Pennine Pathfinder has a toilet but we think it's too big for just the 2 of us.

Now to save and plan.

I’d have preferred a folding camper but at 6’3” my husband couldn’t fit in any of the beds.

My husband is 6’4” and hasn’t got a problem with the length in ours. The width could be better though. He is going to modify the bed to make it 5’ wide.

Perhaps we didn’t look at enough? Even in our trailer tent we had to make the bed bigger to fit him in, but as the two beds were so close to each other we made it one massive bed that we all slept on sideways (feet to the middle).

We’re back to normal tents now until I can convince DH into a small caravan once the girls have left home.

We had a folding camper. Loved it. We had a bed each - one at each end. Be aware though that overnight stops can be tricky because all your stuff is in it. Awning was divorce in a bag. Moved on to a small caravan. What about an Eriba caravan. Very trendy and lovely or a basecamp?

What's the towing limit of the car?
The Swift Basecamp is pretty light, and there are several others in the ultralight caravan market.

But what do you want to do? - folding camper/caravan or motorhome/camper have very different strengths and weaknesses. They're not directly interchangeable.