Fold out campers

[BG2015]

Retirement is looming and we are seriously thinking of buying a fold out camper.

We have done a bit of research. No tents. Done that and at
late 50's do need a bit of comfort. Prefer a fold out and not a trailer tent. Camper vans are great (we have hired one previously) but the issue of not having a car isn't ideal.

Not sure if a caravan is for us quite yet.

We've looked at the Pennine Fiesta and this seems to be coming out as the one we are drawn to. Second hand ones are coming out £5-8k which is within our budget.

Any experiences.

Only came across these recently and they look ok but are you still not in a glorified tent (although fixed to a trailer and with some solid fixtures & fittings) and therefore reliant on it being dry when you put it away or having to open it when you get home?

Is a caravan really not for you?
They are used by people of all ages and strike a good balance between practicality and affordability.

Personally we have a Moho and a car.

Yes! We bought a cheap 1998 Pennine Sterling nearly 10 years ago to see if we liked it, and then after a couple of years using it with our three children, upgraded a couple of years ago to a new Pathfinder (I really wanted the onboard toilet, which the Sterling lacked).

So, it’s brilliant and we love it. Unlike a caravan we can store it in the garage. It’s also really easy to tow.

We make up the beds with duvets and sheets rather than sleeping bags, and they’re really comfy - once I added a foam topper. Lots of room, lots of comfort. The fridge and toilet are great, the cooker’s pretty good but I do prefer cooking outside where possible. We have a heater but rarely use it, it’s mostly really snug inside even with cold weather.

We’re now around 50 and our children are pretty grown up so we’re going to do more camping as a couple. The kids rarely help anyway so it’s easy enough to put up with the two of us. If there were just the two of us we wouldn’t also need the awning necessarily, but we absolutely do when there’s more of us and the awning is the fiddliest thing to put up.

I DO sometimes look enviously at the caravans as I imagine they have a bit less faffing about when they get to site. But probably only a BIT less - actually folding it out is usually pretty quick, arranging the doors and furniture inside is not bad, it’s the awning and unpacking stuff out of your car into the camper that seems to take ages, both of which caravanners also have to do.

HTH!

@SisterImpera that's really helpful thank you.

My parents are in their 60s and have one of these. They splashed out in a brand new one with all the bells and whistles when they retired. They love it! It's very comfortable and has heating so also warm! My sister also has a more basic version which is also very nice.

When we all camp together everyone gravitates towards them! Haha

It is very heavy so they've had to attach one of those remote control wheel things that moves it on to the car and it's huge so you need to have somewhere to store it and a powerful enough car to tow it, but overall it's brilliant.

I'm a bit with the poster upthread that a folding camper has all the disadvantages of a tent in that you still need to set it up and fold it out/dry it out when wet, but also the disadvantages of a caravan that needs towing at a maximum of 60mph.

Following a similar conversation to yours, we bought a 2nd hand 2 berth caravan a couple of years ago after years of camping - following one holiday where it rained on every day we packed away the tent. I was
so fed up with trying to dry everything out and sitting in a wet tent is miserable and cold. It has been a game changer - comfortable bed (converts from the dining area), on board shower/loo, space to hang clothes (no more stuff-sacks!) and, most importantly, protection from the rain without that damp feeling you get in a tent. We have a small air beam awning which is a doddle to put up and which travels in the van over the axle: we also have a simple sunshade which we put up for a single night or if it's raining on arrival so we have a bit of protection from the elements when setting up.

I don't like the 'old person' connotations of caravans - would actually like a small Motorhome but sadly they're too £££ and dh dislikes the 'taking your bed to the supermarket' element, so the caravan is the best option for us.

A caravan would wipe out all of our savings which we need, so for us a fold out camper is the best option at the moment.

2nd hand caravans don't need to be expensive. Ours was £10k 2nd hand but you could easily find one within your budget eg. here. It would be older but that's often a good way in, to see if a caravan suits you without spending a fortune.

@stringbean wow that price has surprised me. Didn't realise you could get them so reasonably.

Need to research more now.

I'm also all for the caravan option. It gives you the warmth the space and the comfort you don't need to worry about drying things out and everything is in there ready for when you arrive on site.

www.stewartlongton.co.uk/caravans/northwest/lancashire/bailey-ranger-gt60-460-s6-cg527ac2e
This is really within your range.

If you got a fold-out, where would you park it when at home?
A "proper" caravan need not taken up a lot more space but even if you went for a much bigger one and did not have the space at home, you just put it into secure storage.

You can't get away from the fact that when away, a caravan is going to be warmer, drier and just more user friendly. Plus you can leave it practically fully loaded ready to go.

@BG2015 We had a Pennine Sterling when the children were younger and I loved it. The benefits of a caravan ie sleeping off the floor, facilities in the unit, comfy beds but still with the sound of rain on canvas and feeling of being outdoors! You can even get them with toilets and shower units inside these days. Had to sell ours when Ex and I split up but I bought an old 2002 Conway Countryman a couple of years ago thinking it would be easy for me on my own. It isn't so i've now got a Go Pod caravan but only because its only me in it! If I was holidaying with anyone else I would go for a more modern folding camper.
The benefits of the newer ones are the gas operated struts so they are much easier to open single handed than the old style. modern canvases are acrylic so lighter than the pre 2000 era when they were proper cotton canvases. Downside is they don't repair as easily!

You get so much room in a folding camper - you can set it up within 15 minutes, no pegs, for a short stay but then add an awning which will double your living space for longer trips. You get comfy seats and a table as well as two beds which can be left made up unlike most small caravans where you need to remove the bedding to use the seating area.
I don't like the idea of a toilet inside but am assured by people older than me that once you reach a certain age, the appeal of walking across a silent campsite at 3am to the toilet block reduces significantly and I would really appreciate an internal loo! Just keep it for night time wees only

Hello. We had a penine Pillman. Was lovely. Husband and I had a bed each. However, huge awning - brilliant but divorce making in set up. At the time our two sons came with us and it needed four of us to do the awning with husband who turns into a complete stress head (although bo awning has ever leaked or blown away). Another problem is setting down when wet. Ours was canvas which meant that if it was wet, we had to put it up again once home to dry out. Also, everpacks inside - it is like a jigsaw puzzle but it means stopping overnight is problematic especially if raining because you haven't anywhere except your car to put stuff that you don't need for an overnight- like the bloody awning. Once sons were too old to come with us and I was feeling less strong to heave it about, we went down the two berth caravan route. It was lovely and we kept her for a bit and have now got a fixed bed, rather lovely four berth with nice loo and shower room - a godsend during lockdown.

I loved the camper and it was brilliant but there are disadvantages to it. A smaller sized caravan plus small air awning would probs be better for you longer term.

We are in our early 50s, have a Trigano Mini Freestyle 290 and absolutely love it. We've had it just over 2 years now. We did loads of research and found this was exactly what we wanted. It has a canvas pop top, which when closed is lower than regular caravans. It fits in our single garage since total length is only 4.5m and width less than 2m. It still fits a washroom with toilet, sink and shower attachment, decent fridge, 2 ring hob, kitchen sink, water heater, heater, 2 cupboards and a dinette that converts to a double bed. You can get a 2021 used one here for £13995: www.threeshiresleisure.co.uk/used-trigano-caravans/