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Well, over the space of 12 years, the other half and I have had a small 3 man Sunncamp tent, then a Conway Cruiser folding camper, then an old Swift Rapide caravan and now finally back to tenting again in the shape of a Royal Toulouse.

Honest opinion ? We should never have sold the Conway for a caravan.

There are only 2 real downsides to a FC, both of which have been mentioned (stowing away wet and noise pollution).  But it's no great hardship to erect the unit again at home to dry for a few days. That's why I'd always pick a FC over a TT. As for the noise, we just didn't go back to the (few) sites where we had problems.

It is all down to your own personal preference at the end of the day..

We have gone from a rotten old millets Aframe to a carvan in 5 years. During this time we have had a Kyham XXL, Conway Camborne trailer tent and a Conway Crusader folding camper.  Each change has brought more comfort and benefits for us and our circumstances.

We moved to the Camborne to get "proper "head room. Very nice having beds off the ground.  With the tent being made of canvas none of that damp feeling we got with the Kyham.  The reasons we changed are:-

• needing to have the awning up for the kitchen and set up & take down time.
• Wife pregnant and me with RSI in hands and elbow made the awning very tough for me on my own.

The Crusader was great, a full oven, hot water and a toilet,  great for the kids in the dead of night.  This was nice and easy to tow and handle when on site.  I could shove it into position myself. We did not need the awning up for that "short weekend stay"  we could be set up in about 20 mins with kettle boiling.  The reasons we moved to a van are:

• Extend the season, we spent new year in it!
• Not having to worry about it raining on departure day.  That was always a stressful time for me, and the wife..
• Not wanting to have all the "logistics for a small army" in the back of the car. Being able to leave more in the van during the year means we can get away quicker.

I must admit the Crusader was nice and we had some great times in it.  The caravan gives us and our kids that bit more though.

What ever way you decide to do I do hope you enjoy it as we do or did.

Quote: Originally posted by JOHN BYRNE on 08/11/2004

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I DON'T THINK YOU CAN BEAT A RAPIDO EXPORTMATIC IF YOU CAN GET ONE

THE MAIN SHELL IS UP IN UNDER 10 MINUTES AND ALMOST EVERYTHING IS CARRIED IN THE TRAILER

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TT was my first camping experience.

Pros - really easy to tow and as cheap as chips to buy, sleep off the ground and really really spacious.

Cons - cold & draughty, living space in awning is wet in rainy weather, not through leaks through canvas, but through water running through awning on the ground :-( , hard work to errect and pack, nightmare if packed away wet, limited storage when travelling, no loo built in - pain in the a**s in middle of night with the kids lol!

So we tried a brand new conway cruiser fc. Pros - fairly easy to tow, not too expensive to buy, sleep in better beds off he ground but a bit cramped if awning not used, and not as draughty /cold as tt.

Cons - awning just as compromised in the UK rainy holiday season, still more than enough effort needed to get unit ready for a night stop, still a pain for clothes/food/kids stuff storage when travelling, just as noisey in the wind/rain etc that always happens when we go on holiday, still lots of work if packed away wet (needs opening to dry out asap or mildew will set in & the only cure for mildew is aparently paraffin and a match).

So then we tried a biggish 6 birth caravan. Pros -dry, warm and very well upholstered (uber comfy), well equipped unit. Loo & shower & oven & gas/electric for water and air heating, fixed bunks for kids, big fridge, double glazed windows and well insulated body for warmth and peace & quiet, loads  of storage while in transit etc etc.

Cons - a bit more effort and fuel to tow it, heavy so hard to push (motor mover cured this for us).

We liked the tt, enjoyed the fc and love our caravan! For us the caravan is more useable more of the time but remember, one mans poison is another mans pleasure - and vice versa!