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As a family (wife, me, 2 kids age 10 &7), we for the most part use an older twin axle 19'  Bailey caravan for our holidays that we're very happy with.

However, particularly at half terms, when I try and get leave but my wife's working (plus some weekends), the caravan is sometimes just too much of a hassle to just fetch, pack up and zip off somewhere with the kids'. I was looking to get a campervan as a second car but of course these are quite expensive. We have a tent but 'Dad's' back isn't quite what it was, particularly in autumn/winter time on the floor! A friend suggested I look at used/older trailer tents etc. It's something I hadn;t considered before and looking on the internet and brochures they look perfect i.e. small enough when packed away to keep at home plus a bit more comfort than a tent. I was only really interested in the smaller one's as we'd keep the caravan for longer holidays and saw advertised a 'Dandy Dart'. I just wondered roughly how easy these are to put up and roughly how long it takes etc. I'm obviously used to sorting the caravan out and arguing when errecting the awning with my wife! Are these much more problematic and more to the point, would it be an achievable prospect for just me and the kids or do they require two adults to put up. Thanks for any help or suggestions about models to look at.

Regards.

Thanks for your helpful replies, I'm very greatful. Would I be right in thinking folding campers are much easier than trailers tents or isn't there much in it. Another I've seen locally for sale for example is a Conway Classic Trio. Thanks.

I can't help but think that whether you're taking the van or a tt or a fc, the fetching, packing and hitching up time is going to be exactly the same? The crucial difference will be when you arrive, all you have to do is wind down the steadies of the van and you're set, rather than spend an hour or so erecting and setting up a tt or fc with awning.

A Conway Classic Trio would take two adults to erect it fully in that hour, btw. Solo you'd need longer and if the weather was poor forget doing it solo at all. These are big beasts, and I think you'd find than many owners of comparable sized TTs, myself included, keep them for longer holidays and use a smallish tent for weekends.

A CombiCamp now...that might be worth looking at. You can set up the main cabin of these in a couple of minutes. But frankly, if I'd spent several thousands of pounds on a caravan, I'd be using it as much as possible.

Quote: Originally posted by Jan P on 10/5/2008

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Not if the caravan is in storage Val and the folding camper on the drive.

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I was rather working on the assumption that if you didn't have space to keep a caravan on the drice, you wouldn't be keeping much else either?

Which brings me to another point...drying a TT or FC out after getting home from a wet trip. (Unless you've got a Dandy of course.) That also takes time, effort and some availible space.

There's also the camplet, I go on my own with my  kids girls 10 and 9 - as OH races on w/ends, so often we go ahead and set up (he on good thing there)!! he comes down on motorbike after all the work is done,  I find it no problem, also had an old trigano which I put up with the eldest,  was great but the awning did take time, the combi-camps look a good bet, and the Camplet is similar - check them all out, see which suits your needs best - bound to be pros n cons on all makes.  Good luck..