Message Forums

Ok having upgraded from a trailer tent to a Camper thought i would add our thoughts - we wanted the space of the trailer tent and the off floor sleeping wothout the hassle of compulsory awning putting up that u get with a trailer tent and the time it takes - even though we have only been on 2 trips we can have the whole thing up and un packed in less than 2 hours - but the best bit is when you come home - on our first trip i made a list of all the things i could get double of that could live in the fc - like wash bag stuff, first aid kit pillows etc - 2nd trip everything was loaded so when we came home all we unpacked was clothes - whereas as the people in tents had cars rammed to the roof and think of all the un packing at the other end!!! 

Plus with the awning up on a wet day the kids can have the awning and we get the main bit!!!

We have just sold our f/c - a Conway Challenger. We bought it new last year& it has been a disappointment to us.

The Challenger is the smallest of the range & it is almost essential to use an awning as the floor space in the main unit is very small, no inner seats & table, the seating is the second bed arranged as a bench seat & it is rather high to sit on comfortably. The cooker & sink unit were great & we used a porta potti in the awning with one corner curtained off for privacy.

We found that from start to finish,it took us around 3 1/2 hours to both set up & pack away, not rushing and each with our own jobs. We decided that we were not prepared to put up with this at each end of our holidays plus the ever present worry of having to do it all in the rain.

I think we bought our f/c at the wrong time of our lives - both of us over 60, but I can see that with a family and with the help of growing children to do their bit, a f/c can be ideal, especially the larger ones that give more room inside.

We have now bought a small pop top caravan which we hope will fulfill our needs as we have learnt through a rather expensive mistake!

Hope that your decision works well for you.

You have to carry and heat every litre of water that goes through the shower,  and shift the waste, whereas you have to pay for the onsite facilities whether you use them or not.

And it is good to have a porta potti that will go anywhere, in the doorway over night, awning or seperate toilet tent, where you can quietly (or noisily) consider the state of the world and last night's beer and curry, free from the family and their activities.

You also save on weight and erection time.   

Hi

My wife and I both have health problems and after 30yrs of tenting it looked like we would have to quit.Then we discovered F/C's. Oh happy Days! We bought a Pennine Pathfinder last year and have never looked back.We can sit down and have a cuppa in about 30mins if we don't put the awning up and we only do that if staying more than a couple of days.So go on and enjoy

Dave