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The thread was about a trailer tent that had been erected wrong and the picture isn't available.  I don't have a folding camper anymore but I can't remember there being many welds on the bed support brackets, except a plate holding a bolt on which the arm swivelled on.  Its obviously not caused any problems or we would be hearing some stories.

Triganos are basic compared to pennines, but as toad 1 states camping is an outdoor hobby.  If I was going back to getting  a tt/fc I would go for  a camplet.  I haven't seen one in the flesh but they look well made, light and easy to erect.  It would be attractive to tow with my clio rather than my wife's disco.

Brian

IWhen the question is asked - how good should anything be engineered, the answer is good enough to do the job.  The Japanese are masters at it, ( albeit their strategies many years ago were founded on the advice of british and american quality engineers ).  Nothing should be made to unnecessarily close tolerances and if cheaper designs can do the same job then that is the best way to go.  This is the reason why so many things are put together with push-fit fastening rather than screws and bolts ( at least in mass production ). 

It is partly the problem with british caravans - the public buy the vans that have the best looks and equipment.  I suppose thats all part of the joy of ownership, but where German vans lag in equipment they excel in sound construction and lack of damp problems.

Brian

Quote: Originally posted by racletcharlie on 16/4/2009

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Well, as I say, I've never heard of any of them breaking, but the poles in between the centre ridge and the ridge at the camper end of each bed are removable, and held in place by white plastic end caps with a hook on. The hook goes through a white plastic cap on the side ridges, and the whole thing is held in place with a length of webbing with a popper on. Similarly, on the awning, the corner joints are not welded steel but molded plastic.

Probably fine, but not in my opinion a patch on the old conway ruddy-great-steel-bolt joints. Much fiddlier and slower to put up as well.

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For me, having the entire body of a camper and awning held together by nasty little plastic brackets with 'snap me' written all over them is a recipe for heartache in 10 years time.

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We bought an early/mid 80's Conway Cruiser 11 years ago to replace our Camplet (which was brown and beige), the Conway was brick and cream in colour (I thought at the time it was better than the brown and beige (how I hate that colour scheme - whatever pocessed Pennine to resurrect those colours).

The slide out system was very good, I seem to remember my husband bellowing the canvas just before sliding each bed out.  Must admit I was surprised when we decided to get another camper last summer that this system has been done away with - how times have changed.

After then going onto a caravan, then selling that and a few years later going to a tent, we are now back with a folding camper again.

BTW Pennine must have sold the 2008 colour well as they have kept it for 2009

or she says tongue in cheek "they still have a lot of the canvas left" (jan ducks and runs fast)