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Looking at the new brochure, they both look identical - except the Conways are blue and the Pennine's green inside.   They even both have the "Penn-matic" opening system.   I think Pennine bought out Conway some time ago.   I suspect they want to keep both Conway and Pennine brands as they are both well known.

My guess is that we'll see the "Conway Pennine" brand soon!

There are numerous threads on this if you do a search on this topic.  This is a only a personal opinion, and many will disagree, but I think there are more interesting and better value designs on the market.  Dealers can make a lot of money on them and they are the most common folding camper avaliable but I suggest that you have a really good look around and look at other models as well. Conway and peninne are the same manufactures now as one bought out the other.... apparently they have different opening systems.... Now am going to list some names and am ignoring the rather false folding camper/trailer tent boundary and stating just things that go up very easy with minimal fuss. Some are appointed like caravans with soft roofs(like Pennine jobbys others more tentish).

Other makes do some searches on them, trigano, Raclet, Combicamp, camplet, Raclet Quickstop, Dandy/Riva (indestructible), Commanche montana, Conway cardinal (no longer made but always thought those look great fun).  If Conway were to bring back a Cardinal I think that would be interesting.  Commanche montana worries me in some ways beacuse  you would have to deal with a very big company, Barons to buy new, I worry about big concerns as a customer you are very small fry generally.

To declare my colours I have a Dandy and I think it is brilliant because I can collapse it in a thunderstorm, put it away and get it out 2 months later and it is just fine.  Also the manufacters give customer care that is second to none. 

What is right for you will be individual to you but I do suggest that you look around carefully first.  Buying secondhand good move too, I have done that and you then get to know very quickly what suits you.... Good luck am sure you will be happy with whatever you purchase.

Hi read your comments with intrest, you sound like you know what your talking about ,wondered if you can advise us.

We are very new to camping and have two young children who think camping is fantastic.

We have been really impressed with the trailer tents we have seen and really would like to get one . However we do not know a thing about them we would really like a good quality second hand one and have been looking on e-bay . (can you help).

I think many more people are more expert than me Rosemary but over the past 2 years have researched this topic to an extent that would bore for England.  The bottom line is one man's meat is another's poisen it is very personal.

Main thing is to find out the disadvantages of units as well as advantages and compare it to a list of your wants.... Is drying out going to be a problem? How much money have you got to spend? Is easy pitching important to you?  What sort of layout do you like, some layouts with a couple you have to climb over each other to get to the loo at night.  Where are you going to store it? some are hardtopped better adapted to living outside.  Most cars can tow trailers but you do have to check weight of the unit against the towing capactiy of your car. What sort of tyres are on the unit?  Can you get spares? Camping and caravan club do a good leaflet on their website on how to choose etc... Start making visiting camping shops an interest and have a look. Be nosy on campsites most people are happy to tell you about their unit. On thing that worries me about some trailer tents in that very heavy kitchen they hang on the back of the trailer.... I think most men would need help to unhook and shift them.

I have a Dandy, (Riva), which suits me brilliantly because it is so easy in bad weather conditions.  In fact they are just brilliant.. full stop cause they are insulated so I can use then in winter as well as the summer. The manufacturers offer a very personal service and there is a very good and helpful club.(But then that is my bias). Since owning one my only problem has been a pop rivet hinge,  which was mended in 10 second flat with a pop rivet gun.  Riva sent me a replacement hinge free of charge (& they had not even sold me the unit). Oh and the old fashioned awnings from Riva ... are a pain.  The modern  new ones are fine.

For easy pitching, combicamp  or camplet dead easy but pricey new, they are probably the quickest pitching systems around although have seen a 2bed version by Trigano .... Raclet quickstop cheaper but not as well laid out. Problem with a combi is closing it wet as the inside will get get wet.

Look carefully at the seating arrangment in some campers because I notice in some that the foam where you put the seats up is not very well secured this means you could have uncomfortable gaps developing I would imagine in the middle of the night.

Please be careful on ebay many have successes with it but I found I could better deals in my local rag etc.  There is a false security about ebay always look before you buy.  There are many lovely units out there.... I would like a collection ....

Wow thanks for getting back so quickly, I am going to deal with the children get them off to bed and  absorb all this information which I really appreciate over a nice glass of wine and think about the things we really need from a trailer tent and I will get back to you.

Kind regards Rosemary

Hello again,

Had a chance to give it some thought and I love the idea of being able to put the TT away in bad weather , what would happen if you were unable to do this ?.

As for the cost I have no idea what you would expect to pay for a second hand one I would not be happy with something that needed repairs I would like it to have been well cared for.

I also like the idea of having the kitchen in the awning ,awnings and under beds included in the sale would be good and good insulation. Storage is not a problem or towing as we have a 4x4. What difference does the tyres make on the unit ?.

By tomorrow I would have thought of loads more question arr just thought of one how do you rate the Sunncamp make.

Look forward to your reply.

Rosemary

Rosemary, I am off tomorrow on holiday so last chance to post.  Can I say though there are lots of people on here with more experiance than me....

I have a Dandy where instead of canvas  you have an effectively a pvc wall with cavity wall insulation type material called thermobond.  By insulating the material you make it warm in the winter  and cool in the summer and also reduce any condensation.  The thing people worry about with Dandy's is the potential for condensation, owning one I have had more moisture from touching the inner of a canvas tent.  To be honest I worried but now I no longer bother to put up the roof liners because well not a need.  It also sports double glazed windows!! It was designed specifically for the English weather.

Layout is much like a conway or pennine. I have a second hand Dandy with old fashioned awning which is a pain. Have had extra zips put in it to see if that helps. many people buy standalone awnings or adapt a caravan awning. New Dandys can be seen on the Riva Leisure site........ There is an owners club and if you ask they can arrange for you to visit a meet.

People are always bias towards their own unit and often fail to see the drawbacks, I will have a bias... it is important that you listen to lots of people on this website all of which will have differing views and then decide what is right for you..... Good luck.

I did not welcome you to the website... Welcome.

If you don't mind me throwing my tuppence in. Last year we were looking for a FC. We looked at the Triano Ranger 575TC,Dandy Destiny, Conway Crusader and the Pennine Pathfinder.We looked all over the web and visited several shops to inspect them. All of them had good and bad points. The Trigano was the cheapest but the quality didn't seem as good and we didn't like the toilet / front bed "en-suit." We liked the Dandy and that you could put it down in the wet but as we go to Spain every summer we were worried about condensation and over-heating. They were also a bit more expensive , we would have to buy the awning as an extra adding a few hundred pounds.and the cooker wasn't much better than a camping cooker   The Conway / Pennine difference in the way they open didn't bother us, the choice came down to one difference in the end and that was that the Pennine is open to the elements for a few seconds.

The best advice I can give is. The internet can only take you so far. Go visit camping shops and see all of them that you're interested in buying, ask for demonstrations and ask lots of questions. Even if you buy second hand it still helps to look at different units to give you an idea of what you want                                         

Dear Rosemary 88

We have 3 children and bought a Pennine Fiesta second hand with awning etc so that we could fit everybody in. We bought under bed tents which our oldest 2 children use which means that everyone has a space of their own. we have all the mod cons of a caravan without the storage and towing hastle, it also gives permanent sleeping areas. Putting it up and down is easy. If it gets wet when collapsing we just put it up at home before packing it away for longer periods. I have seen plenty advertised for reasonable amounts

Stu

Thanks everyone for your comments fantastic.

I am really looking forward to upgrading to a trailer tent , I just need to get out their and see what is avaliable. I live in Suffolk does anybody know were would be a good place to start my search ?

Regards Rosemary