Hi guys just spent a glorious week down in Dawlish in Devon camping with my wife, son and his girlfriend.
I own a Vauxhall Insignia hatchback, and we found with all our camping gear and a 280 litre Thule roof bag we still found we had to load stuff inside the car as well, which the rear passengers found very uncomfortable. Especially traveling over 250 miles one way.
Anyway we have now just invested in an Erde 122 trailer, so all our camping gear can now go in that. Just waiting for towbar to be fitted end of September. I am getting it supplied and fitted at a very reasonable price.
Sorry for the long ramble but it would be interesting to see other peoples camping trailers. Also how do you secure the trailers on site to stop theft and do you use a chain around the towbar in case it becomes detached.
I had a home made (prior to law changes) 7x4 ft trailer. It was perfect for it. I used an old bike chain around the towbar just for the extra peace of mind and to comply with the law. Unfortunately it got stolen when I let my aunt borrow it. She left it attached to her car overnight and in the morning it was no longer there.
I still need to find a replacement as we hired a van for our long 10 day camp.
------------- There is a place to hide, it's in our minds.
Outfits:
Hi Gear Kalahari 8 (Plus porch)
Vango Icarus 500 (Plus enclosed front canopy)
Hi Gear Solus Horizon 4
Vango Banshee 200
Vango Dart DLX 350
Vango Alpha 250
Yellowstone Alpine 2
I'm not sure if i have a picture, but we have a Lider Saragos from Redcap garage in Blackburn - very highly recommend these guys.
It's just had it's first trip away, and we are really happy with it. We just had a little lock on the hitch for on the campsite - at home it's in a secured garage. But this probably isn't really adequate. The man at the garage recommended a big motorbike chain and a nearby tree.
I love it, but some how we STILL managed to completely fill it, and our Smax which has a massive boot.
I think we are going to get the side extensions for it to make it taller.
Another Redcap happy customer here, got our Lider Alicante back in 2009, and it has been to the South of France a few time since then.
I once had a Insignia, for a couple of months whilst my CC was in for repair following a crash.
And I was shocked how little space there was inside for such a big car.
I think you may find that the Erde 122 proves to be not big enough, personally I would only choose a 13" Wheel Trailer with 750kg gross.
The 400kg gross of the Erde 122 is not fantastic, once you factor in the weight of the Trailer, and extras the payload could be as little as 300kg, which is less than the kit that we put in our Trailer.
I guess we all have different requirements, so I guess the Erde 122 may suit your needs.
I completely agree with the fact camping stuff takes up any available space.
I managed to fill a Vauxhall Vivaro van with the contents that usually occupy my trailer and car. Theoretically there was almost double the space available yet it was full!
------------- There is a place to hide, it's in our minds.
Outfits:
Hi Gear Kalahari 8 (Plus porch)
Vango Icarus 500 (Plus enclosed front canopy)
Hi Gear Solus Horizon 4
Vango Banshee 200
Vango Dart DLX 350
Vango Alpha 250
Yellowstone Alpine 2
I too started with a roof box, and when I got my last tent, namely the Hypercamp Escala 4, I needed more space due to the increased in tent packed volume.
Hence I invested on a Brenderup 1150s with side extensions and ABS lockable lid.
DK
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