A trailer tent is a wheeled vehicle with a canvas cabin, which unfolds
and extends to offer spacious and basic living accommodation in a small
trailer. These tents are perfect if one enjoys camping and the outdoors
but would like a major upgrade from a tent. A trailer tent will not only
keep a family off the ground, but they provide more comfort and extra
protection from the elements. These trailer tents are fully pegging
camper, as per frame tents (i.e. both the cabin and awning areas require
pegging out) and are also a budget range product mainly targeting the
younger family. Trailer tents are lightweight units with sides that collapse for towing and storage, they merge the experience of open-air tent camping with sleeping comforts, basic conveniences and weather protection found in other motor homes. A trailer tent can also be called a pop up, a fold down camper or a folding camping trailer. They all use the same mechanism where the unit folds out into two large wings, which then become two separate sleeping areas. The base unit usually features a mini refrigerator, a small dinette, storage areas, outdoor shower area and some kind of cooking facility. Top of the range models can also feature water filters, heating/air-conditioning, a shower, toilet and a manual slide-out room.
Most trailers tents come with collapsible sidewalls that are made from canvas. If looking at buying a tent trailer, make sure the fabric is breathable otherwise it will be prone to moisture and condensation build up. These tents usually fall between the 1'500 to 4,000
pound weight range. Some of the lighter models can be towed by a standard passenger car. For the heavier end of the tent trailer range one may require a truck or mini-van.
Advantages of a Trailer Tent
Trailer tents have the advantage of generally being cheaper than caravans, they can be stored in a garage and towed by a smaller car. They offer many of the benefits of a caravan in that many include electric and toilets etc and enable one to sleep off the ground, which makes keeping warm easier. The main disadvantage of them compared to a caravan is that some pitching is still required.
If buying a Trailer Tent one must look for the following qualities:
- Hardwearing acrylic
- Durable frames and poles
- Projection size
- Seasonal usage
- Easy to erect
- Color fading resistance
- Number of berths
- Good quality construction
