Happy Campers

[soveryapt]

My licence has B, B1, f, k, p - so the way I read it is I can pull a trailer not heavier than 750kgs. Does this look correct? If so, if the TT weighs 500kgs then I can pull it?

 

Trailers .. the wonderful world of trailers ..

 

Basically (and you can find it on this page .. Towing trailers or caravans with vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes : Directgov - Motoring) the thing is that no one can pull an UNBRAKED Trailer heavier than 750KG on any vehicle.

 

The rulings are a bit grey, but the advice I got when I recently purchased a trailer for towing PA Gear in is that so long as the following are met, you are ok:

 

1. The trailer does not have a maximum authorised mass (MAM) more than the unladen weight of the vehicle
   
2. The combination of the trailer MAM and the MAM of the towing vehicle does not exceed 3.5 tonnes
   
3. The weight of the trailer when laden does not exceed the maximum towing limits of the towing vehicle
   
4. That is the trailer is over 750KGs it is braked
   

 

So basically (taking from the DirectGov site) say you have the following:

 

Towing Vehicle:

Unladen Weight: 1.25 Tonnes

MAM: 2 Tonnes

 

Trailer:

MAM: 1.25 Tonnes

 

This would be fine as the trailer MAM = Unladen Weight and the combination of the Towing Vehicle MAM and the trailer MAM does not exceed 3.5 Tonnes

 

However, if you have the following:

 

Towing Vehicle:

Unladen Weight: 1.25 Tonnes

MAM: 2 Tonnes

 

Trailer:

MAM: 1.5 Tonnes

 

Although here the Trailer MAM and Vehicle MAM is within the 3.5 Tonnes, because the Trailer MAM is greater than the Unladen Vehicle Weight you would need a B+E License.

 

Therefore, people with a Cat B License aren't just limited to a 750KG Trailer at all, that is a limit for Unbraked Trailers, but you need to make sure of your car weights and trailer weights to be sure that you are within the 3.5 Tonnes that is permitted on a Cat B License and that the Trailer MAM is not more than the Unladen weight of your car.

 

I hope that makes sense. And trust me, I spent hours researching this with different places to make sure.

 

Edit: Yes, you can pull a 500KG Trailer .. lol ..

[Hightower]

Okay - please help me decide! I've decided the trailer tent is a no go after seeing photos of it. So which of these is the better buy?

 

Wynnster Eagle 6 Tent Reviews and Details 1 for around £120 and only purchased late last year.

 

or

 

Outwell Hartford XL Tent (2010) online - World of Camping which is 3 years old (so may not be the exact model I posted) and they want £100 for it.

 

 

HELP HELP HELP!

[Hightower]

Hightower - if I were buying a tent (I have three, plus my van+awning), I would definitely consider one of the 'quick erect'* tents. They are the ones with the sturdy external metal poles that fold and click together. I can't give you specific models, but have a look on Youtube for people demonstrating them. A tent that takes ages to put up is a pain in the cheeks.

 

 

*I bet that will catch a few google hits..

 

We're after some sort of tunnel tent though that can comfortably fit me in standing up (I'm 6'4") - do these quick erect tents come like this too?

 

TBH, it's a case of beggers can't be chosers. I don't want to spend too much on our first tent and these are (currently) the only two available to me.

[rad]

Hightower - if I were buying a tent (I have three, plus my van+awning), I would definitely consider one of the 'quick erect'* tents. They are the ones with the sturdy external metal poles that fold and click together. I can't give you specific models, but have a look on Youtube for people demonstrating them. A tent that takes ages to put up is a pain in the cheeks.

 

 

*I bet that will catch a few google hits..

 

You are talking Kyham tents. they are expensive but dont buy second hand, I did via ebay, really bad listing, got it for £30 and it leaked. Sold it at a profit after sleeping in it, so not too bad really.

 

Of the two options I'd go for the Outwell, great tents and if it is the one listed then you will be on for a winner really. They are good quality tents. My Vango similar to that is getting on for 3 years old but used for the 4th year running this summer and it is still as good as it was when i got it out the packet. If you can see it put up then that would be an advantage too.

[Hightower]

6'4"?! You might be struggling in any tent.

 

Well the two I listed both have heights of 2metres

[Hightower]

But how often are you realistically going to be stood up in the tent?

 

The taller it is means the bigger it is to handle, pack, suffer in the wind, heat up when its cold.

 

Well we are planning on spending 3 weeks out of the 6 weeks in a tent, and with the weather this country suffers (especially the lakes) I'd imagine we would spend a fair amount of time in the tent.

[soveryapt]

The quick erect tents where the poles clip together are all well and good until one of the knuckles breaks .. trust me .. you're then looking at a big waste of money ..

 

Personally, my advice is to get one of the ones where you have to put the poles in and erect it that way as yes, first couple of times you do it, it will be a pain in the arse, but once you've got used to it, it's nice and simple and it a pole snaps or something, you're not looking at an expensive repair, but a quick trip to a local camp store (and many bigger campsites carry spares on site too, though they will generally be more expensive than the local camp store) and you can fix it through.

 

I've got a couple of tents where poles have gone and I've spent £5 getting new bits and fixed them and they're still going, but I've also have a £250 quick erect tent and the knuckle went on that one time and I managed to get it to last for the duration with gaffa tape and a couple of spare pegs, but I had to bin it after that .. it lasted about 6 months of use (I was a DofE leader and wanted something that I could put up quickly and easily once I'd made sure the groups were safe - in the end went for a compact tent which I can actually pitch quicker than I could pitch the quick erect tent anyway so ...)

[soveryapt]

Sage advice from Andy.

 

Wisdom, not generally something I'm known for .. but thanks .. lol ..

[soveryapt]

Oh no, you misunderstand. I was comparing you to a herb.

 

Ah, because of my hair, that would normally be parsley then .. as in the lion .. lol ..

[rad]

http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acatalog/vangoicarus6002010.gif

This Vango has a head height of 200cm (6ft 6in) and with a door at that height too, no need to stoop low in the main or sleeping area.

 

Of the two you have listed, the Outwell will have a low door and low bedrooms, the Wynester will have a low bedroom height but be fine in the main living areas.

 

I can understand your reason to go with a tunnel tent, so you get the height throughout.

[HallX]

Okay - please help me decide! I've decided the trailer tent is a no go after seeing photos of it.

 

What was the problem, any chance of posting photos?

 

Paul

[TechMonkey]

If the Outwell tent is the one I think it is, don't get it. We had one on a camp and it collapsed after a rainy night as the water pooled on the top behind the porch and caused the main poles to buckle. We have had nice Outwell tents but this version just didn't cut it.