Before purchasing a folding camper, I did some research on whether they are braked or not. My car isn’t a car you’d choose with towing in mind, so I wanted to make sure I was towing a braked trailer.
Are folding campers braked? Most folding campers are braked. Folding campers are usually braked, and the trailer is normally equipped with 12-volt lighting for greater visibility when travelling.
Even though folding campers are braked, you need to make sure you can legally and safely tow your camper. If you’re not sure, we’ve explained everything below to help your stay on the right side of the law.
What You Need To Know About Legally Towing Your Folding Camper
The majority of cars will be able to tow a folding camper. Folding camper weights typically fall into the 600-1,000kg range, so you should be able to tow one without worrying. However, virtually every country has specific rules for towing that you must be aware of. While you may be able to legally tow your folding camper in one country, you might not be able to in another.
I travel a lot in the UK, so I researched the UK towing laws first. In the UK, if you passed your car test because 1 January 1997, you are usually allowed to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8,250kg MAM, according to GOV.UK. The same source states that if your licence was issued after 1 January 1997, you can drive a car up to 3,500kg MAM while towing a trailer up to 750kg MAM.
You can tow a trailer over 750kg MAM, but in this case you must ensure that the combined MAM of the folding camper and the towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg.
After all the mentions of ‘MAM’, you might be wondering what it stands for. MAM stands for Maximum Authorised Mass. The maximum authorised mass is the limit on how much a vehicle can weigh when it is loaded.
After additional research, I found that the majority of the world has similar towing laws to the UK. Across Europe, you will find that most countries have similar laws that only differ slightly. For example, in France you can tow a folding camper with a MAM of 750kg. In Germany, the fully laden weight of a trailer without brakes must not exceed one half of the unladen weight of the towing vehicle plus 75kg, but in total, no more than 750kg.
As most folding campers are braked, you can travel in most countries with rules such as Germany’s without worrying. Make sure to do your own research on the towing laws of a country before travelling. You need to fully familiarise yourself with the laws of countries that you’re going to tow in. Although towing laws are similar across Europe, they still differ enough to warrant extra research on your part.
Can My Car Tow A Folding Camper?
Folding campers are fairly light in comparison with caravans. Most cars should be able to tow a folding camper falling in the 600-1,000kg range. With that in mind, prior to towing my folding camper I knew it was best to ensure that I could safely tow it. I did some research into how I could make sure my car was capable of towing my Pennine Pathfinder, and here’s what I found out.
You need to find out the maximum towing capacity of your vehicle and the kerbweight of your vehicle. If you are new to towing, try and make sure that the fully laden weight of your folding camper is no more than 85% the kerbweight of your car. It’s usually pretty easy to find out the kerbweight of your car: it should be in your vehicle handbook. If you can’t find it in your handbook, contact the manufacturer who should be able to advise you.
Already know the kerbweight of your car? Find out the towing capacity of your vehicle. The weight of your folding camper must not exceed the towing capacity of your vehicle. Even if you have heaps of experience towing trailers, it’s unsafe to tow anything weighing more than the towing capacity of your vehicle.
Sometimes you will find the towing capacity of your vehicle in the handbook. More often than not, you will have to check the VIN plate on your vehicle to find out the maximum weight you can tow. In most cars, the VIN plate is found under the bonnet or on a door pillar.
There are usually 4 important numbers on a VIN plate:
- The first number: The MAM of your vehicle
- The second number: The gross train weight
- The third number: Front maximum axle load
- The forth number: Rear maximum axle load
To work out the maximum towing capacity of your vehicle, subtract the gross vehicle weight from the gross train weight. This will give you the maximum towing capacity of your vehicle.
Are Folding Campers Easy To Tow?
Before purchasing my folding camper, I had a concern that it would be difficult to tow. I didn’t have any prior towing experience, so I looked into whether towing a folding camper is easy or not.
Folding campers are light in comparison with most caravans and they are more stable when towing due to their small size. Even if you lack towing experience, as I did, you will be able to comfortably tow your camper as long as you take care.
As I mentioned earlier in this blog post, if you don’t have any towing experience, ensure that your folding camper weighs less than 85% the kerbweight of the towing vehicle. Here are some other tips for staying safe when towing your folding camper. I followed these myself and now I confidently tow my camper when travelling, so I can vouch that these tips work!
#1: Travel carefully with increased situational awareness. When you begin towing your folding camper, you will notice that your vehicle feels different. When towing, I quickly noticed that I had to change the way I drive to handle my vehicle properly.
To stay safe when towing, it’s wise to slow down sooner coming up to junctions than you normally would. Your vehicle is much heavier when towing a camper, so you’ll need more time to slow down.
Your car will be slower to set off and accelerate when towing a folding camper. When moving off at a junction, be more cautious than you usually would. You need time to get going, so don’t set off in a gap if you aren’t sure you’ll speed up quickly enough.
When you’re towing, you should leave a greater distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front. The vehicle your driving will slow down slower than it normally would, so it’s good to make sure you’d have enough time to stop safely in any situation.
#2: Be aware of your speed. In most countries, the speed limit is different for a vehicle towing a trailer of any type. If you’re towing a folding camper, the reduced speed limits apply to you too.
After some research, I found that there are lower speed limits in the UK when towing. For example, you should never exceed 80kmh/50mph on single carriageways or 95kmh/60mph on dual carriageways. Across Europe and the rest of the world, speed limits for vehicles towing a trailer also differ to the normal limits.
The weather has been poor on many an occasion when towing my folding camper. If you’re travelling in severe winds, heavy rain, or snow, don’t panic: just drive slower than you normally would and keep your steering wheel steady. Wind in particular can destabilise your folding camper, so keep your steering wheel steady. In some cases, you might need to slow down for your camper to stabilise before speeding back up.
#3: Avoid reversing. Reversing while towing any type of trailer can be a pain. Whenever I’m towing my folding camper, I try to avoid reversing as much as I can.
In my experience, reversing while towing my camper has been the most difficult of all maneuvers. I try to park in a place that gives room to pull forward when setting off, to avoid any reversing at all.
If you do find yourself in a position where you have to reverse, there’s no need to panic. It’s possible to reverse; just take as much care as you can when doing so.
