While I’d heard that putting up a folding camper wasn’t too difficult, I thought I’d do some research of my own before buying one. Here’s everything I found out.
How long does it take to erect a folding camper? The cabin section of a folding camper can be erected in approximately 10 – 20 minutes. If you optionally use awning, it will take approximately 1 hour in total.
The answer of how long it takes to erect a folding camper can differ based on a range of factors. For example, how many people are putting up the camper and the model of folding camper you have. Also, putting up a folding camper the first few times is actually really difficult. I’ve explained why below.
Is Erecting A Folding Camper Easy?
The answer is no, at least until you familiarise yourself with putting up your folding camper.
Depending on where you purchase your folding camper, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t come with a handbook. My folding camper came with the owner’s manual, but the manual doesn’t contain any advice on erecting the folding camper or putting up the awning!
If you simply had the owner’s manual at your disposal, you’d have to learn how to erect your folding camper yourself. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available online that instruct on how you can erect your unit.
Despite the guides and videos available online, I still found it difficult to erect my folding camper for the first time. In fairness, that could have been something to do with the awful British weather!
Here’s a video by Pennine Outdoor Leisure. This video demonstrates how you can put up a Pennine Pathfinder, but virtually every folding camper is erected in the same way. You should be able to follow the majority of this video when it comes to putting up your own camper.
What’s Quicker: Trailer Tent or Folding Camper?
Trailer tents are similar to folding campers. A trailer tent is certainly best described as a trailer with a tent in it. To set up a trailer tent, you pull out the tent and use the trailer part of the tent as a sleeping area. When you erect a trailer tent, it looks very similar to a typical tent.
The tent part of a trailer tent pegs into the ground, which can take a while depending on the ground that you are pitching on. A folding camper canvas doesn’t peg directly into the ground (although awning will), so for this reason alone erecting a folding camper is easier and quicker than erecting a trailer tent.
Most will be able to erect a folding camper alone. I erect my folding camper alone when travelling, although it takes a bit longer than the 10 – 20 minutes mentioned before. While someone could erect a trailer tent alone, it would take longer to erect than a folding camper, simply because you need to peg it into the ground.
What Is The Easiest Folding Camper To Put Up?
There’s actually very little difference between the time it takes to erect any folding camper. 95% of folding campers can be set up in less than 20 minutes. There isn’t even much difference between putting up a smaller 4 berth folding camper and one such as the 6 berth Pathfinder. All folding campers are put up in the same way, so even one person can put up a folding camper quickly.
The time it takes to put up a folding camper should be one of your smallest considerations when choosing between models. If you want as much space in the main unit as possible, go for a 6 berth folding camper instead of a 4 berth. It won’t take any longer to set up because they’re all set up in the same way regardless of the model that you choose!
Looking beyond the main unit, there isn’t much difference in the time it takes to put up the awning for the different models available either. Obviously a smaller awning takes less time to put up than a larger one. However, most awnings can be put up by 2 people within 30 minutes to an hour. If you’re putting up the awning yourself, it might take a little longer. I’d never want to put up the awning alone given the choice. It takes a lot of patience with two people, so it can be tough for one person alone!
When looking at how long it’s going to take to set up your folding camper, you also need to consider how much kit you’re taking with you. If you’re bringing everything and the kitchen sink along with you, setup time will be longer than a family that just takes the essentials, such as chairs, clothing, and food.
Some examples of small, easy to erect folding campers are:
Pennine Apollo:
- Weight: Ex Works: 490kg Max: 700kg
- Set Up Size: Length: 337cm Width: 420cm
Conway Challenger:
- Weight: Ex Works: 400kg Max: 600kg
- Set Up Size: Length: 210cm Width: 386cm
Trigano Randger 415DL:
- Weight: Ex Works: 447kg Max: 650kg
- Set Up Size: Length: 242cm Width: 415cm
Raclet Solena:
- Weight: Ex Works: 270kg Max: 400kg
- Set Up Size: Length: 295cm Width: 190cm
Tips For Erecting Your Folding Camper
As I mentioned earlier, putting up a folding camper for the first time certainly isn’t easy. The first time I set up my folding camper, it took me a few hours. Now I’ve had a bit of practice, it’s much easier to put it up. Here are a few tips that helped me out the first few times I erected my camper.
Try to stop in a sheltered area. Whether you have any experience or not, you should always try and stop in a sheltered area with your folding camper. While you might be fine stopping in an exposed area during the calm summer months, you won’t get away with it at any other time.
The first time I was putting up my folding camper, I had to contend with high-speed winds and heavy rain. It ended up taking me a few hours to put the folding camper up. By the time I’d got the folding camper up, I was soaked through. I wanted to take it back down again and go home for a nice bath!
My tip is to try and stop in a sheltered area so that you don’t have to deal with the worst of the weather. If you don’t have any experience putting up a folding camper, erecting one in bad weather may knock the wind out of your sails and prevent you from enjoying your time away.
Remove the windows/doors from your awning. Putting up awning is way more difficult than putting up your folding camper. Unfortunately, most families need to use awning to offer the comfort and space that they need while stopping away from home.
Anything you can do to make putting up your awning easier is helpful. One tip I was told when I purchased my folding camper was to take the windows and doors out before putting the awning up. This makes the awning lighter and easier to maneuver, which should allow you to put it up quicker.
Another awning tip is to attach the ‘roof’ poles to your folding camper before you’ve built it all up. Getting the awning moved into place and attached after you’ve built it up can be a pain if you don’t follow this simple tip.
Colour code your awning poles. As I mentioned, erecting the awning is undoubtedly the worst part of putting up a folding camper in my opinion. Colour coding the poles that you use to put up your awning can make it easier to quickly erect it.
Some awning poles already come colour coded so you know what goes where. However, a lot of them don’t. If your awning poles aren’t colour coded, you can colour code them by using something basic such as a sticker. That way you’ll remember what goes where, so you don’t have to keep referring to instructions. It will make your life much easier in the future!
Have a few practice runs at home. Something I didn’t do is practice erecting my folding camper at home before travelling for the first time. While this isn’t too big a deal, I had to learn what I needed to do as I was putting it up for the first time far away from home. It took hours in the rain, while my family were in the car waiting for me to finish putting it up!
If you have the space to do so at home, practice putting up your folding camper a few times before you travel with it. That way you will become more comfortable with it. You’ll be more confident when you’re putting it up for real the first time.
If you don’t have the space at home to put up your folding camper, it’s worth stopping locally the first time you travel with your camper. You can go a few times when the weather is good so you know what you’re doing before you travel anywhere far away with your camper. If anything does go wrong or you struggle to put up your folding camper, you’re not too far from home and can try again another day.
