If you are looking into purchasing your first folding camper, it is so important to know the weight. You need to know the weight for various reasons. For example, so that you can find out whether your car is capable of towing a folding camper or not. So, what’s the average weight of a folding camper?
The average weight of a folding camper is 600kg. Folding campers usually weigh between 600kg and 1000kg.
While you can expect your folding camper to weigh no more than 1000kg, it’s clear to see that the weight of campers can differ greatly. When I was buying my first folding camper, finding the information I needed regarding the weight proved difficult. That’s why I’ve created this blog post. Keep on reading to find out the weights of the most popular folding campers and all the towing information you need to know.
Weight Of Popular Folding Campers
Here are the weights of a select few popular folding campers.
The Pennine Range. The lightest Pennine folding camper is the Pennine Apollo. The basic 4 berth Pennine Apollo weighs 490k ex works and 700kg max. The heaviest Pennine folding camper is the large sized 6 berth folding camper, Pennine Pathfinder. The Pennine Pathfinder weighs 820kg ex works and 1000kg max.
The Conway Range. The lightest of the Conway range of folding campers is the Conway Challenger. The 4 berth Conway Challenger weighs 400kg ex works and 600kg max. The heaviest of the Conway range is the Conway Cardinal. This mid range 6 berth folding camper weighs 840kg ex works and 1050kg max.
The Trigano Range. The lightest of the Trigano range of folding campers is the Trigano Randger 415 DL. This four berth folding camper weighs 447kg ex works and 650kg max. The heaviest folding camper of the Trigano range is the Randger 575 TC. This six berth folding camper weighs 748kg ex works and 950kg max.
The Raclet Range. The lightest of the Raclet range is the Solena. The Raclet Solena weighs 270kg ex works and 400kg max. The heaviest of the Raclet range is the Tamaris. The Tamaris six berth folding camper weighs 748kg ex works and 950kg max.
How To Know Which Camper You Can Legally Tow
Towing laws differ from country to country. I previously wrote a blog post about towing folding campers, but here is a breakdown of everything that you need to know.
Firstly, you need to know the maximum towing capacity of your vehicle and the weight of your vehicle. Particularly if you are new to towing, the fully laden weight of your folding camper should be no more than 85% of the kerbweight of your car. Usually you can find the kerbweight of your car in the handbook.
Before attempting to tow a folding camper, you must find out the towing capacity of your vehicle. Again, you should find this information in your vehicle handbook. If you cannot find the towing capacity of your car in its handbook, check the vehicle identification number plate (VIN Plate). The VIN plate is usually found under the bonnet or on a door pillar.
A VIN plate normally has 4 lines of numbers. On most models of car, the first number is the MAM of the vehicle. The second number is the gross train weight, which is the maximum mass the vehicle and a trailer should be. The 3rd and 4th numbers are the maximum axle loads (front and rear respectively).
You can work out the maximum towing capacity of your vehicle by subtracting the gross vehicle weight from the gross train weight. Once you’ve done the maths, you’ll know the advised maximum towing capacity of your vehicle.
Towing Laws Across Europe
Towing in the UK? Drivers that have passed their Category B driving test since 19 January 2013 can legally tow a trailer weighing 750kg or less. They can tow a trailer weighing more than 750kg provided that the towing vehicle and the trailer combined weigh no more than 3500kg.
As I explained earlier in this blog post, the heaviest popular folding camper, the Conway Cardinal, weighs 1050kg max. In theory, this means you should be able to tow that or any other folding camper in the UK depending on the weight of your vehicle.
Across the majority of Europe, the same laws apply as in the UK. Before travelling anywhere, ensure you check the towing laws in the country you’re travelling to. Although the laws are similar to the UK, they do differ slightly in some European countries.
For example, in Spain the law differs to countries such as France and Germany. In Spain, the towing law states in the case of a car and folding camper combination exceeding 12m, there must be one or two reflectors, yellow with red borders, at the rear of the folding camper. If you only use one reflector, it must be approximately 130 x 25 cm. If you use two, they must be approximately 50 x 25 cm.
If you are travelling in Europe or any other part of the world, ensure you familiarise yourself with the local towing laws. Although the differences in law are fairly minimal, it’ll only take 5 minutes on Google to find out what you can and can’t tow in any given country.
Tips For Safely Towing Your Folding Camper
Here’s a few really important tips that will help you to safely tow your folding camper.
Check your tyres before travelling. Before each and every trip with your camper, you’ll want to check the tyre pressure. Uneven tyres can cause handling issues when towing a trailer, so it’s important to make sure every tyre is the pressure that it should be.
Check your weights. Is your car capable of towing your folding camper? This is one question you should definitely have the answer to. You must know the advised towing limit of your car. If you don’t, find out before you start taking your folding camper anywhere.
Be more aware. Driving your vehicle is more difficult when towing a trailer, even one as light as a folding camper. Make sure you’re more aware of the roads so you don’t end up having to attempt tricky maneuvers.
Which Folding Camper Is Best For Me?
If you are simply choosing your folding camper based on the weight of it, you should choose the Raclet Solena. However, the folding camper for you may differ depending on your requirements. The 2 berth Solena might not be big enough if you are travelling with your partner and your family.
The lighter the folding camper, the easier it is to tow. If you are an inexperienced tower, you might find towing one of the lighter folding campers easier. The majority of cars will be able to tow the lighter folding campers, while some cars may struggle with larger campers such as the Pennine Pathfinder.
