Pros and cons of forward and rear fold campers

[Blake_00]

Hi everyone, hope this is in the right place

The wife, little fella and myself are looking at upgrading our soft floor camper. The dilemma we are having is what to upgrade to.
We are looking at rear and forward folding campers plus also 'jayco' type campers. 
The reason we are going this way is ease of setup plus not having a full caravan should help my little Navara off road.
So I'm looking for a few opinions as to which type of these campers they prefer. Not as in brand but style as I'm very undecided ATM

Thanks for your help as always

[glenm64]

Only you know what is right for you.
Why not hire a few different types for a weekend at a time, try them out and see what style fits for you. Then you can narrow down to brand.
Good luck cause theres so much choice.

Cheers Glen

[Bird]

forward folds are very front heavy]


whats your budget?

[marvellous_matt]

We have a rear fold and it is easy to set up for overnighters with out unhitching. We have a prado, so access to the rear is a bit tricky. Some forward folds would not allow allow access when hitched (even during the day traveling), same could be true for any camper with shorter draw bar/clearance.
I have seen people with a jayco not unhitch for an overnighter, however not be able to set up the end closest to tow vehicle, which I would think is less than ideal. There are some people that try to NEVER unhitch, if this is you you need to get the right setup.

So depending on your vehicle/access and how you intend to use your camper it it might be worth considering access. I saw a forward fold on a ute that was a good match for access, however if you travel straight to the place you camp for 2 weeks access to vehicle would be less of an issue.
I hope you can find some to hire, or visit a camp ground/caravan park and see how others are using things and setting up.
good luck

[corndog]

Forward fold setup within the foot print of the trailer. Rear fold add 6 or 7 feet behind the trailer on the ground. Have seen a few places that fold out onto ground campers couldn't be used.

[Blake_00]

Should explain a bit further I like a rear fold because you can set up a porta cot and later bunk beds in the main tent. The missus likes the forward fold because it has a longe area inside the main tent. But if I buy something I don't want to be looking for anything else for 10-15 years and I couldn't imagine teenage kids wanting to share a double bed in a jayco. (1 little boy now and another one hopefully in a few years)

[Bird]

If your planning kids, then you should look at a soft floor if your thinking you need room to grow and expand.
specially storage room for travelling, and internal room so your not on top of each other with no room if its raining for 2-4 days while your away

[HEM19X]

Should explain a bit further I like a rear fold because you can set up a porta cot and later bunk beds in the main tent. The missus likes the forward fold because it has a longe area inside the main tent. But if I buy something I don't want to be looking for anything else for 10-15 years and I couldn't imagine teenage kids wanting to share a double bed in a jayco. (1 little boy now and another one hopefully in a few years)

There's your answer, with kids vs space, you should go with the rear fold... in addition a traditional soft floor offers even more space... then again HAPPY WIFE, HAPPY LIFE!!!!

[Rumpig]

If your planning kids, then you should look at a soft floor if your thinking you need room to grow and expand.
specially storage room for travelling, and internal room so your not on top of each other with no room if its raining for 2-4 days while your away

probably depends where they live, that's Melbourne weather thinking right there with the rain concerns....lol
 We have a rear fold hard floor and have done for about 8 years now, currently have a 14 year old and a 10 year old that sleep on the floor of the camper for short weekend trips, or in the extra bedroom that zips onto the back of the camper for longer stays. A Jayco style camper would be a better style then what we have should it rain, due to it's indoor cooking and dining area, but we rarely need to worry about that here in Qld, and look at the hard floor as more of a flash tent tggat just gets slept in with a kitchen outside.

[macca]

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[Traveller]

Have you looked at a Camprite, they seem to do the family thing alright? I haven't had anything to do with them (past kids) but they look like a good compromise for a family.

[Bigfish]

I,d go the Jayco offroad campers...... Quick set up, comfy, roomy and not very expensive.

[GBC]

http://www.marketdirect.com.au/robson-xtt

If you can't decide between a pop up and a folder.....

It will follow your wheel tracks which is a bonus, especially in sand. Pop tops don't love the beach when it's dry like at the moment.

It is going to be heavy, but the ability to pack into drawers and cupboards would be a major plus over forward folders which are generally short on permanent storage on the inside.

Good luck with the search. We ended up with a rear fold for our family of 4 which we have used a lot. No regrets.