Side vs Rear/Front Fold - caravan parks

[Fun Police]

First stupid question......

We are just starting to do our research into camper trailer configurations and options.  Talk about info overload!!

Question about side fold vs rear fold in regards to the majority of caravan parks.

I read somewhere that some parks have narrow site which will not overly suit a side fold arrangement.

Are these the exception rather than the rule??  And will we strike any major difficulties in finding sites??

Our sphere of operation will be probably Bundaberg to Lakes Entrance and west to Dubbo, Griffith etc.
I don't really expect any serious issues with most of the regional parks, but the big ones near major attractions (ie Gold Coast etc) "may" have an issue.

What do people think?  Thanks!

[heath74]

Mine is side fold (tent area) then rear set up  kitchen awning area pretty common set up i would think.  I have stayed in parks in some of the areas you mention without issue (dubbo and Gold coast).  The only thing I would say is that this type of set up really requires you to put it 'draw bar in' on the camp site, now sometimes you get a drive through site and this is easy. However some times you don't, and it requires a bit of clever backng, and man handling.

Its not a major issue, but having said that, next time I would be trying for a rear fold, to avoid this issue.

[D4D]

After having a side fold, I would go a rear fold next but we stay in 50/50 caravan parks to bush. If you mostly bush camp then it doesn't matter. Most sites will accomodate a side fold but they're designed for caravans so rear fold will be the simplest.

[Just some guy]

My opinion is that a rear fold hard floor would be best for caravan parks.  Quite often the ground where the van / trailer goes is not flat - hence the hard floor would eliminate that issue.  When you get a concrete slab - use that as the annex area just like the caravans do.

[frenchac]

We had a side fold that at times was a bit tight to fit on to caravan park sites.  It wasn't a huge problem though.  We recently changed to a Modcon Imperial which is a soft floor rear fold, the main reason for the change was it is easier to pack up.  It does fit on to caravan sites a lot easier.
The downside to a rear fold is the tent is not as big.  We have 2 kids and use the Oztrail bunks and have plenty of room inside.

Hope this helps

Frenchac

[krisandkev]

We have done lots of travelling in our side fold out soft floor and the only caravan park we had a problem with was in Adelaide.   The manager sent us to a particular site that was very skinny and when we went back to tell him our camper would not fit, he said it is the first time he has heard of a camper trailer opening sideways?  I explained to him that there are lots that open sideways and he just argued and said he has managed caravan parks for years and ours is the first he has seen?  He did eventually give us an open area and we set up with plenty of room.  Most caravan parks have enough room for side opening camper trailers but some of the best areas in caravan parks are the unpowered sites. Mind you we only stay in caravan parks as a last resort. They can be very busy and noisy.

Here was our little site at a Broome Caravan park.


Here is where we ended up at a Adelaide caravan park after our little argument with the manager.


This was a fantastic spot at a Mt Gambier caravan park.

[V8TL8]

The only caravan parks we have used so far have been here in W.A. The Camprite opens up sideways and can need a bit of space if you want to use the annex and awning. Never had a problem, all CPs seem to have different size stands to choose from, and always you have the option to go look see and choose a site that is appropriate. Of course we have the luxury of traveling outside school holidays!
Often the unpowered sites can be a bit more roomy.

chris

[GregS]

Rear fold soft floor would be the way to go as parking it would be easier, just reverse it in and open it up. You won't have to be as picky with the sites either whereas with a side fold you will (as has been said above) have to move it around and if it is raining then that would be a big pita.

Looking for a camper today is confusing to say the least especially with the number of manufacturers out there.

Good luck with the hunt.

Cheers

Greg

[Mace]

First stupid question......

We are just starting to do our research into camper trailer configurations and options.  Talk about info overload!!

Question about side fold vs rear fold in regards to the majority of caravan parks.

I read somewhere that some parks have narrow site which will not overly suit a side fold arrangement.

Yep, some do, but usually have larger unpowered sites.  We allways request a wide site if booking in unannounced for our side fold.  Usually no problems, except in peak times. Depends how often you are going to camp in parks also

As said, rear fold soft/hard floors and front fold give simplest solution, back in, flip out.  They may be smaller in size than a side fold tho, depends what you need (family size and duration of stay).  You will still need your annexx then.

[Bongo]

Gidday!

We have a side fold Trackabout. We mostly bush camp. However. we have never had a problem when staying in caravan parks.

They (Reception) made some noises at Adelaide Caravan Park as whether we would fit but we didnt have any difficulties other than the whiz bangs close by.

We are planning to upgrade; not that there is anything to upgrade to in soft floor campers. The upgrade will be a rear fold. Guess which brand?

Cheers!

[Garry H]

either way it pays to know what size you need before booking and paying money for a site

[Fun Police]

 The upgrade will be a rear fold. Guess which brand?

Cheers!

Actually, I would maybe guess Xtrail (??) as Trackabout don't have one (unless I am missing something?).

Thanks for all the replies.  Yes, it is more confusing, but I'm just going to have to get to the shows with the wife and work out what we like and don't like.

Top of the list at this stage (and price wise) would be Xtrail (rear fold) or Lifestyle (side fold).

I do like the idea of the rear fold ones though....but I still only get 49% of the vote

[Redcherokee]

Hi Fun Police.

Before buying the Sturt, we hired a Tvan and a Johnno's.  This gave us the chance to find out lots of things that affected our decision.  Like:

I may have had a four room tent , but the pair of us can live in the Tvan for over a week (with rain), so that really is enough living space. I can easily see why people with kids would go the side fold.

The storage space in the trailer of a soft floor style is brilliant

Side fold tent means rear opening kitchen.  Most of the time I leave the fridge (and other stuff) in the Jeep, and walking back and forth is a pain when we haven't unhitched (eg. overnighter).   Actually, just having the vehicle 'behind' the tent rather than where I can see it makes me nervous as I have been known to forget to lock it.  Rear fold makes me happier.

Having access to my 'stuff' from inside matters to me.  With the Sturt I can either open up the back or lift the bed to access stuff whilst inside the tent.  With the side fold I had access to some of my storage, but for the bulk of it I needed to go out to access from the back of the trailer. Makes a difference when you didn't put the awning up and it rains.

A soft floor means I can step over the entry, and inside is the same height as outside.  With a hardfloor, every time I go in or out it is up or down one step.  That is not safe with my dodgy knee.  Oddly, climbing up to a bed is no problem at all, as I don't do it as often and can lean on the bed as I do so.

Beds are much easier to get out of from the foot.  Less disturbing partner. Life is better this way.

My caravan park experience is limited, but one place we stayed had small sites where the side opening really didn't fit well.  They were like a drive through site, but cut in half crossways.   If you just backed in and opened up, you'd have been in the face of the people behind.  Really should have unhitched and manually turned the trailer around.  Don't know about you, but that is too much like hard work for me when it is almost dark after a long day. Luckily there was no-one behind us that night so we took up more than our space, but if it was peak time it would have been a real pain.  The rear fold seems to fit the caravan model better - haven't seen anywhere it wouldn't work.

I'd strongly encourage some try before you buy so you can find out what matters to you.  Google for hire a camper trailer and see what is available near you. 

[db]

Trackabout used to do a rear fold model (until last year at least) so JT may still do it if asked.  Modcon make a pretty nice rear fold (I'm biased).  With the 12 foot tent there is lots of room inside.

We went rear fold for a number of reasons, but ease of setting up in caravan parks was one of them.  A few too many instances of having to manoeuvre the trailer round by hand on a soft surface to get it to fit.

[Alan Loy]

Have you had a look at the Modcon front fold campers.  They are a clever way to take up less space http://modcon.com.au/

[Fun Police]

Yes I did.  Bit above the budget for me unfortunately.  But nice looking units though!

[Alloy C/T]

Have had both a rear fold and a side fold , as others have said you really need to know the FULL setup area required when booking or pacing out the site before you pays your money at c/van parks , ,,,, Our rearfold hard floor was 30 feet long from tow hitch to rear awning and 16 feet wide with annex when set up, and thats not counting space required for pegs and ropes ,,,,,,,,, Our side fold was 18 feet long tow hitch to kitchen windbreak wall and 19 feet wide  with the annex , once again  not counting space needed for ropes and pegs ,,,  Unless you like hearing any and all of your camping neighbours bodily functions and movements as your squashed in like sardines at a lot of c/van parks , PACE out the site before you pays your money.

[r0ssrg]

Just bought a Side fold myself, so we will see how much pain it will be.  Hopefully with a bit of warning the Park managers will find me a suitable spot.

Ross

[Benduro]

Worth considering your home situation as when packing up wet you will need to set up when home to dry out. Also being able to set up properly at home allows for doing any mods etc.
Something else to think about

[xcvator]

Our rearfold hard floor was 30 feet long from tow hitch to rear awning and 16 feet wide with annex when set up,

Man what sort of camper is that big

[Alloy C/T]

Xcvator ,, Camp-o-Matic Ranger , from tow hitch to rear when open = 30ft ,also we had the standard annex roof widened from the normal 6ft wide to 8ft wide to make it easier to walk around/past the slide out kitchen when using the annex walls in bad weather ,

[Matto]

Hi there Fun Police,

We've never had a problem with our side-fold Trackabout, but we don't stay in proper Caravan Parks much. When we have, we've made sure to let the owners know on the phone when booking what we're bringing, and they've always been able to find a good spot for us.

We were initially looking at a rear fold (as db has said, a Trackabout Safari RV - great bit o' gear) for the same reasons you are, but wanted the extra space under canvas that the side fold models give you. So far, it's never been an issue. There's some pics of the Safari RV in Brett's Cape Trip report here, if you're interested  : http://myswag.org/forum/index.php?topic=6788.25

I would expect that some of these new trailers with the big 18' tents and the ones that fold out to both the left and right side of the trailer (GIC, I'm looking at you...) would give you much more grief if you ever needed to set up in a caravan park.

Good luck!
Matto

[Fun Police]

Worth considering your home situation as when packing up wet you will need to set up when home to dry out. Also being able to set up properly at home allows for doing any mods etc.
Something else to think about

Yep.  One of my first considerations!  We've already worked out we can do this, for either type.  It will be tight but doable.  In fact when we get ours we are going to live in it for a week just to get the feel for it.  Kids will love it!

Since I first posted this I've rang a few parks that we may wish to visit and they've kind of indicated no real problems with side fold.

The Xtrail Ranger - rear fold, is now off the list as the 2012 models will be coming standard now with a 7' tent (and maybe a 9' one too) so this is a lot small for us.

Looking better now towards the Lifestyle Extenda range (especially with my height). 

We'll see, in a few weeks at the Canberra show