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Could this be the unit that tempts you into downsizing from a caravan? It’s the Camp-let and this is the Classic, one of a handful of models, with all kinds of adaptations and extras to allow you create a unit to specifically meet your needs (and budget, of course).
Luckily, also, here in the UK we have Europe’s biggest retailer for Camp-lets. Camperlands, which recently moved to new premises on the outskirts of Manchester, but has been representing Camp-let for some 45 years now.
But, what is the Camp-let? If you take a folding camper as a main camping unit that needs little or no pegging directly to the ground and a trailer tent as one that does – the latter almost literally a tent that comes out of its trailer– the Camp-let is something of a hybrid.
In fact, this is the fifth-generation Camp-let, but not a lot has changed over time. Put that down to the original design being so good.
It’s all up in minutes, starting with a swing-out kitchen module (that can also be used on temporary stops at lay-bys etc, without having to fold out the rest of the unit). Then, the trailer lid hinges over on gas-assisted struts before the awning and bedroom compartments can be pulled over in one single movement.
That’s two bedrooms and a sizeable “living room” with kitchen in the corner. The bedrooms are side-by-side, although there’s space between to fit (optional) rails to create a wardrobe area. Bed sizes are a generous 2.00m x 1.40m on decent enough mattresses with slatting (again, extra-cost) underneath for extra support and ventilation. There are also plenty of further options to add side annexes etc.
The result is anything up to some 18 square metres of living and sleeping space. And it’s then all up to you what you want to add in terms of storage, tables and chairs, even a coolbox/fridge etc.
Compared to a caravan, you’re absolutely spoilt for space. OK, it also represents a trip back to camping under canvas but it’s also a whole lot cosier than you might imagine. One other thing’s for sure, as far as build quality is concerned, this is the Rolls Royce of the sector. It’s all good quality stuff here, too. The GRP work is superb, all metal-components are “rust-free” stainless steel (or aluminium), while the canvas is such that you can expect it to last for at least 25 years, with normal use.
The Classic name denotes the use of quick-drying acrylic for the canvas (fabrics are actually supplied by a fellow Danish company that’s well known for its premium caravan awnings, Isabella) – interestingly, it offers better insulation in cooler weather, but doesn’t provide the sheer breathability of its cotton equivalent if you’re in the full heat of summer (your choice of Camp-let might want to take into account your expected holiday destinations).
As a caravan alternative it has a lot going for it. Not only will you save considerably on fuel when towing, you could even consider a smaller, more efficient towcar. Even loaded up to the gunnels, the Camp-let’s maximum weight is just 500kg (easily half the weight of a small caravan). Units like simply tow like they’re not there behind you. And it’s easy enough to manhandle off your car and onto its pitch.
You’ll probably beat the prices below, too, thanks to all kinds of offers from Camperlands at different times of the season.
You could end up paying less for storage, too (another option is a fitting to allow storage on its side, in your garage). Oh, and even your annual insurance premium will be a lot less than a new tourer due to the lower insured value. These units are much sought after on the secondhand market, too.
Verdict: Case closed for trailer tents
Plus: Extremely well made, much more spacious than most tourers, economical to own and tow.
Minus: Just the one UK retailer. Insulation is good but of course not up to the standards set by modern touring caravans. You may miss some of the creature comforts offered up by touring caravans!
In-a-nutshell: Camper worth considering
Cost to insure: £118*
In summary
- Camp-let Classic
- Dimensions 3.23m L, 1.60m W, 0.95m H (closed)/5.69m x 4.00m (open)
- Berths 4-6
- MTPLM 500kg
- MIRO 250kg
- Payload 250kg
Key options: 2014 Season Pack – spare wheel and carrier, Campastore front box, bed slats, breathable awning carpet, alloy wheels (£199), inflatable bucket groundsheet (£215, or £250 with carpet), luggage rack (£225), bike rack (from £262), alloy wheels (£283), Nature Sun canopy (£379), zipped transit cover (£235), jockey wheel (£44), bed slats £145 per bed), annexes (from £658), side storage brackets (£128)
Recommended retail price from £6,740**
Price as reviewed £7,887
There’s more information on the Camp-let range at the Camperlands website. To find out more about our low-cost premiums visit the trailer tent insurance page.
Alternatives: Camplair XL, Comanche Montana, Combi-Camp Valley, Holtkamper Kyte, Raclet Solena, Trigano Galleon
*Trailer Tent insurance is based on Camp-let Classic retailing at £6740. Fitted with a wheel clamp. Kept on drive at HX4 0BE. Campers over 30 years old, claim free for 3 years and a member of a caravanning club. £100 excess. 180 days European cover and up to £75 per day for up to 15 days emergency accommodation cover included. Legal expenses cover, extended European cover and other emergency accommodation expenses cover options are available at extra cost. Quote includes 10% online discount and 6% Insurance Premium Tax and is correct as of 9th May 2014.
**On-the-road, including VAT at 20%
I WISH YOU HAD A DEALER ON THE EAST COAST OF THE USA I FEEL IT WOULD BE A HIT. LOVE HOW IT IS MADE. I LIVE IN WEST VIRGINA AND YOUR PRODUCT IS ONE OF A KIND. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A CAMPER SO WELL BUILT. I I WONDER IF THE ELECTRICAL WOULD BE A PROBLEM. IT WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW THE COST OF THE CAMP LET CLASSIC IN AMERICA I THINK IT WOULD DO WELL ON THE EAST COAST. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR PRODUCT. THANKING FOR SHARING ON FACEBOOK
We have one and have used it every year for the past five. It is as good as everyone else says but there is one big problem. If you are touring and are forced to take the camplet down in the rain to move to your next location, any rain on the canvas will end up inside and this can be quite a lot which will move around when you are travelling and can find it’s way to the mattresses.No chance of using it at your next stopover. So we now carry a great big plastic bag, which was on a new mattress we bought for home . So you take all the bedding you can out and put it in the car then cover the mattresses with the bag before folding down the tent. Only had to use it once but it worked.
Thanks for sharing Jayne.
Just bought a camplet classic, to the person saying holiday over if you bend the kitchen tube, not true, go buy a tent pole insert, cut the damaged bit off, rebolt it and pop rivet it when you get home. I cant fault this camper, no condensation if you vent it, now off to france for 3 weeks in ours, no problem.
Hi
Just thought I would add a post, having done the whole route from backpacking tents to a Conway rio to a caravan ( hated it ) and back to tents , we picked up a new camplet 2 GO last week from Camperlands, obviously not used it yet -well it is November but quality is certainly very good and very well thought out
I’m sure once the weather warms up you’ll have some fantastic trips away Peter. Thanks for sharing.
Hi everyone, I know this post is old but as we’ve recently bought and used for the first time, a Camp-let Basic+ I thought I’d drop a line and see if anyone would care to reply. We tried it out for two nights at Delamere CCC last month. It stayed dry so no problem with overly wet valance going in to the trailer. My real and nagging concern is that the Camp-let doesn’t have a ground sheet that can be zipped in. There is a velcro-in option but at over £300 it is out of reach and making me angry that Camp-let/Camperlands should want to charge so much for what on most tents/trailer tents is a standard. So, there we were trying to push up a breathable ground sheet to make ‘walls’ to hopefully stop insect encroachment, but without success. I’m typing this now at this ridiculous time because the notion of selling up and buying a Trigano (Oddysee) is playing in my mind. Should I or shouldn’t I?? Any thoughts , guys?
Riddled with condensation, one mistake with the fold down and it`s a bent frame and holiday “OVER” – DO NOT BUY THIS ! camper of 25 yrs, one trip – now “for sale” !!!
We are yes
I suppose the only downside is if it’s wet you can’t put it away immediately but that was the same with the awning.
I would recommend (as we were recommended) a transit cover to keep things dry on the luggage rack whilst you are travelling and we recently purchased a storage cover and now our camplet is as ‘snug as a bug in a rug’!
That sounds like a great solution, Janet.
As much as we liked our caravan soaring costs- tax storage etc and putting up the dreaded awning made us think…..so we sold the van got a smaller car and bought a used camplet concorde!
Ok the salesman has put it up a ‘few’ times so what if it took us a little longer and we disagreed about what went where eg. table and chairs!
We had a fantasticweek in cornwall (September) anddespite strong winds the camplet never moved!
The bed was as comfortable as the one in the van if not more so and packing away well again we took out time and people passing were amazed at how everthing fitted in.
Are we glad we got it of course!!!!!
So you’re happy with the switch Janet? 🙂
Lucie
Thanks, Lucie. Some people turn up their noses at trailer-tents – but so do I when I think of the ones my sister had in the 1980s. Not impressive. But your review (by far the most comprehensive and informative I’ve seen) picks up how different the Camplet is – so maybe some people will think again. I can only echo your verdict: “Case closed for trailer tents”!
PS: I should note that 500 kg is the stated maximum laden weight and mine doesn’t exceed about 275 kg even with some extras packed inside and on top. I should also say that drying-off at home can be easily done within one warm, sunny afternoon (erected on my driveway) – it’s just in prolonged rain that there could be a problem. My friends just leave theirs up for as long as it takes until it’s dry! – but I haven’t room. It’s a problem that hasn’t happened for me yet, anyway, just something for buyers to think about. My Camplet and I are off touring today, so a happy season to all!
This is a superb bit of kit, I’m in my first full season of using it, and every detail delights – it’s been honed for many years and they’ve thought of pretty much everything. The beds are dreamily comfortable, with sprung birch slats below and a memory foam topper – everyone who tries them loves them. The kitchen is efficient and can be swung out in seconds for use en route – not that I’m likely to do that, but still. I am easily able to erect it by myself in a few minutes, though you then have to unload the stuff which would have been in place in your caravan – mine’s neatly categorized in matching plastic boxes which act as cupboards once in place. They say there’s a lot of storage room for boxes inside the closed trailer but I can’t fit much in and I prefer it light, so I use the car for storage. Towing behind my small car is an absolute dream – I have to remind myself it’s there. There’s no impact on handling and probably not much on fuel consumption – it weighs only 250 kg unladen and 500 kg fully laden. One worry was unfounded – I thought I’d be unable to see this low trailer through the rear window but no, it’s just visible enough without restricting rearward vision of the road. The closed trailer can be pushed or pulled with one hand into position with no effort. My main deciders were:1:not changing my car, 2:a really comfortable bed, and 3:storage; and it overwinters on its side in the garage with one wheel removed – I feel more comfortable with that than caravan storage. There’s one significant disadvantage compared with a caravan: wet canvas. It’s designed beautifully so that if you put it up in the rain everything inside (bed, etc) is covered by the canvas from the moment it’s opened… it’s just the chore of drying it properly at home after a wet camp that might put some people off (and that applies to all trailer tents, of course.) The acrylic canvas shouldn’t be damaged by wet storage but obviously you’d want it dry. You can take the canvas off the Camplet to dry it inside if it rains for weeks, but I’m guessing that would be a bit of a task. Camplets seem to hold their value nicely, and you see very old ones for sale so I guess they last well. All in all, I think this was a good purchase and look forward to future seasons using it.
Hi Jane,
Thanks so much for getting in touch. It’s great to hear feedback from a Camp-Let owner! It seems as though the Classic really does tick all the boxes for you – fingers crossed the weather picks up a little and the wet canvas isn’t too much of an issue.
Lucie
Caravan Guard
Had a trailer tent years ago with some great memories.
Always much noisier in TT and the hassle of being closer to the ground.
BUT now need all the facilities and features of a caravan so at the moment, no contest…