Ah, memories. We had a sixties Alpen Kreuzer and a seventies one. Made in the DDR. Cheap, great quality, and heavy. Our record time setting it up was 8 minutes with four people working. That excluded the extra tent in front which took another 20 minutes. So, you were done, completely done in 30 minutes. I can assure you these four people then needed a break. I still can't understand that my father decided to go over the Alps with a beetle and an Alpen Kreuzer with loads of extra luggage in it but without brakes on it, in a VW beetle 1300. No tunnels (too expensive) just the Alpine passes. Now that I think of it, no safety belts either. Good times... haha.
These are fantastic things..! I had one just like it, and had many a great holiday in it. So easy to tow, and, with a little practice you will get "complete errection" (ha ha 😂) down to 5 or 10 minutes. A little tip if it's just you and Mrs Hub Nut, take the mattress from one end and put on top of the mattress you're sleeping on, much comfier, and you can use the unoccupied end for storage (and/ or TV, as it was in my case) Enjoy and stick with it..!
I agree with you Ian camping is a pain in the You know what. My wife and I camped for many years.I hated it,my wife loved it.We started out with what you’ve got and finished up with a motor home and it all sucked.
Doubt I will be purchasing a trailer tent after watching your video, as an earlier comment so much hassle in high winds and rain. I watched your video with the broken suspension what is the Bellingos load and towing limit in over thirty plus years of owning cars I have never had the suspension give out on me. Most companies I know put the max weight braked trailer and load capacity, my current vehicle has a tow limit of 3,25kg (manual gearbox) 3,500kg (Automatic) and load bed weight of one ton at the same time winner of caravan and campervan tow vehicle of the year.
sleeping in 30+ years old camvas camper will be nightmare for my asthma... and camping with campers looks so stupid for me ... i lickily can camp in my 323f with matress and cooker . .. but i really understand van conversions ... thats the way to go for camping holidays... this canvas nightmare is pure masochism ....
I can feel your pain Mr Hub Nut . Can I ask how you have a wee at night ? Looking forward to the weekend trip , also good when you pick the hottest weekend 🤣🤣
I'm not sure which would be most frustrating, trying to erect this thing in pouring rain and half a gale, or wrestling with it on a hot, sticky day like today. There's a reason I gave up on camping after one attempt 45 years ago!
My bargain ex-army bivouac tent deployed on a similar timescale, miserably sans built in groundsheet, proved to be the simultaneous beginning and end of my own camping efforts when confronted with Scottish midges. Foxanne or Berlingo with rear doors treated to a Danbury Doubleback slideout knockoff project seem much more amenable places to be in the teeth of a British Standard howling campsite gale or swarms of insects. I still think a trusty Leyland Sherpa caravanette is the way to go.
That’s exactly why we sold ours and upgraded to a proper tourer caravan. Especially when you can get a fully serviced pitch even in Cornwall in August for 25/30 quid a night. Cheap as chips, whilst others pay thousands too stop in a static just for a week.
A Hubnut masterclass in erecting a trailer tent, complete with clanging noises, much confusion and failure to consult any instructions. Exactly as it should be done. One learns best by trial and error.
That's a great buy there especially as it's had a replacement canvas at some point (would have originally been red to match the decals). We had the Conway Cardinal Clubman which was slightly larger and had a solid wind-up roof but had many fantastic holidays away in it until I was "informed" we were getting a caravan 🤣
Having been a user of these for almost 30 years, I have couple of points, firstly it’s a trailer tent and always will be. The marketing people started using the ‘folding camper’ BS to try and attract people who don’t like camping. The give away is the flappy tent like thing on the trailer. True folding campers are hard sided not material. Second, yours needs some serious work/testing prior to use. Don’t use the gas at all prior to getting certificated. Some sites will require to see certificates for leccy and gas. Get both tested and certificated for your safety and fellow campers safety. Third water tanks need cleaning and sterilising or your going to know it in about 6 hours.
Brilliant!! Especially from 6 minutes onwards, the comments, the manoeuvres, the grunts!!! "gateway drug to a proper caravan" !! There is a whole series here, 'Camping with the Hubnuts' ..... You could break the internet!!
"I can see why people buy f****** caravans now" "Gateway drug because after camping with this once you'll never want to put it up again" "I already hate this"
Speaking as a former Boat Safety Scheme examiner, I can see several reasons why I wouldn't be happy turning that gas system on to look at the flame pattern, let alone actually cook something. The use of garden hose instead of proper gas hose is the most immediate, with the ancient regulator a close second. Oddly, the excessive corrosion on the butane cylinder is a relatively small concern. Of course this is something that could go a few ways, either you end up with a caravan, or a boat. ;)
Boat safety examinators only want you to spend money on stuff you don’t need in the name of safety. Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s unsafe. I know. My boat examinator was also a fruitcake.
@@johnobiro5202 You can get a little gas stove from outdoor shops that run on a gas cylinder that is like a pressure pack. They work well and are cheap as chips. Might be an alternative.
These tings are great when it comes to weight and backwards visibility, but it's a hassle putting it up and down and especially in bad weather. A caravan is a bit easier and it could do double duty as the HubNut executive office outside the unit in the winter, imagine just popping in for a recharge of batteries and a cup of tea away from the wind and rain.
@Jon Tibbatts coupled with a tendency to pull to one side or the other when accelerating or braking. You can though, drive one on a motorcycle license, in the post war years they gave many families the freedom to travel which would otherwise have been unobtainable.
As you’ve discovered, the fridge won’t run from 12v, apart from when connected to car - if car has additional grey socket AND both ends are wired correctly. BTW, we lasted 1 season with a trailer tent before selling it and buying a caravan instead!
@@HubNut A single plug has an auxiliary pin in it which should be of sufficient amperage to power a 12v fridge or charge the leisure battery if wired to an additional voltage regulator, check how its been wired to the car electrics and check what the fridge is wired to. You may need help from an auto electrician.
Forgive me for laughing, how you tried to unfold this camper had me in stitches! You need a few tries in order to get this right. I would go to the nearest dealer or service centre to have it properly looked over, since it sat. My parents here in the US went to every state within the continent. Then again, they had a huge fifth wheel, then went to a motorhome. Best of luck you too!
We have the 4 berth Conway Challenger. Can honestly say it’s a genuine 10 minute set up. And to everyone saying it’s trailer tent, you’re wrong. It’s a folding camper. A trailer tent has a separate kitchen that hangs off the back of the trailer. A folding camper has the kitchen inside
That was the most hilarious minute ever.If you had waited until you were in a camping area with an audience of seasoned campers there would have been much laughter.Good luck with the tent on wheels I’m sure you will get many years of enjoyment with it,cheers.
I think that your Conway Cruiser looks great. It definitely suit's your lifestyle very well and is certainly a Hubnut item that fits in with the fleet very well indeed. I look forward to seeing your 1st Adventure away with it.
Great video, nice to see a normal person try to erect it rather than a promo video. I've just purchased the same folding camper this week and had our first night in it yesterday. Found a few things that need doing, firstly the gas. Look forward to more videos as you enjoy the camper, they really are great pieces of kit
Great entertainment Ian & Carly, bugger that for a game of soldiers though. I used to get frustrated putting up the hood on my 1966 MG Midget. It did have a tonneau cover as well 😁
You can save yourself even more time by realising it;s a gateway to a campervan. The pathway is as follows, tent - trailer tent (optional) - caravan - campervan - hotels
No it took me longer, two man ridge tent, second hand trailer tent, brand new Sunncamp (Chinese Conwy copy) second hand Jamet before we discovered all inclusive holidays. 😀
Ian & Carly, ignore the not-so-constructive criticism. I camped for quite a few years and after a storm, me and my partner were put off tents and decided to work our way up to a caravan. We bought a 1991 Conway Royale DL trailer tent and had a couple of outings in it. I was able to tow it with my MK4 Astra and my Citroen Xsara Picasso as it was very light. We're now on our 2nd caravan 6 years later (at the time of writing) and we're still loving the caravanning. There's nothing wrong with your folding camper so don't be put off by the "that's too much hassle to put up" and "why not stay in a hotel instead?" type comments. I hope you enjoy your first outing in it. My partner loved our trailer tent but it was just a stepping stone for us.
We did tenting for many years when the kids were small, it was great fun. In the end, packing it all away became too much of a chore. We looked at folding campers briefly before buying a full size 2003 caravan. Recently upgraded that to a lovely 8 foot wide Lunar which we lived in with 2 kids for 2 months while we were in the process of moving to Wales. Have fun, one of the best simple things in life is to sit round a fire, cooking food and drinking a pint :)
This is most enjoyable viewing and what an absolute beautiful purchase. Mr Hubnut’s enthusiasm is boundless. Throughly enjoyed viewing and hope you have a fantastic break. I look forward to future exploits with great eagerness.
Unfortunately the fridge won't work on 12v. The usual method is the 12v supply to the fridge actually comes from the 12S socket on the car and will only maintain temperature, not drive the temperature down from the ambient state. To get it cold you'll have to run it on 240v or gas. Excellent fun video, lots of banter and I suspect good times to come...
That’s a proper cool little folding camper thing, my old mate from school had one that he fixed up and shared with his older brother, until the elder passed his driving test their stepfather used to tow it to a small local camp ground for them to use over the weekends, they used to have a great old time with it. Brilliant 👍
It’s charming! I’ve never seen one with a soft tonneau before. In the USA ours all have a rigid flat roof in the middle. I like yours-the gable makes it like a little cabin.
I'm from the UK but in the 90s my Dad had a Coleman with a rigid roof that you'd wind up with handle. It was extremely heavy and obviously not designed for the VW Passat that my Dad pulled it with as he had to have the rear suspension stiffened as he was loosing the steering on the car!
And this is exactly why we got rid of ours, it always started our holiday just right and put the whole family in that "holiday" mood.! I famously told my 8 year old daughter to f off when she asked me why I was so angry, not my finest hour. 😳
We had an 1980's East German (I think) NR Nova trailer tent until the mid 90's which was replaced by a Pullman Fiesta folding camper. That was fairly similar to yours, but the beds fold out each side with the kitchen up front, much easier to fold up as I recall. That Conway looks a really good buy, it seems to be in great condition for its age!
I've used CAK Tanks in Kenilworth many a time for obscure camper ands caravan parts- they've always been really helpful- give them a try for your fridge shelves.
My family had something very similar in the mid 70s. We took one trip to Scandinavia where the couple traveling with us were on the verge of a divorce, and one trip to France where it snowed on the first night and 100 miles from home we realized we had forgotten to load all of the food we had packed for the trip. that was it for us.
Wow the brown plastic on the fridge takes me back to another time. Can't help but think it would be faster to pitch a tent but the folding kitchen is interesting and innovative which I like. My Aunti had a trailer tent years ago but I'm not sure how much they differ from your folding camper. I suppose the advantage to this over a conventional caravan will be apparent when towing with its more compact dimensions.
Tip, write under your beds which you open up first and which you take down first, we’re on our second one of these, over the last decade, had so many great holidays in them, once you master them it gets easier. Sounds obvious renew your tyres I had a blow out on ours on the M1 even though tyres looked visibly ok, I don’t think the prolonged standing helps. For your fridge some small adjustable oven shelves work a treat 😉
Ah fond memories of camping in our trailer tent when I was a kid in the late 80s. It wasnt a Conway, it was a Penine something but I seem to remember the flaps folded out rather than slid out. Hope you enjoy it, if not if will make a great storage shed for car parts!
For your information caravan fridges run on at 240 V electric and gas. 12v is purely for transit and will not get the fridge down to temperature but will maintain it at a lower temperature for a short period of time to an extent primarily for travelling to and from site. We use our freezer for choc ices which works great that. Also table is a common point where screws were out ordinal holes and that’s a common repair
That's quite a bargain there, considering new Motorhomes are running at £60-90k. What made it for me are the Westie Coasters, previous owners must have been good folk. 👍😊
The best way to ensure the water system is clean is fill the water bottle with water and chuck in a couple of steradent tablets, then pump the water through the system using the foot pump. Hope this helps. I'm not sure the battery and the gas bottle are meant to live together. BTW Ian you did better than my late father when he was putting up the awning, lots of swearing and me ending up in the caravan out of the line of fire...
I’m afraid…….all the noise and insulation disadvantages of a tent and all the towing, speed limits, purchase costs and weight disadvantages of a caravan…..and non of the advantages of either!
You can see why people get caravans right there and here and over there and also under here ,push it quietly of a cliff and never mention it again You know this makes the most sense. These make less sense than under arm weevil canons and high altitude badgers !
Yeah, about 60 seconds in I'd have been 'sod this' and scouring Marketplace for a proper caravan. Probably easier to replace the rotten floor in an old Carlight or Touranger than erect this thing! What are the advantages of a trailer tent anyway, besides maybe slightly reduced drag and hence fuel consumption? They seem to offer the worst aspects of camping and caravanning- definitely not for me.
Cheaper, lighter, takes up less room when not in use, the folding out beds makes it equivalent in size to a much bigger caravan. I wouldnt be bothered with the hassle of one of these, but they certainly do have a few advantages.
@@MrManBuzz agreed regarding space, you could easily sleep 6 or even 8 in this with a decent awning, and to do that with a caravan you would probably need a twin axle and a special licence. However one of the reasons I prefer caravans to tents is because most of the time the UK is *windy*, and the sound of wet, flapping canvas gets annoying after a while. I know that our kids wouldn't get on with this.
The springy thing is there so that when (sorry if) the Conway Palace becomes detached from the tow vehicle, the breakaway cable pulls the brakes on and then the spring thing is a weak point so the cable then comes free from the Palace and should ideally remain on the rear of the tow vehicle so that not all is lost and you will at least still have a break away cable to fit to the next Palace.
This would have taken WAY longer than 60 seconds had it not been for Ian’s tinkering skills built up over a long period of time. A Conway instructional video now done and dusted. 😉
Well they are Microsoft seconds I guess (try copying files in windows, you know what I mean). Spoiler alert 🤣🤣🤣 Carly cracks me up! (Next time move Bella out of the way? Knees and trailer hitches combine badly....) Kudos for Carly on her camera work and comments. Great one you HubNut seniors 🙂
In case you haven't noticed Ian, the tow bar position on the old Berlingo is set very low, much lower than that tent on wheels for example.... I can already feel Ian is looking forward to his first camping trip..... It combines all the joys of caravans and tents. In other words an absolute nightmare. If you stripped out the canvas and cupboards you could always use it as a trailer to shift junk.
Mr HubNut gets grumpy with ingenious British camping mechanisms. Miss HubNut is in raptures playing House. Stay tuned for a six-part sitcom. The excitement will be intense (this pun is listed in the British Heritage Comedy Register, with a grade of II*).
What a great find we are thinking about a folding camper due to living up a very steep single road and thought about a full size caravan but wouldn't get it up the road so our only option was a folding camper or trailer tent. So I will be watching in anticipation to see how you guys get on. 😃
Oh Lordy, replay this video and shut your eyes this video sounds so out of context hahaha 50 SHADES OF CONWAY XD How HubNut as always, God I love this channel.
Once you have mastered the sequence, it does become a lot easier. Good to see you have a functioning leisure battery, but a shame about the gas bottle. A good idea might be to get the Cruiser serviced for peace of mind - no doubt the owner forums will be able to help.
I had a caravan for a bit and while it wasn't this much hassle it took a little setting up. You do get better at it though. After living out of mine for a few weeks after a fall out with the mrs I got pretty slick at backing it up unaided, sliding it in a narrow spot, and setting it up in no time. Best of luck!
Practice makes perfect and after a few trips with he folding camper, I am sure it went very well. The camper itself is a very clever idea and engineering feat, so small and easy to pull behind the car yet when erected it's actually very roomy and comfortable. Good choice of an affordable and practical camper.
A cracking video Hubnutters. It's always a good idea to do a dry run of the initial errection... err... assembly before use. The same applies when you get a new tent as sods law when you put it up for the first time it'll be raining and the instructions turn into paste when soaked. I learnt this in the days of motorbike touring back in the day. A good job by you both and some clever packaging ideas by Conway. Looking forward to the video of the first use out in the wild. And as Miss Hubnut mentions it really does match Bella. Have a great time peeps.
