My 02c. Many Aussies who buy into camper trailers start with the side fold tent arrangement but end up moving on to other designs. The side-folds are compact when travelling, give you heaps of internal room when set up, and are fairly economical. The main hassle with them is the setting up and taking down. There is a LOT of canvas to deal with and if it's windy or wet you may not enjoy the experience. We also live in a hot climate and you will need the second roof to keep the heat inside down. A friend of mine camped in the same park as us last weekend and it was 36degC. You could not stand under his annex for more than about a minute. His is dark blue in colour and soaks up the heat. In cold climates this is obviously not an issue. My friend also got the largest tent size thinking it would be better to have more room. Not so. This just increases the acreage of canvas to deal with, meaning more poles to use to support it, meaning more setup and take down times. So unless you really need it don't go the biggest possible tent. Due to the setup/take down times my friend will not do short trips say for a night or two. To make it worthwhile he wants to stay at least 3 or 4 nights. Obviously this restricts what he can/will do. If you intend to go to one site and stay for several nights then they are perfect. If you intend to travel and set this thing up every day then I suggest you look at something else. The Australian Offroad Camper rear fold hard floors are similar in concept with a fold out big tent but so much quicker in setup and take down. Again horses for courses.
We hired a side fold early on for a trip away and we quickly worked out it wasn't for us. We ended up buying a Jayco Dove Outback and while it isn't that off road capable it has served us well for the last 4 years and we've had it in some tricky areas including 35km up a beach and through creek crossings and along muddy tracks. Never an issue with getting it to those places. That said we are selling it to go smaller with an external kitchen and will utilise a large RTT and annex plus awning. The wife is anal (did I say that??
) about setup times. We hope to do some more extended trips to other parts of Australia and so will be doing quick overnight stays, hence setup is important as well as long term comfort. Note we have 3 kids 8 and under so beds are a big consideration. If you have to set up extra beds with the side fold then add that time (and storage space) to the equation.
Hope that's not a downer. I'd really consider how you will use the trailer first up then look for a design that ticks those boxes.
