Casita Folding Caravan
ALTERNATIVE CARAVAN?

Having sold our Portafold we then realised that we would miss it
so we bought a slightly more modern version in the form of
a Casita folding caravan

We bought this on ebay but since the owner wasn't too far away we viewed it before the bidding closed.

Casita folding caravan with the hens getting an unexpected meal   Casita folding caravan

The Casita has proved to be something of a mystery. We searched the web for Casita but could only find Casita Travel Trailers in America who denied all knowledge of this tiny folder. Folding Caravans of Swindon and A-Tech from Oxfordshire both failed to respond to my emails for help. In fact we discovered that it was made by Lenoir et Mernier of France. Again a search on the web revealed only that they are/were involved in mining for minerals so quite how they came to build a folding caravan remains a mystery. Can anyone enlighten us?

Casita folded down for transit

 The Casita dwarfs our little automatic Daihatsu Grand Move being several inches wider than the car and our previous Portafold but nevertheless tows quite easily on its Alko running gear and with a weight of 495Kg.

Its most peculiar, whilst the Casita appears tiny from the outside, it really does feel bigger on the inside. There is ample space for two with the seating making down into the bed, a small table, a combined sink/cooker unit, an Electrolux gas/electric fridge and a small wardrobe. A window in each wall qives a light, airy feel to it. Its much easier to erect than the Portafold having linked roof/end support arms and quite a complicated system of springs concealed in the sides of the fibreglass roof.

The Casita feels a much stronger build quality than the Portafold and its well insulated with double glazed windows, thick insulated walls and tight fitting construction. But the Portafold has the edge when it comes to storage volume with underbed storage around the full length of the three walls.

Having only owned it for two days is not sufficient for a comprehensive overview. There are one or two cosmetic details to attend to when the weather is less inclement and the mains electrics need some attention with the mains input socket still being of the French two pin type and no RCB unit fitted. However we don't care for being tied to a regimented mains hookup, preferring to be able to choose our pitch on a quiet corner and rely on gas and 12 volts so this isn't paramount to our enjoyment of the van.

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