We have booked to go camping with friends in the South of France in August to a fabulous sounding site, but my dilemma starts with which tent to buy. At the end of last Summer I looked into buying a tent as myself and 2 children and the dog love camping, my husband on the other hand is a fair weather camper hence the choice of venue this year. What tent to get is therefore important, I originally was going for the Outwell Montana 6 but am thinking that it a) is too big to put up on my own with the children in this country and b) will be way too enclosed and hot for the south of france. I'm looking for any advice please from those of you who have tented it in the south of france, am i better off borrowing a flimsier bigger tent for the holiday and buying myself a smaller outwell for this country? Sorry to ramble on and on.....
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Hi! Obviously a canvas or good quailty polycotton tent is going to be better in hot weather but the tents campers use down in southern France are a varied as what is used in't UK, certainly you will see Dutch campers using very expensive canvas tents but they use these in Holland as well. Plenty of French campers just use cheapo nylon tunnel tents from Decathalon.
I would have thought medium size tunnel tent would do the job for you whether in't UK or sth France. Although the weather is generally very hot, there can be strong winds & you can get heavy rain at night, dries out very quickly in the morning sun but you still need a tent you would be happy to use in't UK.
As for pegs, take some strong steel 'rock' pegs as the ground can be very hard & take a steel hammer to bang them in with, the bent wire pegs that come with the tent will just bend double in this sort of ground. If you are going to the French south west coast the campsites are sand so you need long(about 30cm)pressed steel or plastic pegs.
What is your budget? How old are the children? Where in the South of France?
You can get stormy weather in parts of the S o F so you should consider how the tent you choose will cope so perhaps not a good idea to go for something flimsy. Size? Well not sure about that because you won't, or shouldn't in my opinion, really need to be spending long periods of time in the tent - as you know the S o F is beautiful and I'm sure you'll all be out exploring! I think a tarp is a good idea as it will serve you well for shade plus an idea place for setting up your kitchen area.
With the 4 of you, a 6 berth will be best as you'll have the space for all your gear too. If you liked the look of the Montana 6 but want it more open - why not look at the Vango Columbia 600 - which has the same spec with a 2/3 bedroom option, enclosed side entrance etc. It also has Vango's unique TBSII system of internal strapping that can be put up in high winds for even greater stability. The big reason I suggest it though is because you can open the whole front up (or just a door), so the whole tent becomes like a canopy. If you want one though you'll have to be quick as it is being continued, as Vango are adding more features, uping the price and renaming it. You can currently get one for about £275-£280 (RRP £450). Being steel poled it is best to pitch with 2 people, but there is a video by Yeoman's Outdoor on YouTube for the Montana 6, which shows how you can do it with one person. Be warned though - both the Montana and Columbia are big tents - we use a trailer for ours, but you can manage with a decent sized car and possibly a roof box (given you don't have a backseat to use) if you don't take too many accessories.
The alternative fibreglass poled tent is the Sungari 600(DLX for 2010).
You could also have a look at the Kampa range of tents, which are also very good spec and attracting a lot of attention this year. www.kampa.co.uk Some of these tents have the whole front zippable out. They all have 4000HH, many with steel poles, zip out windows, fly nets over all doors etc.
One thing you might consider is a smaller tent with an extension/ canopy, which means that you can either go light with just the tent (eg abroad/ for weekends/ when there is only 1 adult) and have the extra space for longer stays and in the UK.
We have the Columbia 600 for 3/4 days or more, a low level Coleman for one nights (e.g. stop off on the way to a main campsite or impromptu stop overs) and we are just about to buy a Kampa Bude 4 - a small standup height tent for 2 or 3 nights. We add a Vango Adventure Tarp as a canopy/cooking shelter for all our tents. We are 2 adults and a toddler.
Good luck with your hunt.
Helen
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Hi we were in France in mid 30degs last August and our canvas tent couldn't have been any more perfect. The style of our tent is not everyone's cup of tea but I would suggest either a canvas or polycotton with plenty of zip open panels (preferably with fly mesh) to keep the breeze flowing through your tent. 2 generous bedroom pods should suit you fine, our kids share. The polyester tents were unbearably stifling we camped near an Outwell Nebraska/Nevada can't remember and became friendly with them and they said that they couldn't even enter their tent until 7pm whereas we could be in ours throughout the day if we wanted.
We had a Monty 6 and although we absolutely loved the tent - it was unbearable for us in a heatwave 26ish degs in Cornwall last June, particularly as I was ill and it was too hot for me to go to bed, (temp reached 40 degs inside) so I had to lie under the extension - not ideal!! So it was sold soon after couldn't have taken it to France.
Like Fiona, I think Cotton Canvas is best for hot climes, we found our Cotton tent and Cotton kitchen tent to be perfect for the heat in Southern France during July last year, even at the inconvienence of the larger pack size, and heavy steel poles.
We have been using a bog standard Vango Venture 500 for the last five years in all weathers including S o F last summer (take a look at my gallery). I have to say that it does get really warm on a summer morning and you wouldn't want to be inside it during the day but why would you be inside a tent in weather like that! However, I have to say that though I can recommend the VV500/Tamor 500 as a simple little all rounder I would take a look at a Bearlake 4 or 6; a nice investment for your family to enjoy many camping holidays .
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It is hot in the South during the day but it can feel pretty chilly at night too. Its all relative. I'd get one that is pretty robust to be honest. Then it has lost of uses. In terms of the Montana 6 being enclosed - don't worry because you wont be in it during the day! We've just bought an Outwell Nevada with the sole intention of heading south in it. I would have loved a canvas tent but they are just so heavy. What was important was a big enough porch to be able to sit up at night, having a drink while the boys slept inside.
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Remember a good wife always helps her husband with the dishes.
We spent last summer in the S of F with a Montana 6 and it was perfect for us. A couple of days it was really hot and we just opened everything we could (but left the bedrooms) to cool it before going to bed. The kids just stayed up a little later than usual because of the heat but then that probably would have happened anyway? I personally can't imagine ever being able to put it up on my own though. I'm relatively strong but rather short and can't see how I would manage it. I am going to look on you tube though as I'm curious now!
We were in Italy last year with a nylon tunnel tent and you really couldn't go in the tent during the day. Ok why would you want to be in a tent during the day? With 2 young children sometimes it is nice just to sit by the tent and let the children draw and play with toys out of the mid day sun - we just couldn't get enough shade or cool air to do this so ended up going out for lunch every day - nice but not ideal!! My next tent will have a large canopy/porch so that you can sit out of the sun easily.
Worth pointing out that many campsites in southern France do have plenty of trees & if you can find a shaded pitch go for it, you will certainly need some shade if it is high 20s & above & if you can pitch in the shade of the midday sun then that is ideal.
Certainly a nylon tent will become very hot in direct sunlight but as you are not going to be in it all day it don't really matter. A canvas tent is superior in any camping situation but if your budget can only stretch to a nylon tent then you will be as ok with it in't sth France as anywhere else.
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Thank you for all that great advice, definately food for thought. The boys are 9 and 5 and although the oldest is very helpful as soon as the bikes are unloaded i don't see him for dust! I wish my OH was a bit keener on the whole camping malarkey but I usually camp with a girlfriend and her children so help is at hand for putting up and packing away, just feel that if it is normally just me and the kids the Montana 6 is just a bit too big, is it my imagination or did the used to do a montana 4?
They did do a Montana 4 and Vango did the equivalent Columbia 400 last year (very scarce now -but a few around). With a very good spec and similar, why not have a look at the Kampa Frinton 4 (available for £250 for 2010, RRP £320). Note that the SleepTite design of the inners is to keep them cooler in hot weather and warmer in cold weather, plus darker so you don't get woken so early in the morning. Kampa seem to be attracting a fair bit of interest this year given the quality of the materials and design. Alternatively, some of the other newer Outwell tents may be of interest...
We have a Monty 6 and this is our 5th year in it I think. We have been to France several times - 36 degrees last year. We pitched under trees and to be honest were never in the tent in the heat of the day other than to change in and out of swimming stuff. It has lots of windows and vents, keep them open and you won't have a problem.
Often breezy and stormy in South of France so it is worth having something that will withstand bad weather.
Pitching does take practice. I can put ours up solo in about 20 mins now - if you go to the you tube video that really helps. The other thing to do is go to the Camping Exhibitions when they start and ask the staff there - they are always pitching tents and have usually perfected the knack and have a view on which is easiest. In my experience other than heavy poles and the height the Monty 6 is one of the easier tents as it goes up in one.
If it is just 3 of you then perhaps a smaller tent. My kids are 5 & 8 and have years of camping experience and do help to a point. I am looking at getting a weekend tent that is smaller than a Monty 6 for when it is just me and the kids or short one night stays. If you are going for a couple of weeks the space of a bigger tent is great though. I did 3 weeks this summer in ours in South of France and although every year I look at what I could have instead I can't find anything I would have in place of our Monty 6. I just keep buying the new fronts they bring out.
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Topic: Advice please! South of France
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