I have been camping in the uk for 2 summers now with my young family and we want to step up to a 2 week camp in France for our main summer holiday next year. The only problem is having upgraded out tent from a Hartford L to an Ohio XL I am now seriously worried that the tent is not suitable for a 2 week stay in France in late July / early August.
The ohio xl is a large tent with plenty of ventilation options and screens but everything i read here suggests we will be uncomfortbale in anything other than a cotton or at least a poly cotton tent. Because the bedrooms are on the side you can have a breeze flowing through doors on the front and the back but I am not sure if this is of any use if it is hot and there is little breeze.
My two children will be 6 and 3 1/2 when we go next and we are planning to go to the coast in the Vendee area or perhaps a little further south towards La Rochelle.
I really dont want to admit the tent wont do as we only camp for four or five days at a time in the UK so if the Ohio doesn't work for France it's not worth keeping for the UK alone. Should i bite the bullet and trawl ebay for a cabanon or try it out in France and see how it feels?
------------- Manor Park Farm, Cromer every august, but somewhere different every may/June.
4 years of superior packing yet still no room in the car
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Nahhh, we did the Med in a poly tent (Outwell Idaho XL) and it was fine. We only went in it to sleep anyway, and as long as you keep it well aired, with windows and doors open (and flyscreens shut if you have them) you'll be okay. It was 35 in the shade when we went and we slept fine.
I've been down in the Loire and La Rochelle way in a synthetic tent and been fine. Looking at the Ohio you can leave the mesh window open all the time even if raining and if you keep the curtains shut during the day and any possible vents open, you'll only find it oppressively hot for the few minutes it takes to get all the doors and windows open when you get back from an outing. You can leave the inners open 24/7 for ventilation as well, or even take them out if very hot. One other trick is to wet down mesh windows with a clean sponge and plain water...it cools the air down as it goes in. And you can take a wee 7" desk fan if you have EHU, to get a bit of air flow going.
I've also been in Normandy in a 40'C heatwave when even our canvas trailer tent was too hot to go into during the day and at night we were sleeping out on the grass under the sun canopy. If it gets that hot everyone will be suffering, whatever tent you have. It's not worth buying a new tent just on the offchance.
Thank you all, thats very good to hear, even though part of my secretly wanted to add another tent to the collection.
Whats the best way to provide some shade then. I tried using a tarp from Decathlon last year but ended up taking it back as it wasnt very stable. Tha said though it probably wont be as windy in france as it was in norfolk last year.
------------- Manor Park Farm, Cromer every august, but somewhere different every may/June.
4 years of superior packing yet still no room in the car
Whats the best way to provide some shade then. I tried using a tarp from Decathlon last year but ended up taking it back as it wasnt very stable. Tha said though it probably wont be as windy in france as it was in norfolk last year.
camp in a pine forest or under a tree.
Regard Bob
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Best way to provide some shade is to find a shady pitch with trees. Take a compass(essential kit for choosing pitch imho)& you can work out where the sun will be at what time of day.
Quote: Originally posted by Tentz on 27/6/2011
Take a compass(essential kit for choosing pitch imho)& you can work out where the sun will be at what time of day.
I thought it was only me that thought a compass was essential kit as I'd never seen anyone else use one!
------------- Ollie
2016
Monplaisir - Provence
Camping Les Gorges du Loup
Oops, we have a compass too! As Tentz says, essential for finding the best pitch and the best spot to park up on a pitch.
Generally we've found that French campsite pitches, certainly in the south, provide a mix of sun and shade. They are usually hedged between, with larger trees somewhere between the pitches. Rarely do you get the 'Prairie' effect of open fields, jockey wheels facing forwards, which are common on British campsites. In France you can pitch just as you wish, sideways, front, back, or even diagonally across you pitch should you so choose. Campsites in the south often ask if you want a sunny or a shady pitch - and we've found that even going for 'sunny' still gives you some shade at some part of the day.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I think the ability to create shade or have shade on your pitch is much more important than the type of tent you have. If it is hot you will need shade to eat under or for the children to play/draw as the tent will probably get too hot during the day.
I think there is no denying, that a "Cotton" tent is going to be more comfortable in hot climes than a "Polyester" tent, but that dosn't mean that a "Polyester" tent is not suitable, of course it is, just as any other type of canva is, be it "Cotton" "PolyCotton" "All Season Polyester" or "Polyester".
Not that any tent is gong to be cool, when the the temps are hitting +40Deg C, but early in the morning, as the Sun comes up, is when you will notice the difference, with the differing canvas types available.
We did Biarritz in 40+ temperatures and didn't realise we were slumming it on our Sunncamp poly tent. We only really sleep in the tent and we sleep on top of the bedding of it's hot. To be honest, when it was stifling it was just as bad outdoors as in!
I think tent connoisseurs prefer cotton or canvas tents and I'm sure they're lovely. We're just trying to have a holiday on a budget so we'll stick with the tent we've got.
Being an old (very old!) Girl Guide I usually know which way is south, especially if the sun is shining, so no compass here. I do usually ask for the amount of shade we need when I book (more in the South, less in the North).
Always take a compass ... used to be one out of an old spitfire !! Nowadays ... an orienteering one is simple and useful ... also when out treking!
We've used a Marechal poly tent all over France and Spain ... even south of Spain in July ... all flaps open and mesh windows rolled up .... no problem ... helps if in the shade ....sometimes we didn't go in during the day time ... but, we didn't want to anyway!
Just make sure you don't leave anything 'under canvas' that will not react well to heat ... when tenting we always had a hanging larder (nearest tree) ... helped keep ants away from food too.
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Topic: Do I need a new tent for France??
