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Choosing the right tent for a
camping holiday in France and Europe
When you decide that you would like to go on a family camping
holiday in France, or anywhere else in Europe for that matter, if you have never been
camping before, then we would strongly suggest that it is a good idea to spend some time
on one of the French campsites that has tents already pitched and ready with beds, cooking
equipment and much more.
These tents come in different styles that you can hire out, whether it be for a short
weekend break or a summer holiday, although the bungalow tents are a very popular style
and can be seen on lots of the campsites in France.
Yet, this way, you can see if you and your family even like the idea of sleeping
under canvas, especially before purchasing a tent along with all the other items that
you will need to go along side.
But let us say that you already do enjoy camping, and you are now looking at getting your
own equipment, so we will start with the basics.
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Choosing the type of tent
Yes, we know that the most obvious thing you are going to need is a tent, but there are so
many to choose from, so we will try and give you some ideas that may help you decide what
is right for you.
The first thing you need to decide upon is what type of camping you will be doing such as
wild camping, back packing, a family camping holiday on a campsite, camping at a festival,
etc.
Then you need to decide upon how you will be transporting your tent, such as in a
rucksack, a car or a camping trailer, as this will also determine the type of tent you
purchase due to weight restrictions.
So what size tent do you need?
Once you know what type of camping holiday in France you will be taking and how you will
be getting there, such as car or train, then you need to figure out how many people will
be in your party. For instance, is it just with friends or family camping with
children? This will also play a major role in the type of ten design and size that
you require.
Now a very valid point to remember is that manufacturers state recommendations for the
capacity a tent can sleep, however, these are not normally very generous and often over
exaggerated!
So if you want to be comfortable and you do not have to worry too much about size, then
when a tent manufacturer states it sleeps, for instance, six people, as a general idea, it
is best to take off at least one or two persons and say that it will be a good size for
four people with all your camping equipment.
The same goes for when you are thinking about a family sized tent, as you may wish to have
an additional living area as well as different sleeping areas, but you can find out more
on different
tent styles and how they are made in our other write-ups - Extra links at the bottom.
A good idea would be to take the tents and sleeping compartments sizes and measure these
out in the garden, then this will give a good idea of the real size, but also you could
find out if the beds you have already purchased will even fit in to the bedroom
areas!! You see, not all tent manufacturers make the sleeping compartments, or
sleeping areas to a standardised size, which is why a 4 man tent of 2.2 meters square may
seem rather tight and not what is needed for a family camping holiday. The 4 man
tent we purchased for our Daughter and friends would really only fit two comfortably or
three with a bit of as squeeze!
Also do not forget about the height of the tent, to see if this is suitable, as it is very
hard to think about cooking in a living area that you cannot stand up in, which sometimes
you have to do, as the weather cannot always be predicted, even when on a camping holiday
in France.
You get what you pay for!
Obviously you can get a cheap and cheerful tent from numerous places, but if you go to a
specialist camping centre, then you will not only have far more choice and see the well
known brands on display, but also get better quality from reputable manufacturers that
have had many years experience in the camping market.
You know the old saying.. You get what you pay for! Well this is very true, and a
general rule is that the more you pay, the better the quality, which will also save you
money in the long term, as a tent should last for many happy camping holidays in France if
it is looked after properly, rather than just one season or less!
Many of the more expensive tents also have better ventilation and water protection along
with more options for the added extras such as built in ground sheets, additional
compartments, porches, matching windbreaks, etc.
So, with these points in mind, we will try to cover some of these issues in more detail in
our other articles (like the ones below) so you can make the right choices and hopefully
get the best possible style of tent for your needs.
Additional Information On Tents:
Tent Styles - So
what style of tent should you buy?
Tent Materials - Tent
materials and how they are made
Camping Equipment - Guide to
sleeping and bedding for camping
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