Family tenting in France

steelboots

Hi All,

Would really appreciate your advice. Have returned from a holiday in France. Stayed in a 3 bed mobile on a campsite. Everything great except the price. While over there I noticed quiet a few family in tents, and when comparing prices of my mobile to a pitch there was a difference of over €100 per day. I'm considering getting a tent and try camping. Either way I'm getting a trailer to transport gear, bicycle etc.... so all I need is the tent, cooker etc.. I have 4 kids aged 5,7,10 & 12.

However my wife is not convinced this is a good idea. Would appreciate you advice on:
- What type and size of a tent I should get (and how much should I expect to pay)
- How do tents cope with heavy downpours (in the 5 times I've been to France, there has always been at least one )
- What equipment do I need to consider bringing (i.e. Cooker, Fridge, etc...) and what I should budget for equipment.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Cormac.

Carawaystick

Hi,
I spent most of my summer holidays from 10 - 16 in tents in France, apart from '88 in Germany... pm me for more info

Firstly, I think camping is great, with the major point that going to the toilet in the middle of the night is much harder for women...

We first went with Campotel ( irish co) then Eurocamp ( british co) who provided an already pitched canvas tent, with 3 (lets say 6'x6' bedrooms and 20x8 ' living space.
this had a double gas burner and some crockery storage.

We then( well me folks) got a similar "Chalet" tent, with 2 bedrooms, about 5'x6' and a living area of 12x6

The bedrooms were inside a seperate cloth area, (Our tent and the pre-pitched ones)

We never had water coming through the external canvas, apart from if you touched it, then water would seep through and flow along the inside.
( We were all scouts who camped in Icelandic tents, where if you touched the inner surface during rain, you were geting wet.)

We had hard rain falling, but stayed dry.


At the peak, the da had an electric fridge, running off an Ac - DC converter (240Vac - 12VDC) and his own 2 ring gas burner.

We also had tables and chairs.


It can be done.
my little sis was 5 the first year she went.

I'd suggest trialling one week of a fortnight (or longer!) holiday camping on a site with pre - pitched tents.

You can get 12V cigarette lighter powered fridges, but they're big.
You can get cured meat which will last unchilled, and small portions of cheese,
and probably buy fresh milk each morning.

You can use bought icecubes to chill a coolbox(bag) depending on the heat.


You need to decide the compromises to make. My Ma
( a fairly generic irish ma) goes daft if she cant have a "nice cup of tea" with fresh milk. She doesn't mind having to use French squat toilets.
Mrs C hates squat toilets, but while at home will kill for the tea, on holidays is more free and easy about the stuff.





Once all the lil miss Carawaysticks are nappy free, we're going camping( Ses Mrs C(who's not a camper))

sheesh

We used to do that in the 70s early 80s, great memories, if you have not already got a trailer look at getting a trailer tent it will have space for theother stuff too and will be high enough to stand up in.

other equipment
gas cooker
plates and cups (plastic)
cutlery (regular cutlery)
pots
a basin to do wash up
some sort of container to hold water for drinking
folding table big enough for family
folding chairs or small stools for the kids
camp beds or airbeds for everyone to sleep on

Big container or sealable bag to put cutlery plates cups etc into should be square or rectangular in shape to hepl stowing

Similar container to put the food into Both these containers need to be sealable to keep out insects.

2 ring gas cooker would be ideal

I suppose these days you would have a fridge but we did fine with out it

you are looking at a couple of grand but if it is saving you a €100 a dat that is not bad.

Nautilus72

Hi just a quick suggestion, I love camping myself and was looking at doing similar but seeing as my children are 5 and <1 I have decided to buy a touring caravan. They charge the same as a family tent on campsites here and in France and you get to keep some of your creature comforts not having to worry about rain getting into a tent etc. I have been to the Vendee the last four years running in mobile homes but always in June but with my 5 year old going into 1st class next year will be going to France July or August for the foreseable furture. Touring caravans are going as cheap as family tents these days and if you buy the right one you get all the extras too.

steelboots

Good suggestion Nautilus, and I did consider and would be my preferred option, however I have a few problems to overcome on this score:

1) Current car is not up to towing most 6 berth caravans. I did spot one light caravan but its €6,500. Car is a Citroen C4 Picasso (7 seater) 1.6HDI and it just doesn't seem to be built for towing when I look up whattowcar dot com. so would have to upgrade.
2) Storage, I live in an estate and don't have the space for long term storage, and storage seems to be expensive (approx €300).
3) Insurance, I'm assuming you would have to declare on Car Insurance policy, and also get a policy on the caravan itself for theft/damage etc.. depending on the what you pay for the caravan I guess.
4) Service. As the caravan would have a heating system for safety this would have to be serviced regularly.
5) Depending on the ferry & time your going on hols, there can be a significant extra cost of bringing the caravan on the ferry.

Given the costs associated 2,3,4 & 5 and assuming my car was up to towing, and I can only holiday for a max of 3 weeks a year in France I'm not sure the Caravan is a financially viable option, although I would love to have one . The costs of 2 - 5 could be in the order of €700-800/year, and that's not including the extra diesel.

A tent on the other does not have the costs listed above, but not the same comfort either !

sheesh

Don't be so sure about comfort and camping the air mattresses you get these days are pretty good. you can work around the other stuff. think of all the wine you could bring back in a trailer.

Carawaystick

steelboots wrote: »

Good suggestion Nautilus, and I did consider and would be my preferred option, however I have a few problems to overcome on this score:

1) Current car is not up to towing most 6 berth caravans. I did spot one light caravan but its €6,500. Car is a Citroen C4 Picasso (7 seater) 1.6HDI and it just doesn't seem to be built for towing when I look up whattowcar dot com. so would have to upgrade.

This is the biggie alright.

steelboots wrote: »

2) Storage, I live in an estate and don't have the space for long term storage, and storage seems to be expensive (approx €300).

there are places in the south of France (and I'm sure elsewhere) that store your caravan for you, so you don't have to tow it home & back. It does mean you can only use your caravan abroad though.

steelboots wrote: »

3) Insurance, I'm assuming you would have to declare on Car Insurance policy, and also get a policy on the caravan itself for theft/damage etc.. depending on the what you pay for the caravan I guess.

I doubt it's much on the car insurance

steelboots wrote: »

4) Service. As the caravan would have a heating system for safety this would have to be serviced regularly.

It's for France in the summer right? a cooling system might be better

steelboots wrote: »

5) Depending on the ferry & time your going on hols, there can be a significant extra cost of bringing the caravan on the ferry.

length is a killer on the ferry prices alright

steelboots wrote: »

Given the costs associated 2,3,4 & 5 and assuming my car was up to towing, and I can only holiday for a max of 3 weeks a year in France I'm not sure the Caravan is a financially viable option, although I would love to have one . The costs of 2 - 5 could be in the order of €700-800/year, and that's not including the extra diesel.

A tent on the other does not have the costs listed above, but not the same comfort either !

There's also extra tolls on french motorways and what have you.

Nautilus72

Hi just a quick note seeing as I will be purchasing a caravan myself I previously had a look into some of the points you mentioned above. My insurance does not go up they just wanted to be informed of the fact I was going to be towing a trailer and not as an everyday occurance but leisurewise. I was actually looking to buy a citreon c4 grand picasso 1.6 hdi vtr+ as the family is growing and checked online and no-one seems to have any problems towing a caravan weighing up 1300kg with this car. Obviously a more powerful car would br preferable, I will be towing with a 2ltr 2005 ford mondeo @115hp.
I also checked the cost for me going to France towing a caravan against my normal trip to a mobile home park. Three weeks in a mobile in August and ferry with Irish saves me €200 roughly compared to three weeks in France but staying in three different sites in Vendee, Bordaoux, and outside Biarritz and same ferry.

Servicing of the caravan needs to be done once a year before you start to use it to make sure everything is sound as for the storage it can be a bit expensive. I know there is a place outside Macroom in Cork that charge €2 per foot per month, so depending on the length of the trailer then it would go up fairly quickly.


Whichever you decide on I wish you many happy holiday and memories.

Regards
Darren.

steelboots

Thanks Darren,

Noticed that on the Citroen review all right, however if you go above the permissible towing weight of the car (in this case 1180 kg) and heaven forbid you had a serious accident how would you stand insurance wise I wonder ?

Storage is expensive all right. For a 17ft for 10 months it would be €340.

If campsites were cheaper here then I'd take the chance and buy one. Last Easter I got a beautiful 3 bed house in Clifden for €300 (plus €22 light & heat). Sea views, solar heating, new build etc... If I had a caravan I would be paying in the region €200+ for a piece of concrete in a park.

hippyrc

Did you get the tent and go? I am interested to know as I have just bought a tent and I am going to France this Jun 2017 with my 6 children ( aged 16 down to 5). Finding it hard to find a campsite that will allow more than 6 people per pitch and I am never really sure if the quotes are for a mobile home or just a blank space to pitch my tent. There will be 8 of us altogether and some cousins may join us for a few days. How do they police the number of people staying in the tents. As I say I will be bringing my own tent with me and all the stuff in a trailer. Thinking of staying in Vendee but a bit concerned that it might not be far enough south at that time of year (June)!!

Carawaystick

If ye're staying in one tent, just book the maximum party size. I imagine it's oversight with the campsite, not expecting an Irish family in the booking engine. Worst case they'll charge extra for the 2 youngest children. Especially out of high season.

I'd stretch the extra distance and go to Royan or the Dordogne than the Vendee.