Tents for hot weather

[Kaffiene]

So we have decided that next summer we are heading off to Europe for a month. Thinking Austria/Slovenia/Croatia

Last time we did this was over 10 years ago! We had a Vango tent, a king sized Airbus and a double sleeping bag. Things seem to have moved on quite a lot since then!

So what tents or makes would you recommend we look at?

Needs to put up as much as possible by one person.
2 or 3 sleeping areas. 3 people, 2 dogs and a lot of extra stuff.
Cool and dark as possible - are the Decathlon Fresh & Bkack any good. What about other brands?

Then I am thinking of investing in some SIMs. Out well dream catcher 10cms? Singles rather than doubles?

Are HDUs all the same? Or have they changed loads too?

Thanks in advance. So excited !!

[CatherineDeB]

You need a tent with a good ventilation system to cool it off. Canvas is better in hot (and cold temperatures).

One of our tents has a fantastic ventilation system - a few vents at the bottom and then a cap at the top that completely opens up. When you open the top the relief is instant.

Our other tent has got vents at the bottom and a zip in mesh door. We leave the vents open and the mesh door zipped in in hot weather.

What is your budget and how much room do you have/what sort of tent do you want.

Dark isn't necessarily cool.

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

We have a polycotton from Obelink, much nicer in the heat. It's heavy though and not dark, but closer to equator the days and nights are more equal so it's never been an issue. Enjoy your trip. We've considered it but so far the ticks have put us off so tend to go to Spain instead.

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

Sorry the outer tent is cotton not polycotton, I think that is the inner tent. Ours is like the Alaska.

[Kaffiene]

Haven't set a budget yet ....
No idea what sort of tent we want, just started liking and got so overwhelmed with choose.
We need as much room as possible for 3 people including one wheelchair user and a large dog. We could use a pup tent for storage though.
Are canvas heavy and hard to put up? That is how I imagine them. Plus we don't have much space at home for drying but I guess we could just use for long trips. Not really a fan of camping in the cold ;-)

Are the ticks that bad? DSis used to get massive ones in Spain when we were kids.

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

We've read that they carry certain diseases - encephalitis, you can get vaccinations but they take a little while to be effective, we are last minute campers so didn't organise it. You should have plenty of time now though. Camping puts you into a riskier category because you are more exposed being outside. Our tent is heavy but much nicer - I couldn't put it up alone but dh can. I can put up our polyester short trip tent but it isn' as comfortable. Have you looked into companies which provide pre equipped tents? If you haven't got all the equipment it might not be too different in cost. Timing is also important in terms of cost. If you are able to avoid July and August it is much cheaper. Even the second half of Aug is cheaper in France and Spain.

[jellyshoeswithdiamonds]

We have an Outwell Bearlake 6 (me, dh and a Westie). Its polycotton with a ZIG.

I can put up BL6 by myself (5'4") woman with a niggly back, with help its easier (if the help is willing to listen that is).

We upgraded ourselves from a Montana 6, I sleep much better due to the bedroom pod being so much darker.

It is cooler than a polyester tent, less noise from the fabric if winds pick up, it dries quickly too. The canopy on the front is cooler to sit under too compared to the event shelter I take.

I love the large living area, I take a lot of gear and our teens (who have their own tent on their own pitch next to us) usually join us in the evenings to play cards or read.

Such a good tent, only downside is no mesh on the front door so we use the side one in the evenings.