Vile, vile weather for camping and am never going without a gazebo/shelter thing again - recommendations?

[foothesnoo]

Have just spent four nights in rain in Wales and have decided that the one ting we need next year is some sort of add-on living area. Our tent is lovely but small - I need something like a gazebo but something sturdy which will not crumble in wind and rain. Friends' gazebos were buckling all around or collapsing under the weight of rain water. Any recommendations?

[Slubberdegullion]

This did very well in a review in camping magazine this month.

[Blandmum]

we went for three days and it pissed aown and our base seconds tent kept it all out!

seconds.quechua.com/index.php5?lg=EN

the base seconds is on sale for £59 at decathlon and is fabbola

[foothesnoo]

MB that link doesn't work.......

I am attempting to work at home today and the wet and muddy piles of washing and camping equipment are distracting me.

[Lucycat]

You need something like the Outwell day tent that slubber linked to - a garden gazebo wil just blow around a campsite killing other people's tents as they go.

Have a look at the ones at the bottom of this page to give you some ideas. Normally I'd say a tarp would do, but not great if the rain is a torrential as it has been!

[foothesnoo]

Thanks Lucycat. Am liking the look of the Kyham Day shelter - like the extra bit at the front. Anyone got that one?

We were camped near some people who had constructed something from a tarp and some bits of wood - it blew down in the night taking out a side of their tent with it!

[Mercy]

We've just bought an front extension for our Outwell tent.

We'll find out next week if it fits and if it's any good - but the weather forecast is looking quite good atm!

[Blandmum]

www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/seconds-base-35307101/

shows you the thing. It goes up and is pegged out in 5 minutes!

I'm getting another one to give us more living room. Is fabola!

[Lucycat]

or here maybe mb?

[Blandmum]

That is the one!

Worked brilliantly and really is as easy to pitch. kept out the most awful rain.

I'm going to get another base seconds as a day room, and that is us sorted for next years touring in France!

[foothesnoo]

Mercy have you got a montana 6 or a 4? We have the 4 and am not sure the extension will fit on it (have been browsing camping websites which is not good when you're just back from a trip and can see just how much stuff would come in handy.....)

[Mercy]

Wow, that looks great!

[Lucycat]

We used our 2 popups on our last night in France together with our side canopy so it would be easy to strike camp on 'leaving day'.

I'll try and put a photo on my profile later - they were great, but more 'rustley' than we were used to!

Have you any ideas about an itinerary yet mb?

[foothesnoo]

How spacious is it MB?

[Mercy]

We've got a Montana 4 but the extension is a Minnesota 4 (apparently the Montana has been replaced)

According the company we bought it from it does fit, and the person we spoke to said his mum bought one for her Montana 4.

I'll let you know!

[foothesnoo]

Ah - yes I looked at the outwell site and couldn't see the 4 - we have had ours three years. Kind of wish I had got the 6 now, we all like camping more than I thought we would. Thought we would limit it to a couple of nights away at the most, but we are doing a few longer ones and the extra rooom would be useful.

[Lucycat]

There you go mb - tea isn't quite ready so I found a photo!

[Blandmum]

2.4M by2.5M and 1.85M high.

I can stand in it no probs.

Great bit of kit.

I've got a pop up 2 man for the kids to sleep in and I have the base seconds full for me to sleep in/storage. anothe base secons for poor weather will be ideal

[Blandmum]

re itinerary.

No hard and fast planes yet (this will be my fun for the winter nights!)

I'm going to go to Carcassonne for a week, where I will meet up with MIL and we will be in a pitched tent, with proper beds and a loo/shower! Campsite is 20 mins walk from the town centre.

I'm going to take 2.5 weeks to get there and 2.5 weeks to get back. I want to go to the Loire and the Dordogne, but I haven't planned a route and started booking just yet

[Mercy]

We bought ours 3 years ago and were also unsure as to whether to buy the 4 or 6!

We got the extension from Yeomans for about £80 with free delivery.

I'll give you a report when we get back!

[Chocolateteapot]

We don't have a Decathlon near us but happened (with some forward planning from me) to pass one in France last week and a Quechua Base seconds is sitting under the stairs.

Have only tried it in the garden so far but hoping to use it next weekend as an awning for our folding camper if the weather improves.

They really do pop up very very quickly. I was quite worried about getting it back in the bag and didn't dare try until we got back to the UK as I had visions of not being able to get it in the car, but it is actually very easy !

[HappypillsGalore]

that quechua thing looks wicked!
dp raising his eyebrows at me
freind saying 'if i were gonna spend that money id get a bigger tent'
but i am sold.
love it.
as an extra space, weatherproof, for outside the campervan.
bloody brilliant.

[Blandmum]

Try it at home, so that if you get stuck, you can look at the vid on line!

I find it very easy, now that I have the knack!

[Blandmum]

I have an outwell that sleeps 8, which is a fab tent, but I can't see me usng it again as it is heavy and so much harder to put up!

[Chocolateteapot]

I read somewhere, either here or UKcampsite, that you have to treat them like you mean business when you put them away, which really helped - thank you MB if that was you who said it !

Even my brother who is not into the whole camping idea was very impressed with how fast it went up. If it rains and scuppers my plans to use it on Saturday I am going to be very very cross.

[HappypillsGalore]

exactly; imo the fact that its easy to use will mean it will get used much more... so its got to be worth it no??

where/what on earth is decathlon then?