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Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

Original poster

lovely campers, please help me find a canvas tarp or awning for my bell tent

77 replies

ReshapeWhileDamp · 20/07/2011 22:02

There are a few around marketed as specifically for bell tents, but do I need one that says it's specially for bells? (for instance, I'm sure I've seen one that attaches to the spike at the top of the A frame, but surely that's just an eyelet in the middle of one side of the tarp? Hmm)

There's the one sold by Bell Tent co and Obelink (obelink is selling it for 55 euros - I can't work out if it's one of the things they won't ship to the UK) but I'm not sure how large it is compared with others. There's this pretty thing, but £225?! And the one from Tortuga Tents is pretty expensive too, and only comes with one pole. But I just don't know what is reasonable for a cotton canvas tarp.

Ideally, we'd like to be able to have a pitched 'roof' extending from the entrance, for boots, outdoor storage, and so on, but it'd be useful to use the tarp alone in various configurations for picnics, etc.

Glampy sites and companies aside, does anyone else make cotton canvas tarps for camping, or are they likely to be all synthetic now? Could I even make my own, or would I need an industrial sewing machine for working with heavy fabric?

Thanks for any pointers!

OP posts:
Original poster
ReshapeWhileDamp · 20/07/2011 22:05

oops. First link should obviously not be to a set of overpriced melamine beakers. Should be to this!

OP posts:
needanewname · 20/07/2011 22:08

we have the one from obelink. i think you should be able to use any, as long as it has holes in the right places you should be fine.

I also love the tortuga tents one but think dh might kill me!

lovecat · 20/07/2011 22:14

I've been looking at the belltent one (Malu?) that comes with 2 poles. I saw it in RL at Latitude and it looked pretty good, plenty big enough to sit under with a folding table & chairs. Also the fact it comes with 2 poles means you have that many more permutations with it (although of course you could always just buy a spare pole!) means I'm veering towards it. I also looked at the cost of a canvas tarp from a builder's merchant and by the time you've added on the poles & guys it would not be much cheaper. I don't think that the obelink one comes with poles.

needanewname · 20/07/2011 22:22

mine does, we have 2 poles!

Hows the tent lovecat?

lovecat · 20/07/2011 22:25

Ooh, does it really? I can't read Dutch for toffee... didn't get that at all from the website! Tent remains grubby, but is now dry (finally!) :)

Original poster
ReshapeWhileDamp · 20/07/2011 22:30

Mmm, I was looking at real canvas tarps from builder's merchants too - costly, aren't they?

The Obelink one does come with poles - if you're reading in Spanish, Dutch, German or French, that is. Hmm In English, it tells you that this product does not exist any more. So is this just a website glitch or does it mean they won't ship here? If you look at the bell tents, they clearly say they won't sell them to the UK, but there's nothing like that for the tarp. Thing is, I can't work out how to enter a UK shipping destination for it if I buy it in French, or whatever!

Thanks, Lovecat - always good to know it looked the business in real life!

OP posts:
Original poster
ReshapeWhileDamp · 20/07/2011 22:32

poles are stokken, I think.

glad to hear tent is now dry! Mine is still up from a week ago, which is fine, but I'm wondering when on earth it'll come down!

OP posts:
mel2005 · 20/07/2011 23:30

i have ordered this one for my soulpad
www.tent-tents.com/overzichtpagina3.asp?cat=2&id=24&arid=7804
i am still waiting for it and i ordered and paid over a month ago, i sent them an e-mail a few days ago and they said it will be sent this week, the amount on the receipt they just e-mailed to me was for more than i paid so i am not sure if thats why it didnt get sent. anyway i hope its worth it, it looks good and they do ship both the canvas tarps to the uk i just liked the shape of this one

Slubberdegullion · 21/07/2011 08:22

Reshape I'm going to throw my tarp into the mix

Tatonka tarp 2TC

Now here's the thing. It's polycotton. Not sure if you are after cotton purity in your tarp and something very matchy-matchy to go with your tent but let me tell you, I LOVE MY TARP.

It is so light 1.3kg and rolls up into a wee bag and packs down so small. Has loads of eyelets, guying points (no poles though, I use the ones from my utility tent) and red guy lines. Very well made.

We take it down to the beach to turn it into a shelter, out on walks (made v memorable parachute shelter that 2 families sat under in the pissy rain).

Is up there in my top 5 bits of non-essential but totally awesome camping kit.

chimchar · 21/07/2011 08:38

don't want to break any mn rules, but i have a canvas awning for sale. dh bought two from obelink....and we're only using one!

its this one....

pm me if you're interested. Smile

oranges123 · 21/07/2011 09:26

Reshape

I just used that link chimchar provided to the Obelink tarp to see how you put in UK address (as I did to get a 5m bell tent recently) and you just follow through the stages clicking the red icon each time (you don't have to register if you do this) and eventually you get to a page where they want your address. You put in your usual details and on the drop down box, choose "Groot Brittanie". Now, as I don't want a surprise tarp arriving on top of my surprise (ahem) bell tent (see other threads) I haven't gone any further but this definitely worked for me last time.

HTH

oranges123 · 21/07/2011 09:27

Assuming you don't buy chimchar's of course - doh!

MollieO · 21/07/2011 09:51

What colour is your tarp Slubber? Is it a sludgey green colour? I'm looking for something to go with my bell tent so I have somewhere to cook under cover.

Peachy · 21/07/2011 11:37

We have a malu; you can't use it everywhere as it is big but blimey it's good! lightweight but stood up to a very windy Pembrokeshire week at Whitsun. We pitch as a canteen awning over a picnic table but lots of things that can be done.

AitchTwoOh · 21/07/2011 12:49

how does one use a tarp? don't people trip over them all the time? is it for cooking AND do you get charged extra? now that i have an extra 250l of space i am thinking i might investigate them...

AitchTwoOh · 21/07/2011 12:50

actually, slubs, this is the thread i want to read.

"my top 5 bits of non-essential but totally awesome camping kit."

MollieO · 21/07/2011 13:17

I bought this one after one of Slubber's witterings about how fab tarps are. I failed miserably to get it looking like they do in the photos. Ds (then 5) told me to take it down as it was embarrassing him. Blush

I think I am going to get one of those funny shaped ones as I think trying to do something with more than one pole was my downfall.

AitchTwoOh · 21/07/2011 13:28

see i don't have spare poles... who, apart from slubberdegullion, has SPARE tent poles?

MollieO · 21/07/2011 13:36

I bought two poles with my tarp so I'll use one of those with the Obelink funny shaped one. I don't have spare tent poles as, weirdly, I tend to use them when putting up my tent. Smile

Slubberdegullion · 21/07/2011 16:22

I do not witter Mollie thankyouverymuch.

Thing is with a tarp ime you have to embrace looking like a bit of a twonk on the campsite in order to achieve utopian-tarpdom.

See because it's just a big old flat bit of fabric with guys hanging off it, the spare poles lying mournfully on the ground AND NO INSTRUCTIONS you have to return to being 6 again and den building mode.

Some of my constructions look shitey shite and dh comes out and flares a nostril at me. On the other hand some of them are freaking GENIUS and I hug myself at being so clever and creative.

If all fails you can't go wrong with a ridge tent design. We erected a big one at whit with my mate's bigger Tatonka and sat two families underneath at tables out of the rain but still enjoying the view and feeling outdoorsy.

I've never been charged extra for mine as it's not a permanent structure.

Slubberdegullion · 21/07/2011 16:26

I only have spare poles because

um

I have two utility tents and a rubbish tarp from aldi and an old tent I used when I was a teenager

I found them in a skip

AitchTwoOh · 21/07/2011 16:32

how can a tarp be rubbish, though? too small or something?

some of these tarps look absolutely joyously beautiful, is that more luck than skill, are we saying?

MollieO · 21/07/2011 17:06

Apologies for accusing you of wittering Slubber. Grin

Slubberdegullion · 21/07/2011 17:51

Quite right Mollie.

Aitch, yeah I reckon as will all things you can get a rubbish tarp. My aldi bargain for instance, big enough to dress an elephant but bonkerzly is only shower proof. What is the freaking point in that?

I would want to see some nice double stitching round the eyelets, who wants a frayed tarp? No one that's who. Fabric is always going to come into it too. Cotton weight if you are going for pure canvas, or quality of the polycotton. HH if you are getting a plastic one. I believe the decathlon tarps are pretty decent.

Check out all the YouTube vids on tarp arrangements. You can waste a good evening watching beardy earnest types setting them up.

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