Cream Tarp / Shade Sail at Lidl

[Carla123]

Have just bought one of these instead of a Malu awning, to use with my bell tent. It seemed like a bargain. Now I just have to figure out how to put it up.

Hmm - after experiemnting with the tarp in the spare room last night I am dubious about the Decathlon one having enough pole sections to do all the variations on the website!
The little bus shelter one would be about 2' high!

I see on closer inspection you are supposed to use your walking poles in addition to the tarp poles!

We have the Decathlon tarp. We ended up buying a single extendable pole which allows us to get a lot more head height out of the tarp. We tend to put one end of the tarp over the front entrance of whatever tent we are using and then have three poles at the other end of the tarp with the tallest in the middle, creating a proper front porch.

However, we are very unimaginative and haven't really tried any of the other alternatives. Also we try to avoid walking wherever possible, being definitely on the sit-down-with-glass-of-wine-and-book end of the camper scale, so sadly have no walking poles.

Also we now have yummy (if slightly fugly) ASDA micro-gazebo, and will be able to spend the hours of tarp erection (fnah) related marital rows we used to enjoy sitting with aforementioned glass of wine from now on.

Where did you get the extra pole from?

I don't know why I am asking, I didn't really need a tarp in the first place, I was just lured by the reduced price and a touch of the Pram Huns.

ASDA have some good bargains in camping accessories - stainless steel kettle: £5 - and you could get a walking pole for £7, MummyPigs!

Umm, in a camping and caravanning shop in Dorset I think. It is telescopic supposedly but, helpfully, often gets stuck inside itself necessitating the use of leatherman pliers to wrench it out again (it is always a good day when a leatherman-related task appears).

Does anyone ever really need a new tarp or gazebo or go-faster collapsible cupboard? It is the lure of the microscopically smaller/prettier/more multi-purpose than what we have already which draws us in. That is why I have at least 5 tents of different sizes in our loft, more different types of lanterns/chairs/tables/sleeping bags/airbeds/SIMs than you can shake a stick at, and all the bell-tent buntery you could wish for, none of which we can ever take camping because we would have to leave DD at home.

One day I will set up a camping equipment rental business and finally have a use for it...

Ah Blu, but then I would have to walk! I think I will draw a veil over that kind suggestion, thank you.

What is this "Pram Hun" of which you speak, by the way? I suspect I may be one without knowing it...

I think someone used the pram hun phrase on another thread about someone who buys lots of tents just because they need one which is smaller / larger, less-blue / more bell like than their perfectly good 4 other tents. There is a derogatory attitude on MN towards people on endless pushchair threads, buying prams and calling each other 'hun' a lot.

You are definitely a pram hun camping equipment buyer

I hanker over bell tents / wondrous Dutch tents / tarps / pie irons / campfire tripods but usually resist actually buying. The tarp was a one off

Oh God I am, aren't I? I am, in fact, a Camping Hun, which sounds slightly sinister.

I am very impressed with your self-control. I even managed to "accidentally" buy a bell tent last year. I started by seeing if I could get through Obelink's UK bell tent buyer firewall, and just pressed BUY (in Dutch obv) at the end, and, astoundingly, a couple of days later, there it was, in our hall! Just what we needed to go with our 4m bell tent. Sanity prevailed for once though - we did sell the 4m. A very profitable exercise I might add (the only one sadly).

And I have 3 pushchairs, which probably makes me a pram hun too!

LOL at accidental bell tent purchase!

Yep - a tent hun!

Maybe without the 'hun' bit, but guilty as charged!

I did buy an Icey Tek which we didn't strictly need as I don't get chance to camp for longer than a weekend, at the moment. But you never know....

And i couldn't resist a Campfire Grill last year.

And have only just managed to restrain myself from a Cobb.

It is all coming out now isn't it? You are a bit of a camp-gadget buying hun too on the quiet. Totally understand all those purchases though. I doubt we will leave Forgewood next month without a campfire grill - we only did at Easter by the skin of our teeth.

And yy to a Cobb. I bought a Cadac for DH's last birthday but we rarely have enough room to take it so it is moldering away in the loft with all my glamping tat. I might have to try to persuade him to ebay it in exchange for a Cobb.

I have followed many an Icey Tek thread with camping lust in my heart but, even though our electric coolbox has just packed up so, for once, we actaully NEED a replacement, I think an Icy Tek is just too big for us.

I did almost send ours back when it arrived as I couldn't imagine how we would fit it in. But inegenuity always wins.
I ordered a smaller tent - a Quechua 2 seconds XXL llll, £89 on Amazon, and it lies flat in the boot with the Icey Tek and other stuff on top

Camping Hun indeed.

We were at Forgewood a few weeks ago.
Don't camp along that ditch between the lower field and the wood that runs just behind the toilet portacabin in the lower field - there was a sewage incident and much hoo hah with the tank under the portaloos being too full etc.

Blu, and other quechua tarp owners, could I ask if the tarp could be useable on a beach, as in a busy french sunbathey beach? Or would I hounded off beach for taking up too much space or prosecuted for tripping up ice-cream bearing toddlers with the guy ropes?

I would love a tarp that could be used for tent shade AND beach shade.

Or is it so fiddly to put up that you wouldn't use it like that?

maybe with walking sticks for beach??
What do you reckon?

I got something very similar from Obelink. It is not much use with only 2 poles and a pain in the arse to put up. I notice they do not stock it anymore. I've just bought one of these instead direct.asda.com/Ozark-Trail-Gazebo/000939831,default,pd.html

Thanks for the tip Blu. That sounds vile. There are a lot of us and I think we are being put in bell tent corner though I will have to check. Hope your weekend wasn't spoiled by smelly sewage incident?

eenymeeny, the quechua tarp is quite large compared with a windbreak or pop up sun tent, say, so on a crowded beach it might not go down too well. Also I think it might be a bit of a pain to put up on sand as it does need tension in the guy ropes to stay taut. Other, more creative, tarp-erecters may disagree though.

eenymeeny - I've only had ours up in the spare room - looked bloody enormous there! I think you'd be OK on one of those Atlantic coast sand duney beaches, but not a more crowded sunbed type beach.

pram hun????

looks round quizzically.

I fear that it was I who stood accused

Nettle you are the original tent hun

This is our newest aquisition. all ready to be glamped up safari tent