Soulpad mamas thank you!an amazing tent!france,Spain,Switzerland..it coped with it all

[motherofluvlies]

I am a convert!!we are on the way ome from an amazing camping hol In the soulpad.i will post the details for anyone who wants for our faux pas,stopovers and best advice from all of you xxxxi am ranting but thank you again for all the hints....we drove down to Spain ( south of Barcelona) in upper 30,s ...then to alps,onto switzerland( 10 deg) and several overnighters....

Yes please do post details!! It sounds like you had a fab holiday.

Which soul pad tent of you have?

Oh yay Soulpad joy - just packing for our next bell expedition!

Yes please post details. I'm currently trying to talk dh into a soulpad. Which one did you go for?

5m zig for me.

We had a soulpad 5 m hybrid G with 1 inner for the triplets ,mats,naturalmat mattresses

We have had several of the trad type before but this is a first for soulpad and we will never look back.
Advantages
. My husband had it up in 10-15 mins by HIMSELF....a little longer to take down as when wet it has to be wiped ( note to self a mop next time) so no rows or temper tantrums ;)
.unzip sides all day in the heat to allow breeze thru
Feels light and airy no matter the weather outside
Withstands torrential rain,winds,heat and fairly low,damp temps.
Doesn't need such a big pitch ( we tied guy ropes to various things railings etc)as but does need room for g ropes
Cheap gazebo..used outside tent for shade and rain
A little traupalin for front door
Fold up cheap boxes around sides ....the best idea ever!for clothes for triplets and for everyday table ware( cups,plates,cutlery service totes,wise chop board,bowls,bread knife ,tea towel etc just lift out each mealtime
*3 large plastic lidded boxes *camp box,kitchen boxes,compiled list from here.this was the best idea .we just lifted boxes out when needed and easy to pack into when packing up particularly on an overnighters in the rain in the dark :)
Fold up table and benches
We had a little portable one ringed gas cooker with electric igniter which was all we needed with BBQ.it folded into box( good for rain)
Cool box( we hired a fridge when in Spain as well )
ROCK TENT PEGS a must for warmer climates
Trugs x2,general tidy ,beach toys shoes for all weathers
Lidded boxes for toys/ books/ games / pencils/ cards so no loosing/ searching

We also bought coir mats..expensive but worth every penny on hard rocky ground for comfort and cosy and hygiene in dusty stony/ wet environment
We had 2 naturalmat mattresses ,amazing,roll up and tidy away( 1 min) and a proper bed feel ;) also doubles up as seats to lean on for lovelies to lean on during quiet times / siesta and of course........
Solar fairy lights!.

Not sure i could lift 5 m on my own but could de finely put it up .i do have a friend who does lift it herself.

Journey details France Dover - Calais -Orleans-Roda de Bara-Annecy-LauterbrannChalons-Calais -Dover
.We only got as far as Orleans due to heavy traffic through Paris..we have done it a few times and on balance we have decided not to do it again as we lost so much time in traffic jams then hit more traffic so had to come off motorway and find a campsite .That was an adventure...we had a gendermes warning about the imminent storm...the first night we slept in the tent !then on down to Roda de Bara,south of Barcelona . That was a hard drive .we stayed at Playa de Bara an amazing campsite I will review when I get time...we had orinally intended to go to northern Spain from there but so liked it we stayed 12 days.Then we drove to Annecy and tried to get into La Raventoir but it was full and ended up in Les Fontaines overnight and onto Switzerland to Jungfrau camping.2 nights to do the jungfrau etc and onto Chalons- en- champagne ( overnight minicipaux) and onto Calais and home