Tell me everything I need to know about camping in France. In a tent

[JustMarriedBecca]

We are finally going camping abroad, mainly because it seems to be a way of making the Ile Dr Re more affordable.
We have camped in this country and have the most basic gear. No electric hook up but obviously we will need that or some kind of refrigeration for the week in France in summer.
Top tips welcome. We think we've found a site. It gets reviews for being quote sandy soil but that seems to be a thing over the whole Ile Dr Re so we'll take extra padded flooring for beneath the blankets.
What do we need in terms of being prepared for an electrical hook up and what is essential / useful when you are extending your trip beyond a long weekend to a week?

Few quick thoughts:
Invest in proper camping mattresses, not air beds!
Also lots of plastic boxes w lids for storage of plates, cutlery etc ( unless you’ve got a sophisticated storage set up!)
Dustpan and brush for getting rid of sand easily
Foot carpet / mat or something outside to minimize sand in tent
Electric fridge

A powered coolbox is adequate. A fridge is not needed if you're going away for short breaks or if you're going somewhere with a shop which stocks the essentials like milk, and especially if you plan on getting lunch or dinner off camp. Lots of people get away with just coolboxes and just adapt their eating habits for the holiday i.e. having a breakfast which doesn't require milk etc...
Multi burner stove or BBQ. Stove is probably best, and then you can get a little kettle for it. Even if it's raining and the kids are whining, everything's alright with a cup of tea or coffee! Plus, there's so much you can eat just by using a kettle alone. E.g. Couscous, instant porridge pots, cuppa soup, instant noodles etc....
So far we've avoided using an electrical supply. Firstly, it's because we've got little kids and also we're worried about it getting wet. Secondly, I think one of the joys of camping is going without lots of appliances.
Take two tables: one for the stove and another for chopping, preparing etc... This is such a useful little table www.gooutdoors.co.uk/elite-3-shelf-cupboard-p152318

The campsites there seem to hire fridges which is one thing but not sure how the power supply works. Do we need a converter? Someone recommended a chiller coolbox so it also attaches to your car? Any recommendations?
We have a stove but it's gas. But that's ok right? The inlaws have latched onto camping gifts for presents and are stocking us up over time.

yes a cool box is ok.
the camp site will have a freezer where you can put your ice blocks (label them with sharpie). take the cool box full with frozen essentials like milk, juice so that the cool box starts out as cold as possible.
gas stove is fine.

it's the law to have tinned ravioli for dinner at least once for dinner
and the other law is that the dc do the washing up.

ime the pitches without electric hook up are often nicer.

france has restricted shopping hours on Sundays, so some shops are closed or open for only half a day. Take enough food etc to last until Monday.

This sort of thing

www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15903953/hi-gear-mobile-mains-kit-15m-15903953

You night be able to check what the site offers.

Deffo hire the fridge. The Ile de Re will be hot in summer and cool boxes whirr. You will need an electric hook up ( long orange lead) with European converter. Campring shops will have them. Most French campsites have 6 or 10 amp only so don't bother with hair dryers or anything fancy.

A sunshade of some sort is essential. If sandy, would that mean more sand flies? Generally campsites nearer the sea have smaller pitches than those campsites a bit in land.

Recommend Haman towels or camping towels. Other than that, it's all the same as here.

Take ant powder. We’ve needed it on every camping trip we’ve been on.

If there’s a pool on site check the swimwear regulations. Often they require men to wear the budgie smugger type trunks rather than the shorts type (and in my experience they will enforce this).

And swimming hats, fabric ones are more comfortable in the heat than the plastic tight ones. Décathlon sell them.

Take beanie hats in case it’s cold in bed. The Ile de Re was definitely not hot when we spent a week there in August a few years ago. It poured down and it was chilly overnight!
Flip flops for showers, solar powered lights are good.

YY to the budgie smugglers.
French camping is generally (limited experience, but have been a few times) very good. Clean facilities, well run.
When DH was a lad the place his parents went to had a facility where you could buy frites for a few francs but had to bring your own containers.

Camping in France is much more outdoor than in the UK. Its more about shade than shelter(hopefully), look for a pitch with trees and take an awning/tarp/gazebo. The French really set up a home from home for several weeks with electricity etc. The campsite will sell croissants and baguette fresh every morning, but you might have to go to a shop for milk. When it all comes together there is no better holiday. Also if you forget anything there will be a branch of Decathlon nearby.

We camped with no electricity in France for years. Lots of sites let you freeze cool blocks. We now have hook up (older kids now so need to charge devices) and use an electric 12v cool box from Lidl which plugs into cigarette lighter in car and then we have an adapter to use it with a normal plug once on site. Don't worry about electrics getting wet, a proper connection will be graded for outdoor use and ours has a trip switch. It's basically an extension lead with orange cable and a blue round plug at one end.
My top tips are microfibre towels (decathlon) as these dry so much quicker and pack smaller than conventional ones. As someone else said all french swimming pools require Speedo type trunks, even for children and this is usually enforced.
Supermarkets may close early on Sunday but many now open all day in August, especially in touristy areas. Bakeries will be open Sunday a.m. Most french milk is of the UHT type which means you can buy and don't need to fridge until you open it. In the past we've kept things cool by filling a bowl with cold water and standing the milk, beer bottles etc in it. Not great if it's boiling hot but it does a job.

Just wanted to ask which site you're going to and whether you're planning to take bikes? If you're hiring bikes when you get there it would be advisable to book ahead in August.

We are going to the Ile De Re so will need bikes. Will email camp site now. Thanks!

We stayed at a municipal site called camping Le remondeau. Perfect location right on the beach and there's a branch of Holland Bikes just a 2-minute walk away where we hired bikes.

On some sites you can hire fridges without electricity as they are like lockers others it's a normal fridge just attached with an extension lead ....
Definitely recommend a tarp as shade/rain protection much more flexible than any gazebo type thing I have a tatonka (tc) one which is amazing we camp all over do has done coastal wales and south of France! Good gift if people are buying presents.
Have done with good coolbox but fridge is much easier

We’ve camped for weeks at a time all over France (Including ile de Re) and Italy - never had electric hookup and we were fine so if I less you will reuse things more than just this holiday or are happy with spending out knowing it may only be used once then you would survive without it, as someone else has said you just change your eating habits accordingly

Hire a fridge from the campsite. We have been highly amused by a little golf buggy rolling up with a standard fridge plugged in and dumping it in our tent porch. It is just the job though.