Can someone tell me why some french camp sites insist on speedo style swimming trunks only?

[Kellamity]

We've just booked our summer holiday and it was something I noticed in a lot of the campsite brochures. Not all of them but the majority. What's so bad about swimming shorts?

Apparantly they are far more protective of the hygiene of the pools and ban shorts type trunks that could have been used for sitting around on grass and getting mucky. And esp cut-offs, which could shed fibres into the filter.

I hadn't thought of that, thank you.

We noticed.
Some sites in Italy/Sicily asked for a speedo/swim hat combo which was not appealing for my menfolk.
We are back to France again this year (where swim shorts are OK).

People wear them all day and then jump in the pool!

You don't see many of the 70's skimpy numbers tho ;)

It's to encourage the young, firm and taut of buttock to swim, and the older, saggier specimens to hide away; possibly thus improving the view.

I live in France, and have never been to a pool or campsite pool where it isn't obligatory. If it doesn't say it is on a website, I would assume you have to wear them anyway.

It's the norm in all French pools, not just campsites.

Oh dear, shall we say that DH in speedos will not be his finest look!!!!! DS will be fine though as he hates swimming shorts but then he's only 6!

It's not only sitting on the grass, it's the walking through the shops, past the raw meat counter etc and then taking germs to the pool.

I have had many a snurk at the pool when camping en France. And 70's stylie speedos are pretty popular with the French/Dutch/German/Italian, etc contingent

Definitely buy him the best pair you can find - the first year we went to a French pool without speedos, DH was given an ancient pair of see-through speedos that were about 3 sizes too big. I have to say I have never laughed so much

poor MrbigTillyMint

I thought it was two reasons one is the sitting around in them all day (but at most French campsites I see men sitting around in their speedos all day - not attractive!). The other is that the big swim shorts actually remove a lot of water from the pool every time the person gets out so it is more difficult to maintain the pool.

at the thought of half empty pools everywhere and men with huge water balloon type bermuda shorts

I would say most men, and certainly all the boys at DS1 & DS2's swimming class wear this kind of thing rather than the slightly more...revealing styles

It's all so Peter Stringfellow, isn't it?

Am I mean to be relieved that men have a taste of the context women find themselves in in France? The perfect lipstick, the perfect french pleat hairdo, the perfect salad-nourished stomach which is de rigeur on the French-occupied sunbed?

You see jen even those wouldn't suit Dh!

I was going to say the same thing, jen - I bought DS boxer-type ones for trip to France - which he still looked at like this but which were infinitely preferable to briefs.

We saw this when we went to France the first time camping and bought DH some new ones especially - no-one enforced the rule and most people were wearing shorts so he felt a bit of a ninny! I thought he looked good

It wasn't enforced when we last went.

Think dh and ds1 are hoping it isn't enforced this year too

DS's swimming teacher told me he needed to wear speedo types as a young boys trunks filled up with water and dragged him under?

He's not at risk of getting dragged under Linda - remember the pool has hardly any water in by now, due to the vast amounts contained in shorts as people leave the pool.