BIG Tent Camping in Europe

Did you know that there are tents that are bigger than motorhomes in Europe? We didn't either, but apparently they are very popular with Dutch campers and we have come to admire them as we have seen them all over Europe and they seem quite handy for families. We were discussing it on our Soultravelers3 Facebook Page, so I said I would post more information about them here on our blog.

I don't know if you can tell by my pictures, but they really are bigger than most European motorhomes. They just pack them in their cars and go! We see more campers from the Netherlands and Germany than any other country and we see them every where including rural Morocco and Turkey. 

The Dutch seem to be most fond of these huge tents. We asked a family that camped next to us about them last year and I think they said they just paid something like one hundred and fifty euros for it. I thought it was brand new, but it was used and they had bought it off a Craig's list kind of place. 

When I was a kid we went camping in big tents, but these are super sized. They had electricity and set up little kitchens and have an awning for the "porch". I like the idea of using cots for beds too. Looks like a fun option for those interested in doing slow travel from a few bases. The car and mass transit make it very easy to do lots of day trips in compact Europe as well as relaxing days at the base.

(Mozart loves her little pup-tent and often has mini-parties and DVD popcorn bashes with friends she meets along the way from various countries. Her own private play space next to our RV when we do longer stays.)

What do you think? Have you ever seen super huge tents?

Comments

[OurTakeOnFreedom]

Whoaaah. Reminds me of a nice Class A!

[Lucia]

We have been making some of the same observations...big tents and lots of German and Dutch campers! One of the most impressive set of German campers we saw zip into the camp site, quickly set up 2 large tents, and then proceeded to some how unload and set up a very large wooden table completed with two long wooden benches. I still have no idea how they fit all of that in their tiny car. Pretty impressive. We have also been seeing lots of those pop-up tents from Decathalon. We joined that crowd and love our new Quechua pop up tent. Headed to England soon for our first camper van experience. Hoping it goes well.

[Theodora]

My grandmother's French born, and she and my grandfather had one of the huge old metal-frame ones.

I like the arch-frame ones, which essentially pop straight up. If we have a rainy summer season in the UK, you will be able to pick one up super, super-cheap in a high street camping store.

[soultravelers3]

OurTakeOnFreedom- Ha ha! Now you have me giggling!

[soultravelers3]

Lucia- It IS truly amazing to see some of the set ups they come up with in Europe. ;)

Good luck with your camping in England. Sorry, I don't have many of our fave campsites for the British Isles on this websites yet, but there are a ton. You will have a wonderful adventure. Bring warm clothes too as it can be quite cold there even in July & August ( colder than winter in Spain). That caught us by surprise. Of course prepare for rain too, but hopefully you will have some glorious sun shine days too.

[soultravelers3]

Theodora - Sounds lovely, both the Brits and the French are big campers.

Thanks for the cheap tent idea!

[Fiona]

In Australia camping is very popular (due to the good weather all year round across most of the country). Tents this size are the norm for families! In fact you can get 3 room tents with two porches and internal doors. Admittedly most Aussies can go to quite remote locations so you need to take everything with you. The small two man tents would only be used if you were going overnight to a festival, space was a premium or you were hiking.

[soultravelers3]

Fiona- Thanks for letting us know what it is like in Australia! There seems to be quite a variety of sizes here in Europe and I think that is true in the US too ( although I haven't done much tent camping there since I was a kid which was long ago).

Camping in Europe is usually very different than the US. Campsites are usually less about camping in the wild and more about budget accommodations ( often quite luxurious with resort atmosphere).

[Gigi]

How do you suppose campers with big tents secure their belongings when they go on day trips from their camping base? Do they toss many things in a locker and use bike locks fastened to trees? Maybe I just have an American's notion of security issues...

[soultravelers3]

Gigi - Campgrounds tend to be VERY safe places and we have never had anything stolen at a campsite. They usually are locked and gated places that have 24 hour guards. Plus, campers don't have much, so probably not a big temptation for thieves.

Other campers are usually around and keep an eye open for one another. Once a little kid tried to take something of my daughters when we were away, and our neighbors told him no. But even that kind of thing is very rare.

Campsites are well lit and I've always felt very safe in all of them even late at night walking around by myself.

There are also usually safes if people want to use them, but we have not as yet.

Everything that I've read, says that campsites are MUCH safer for your valuables than taking them with you when you tour as cities can be much less safe and look for tourists. Campsites are mostly safe havens away from all criminals.

[john mc laughlin]

we are driving to Lithuania next year and will be camping in Germany and poland,and Holland .Can anybody suggest sites.

[soultravelers3]

John, I've listed some on this site for Germany & several books that will help you immensely in finding good campsites. We didn't camp in Poland, but know there are many good ones there including Krakow. We also list lots of good ones in Holland.

[sleepaway camp]

The largest tent that I have seen. Perfect for a family or to a couple. It could get pricy though.