We are booked to go away this weekend, all week weather not looked too bad, is now showing windy on Monday morning (when we will be packing up) i'm not too sure about wind speeds (i know....thick) but it is showing as 32mph with gusts reaching 39 mph....is this really bad? We camped in May bank hol and although it was windy in Yorkshire it wasn't as bad as down south and i have no idea how fast it was so don't really have anything to compare it to.
Should we be giving it a miss or just making sure we've got the delta's in all your experienced opinions?
Hi kellymc1
As i was told when I joined the Site there are no dumb questions.
The wind speeds you have quoted are Near Gale force 7 which
would not be likely to damage your tent if correctly pegged down and if possible pitch with the rear of your tent to the forecast wind direction. But could be a bit hair raising taking your tent down. leave the main windward guys in until last.
Go on to Google and type in [Beaufort Scale]then save it for future use.
Have a nice trip.
Rex.
------------- "Be the person your dog thinks you are" (BM)
Thank you Rex and Alan. I have just checked again and it has come down a little to 35 mph gusts so will keep my eye on it.
I think we will go for the first night as apart form a little rain the worst wind is only 15 mph....so thats ok but the following day we will have a look and re-asses, i'm not prepared to put my children, myself or my new lovely tent through harsh weather, so will probably come home.....i would cancel but i cannot bear to see the dissapointment on the kids faces and one night is just as good.
I have just checked the Beaufort Scale (thanks Rex for that suggestion) and cannot believe those Bank Holiday winds at Shell island would have been classed as HURRICANE! My word those people were brave! Think we will stick to the moderate breeze.
Ive found that if there is any likelyhood of high winds about, I use some of those "screw hooks", then by throwing over the whole tent, a nice wide ratchet strap, you can really tie the thing down to the ground quite nicely.
i have a trailer tent, complete with extension and find that three [3] pairs of hooks and three strops does the trick. have camped on the wild welsh coats and braved a majority of wind speeds there at times. its the ones comming back off the mountains i find stronger than those comming off the sea.
Ps, if you buy the screw hooks, currently labeled in the shops as "dog ties", they are much cheaper than those priced up for camping use!
Thank you Conway for the advice....i think we are going to give it a miss altogether now. My children are only young and i don't want to put them off camping for a weekend at Haven! The forecast overall is a little dire and although i am ok with it being a bit chilly and rain is fine i found it hard to sleep last time in the wind as i worried too much and it was no where near that windy.
Besides when i rung my husband was against it....doesn't want to damage the tent. I agree.
Ive found that if there is any likelyhood of high winds about, I use some of those "screw hooks", then by throwing over the whole tent, a nice wide ratchet strap, you can really tie the thing down to the ground quite nicely.
i have a trailer tent, complete with extension and find that three [3] pairs of hooks and three strops does the trick. have camped on the wild welsh coats and braved a majority of wind speeds there at times. its the ones comming back off the mountains i find stronger than those comming off the sea.
Ps, if you buy the screw hooks, currently labeled in the shops as "dog ties", they are much cheaper than those priced up for camping use!
Hi conway
The straps work for frame tents but would really screw up a tunnel or dome type tent. Even a frame tent without a centre pole is suspect and require 3 protectors to stop were.
Regards
Rex
------------- "Be the person your dog thinks you are" (BM)