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Our 2 sons, age 4 and 7 want a tent when we are staying in our caravan in Spain in August.

Can anyone recommend a small tent, suitable for 3 kids (the youngest 2 will want to join in very soon). I want a tent which does not get too hot, it seems that most tents are designed to retain heat, however, in Spain in the summer it can get very hot under canvas. What are cotton tents like?

Matt

Some of the small Vango tents have a porch area with front and side openings,this gives more ventilation in the day time. Also the sleeping compartments allow the door to be unzipped, leaving a mesh inner to protect occupants from insects

Got to be canvas but unsure if there's such a thing as a small cnavas tent these days. Might find something second hand on ebay?

campasarow

My Tesco tent has lots of bits you can unzip with mesh to stop the bugs getting in, we used it last weekend and it was excellent at keeping itself cool. Would maybe be a bit big just for 3 youngsters though, not sure the site would class it as a pup tent. I've just put it on e-bay if anyone is interested:

Quick Pitch Tesco Tent 

You don`t say whether this tent is going to be for playing in only or if the kids are going to sleep in it too? I presume it`s just a play tent though, given the age of your kids, so you could either erect just the inner of an inner first pup tent, or the flysheet of a flysheet first tent. The second would be cooler, I think, as it would give better shade and have ventilation under the flysheet.

And if it was going to be for sleeping in, you could pitch the inner of an inner first tent inside the awning, for security.

Just a thought from the past. When I used a cotton ridge tent in the heat of 1976, (Langdale!) I bought an aluminium 'emergency blanket' (very cheap) and secured it over the ridge, held down with rocks. Made an amazing difference! We still use similar but more robust material on the car, to keep the dogs cool in summer.

There used to be a Scandinavian company called Fjallraven who made tents with an aluminuinised flysheet. I don't know if they're still made. but there may be some still about second hand?

Ian

Cotton will be much cooler than nylon, but I doubt if your boys will spend much time in the tent during the day anyway, all tents are like ovens in the sun during the day. 

Go to www.outdoorexperience.co.uk and have a look at the Cabanon Tango 3, it has a sun porch which might be of some use.  But make sure that you are sitting down before you look at the price!!!!

Like the idea of an old Force 10, oh, happy memories!   They can be opened up for ventilation, and IMHO are one of the sturdiest tents ever made when the wind blows, and the boys can pretend that they are mountaineers on the final assault on Everest.

Steve