Hi Everyone, Hi, we are a family of 5 with 3 little children from the UK. We came across Dutch tents in our last summer holidays and really liked them.
As suggested by someone we started looking for tents on marktplaats and even got in touch with couple of the sellers.

For instance this one looks like a good fit: https://www.marktplaats.nl/a/caravans-e ... b9c5b7a618

If anyone has any sort of advice it would really great!

Many thanks,

Leon

Hi!

We also came across DeWaard tents while camping in France in our bell tent in 2015. We're a family of 4.

After a bit of searching for secondhand we decided it was too much hassle and opted to buy new. We ordered direct from a DeWaard dealer in the Netherlands. It was expensive but we justified it to ourselves...
- It will be our main holiday home for years.
- It's much, much cheaper than a camper van and much nicer to live in!
- We sold the bell tent for over £400 on ebay.

We have an Albatross with the extra side screens and awning. It's a beautiful tent with heaps of space. Hard work to put up, (I reckon on just over an hour), but the envy of every other camper once fully deployed!

So far we've been back to France 3 times as well as some UK camping, last year used it exclusively in the UK - including a hill-top camp in stormy weather with 50mph winds.

Highly recommended. Feel free to post any questions you may have.

Photo from 2018 in Annecy, France.

Cheers!



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It is expensive for a tent compared to the plastic rubbish you can buy at your typical supermarket. But for a quality product it is actually cheap. Especially per week of use.

To comment on which model is best... that depends on a lot of things. Personal preference. Length of the user. The age of the children. The country you typically go to.

A lot of people here start large and replace with smaller tents. As we live outside. Under the varioluifel. A large area inside becomes less imports. As long as the mattresses and luggage fit it is fine.

The suggestion I would make is maybe a little odd. But come visit the Netherlands for a weekend. And combine with a visit to Heerde. The boat/train is not that expensive. And a hotel can be cheap too. That is the best way to explore your options and select a model of your preference.

thanks so much for your responses. Our children are between 7-10. For now the plan is to spend our holidays in France, where it is warm in the summer. But we would like to have our options open.

We looked at the Albatros too. It looks like a good fit for all of us. Is there anythings I should be looking for or avoid when getting a seocnd hand De Waard tent. I know soem of them have patches. Is it worth at all to look for something like this? Also, I was wondering whether rags are needed, as some of tents don't include them.


I know that the best way is to actually see it, but for now we are a bit tight with holidays....


Many thanks again!

Leon

Most important info is missing!
-the amount of camping weeks is has been used. A De Waard has an expecting life span of around 45-50 camping weeks (15+ years of camping 3 weeks a year)

Lots of people like the "Varioluifel" Flexible Awning it is difficult/expensive to get is later on, same with an innertent if you want one. Find the tent that fits all your needs.

Hi Leon

What do you mean with rags?

A tent with patches is one to walk away from. I see you linked to an advert of 300 euro. Typically you need to spend more for a good one. But like in said. It is an investment. Book a hotel/apartment/caravan for a week and look at the cost of that to put it in perspective.

The Albatros is a good fit. But it is also the large option
A Lepelaar can also be suitable. Cheaper alternative is a Jan van Gent. Great tent but less desirable.

I visited the UK several times for a weekend. Dover - Duinkerken is a good boat connection and not expensive. You can leave Saturday morning very early. Or Friday late. And return on Sunday afternoon.

Also a think to take into an account, the packaging size. A De Waard tent has an quite big packaging size. The bigger the tent and also the more options the bigger the package.
And of course the weight is about 30kg.

There is a De Waard dealer in the UK
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7-7fOmAJ5Y/?igshid=1pg5ttx1r13wo

http://www.campingtravelstore.co.uk/

Thanks. From what I understand GLS delivery is a way to do this. I am struggling with people being keen on sending tents though.

Any help?

a vergrote zilvermeeuw (tent only) weighs more than 32 kg, so thats its not a option.

I am struggling with people being keen on sending tents though.
yes, that is one thing that many people encounter.
I have regularly sent tents to the UK in the past, much lugging and towing

thanks kaatje!

we are looking for Albatros or Lepelaar, is there a way you could assist us with this?

sorry, no..
some health issues

send you a pb

i found a person who sells used Dewaard in the UK not far away from us.
he forwarded me this link with a video description:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTpV-hD ... e=youtu.be

I might go and visit, but would like to know what is your impression of the tent.

Thanks,

Leon

That tent is old. Around 1980.
And it looks like the fabric has stains on it. However it is not very clear from the video.

The plus side for the age is that the fabric used in that period last longer than newer cotton. Because environmental regulations the old methods are not allowed anymore.

But the age also wonders how good the fabric still is. And you need to have some knowledge to know what to look for.
People offered me great tents in the past. And I said they are ready to be binned. You don’t want to camp in a tent with worn cotton. It can fail on you in the wind. And never impregnate. That is not bringing back any strength.

Thanks Rolph! Will.leep on looking