CAMPING HOLIDAY
Pack the right gear and yes, you will survive the outdoors
COLEMAN CASTLE PINES 6L BLACKOUT
This isn’t Glastonbury, where waking- up at 5am in a sweat with your feet sticking out of the door constitutes a good night’s sleep. If you’re camping with the family in the UK you’re going to need to kip, which in summer in these northern latitudes isn’t always easy. Cue this award-winning tunnel tent, which has black- out bedrooms that block 99% of sunlight. £770, coleman.eu
BIOLITE HEADLAMP 750
Hands-free head torches make a lot of sense, but they can weigh heavy on your forehead and most bounce around during activity. This one puts most of the electronics on the rear and weighs a mere 150g, with the tilting front LED reaching a super-bright 750 lumens. Available in green or grey, it lasts up to 50 hours on low brightness, seven hours on high. £99.95, bioliteenergy.com
HELINOX SWIVEL
Don’t give camping chairs the boot. Not all of it. Instead of carting around long and fiddly fold- ups, consider this packable camp chair that fits into a 40cm-long tote bag and weighs just 1.3kg. It’s comfy, too, turning through 360 degrees so you can tend to the fire, throw a frisbee and swat a mosquito without getting up.
£124.95, helinox.eu
UNISTELLAR EVSCOPE EQUINOX
If you’re camping then you’re under dark enough skies to see incredible galaxies, nebulae and star clusters using this easy to use ‘smart telescope’. The first telescope without an eyepiece and operated solely via an app, it calibrates automatically and delivers incredible views to up to 10 smartphones and tablets. It also comes with a backpack. £2,599, unistellaroptics.com
1 ALPKIT CLOUD PEAK 200
At last, a sleeping bag designed for the warm, wet conditions Brits have to camp in. A slightly tapered mummy shape, this compressible sleeping bag is lined with synthetic Thermolite, a fill that keeps you warm even in damp conditions. Handily, you can also shove it in the washing machine.
£84.99, alpkit.com
2 WEBER Q 1200
If you’ve never been convinced by the allure of ‘one pot’ camp cooking (read: a cup of hot beans) then you’ll be pleased to know that portable gas barbecues are now all the rage. Weighing 14kg – so requiring a car – this foldup is big enough for three adults. It will get you BBQ-ing more at home, too. £313.95, weber.com
3 PRIMUS CAMPFIRE PREP SET
With a chopping board, oak-handled knife, a grater and salad servers that neatly roll up in a poly- cotton roll that can be laid on the ground, this posh food preparation set adds a touch of class to your al fresco supper. Includes pockets for that stash of salt and pepper sachets left over from that pub visit two years ago. £61.99, primus.eu