Stick it to the elements.
At
the end of summer we went camping and created a massive feature of
all the kit you might need to keep you and your family happy while
roughing it. Well, it seems we've caught the camping bug, as recently
we delved back out into the wilds on another trip.
However, camping in autumn is a bit different than doing it in
August, so here's the kit that kept us warm and dry.
OLPRO
Cocoon 4 Tent
Our
home from home for the couple of night that we were camping was a
dream come true. The Cocoon 4 from OLPRO is a four berth tunnel tent
with separate sleeping and living areas, measuring five metres in
length. Some really nice features of this tent are the divider to
create two separate bedrooms, and the huge removable front panel.
Sleeping
in the Cocoon 4 was a nice mix of the two tents that we havepreviously reviewed: the Coleman Cortes Octagon 8, and the Gelert
Atlantis 5. The OLPRO effort combined the snug cosiness of the Gelert
tent, with the bright light-emitting colours of the Coleman. In fact,
the Cocoon 4 uses three different shades of green, getting darker as
you move deeper into the tent, meaning the sleeping section is
sufficiently more sheltered than the living section. Also, thanks to
the actual cocoon that you put up inside to create the sleeping area,
it was very cosy indeed.
Knocking
this up the first time for a practice run in the back garden (always
advisable) took us about 20-25 minutes, thanks to the ultra-simple
tunnel tent design. Once we'd mastered it and were actually out on
the camp site, this dropped to about 15 minutes – by far the
quickest tent erection we've ever achieved (tee hee). Also, a note on
the berth size. Although it says it is a four berth, and certainly
any more than four adults would find it a squeeze, we went camping
with two adults and three children and found it to be perfect –
basically feeling the same size as the five-berth Gelert Atlantis 5
(and actually a tad taller in the living section).
In
2014 this tent won The Independent Festival Tent of the year, and
it's not hard to see why. Easy up, lots of space and light, and
extremely versatile.
£279.99
Visit
www.olproshop.com
Coleman
Breckenridge Comfort Sleeping Bag
Obviously
a tent is not going to be enough to keep you warm and happy when
sleeping outside in autumn; you're going to need a sleeping bag. The
ones we reviewed in our previous camping feature were great for the
summer, but we knew we'd need something with a bit more muscle this
time. That's why we were exceptionally grateful to Coleman for
sending us their Breckenridge Comfort sleeping bag.
This
oversized bag, complete with wide hood and interior phone pocket,
will see you warm right the way down to -18°C.
It features a polyester microfibre shell with hollow fibre double
later insulation on the inside. The Breckenridge is spaciously
designed in the traditional rectangle shape (unlike the 'mummy'
sleeping bags that freak us out a bit) and features two sets of zips;
on down the side, and a separate one across the bottom. This means
the whole thing can be opened out to act like a double blanket, or
even as a sleeping mat for extra ground insulation.
One
thing to note though is the size of this thing. As it is puffier than
your average sleeping bag, it is also heavier and larger when rolled
up. Coleman do include a carry case, but it isn't a compression sack,
meaning this might not be your bag of choice if you're hiking with
all your gear. But for family trips in the car, which is what we had,
this is great and provided a very cosy couple of nights for the
occupant.
£59.99
Visit
www.coleman.eu/UK
Aerobed
Active Dual Chamber Outdoor airbed
As
well as provided lots of comfort and support, having a decent airbed
beneath you when camping means you stay much warmer. In our last
camping feature we tried out a thin yet self-inflating mattress from
Jack Wolkskin, so we were keen to push the boat out and test
something a bit more decadent. Enter the Aerobed Active Dual Chamber
Outdoor airbed.
This
is 'dual chamber' because it literally is two beds – two single
mattresses stitched together. This means that, should you wish, you
can inflate just one half of it for a single person, or indeed
inflate both halves to different pressures – just in case your
sleeping buddy likes a softer bed. Also, fret not about having to
blow this up yourself as included is the completely brilliant
cordless rechargeable pump. This thing is pretty tiny, and can
inflate the whole bed in just a minute, charging back up from either
the mains or via the car power adaptor provided.
Unlike
what we've previously tried out, this was the bee's knees. It has the
same height as a standard mattress, making it feel much more like
you're sleeping in a real bed. The tough PVC base means this can be
inflated to the brim, producing a firm and stable sleeping platform.
We liked it a great deal!
£89.99
Gelert
Portable BBQ with Cooler Bag
Whereas
last time we took, and reviewed, a big heavy gas-powered cooking
stove, this time we wanted something a little easy to lug around.
Fortunately we found something that combined another camping
necessity – keeping things cool. This unique cool bag from Gelert
features an insulated section perfect for loading with cans of drink,
fruit, meat and an ice pack, and served to keep the load nice and
chilly for hours.
Oh
yeah, and inside the other pocket you'll find an entire BBQ with
fold-out legs and a grill plate with handle. Wow. The whole package
is small, neat and – crucially – light, and really does kill to
camping birds with one awesome stone. Also, getting an actual fire
going in this thing was a breeze thanks to the enamelled bowl and the
air vents on the side.
£8.50
Visit
www.gelert.com
Snugpak
Microfibre Antibacterial Travel Towel
Every
camping trip, no matter where you go or what you do, will involve at
some point a member of your party getting wet. Be it from
condensation on the inside of the tent, to fully falling into a lake
while out for a gentle walk (true story), wetness needs to be dealt
with as soon as possible to avoid getting uncomfortable. To that end
we took with us the Snugpak Microfibre Antibacterial Travel Towel, a
thin and light towel that packs up small into it's own carry case,
allowing it to be taken everywhere at the bottom of your bag.
Several
sizes are available, from all-enveloping giants to handy hand towels,
but whatever the size the key thing about them is that they have been
treated with Dr Bacty Antibacterial agent, which kills many germs on
contact. And as hygiene can often take a step down the necessity list
while camping, this is great peace of mind. The towels are also
supper-absorbent despite their thinness, and dry very quickly too –
perfect for use in the wild.
£9.95
- £29.95