Innholdsfortegnelse for March/April 2023 i Camping

CALOR HAS announced it is scrapping a range of small gas bottles popular with campers. The 4.5kg butane bottles were discontinued on 1 February, along with the Cube, 3.9kg propane, 6kg Lite propane and 12kg butane cylinders. Customers won’t be able to buy new cylinders or exchange existing cylinders of these sizes for a refill. Calor said the move was designed to simplify its range and “improve customer services”. Rogerio Lopes, Calor’s Chief Executive Officer, added: “The legacy of the pandemic has had a significant impact on our supply chain, operations, and our ability to provide a reliable service to our cylinder customers.” Calor customers who currently use a 4.5kg butane cylinder, will need to switch to a 7kg version and will need to use a new regulator. The company…

Flaxton Meadows eco-campsite is located in North Yorkshire’s beautiful countryside, renowned for its wildlife and scenery. Camping and campervan pitches are available in hardstanding or grass with natural screening and electric. It’s a peaceful retreat for those wanting to enjoy nature, yet is within easy reach of a wide range of amenities. We caught up with Flaxton Meadows owner, Jon Charters-Reid (pictured right), to find out more about the site. How long have you been running your own campsite? Flaxton Meadows welcomed its first guests late in the season in 2020, but due to two years of pandemic closures, 2022 was our first full year of trading. What inspired you to want to own and run a campsite? I have always been passionate about camping and love the outdoors. As…

To have beaten the likes of Bear Grylls and Julia Bradbury in the Camping Magazine Awards is just incredible. I’m just a boy who lives in a tent, after all – even though it has been for three years! Alongside rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson, Bear is one of my all-time heroes and most admired role models. He’s one of the biggest outdoor names in the world and the commitment and determination he’s shown and all the adventures he’s had are just incredible. Bear and Jonny know what it’s like to go through a challenge physically and mentally and the commitment needed to a cause that you are passionate about. Apparently the same can be said of me, although I don’t see it myself. I’ve actually been lucky enough to meet…

● WINNER OUTDOOR REVOLUTION KALAHARI PC 7.0SE £2,299 OUR VERDICT The Kalahari range from Outdoor Revolution epitomises luxury family camping – and there are lots of reasons to admire the brand new 7.0SE The beautiful polycotton flysheet is obviously one, the large front porch area is another. Then there’s the massive living area, the spacious, darkened bedrooms, the tinted PVC windows, the storm straps and the skylights. But what we love most about it is the side bedroom annexe, which provides even more useful space, without increasing the overall footprint of the tent. It’s perfect for older kids, or even grandparents, who want a bit of privacy. If you prefer, the darkened inner can be removed to create a large utility room – maybe somewhere for the kids to play on…

● WINNER EASY CAMP PALMDALE 800 LUX £719.99 OUR VERDICT With the cost of everything from food to mortgage payments continuing to soar, everyone is on the lookout for ways to get value for money. Despite rising pitch prices, camping is still the most cost-effective way of treating your family to a much-needed holiday. And even though tent prices are also on the rise in line with the increased cost of living, you can still find good quality at an affordable price. For around £700, the Palmdale 800 Lux does just that. It’s a huge, family tent that sleeps up to eight people and has a spacious integrated front porch to provide versatility on the campsite. It’s a simple poled construction but is not lacking in features, boasting front and side…

● WINNER COLEMAN DARWIN 4+ PRICE TBC OUR VERDICT The most important criteria for a festival tent is that it’s easy to pitch and easy to pack away. After that, it needs to be waterproof, offer plenty of storage and be light enough to carry from the car park to the camping field. Good ventilation is also important for those hot, sunny summer mornings after the night before! The new-look Coleman Darwin 4+ ticks all those boxes and more, which makes it perfect for festival camping for couples, as well as weekend breaks and touring. The spacious front porch provides you with somewhere to store your muddy boots and gear well away from your sleeping bag. And the 3,000mm hydrostatic head combined with taped seams and a fully sewn-in groundsheet…

When we asked our readers and online followers to vote for their favourite tent brand we knew that certain companies would do well because of their loyal fanbase built up over decades. It tells you a lot about Vango’s popularity among the camping public that it landed almost as many votes as the second and third-placed brands combined. As soon as voting got under way on our dedicated awards website, the Scottish-based company emerged as the early front-runner, and held onto the lead until the polls closed. Of course, you only need to visit a UK campsite in the middle of summer to see how popular Vango is as a brand and that was reflected in our vote. Vango officially came into being in 1966, but the story actually began…

If it’s fun-filled holidays by the sea you want, then Trevornick is the perfect destination. And it’s certainly popular among Camping readers, who voted it their favourite campsite of the year in our annual awards. The holiday park is located close to the sandy dunes that lead to Holywell Bay, with its surf-friendly breakers. And it’s only a short distance from Newquay – the surf and beach capital of Cornwall. The site has seven touring and camping fields and six different pitch types. Some pitches have lakeside views and there are both dog-friendly and dog-free pitching areas. Trevornick offers a range of things to do. For starters the sandy beach is within walking distance, so children can build sandcastles and play in the sea. On site there are a multitude…

● WINNER VANGO CARGO 60 £50 OUR VERDICT Lightweight and durable, the Vango Cargo 60 is ideal luggage, whether her you’re camping or going on a weekend away. The 60-litre capacity means there’s loads of space for all your clothing and the large zipped lid makes it quick and easy to get access to everything inside. The zip mesh pocket inside the lid provides a separate storage area and makes identification of contents easy. Vango has used Protex 4:2 Fabric, an innovative new material developed by the company. Made with 420D ripstop polyester with two coatings of polyurethane on the inside and four coatings on the outer face, it gives the bag added strength without adding extra weight. The Cargo 60 has large central grab handles as well as handles…

● WINNER KELTY LOWDOWN COUCH £150 OUR VERDICT Three is the magic number. We loved Kelty’s Love Seat double couch, when it was launched a couple of years ago. But now the innovative US firm has gone one step further with a new chair for three (or, as they say, for two people and one dog). The Lowdown Couch is built with a lower base and a slightly reclined design so you can stretch your legs and relax in comfort. It doesn’t hold back on the technical front, either – it’s quilted, uses hard-wearing fabrics and has a durable, powder-coated steel frame. And if Fido does want to join you on the chair, the carry wrap doubles up as a padded dog mat. This is obviously not as light as…

● WINNER OUTWELL NIGHTLIGHT £94 OUR VERDICT The Camping team recently visited the Outwell HQ in Denmark and what a place it is. It’s one thing seeing new products on a screen, but Outwell’s showroom displays are cleverly staged to really sell the outdoor lifestyle and demonstrate the gear properly. During our visit we were guided into a completely blacked-out room, trying not to bump into each other. Then a dim light appeared and got brighter and brighter until there was a lovely twilight scene. This was Outwell’s patented remote-control Nightlight. The existing HookTrack accessory attachment system has been modified with fibre optics. The remote works from a fair distance (it’s been tested up to 500m with a clear line of sight and fresh batteries), so it’s bright enough to…

● WINNER VANGO COBRA 200 £225 OUR VERDICT Vango may be synonymous with family camping these days, but don’t forget that the company made its name producing lightweight technical gear for serious campers. That expertise still runs through its DNA. The Cobra 200 is a great example of the kind of technical product Vango does so well; an extremely lightweight – just 0.7kg – option for backpackers, which packs down to little more than the size of a beer can. It’s a goose down-filled bag, designed to fit snugly around your head and shoulders for maximum heat retention. The nylon outer shell fabric is durable and water-resistant, enhancing its longevity. It also has something called Thermal Reverb, an aluminised layer which radiates your body heat to generate more warmth. ● COMMENDED…

● WINNER HELINOX CHAIR ZERO HIGH BACK £160 OUR VERDICT Helinox specialises in ultra-lightweight camping furniture that means you can be as comfortable during your backpacking trips as you are on a campsite holiday. The Chair Zero High Back is the lightest higher-backed chair that the company has ever made and joins the original Chair Zero, among others, in the brand’s collection of high-performance outdoor furniture. The chair’s high back provides you with greater back and shoulder support, without adding much to the weight or pack size. At 690g, it is just 20% heavier than the original Chair Zero and has a load capacity of 120kg. Like other Helinox products, it uses lightweight DAC aluminium for the frame with a tough ripstop fabric. It packs into a bag that is…

● WINNER KEELA PROSPORT JACKET £159.95 OUR VERDICT Keela jackets are tested out on the hills and mountains of Scotland, and, as Frank Sinatra might have said if he was an outdoor gear reviewer, if they can make it there, they can make it anywhere. So, start spreading the news. The Prosport jacket is number one, top of the list, head of the heap, king of the hill… you get the idea. It’s good. For a start, it’s waterproof, windproof and highly breathable. They should all be a given in a jacket, really, but isn’t always the case. The outer fabric can stretch four ways for excellent freedom of movement and the System Dual Protection (SDP) technology protects against heat loss and removes the need to wear an extra layer to…

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WHAT YOU CAN WIN Jay’s pictures win him a Coleman Maranta XL sleeping bag worth £89.99. This extra-large sleeping bag is inspired by the Maranta plant, that is known for improving your sleeping quality. This inspiration can be seen in the stitched leaf design on its polycotton outer shell. The cotton flannel liner will keep you comfortable and cosy when relaxing after a day outdoors. Features include Thermolock zipper baffles to reduce heat loss through the zip and ZipPlow technology, preventing snagging by ploughing fabric away from the zip. When no longer in use, the sleeping bag packs away in its stylish, colour-coordinated cotton bag. NEXT MONTH Send us your camping pictures for the chance to win a great Coleman prize Share your adventures Send us your favourite camping photographs…

● WINNER OUTWELL STARHILL 5A £809.99 OUR VERDICT We’ve been flying the flag for inflatable tents ever since they hit the mainstream back in 2011. It’s all about convenience – blow-up tents have done more than anything else to drive the growth in camping in recent years. The only caveat is that they have always been rather expensive, compared to traditional pole construction. But with the new Starhill range, Outwell is doing something to address that issue. You’ll pay a maximum of £810 for the Starhill 5A, and probably much less. That’s a fair bit less than similar models in the Outwell collection, but, importantly, without any significant reduction in quality. With such an attractive price tag, it’s going to make Outwell’s inflatable tents far more accessible to a wider range…

● WINNER VANGO LISMORE AIR TC 600XL £1,400 OUR VERDICT With so much emphasis on dependability and practicality, it’s not surprising that family tents can often feel like fairly dull, no-frills affairs. So it’s always nice when a new family tent comes along that offers a touch of luxury alongside reliability. The Lismore Air TC 600XL from Vango is one such tent – easy to pitch, spacious and sturdy and reliable in all weathers, it’s a perfect shelter for long summer breaks with the kids. The AirBeam technology ensures quick inflation, and a sturdy and reliable structure. But if you’re looking for frills – not literally, that would be a bit odd – then how about the sumptuous Sentinel TC fabric? The technical cotton improves climate control through the tent, so…

● WINNER ROBENS KLONDIKE TWIN £1,889.99 OUR VERDICT Robens seems to have cornered the market in creating stunningly good-looking tents with technical tent-level spec. And this new polycotton offering for 2023 is another to add to the list. Now, if you’re the shy retiring type who prefers not to be the centre of attention, then the Klondike Twin might not be for you. Because this is definitely a head-turner. Based on the hugely popular single version, the Klondike Twin has two central alloy poles that are easy to manoeuvre into position, creating a vast inner space that you can set up any way you prefer. Low-level mesh panels let light in and help deal with condensation. The main vent is controlled with the ingenious Internal Apex Vent Control, which is…

● WINNER FORCLAZ MT900 MINIMAL EDITIONS £219.99 OUR VERDICT Over the years we’ve seen tents in all sorts of colours – green, blue, red, orange, brown; you name it, someone’s produced a tent in it. Not white, though. Until now, and this offering from Decathlon’s trekking brand, Forclaz. It’s fair to say, launching a completely white tent is – as fictional civil servant, Sir Humphrey Appleby, might have said – a brave decision. But there’s a method behind Decathlon’s apparent madness. The design team took three products, analysed their CO₂ footprint and identified that the dyeing process was one of the biggest contributors to emissions. So they decided to remove it, and the Minimal Editions collection – this tent, a sleeping bag, and a mattress – was born. The thinking is…

Every year the Camping team spends hours testing trailer-loads of camping gear. We know how lucky we are. It sincerely is a pleasure to be able to spend your working day putting the latest camping gear to the test. Of course, we don’t do all this testing simply because we enjoy it (although obviously that helps). The whole point of assessing the new gear is to allow us to be able tell you the pros and cons of what’s out there. When money is as tight as it is now, you need to know that the gear you’re spending your money on is worth the outlay. You’ve seen our favourite tents of 2023, now over the next few pages we will pay tribute to the new accessories that have made…

● WINNER CAMPINGAZ CAMPING KITCHEN 2 GRILL & GO Price TBC OUR VERDICT From boiling an egg to creating a gourmet camping meal, this new stove from Campingaz is versatile enough to cover all your campsite cooking needs and has the quality that the brand is known for. The two-burner unit comes with a plancha and a searing grid, which sit on top of the burners. You can use both at the same time, use one grill with a pan or simply use both of the 2,000W burners for cooking with pans. The plancha and grid are designed so fat will flow away from your food, for healthier cooking. The enamelled steel grills are simple to clean and the stainless-steel cooking top can be wiped down easily. It has piezo ignition,…

● WINNER CAMPINGAZ TWIN CONNECTION REGULATOR PRICE TBC OUR VERDICT It might not be the sexiest piece of camping equipment you’ll ever buy, but this new product from Campingaz could be one of the most useful. And it truly is an example of outstanding camping innovation that will make life easier for campers. LPG is stored in bottles at high pressure and, when it’s released, it passes through a regulator to ensure that it’s at the right pressure for the appliance it is being supplied to. Different devices need different regulators, but this device simplifies the process. It has one outlet leading to the stove or barbecue and two inlets – one for Campingaz’s Easy Clic connection and one for a cylinder. It means you can use either a CV470…

● WINNER THERM-A-REST NEOAIR XLITE NXT £250 OUR VERDICT The Xlite is another hugely popular piece of kit from US technical specialist, Therm-a-Rest, that has been reborn for 2023. The new version of the Xlite is warmer and thicker than before, but, even more importantly, it’s actually quieter! The only complaint that campers ever had about this lightweight mat was the noisy rustling sound it made when you move around – a particular problem when you’re sharing a small tent. Therm-a-Rest has tackled the problem by changing its contruction methods. To be honest, we’re not engineers and the techncial details of this are beyond us, but, suffice to say, the new Xlite is noticeably quieter than our old version. In fact, Therm-a-Rest says the new mat is an impressive (and very…

● WINNER SIERRA DESIGNS FLEX CAPACITOR £175 OUR VERDICT If you say the name of this rucksack to anyone over the age of 40, it’s guaranteed they will immediately start thinking about wild-haired doctors, 80s sport cars and time travel. But it’s not the space-time continuum that’s being tampered with here. The Flex Capacitor does, however, have some pretty impressive capabilities when it comes to bending the laws of physics. With a few tugs on the straps the Flex Capacitor goes from being a 40-litre capacity rucksack to a 60-litre, making it incredibly versatile and adaptable on your adventures. It also has a well-padded lumbar support and a wide hip belt for heavier loads and is made from rugged, but lightweight, fabric. Expandable backpacks are not new, but where the…

● WINNER BERGHAUS VC22 GTX SHOES £140 OUR VERDICT Despite its Germanic-sounding name, Berghaus is very much a British company, with its roots firmly planted in the northeast of England. Decades of producing outdoor equipment for UK consumers means the company seems to knows everything there is to know about our needs, whether we are mountain climbers, hill walkers, campers or dog walkers. And the trick is finding some common ground between as many of the different categories as possible. No, you wouldn’t wear these shoes if you were scaling the north face of the Eiger; however, you would wear them on a long walk to the top of Ben Nevis or around a Cumbrian lake. You’d also be happy to wear them on a walk from your tent to…

THE CARAVAN, Camping & Motorhome Show at the NEC is your first chance to get up close and personal with the latest 2023 tents and camping gear. Most of the major tent and trailer tent brands will be taking part in the show, which runs between 21 and 26 February New for the 2023 show will be the dedicated Tent and Camping Hall, featuring over 150 new season tents and trailer tents, pitched and ready to explore. Camping exhibitors at the show include: Bellisima, Coleman, Dometic, Khyam, Outdoor Revolution, PJ Outdoors, Quest, Regatta, Snow Peak, Vango and Zempire. The trailer tent exhibitors include: Cabanon, Camperlands, Opus, Pennine Outdoor Leisure, Raclet, Trigano and Venter Trailers UK. Free help and impartial advice will also be on offer for those new to camping…

● WINNER COLEMAN OCTAGON GREY PLUS EXTENSION £579.98 (total) OUR VERDICT The Coleman collection of tents is extensive, but for the last few years one has stood out from the crowd… simply because it is so different. The Octagon’s unique yurt-like design provides 360° views and lots of living space for couples or small families. It’s already something of a cult classic. But how do you improve on what is obviously a winning formula? Well, in this case you give the public what they want. New for 2023, the Octagon now has an optional front extension, something that fans have been requesting for years. It really transforms the tent – providing the sort of additional living and storage space that makes it work as a traditional family tent for weekends…

● WINNER QUECHUA AIRSECONDS SKYVIEW £1,500 OUR VERDICT Is it really possible for a tent to be cool? We certainly think so, and this new one from Decathlon’s own brand, Quechua, is about as cool as it gets. But, what do we mean by cool? Essentially, like every other tent, it’s only a bundle of fabric, a few bits of fibreglass and a couple of lengths of string. How can that be cool? Well, the answer is in what you have when the tent is pitched. First of all, it self-inflates using a built-in electric pump. That’s pretty cool, we’d say. Then there’s the unique, rounded shape when it’s fully standing – you’ve heard of the bubble car, well now meet the bubble tent! Again, very cool. But what really…

● WINNER CAMP-LET NORTH £6,399 OUR VERDICT Trailer tents are all about finding your freedom and being able to spontaneously head off in search of exciting adventures. New last year, the Camp-let North brought together the best features of two previous models and is the perfect choice when you want to explore in first class. The integrated poles mean you can quickly put the tent up and take it down with a few basic steps. There’s also enough room for the whole family. The spacious lounge area and ventilated sleeping cabins with room for four give you 18sq m of holiday accommodation. And if you decide to stay for a while in one place, you can quickly extend with a sun canopy and annexe. This is a long-term investment, too.…

● WINNER QUECHUA CAMP BED AIR STORAGE Price £119.99 OUR VERDICT How often do you read about a new product that is described as ‘new and improved’, then look at it and it’s barely changed from the original? Well, this is a piece of camping innovation that certainly merits the ‘new and improved’ label. It takes an existing piece of kit – Quechua’s single, inflatable bed base – and gives it a new lease of life. The original bed has an inflatable base that’s fitted with slats, which you place your sleeping mat on top of to create one of the comfiest sleeping options around. The new version works the same way, but with an underbed storage space added. You put the mattress on top of the bed, and it folds…

● WINNER STANLEY COLD FOR DAYS COOLER £239.99 OUR VERDICT Stanley is a brand with a rich history stretching back 110 years, so it knows what it’s doing when it comes to products like this rugged, passive cooler. It is designed to keep your food and drink cold for up to four days, even under sweltering conditions. It has space for up to 40 cans, which should be just about enough for most camping trips! The durable, leak-free design and extra height is actually built to accommodate 2-litre bottles and even magnums – the champagne bottles not the ice creams! Although it would keep them cold for a while, too. The cooler is made using double-wall foam for insulation and built with rugged latches and handles. The top can be…

● WINNER BIOLITE BASECHARGE 600 £799 OUR VERDICT In these post-pandemic days, we’ve seen a huge increase in people choosing to camp off-grid. But this is not wild camping in the traditional sense of packing everything you need in a rucksack and sleeping on a remote mountainside. Rather, it is more about driving to a very basic campsite and being as self-sufficient as possible. It means no access to site toilet facilities and showers and no electric hook-up. The trouble with ‘nearly wild camping’, as it has been dubbed, is that if you don’t have electricity, you can’t charge your phones and laptops and that means you’re completely cut off from everyone. The answer is to generate your own power, using a device like this, which can be recharged through…

● WINNER KELTY CAMP GALLEY DELUXE £65 OUR VERDICT Campsite cooking shouldn’t be chore but it can be a tricky business trying to rustle up culinary creations at your tent. Being organised goes a long way to helping. Bear in mind that tents are small spaces, so it really helps if everything has a home and everything is to hand when you need it. No more so than in the kitchen, where mealtimes involve myriad stuff and lots of multitasking. The Camp Galley Deluxe is designed for a family of four with space to house plates and cutlery for all. With a number of zipped pockets, there’s space for utensils, as well as a chopping board, scourer, etc. A string underneath means you can hang a kitchen roll or tea towel,…

● WINNER VANGO ATOM £32.50 OUR VERDICT Clichés tend to be clichés for a reason, that reason being that they’re true. Here’s one – small but perfectly formed. It applies to this pocket-sized stove from Vango. The Atom tips the scales (barely) at just 66g and is the smallest and lightest stove in Vango’s range, making it ideal for backpacking and trekking. And here’s another cliché – it packs a punch. This is as basic as it gets, when it comes to gas camping stoves, but it can’t be faulted for performance. In optimum conditions, the 3,000W burner will boil a pan of water in three-and-a-half minutes. Its size and weight mean you’ll barely notice it in your pack. At such a decent price, this is a must-have for lightweight…

● WINNER MONTANE ANTI-FREEZE PACKABLE DOWN SLIPPERS £55 OUR VERDICT After a long day on the trail, the first thing you want to do when you get into your tent is take those heavy walking boots off and relax. But if it’s cold outside, sitting around in your stockinged feet is not a good idea. Filled with high-quality, water resistant down, the Anti-Freeze Hut Slippers will keep your feet warm on the campsite at the end of a long day. The slippers have a water-resistant outer and lining, non-slip soles and a stretchy ankle cuff that prevents the cold getting in. The foam inner soles can be removed to reduce weight and bulk when you’re on the move and the slippers come with their own stuff sack so they can…

You voted in your thousands and the result was unequivocal – Go Outdoors is officially the Camping Retailer of the Year. The chain, which now has just short of 70 stores across the UK, began life in Sheffield when hiker, John Graham, and Paul Caplan – who had previously owned a jeans company – took over what was then the Camping and Caravanning Centre back in 1998. By 2004, the company rebranded as Go Outdoors with the first store opening in Coventry. Over the years, Go Outdoors stores have been the go-to (excuse the pun) destination for just about everything you could need for camping, from the high-ticket items such as tents to the smaller accessories, including torches, apparel and pegs. Add to that, the fact that it’s keenly-priced and…