After your tent, sleeping bags and beds are the most important pieces of camping gear you’ll buy.

Making the right choice is vital to ensuring a great night’s sleep – and that can be the difference between a brilliant camping trip and a disaster of a holiday.

The new bags we’re highlighting come in a variety of weights, pack sizes and warmth depending on your needs, while airbeds and mats use the latest technology to maximise comfort.

SLEEPING BAGS

SNUGPAK SOFTIE EXPANSION
www.snugpak.com
The brand new Softie Expansion collection boasts all of the features of a traditional sleeping bag with the added bonus of an Elasticated Expander Panel, which allows users to increase the width for extra space and freedom for movement. The sleeping bags in this range feature an integrated torch in the hood, which can be removed when needed. The innovative Reflectartherm Technology has great insulating properties, trapping heat and maximising comfort. It features a chisel shaped foot for extra comfort, an anti-snag zip, as well as clips that can be used to shorten the sleeping bag. 

OUTWELL COLIBRI
www.outwell.com
No bull, Outwell gives you wings. The Colibri takes sleeping bags into a completely new direction – providing you with various sleeping options, depending on your personal preference. The side extension panels – they call them side wings – can be left folded in for a snug fit or opened wide for more room. Alternatively you can unzip both sides and use the bag like a normal duvet. The fleece-lined foot pocket is designed to allow you to tuck your feet inside when its cold or leave them in the open when its too hot. It will be available as a single or double.

VANGO AURORA VARIO DOUBLE
www.vango.co.uk
This clever sleeping bag (also available as a single XL) is designed to be used in the summer as well as in the cooler months. It converts from a three-season to a two-season bag simply by zipping one layer away. The inner is soft to touch and the outer shell is made from luxury brushed polyester, and it comes with a built-in pillow and insulated zip baffle.  

RAB NEUTRINO
www.rab.equipment/uk
When you settle down for the night, the only smells you want are from the great outdoors… definitely not the stink of your own sleeping bag. So the world’s first “never wash” technical sleeping bag could be a game changer. Designed for backpacking and multi-day adventures, the down-filled Neutrino is made by Rab and features special Polygiene treatment to prevent nasty niffs. The silver salt anti-odour technology in the interior lining means it won’t need to be washed as much or hung out to air after use. Sweet!

ROBENS CREVASSE
www.robens.com
The Crevass brings together elements of technical and leisure sleeping bags to provide maximum comfort depending on the temperature and your own preferences. Simply it can be used as a traditional mummy-shaped sleeping bag, however with the half-length zips on both sides open you have ventilation and freedom of movement. The wings create a duvet effect, allowing you to wrap them around you if it gets more chilly as the night progresses.

VANGO NITESTAR QUAD
www.vango.co.uk
A warm adventure bag that is ideal for youth group trips. The Quad is a new shape that is a hybrid between square and mummy styles, providing more room without  losing the warmth. 

THERM-A-REST PARSEC
www.thermarest.com
A three-season goose down-filled ultralight sleeping bag that manages to remain easy to carry despite being packed with features like oversized draught tubes and an ergonomic foot box. If you need even more warmth, you can add a Sleep Liner for an extra layer of cosiness. 

BEDS

THERM-A-REST NEO AIR CAMPER DUO
www.thermarest.com
Therma-A-Rest has a glowing reputation for producing excellent sleeping mats and this new double version of the NeoAir Camper only adds to that. As you might expect, the Duo has two independent chambers so you can share a bed without the bounce every time your partner moves during the night. Both campers are able inflate their own side of the bed to the level they prefer. At almost 8cm thick, this is a really comfortable mat, but it is relatively lightweight and packs small. 

OUTWELL DREAMCATCHER
www.outwell.com
The new Air Flow Control valve was introduced by Outwell to great acclaim last year. Quite simply, it’s designed to make inflating mats much quicker and to take the strain out of rolling them up. It works a treat but initially only appeared in a limited number of their self-inflating mattresses. Now Outwell have decided to include the award-winning feature on the Dreamcatcher range too. 

VANGO SHANGRI-LA
www.vango.co.uk
The name Shangri-La conjures up images of the ultimate in luxury and relaxation, so if you’re going to use it, you need to be sure your product lives up to it. This new self-inflating mattress from Vango doesn’t disappoint. In fact you’ll find this as comfortable as your bed at home; it comes in either 10 or 15cm thick versions (single and double) and has vertical walls all the way round, so you don’t slide off if you get too close to the edge. The sleeping surface is soft and comfortable and the Cyclone valve is designed to provide quick inflation and deflation.  

SNUGPAK BASECAMP
www.snugpak.com
Sit down and have a beer while you inflate your bed! The Basecamp air mat has a built-in footpump, a first for the UK. The sponge-like pump has a two-way valve that means air enters when you press down on the pump, but won’t escape when the pressure is released. Clever. Otherwise this is almost identical to the company’s Premium Air Mat

KAMPA BUNKIE
www.kampa.co.uk
We’ve often wondered why camping bunk beds have never become a thing. Well, now they are. Where bedroom floor space is limited, this could be ideal for a couple of youngsters. The steel frame is sturdy and there are side barriers to prevent restless kids rolling out of bed during the night, as well as stabilisers for steadiness.

BUNDLE BEDS
www.bundlebeds.com
A roll out sleeping system with a comfortable, built-in self-inflating mattress, cotton sheets, a luxury duvet and pillow.  It’s simplicity in itself;  just unclip, unroll, unzip and it’s ready to use. And it’s pretty easy to roll up again too.