Practical camping gear - Editor's top picks
Getting your practical camping gear sorted is an often-overlooked part of camping like a pro. An extension lead to make full use of campsite electricity, a clever device to inflate your tent, a handy pocket multi-tool or even your very own night-time private toilet. Our Editor, Iain Duff, picks his favourite must-have gadgets and devices for every practically minded camper.
A multipurpose camping lamp
Outwell Pegasus solar lantern
JUST ADDEDWe recommend because...
Solar power is nothing new – it's been drying clothes for centuries, after all. But with the soaring cost of energy on everyone’s mind right now, it’s good to remember that the sun is a free resource. And that makes a solar-powered lamp like this even more appealing.
The Pegasus is a small, easy-to-use, dimmable lantern with multiple uses – as a hanging lantern, standing lamp or carried like a torch. It can be charged up using the included USB cable or via the solar panels – a full solar charge will take 15 hours and will give you up to 45 hours of use, depending on the setting.
The Pegasus can also be used as a powerbank to give your phone a boost when the battery is hovering close to zero.
Expect to pay...
About £22.99
A portable camping toilet that's kind to the environment
Trobolo WandaGo compostible camping toilet
JUST ADDEDWe recommend because...
The last couple of years has seen a big increase in the number of campers using their own toilet facilities at their tent. Having your own private loo is great, but the chemicals you have to use always seem to make it lot of hard work – not to mention the nagging doubts about the harm they might be doing to the environment. The new WandaGo avoids those problems completely by using a composting system and no chemicals – or water – at all.
The WandaGo is spill-proof and odourless, cleverly separating liquid and solid waste into separate containers. Because there are no chemicals involved, getting rid of the waste is easy, with no need to use a chemical disposal point. Solid waste can go in any regular rubbish bin, just like used nappies and liquid waste can be poured down any toilet or diluted with water and used as natural fertilizer.
It weighs less than 5kg and is compact enough to easily fit in the boot of your car or in the trailer and the SafeShell system means you can drive without any danger of fluid spilling over.
Unlike most portable toilets, it has a standard-size seat and can be set to the height of a normal toilet, making it much more comfortable to sit on. It also comes with a built-in toilet paper dispenser
Expect to pay...
About £220
A simple hand-held camping torch
Princeton Tec Amp 1 Hand Torch
We recommend because...Like fish and chips or tea and biscuits, campers and torches belong together.
From getting back from the pub or popping to the loo block, to having to pitch up in the dark, a simple, hand-held torch has myriad uses.
However, there is no such thing as a simple hand-held torch these days; rather like mobile phones, it’s all about cramming in as much tech into a small a space as possible, although you probably don’t need or want half of the features anyway.
So here is a torch that just offers what you do need without any gimmicky bells and whistles.
Well, almost… it does have a built-in bottle opener, but that is essential, isn’t it? Otherwise, it features a 100 lumens LED spot beam and is waterproof down to 100 metres (IPX8). It runs off two AAA batteries (included) and is available in three colour choices – blue, black or neon yellow.
Expect to pay...
About £21
For cosy feet in your tent
Rab Cirrus Hut Slippers
We recommend because...
As you might expect from outdoor clothing specialist, Rab, the Cirrus Hut slipper is a top quality piece of kit designed to keep your feet warm while you’re enjoying the great outdoors.
Ideal for padding around the tent, it’s filled with recycled PrimaLoft Luxe synthetic insulation, which gives the warmth and light weight of down but retains heat when wet, has no allergens and is breathable.
The tough nylon uppers have ripstop and a water-resistant outer and the non-slip sole also protects your feet from sharp objects feet with a layer of EVA foam.
Expect to pay...
About £45
A lamp that keeps your pitch bug-free
Easy Camp Mosquito Lantern
We recommend because...
This handy gadget is a lantern and mosquito zapper in one –hang it up around the tent to stop the blood sucking pests spoiling warm summer evenings under the stars.
Don’t be misled by its name. This is not a lamp designed to help mosquitos find their way around after dark. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Any poor mosquitos stumbling across this lantern on the campsite will find their night brought to a swift and brutal end.
Expect to pay...
About £15
A classic campsite shelter
Coleman Event Shelter Performance XL
We recommend because...
This is the classic shelter from Coleman. If you are up for a party, then the spacious Event Shelter will keep you and your guests protected from the sun’s glare while you rustle up burgers on the barbecue.
The XL is a huge 4.5m x 4.5m so there’s plenty of space to relax under cover and the UVGuard fabric will provide protection from harmful sun rays.
The fabric is water-resistant and has fully taped seams to prevent rain from seeping through. It takes about 15 minutes to put up.
Wall and door panels and a groundsheet are available as optional extras. It also comes in more compact L and M sizes.
Expect to pay...
About £224
Award-winning coolers
Outdoor Revolution Eco Deep Extreme Coolers
We recommend because...
On a hot summer's day, what could be better than relaxing by your tent with a cold drink straight out of the fridge and a ready supply of ice to keep you cool?
This new range of electric-powered camping coolers from Outdoor Revolution makes that dream a reality. The Eco Deep Extreme comes in three sizes, all of which are reliable and sturdy, and do exactly what you need them to do at a brilliant price.
The fridges have a temperature range of 0°C to 10°C while the freezer zones can operate down to -20°C.
Expect to pay...
About £250 to £350
Highly-commended cool bag
Outwell Penguin cool bag
We recommend because...
The soft-sided passive coolers in this excellent new range are insulated with EVA foam and, with the addition of ice blocks, will keep contents cold for hours.
They come in three sizes and each has a twin-zipped lid, wipeable lining and mesh storage pockets.
Expect to pay...
About £20 to £40
Highly-commended tent pegs
Outdoor Revolution Eco Warrior tent pegs
We recommend because...
Tent pegs may not be a glamorous piece of camping kit, but you couldn't camp without them.
This new range from Outdoor Revolution is manufactured in the UK, with all the plastic in the pegs and packaging responsibly sourced from recycled materials.
Expect to pay...
About £15
Highly-commended travel bag
Vango Shuttle travel bag
We recommend because...
Now that international travel seems to be back on the agenda, you might want to consider getting some new luggage.
The Vango Shuttle range of bags is designed for travel, but it works brilliantly for camping, too.
Expect to pay...
About £50 to £100
A practical electrical hub
Outwell Mensa Mains Roller
We recommend because...
A mains kit might not be the most glamorous piece of camping equipment in itself, but it opens up a world of opportunity. With three UK sockets, the Mensa gives you access to power, light and heat in your tent at the flick of a switch as well as a couple of USB ports for charging your devices.
The 15m cable should be sufficient for most campsites and there are plenty of safety measures built in for peace of mind, including a circuit breaker and polarity warning light.
Expect to pay...
About £85
A powerful inflating air pump
Vango AirBeam Zephyr Pump
We recommend because...
Inflatable tents and awnings are already pretty simple to put up, but if you want to make life even easier then we suggest an electric pump. With the Zephyr, just flick a switch and let the powerful internal motor, powered by a 12V DC car supply, do all the hard work, while you sit back and relax.
The Zephyr features an LED digital display, auto cut-off preventing overinflation and multiple nozzle options.
Expect to pay...
About £69
A reliable high-quality multi-tool
Leatherman Free T2 Multipurpose Tool
We recommend because...
No camper should leave home without a multi-tool and Leatherman has to be the go-to brand.
The Free T2 is a multi-tool for all camping situations, with a strong, powerful blade plus three screwdrivers, a pry tool, package opener, an awl for puncturing material like leather and canvas and, of course, the all-important bottle opener.
Expect to pay...
About £60
A convenient private toilet
Thetford Porta Potti 365 Portable Toilet
We recommend because...
Post-pandemic, many people are still a little unsure about using shared facilities on campsites so are looking for a self-contained solution.
The Porta Potti is the original portable loo for camping and as far as we are concerned it remains the one to go for if you're looking for a comfortable, practical and durable portable toilet. It's lightweight as well as being easy and convenient to empty.
Expect to pay...
About £70
A privacy toilet tent
Olpro Pop Up Toilet Tent
We recommend because...
This is a great-value option if you're looking for a simple-to-pitch utility tent for using as extra storage or as a portable toilet tent on the campsite.
The pop-up construction means pitching is super-easy and there's a good amount of space inside – with pockets for loo roll and hand sanitiser. Like all pop-up tents, packing it away is a little more difficult, but follow the video instructions and you can't go wrong.
Expect to pay...
About £65
The camping shop
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How we choose our recommendations
Nearly every product we recommend has been tried and tested, reviewed, handled and experienced by our very own Camping magazine Editor, Iain Duff. You can take our recommendations and be sure you are getting a quality piece of kit, that also represents superb value for money. We only recommend products we believe in, to help you choose the best value-for-money camping products that do their jobs really, really well.
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