Get Camping Tents

Now for most of us the last thing to cross our minds about equipment to take on a camping trip would be domestic appliances! Well no joking you can actually get portable washing machines and portable tumble dryers that are ideal for camping trips from Sunncamp.

Not sure who would use one of these machines but I imagine it could be used if you were on a camping or caravanning holiday that you used your car to get to the destination. I can’t really see many people strapping a portable washing machine on their back on a hike to a camping destination, ha-ha. If you have a large family and plan on being on a long camping trip then maybe a sunncamp appliance could be used to ensure your kitted out with clean and dry clothes.

Sunncamp Portable Washing Machine

The washing machine from Sunncamp is mains operated and is a nice compact washing machine for camping use. The washing machine needs to be filled up with water before use, this can be done with a hose or a by a jug.

• Washes up-to 1.5kg weight (dry)
• Drain hose is included
• Washing Timer of 15 minutes
• Weight – 5kg

Sunncamp Twin Tub Washing Machine

This mini twin tub washing machine is more expensive than the model just shown as it has two chambers to wash in. Again you have to fill the washing machine with water using a hose or jug before starting. The mini tub version also takes 1.5kg of clothes and has a timer of 15 minutes for washing. This model also has a 5 minute spin timer and the weight of the compact washing machine is 10kg

Sunncamp Portable Tumble Dryer

This tumble dryer from sunncamp is a very basic and compact tumble dryer. Here are some features:

• 2 program setting
• Loads of up-to 1.2kg
• Easy to set timer
• Suitable carry handles
• 420 Watt
• Safety catch on the door

Summary Sunncamp Appliances Review

The Sunncamp portable washing machine and Sunncamp tumble dryer are really a convenience option that a lot of people will not need on a camping or caravanning holiday.

If you are someone who really likes their creature comforts though then you can check out the Sunncamp products to get your jobs done.

The Lichfield Cherokee tents makes a good choice for a basic family camping trip. The range is available in 3 types a 2, 3 and 4 man option in the form of the Lichfield Cherokee 2, Lichfield Cherokee 3 and the Lichfield Cherokee 4 tent.

Review of Lichfield Cherokee Tents

The Cherokee tents are tunnel tents. In terms of tent types the tunnels are generally the most easy and quickest to pitch. The thing with tunnel tents also is that they offer the best space in relation to the weight of a tent. With the tunnel design used in the Lichfield Cherokee tent you get good head room within the tent. This is because the height of the tent runs down the center.

The Lichfield Cherokee tent is best suited for use as a family tent or light backpacking tent. This is the same with most tunnel tents. Tunnel tents really need to be fully guyed out no matter what the conditions as they are less stable tents.

The Lichfield Cherokee has a great porch area which is ideal for families to store stuff in, the porch area is also ideal to use as living space if the weather is not up to much. Within the porch you have a cool feature in that there are 2 side doors giving easy access.

Lichfield Cherokee Tent Specs

• Easy Pitching
• Lightweight tent
• Protex 2000 flysheet
• Polyethylene groundsheet
• Fibreglass poles
• Tunnel tent design
• Breathable polyester inner
• water repellent finish on inner
• Double entry tent – 2 side doors
• Fire retardant body, mesh and groundsheet

Summary of the Lichfield Cherokee

The Lichfield Cherokee Tent is a great family tent or tent to be used on a backpacking trip. The tent is easy and quick to pitch up and is very light. The tent design is a tunnel tent which means though that the stability is compromised a bit. Its not recommended to use this tent in heavy winds but as we said its a good lightweight tent for basic camping needs in the outdoors.

The North Face brand was created in California in 1968. The company is an outdoor product company that specialises in equipment for outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, climbers and skiers to name a few. Along with camping equipment the north face also specialises in outerwear, footwear and fleece jackets. The product reviewed in this post will be the North Face Stratos tent.

The North Face Stratos tent is a 3-4 man tent that is suitable for use all year round. The tent is most comfortable with probably 3 people in it, any more bodies in the tent may feel a bit cramped. One thing about the Stratos tent though is that it may be a bit on the heavy side. It is a 3 man tent though so the weight can be distributed amongst the group if backpacking. If you do like to keep as light as possible then maybe the north face Stratos will be a tad on the heavy side and then tent would be more suitable for car camping.

North-Face Stratos Features

The quality of the North Face Stratos tent is very good like you find with mostly all of the North Face product range. The tent has many cool features inside that makes your camping trip more enjoyable. The tent has two opposing doors which makes getting in and out of the tent very easy, no need to fall over your friends head or stamp on any hands clambering out of the tent in the evening. To help you find the tent zipper in the dark of the night there are also some funky cool glow tabs on the inside zippers. Another convienant feature added to the Stratos is the integrated storage pockets to store any goodies and a lantern loop to hang your night light up.

Another great option for the North Face Stratos tent is the option to only partially install the fly sheet on the ceiling, this enables you to have a great star view at night time. If it starts to rain or gets too cold then its very easy to quickly secure the roof over. The Stratos tent is very good in extreme weather conditions and can withstand high winds, heavy rain, sleet and snow. Upon review of the tent we found it can be a bit warm for use as a summer tent.

Summary of the Stratos Tent

The North Face Stratos tent is a great all round tent which will comfortably fit 3 people in. The tent can be used in all 4 seasons although we found it quite warm for summer use. The North Face Stratos tent is best suited for areas where extreme weather will be encountered. Overall the tent provides some cool features and is of great quality.

Camping in North Wales is an experience any camper has to live. North Wales is a place of beauty with the fresh air, miles upon miles of fantastic paths and trails and lots of things to see and do.

North Wales Camping

North Wales is bordered to the South by Mid Wales and to the east by England. Within North Wales you have 4-5 distinct regions. You have the Isle of Anglesey, Bangor & the Lleyn, Snowdonia, coastal resorts and the borderlands.

Each of these areas has much to offer to holiday makers and campists. North Wales camping has so much to offer.

Isle of Anglesey

Anglesey is Wales biggest island which holds 4 nature reserves. You also have the Isle of Anglesey coastal path which is 125 miles long through some of the most beautiful places in Wales. The islands rural coastline has been designated as an area of outstanding beauty.

Snowdonia

Snowdonia is a national park which is 838 square miles. It is the most popular national park within England and Wales and has over 6 million people visiting it annually.

Most of the land is made up of mountains and great open land which makes its great for camping places in North Wales.

Costal North Wales

In the coastal areas of north wales you have loads of fantastic clean beaches throughout the whole stretch. You have some really quaint and lovely seaside resorts along the 60 mile stretch also.

North Wales Borderland

In the middle of the river Dee you have north wales borderland in which you can find great camping sites in North Wales.

Within the borderland you have the largest asymmetric cable stayed bridge in Britain.

Summary

North Wales is a place of outstanding beauty. There are so many places to go and hundreds of campsites within North Wales. Hopefully this overview will give you some enthusiasm to get further information about camping in north wales.

Although you may be away from most your creature comforts whilst out on your camping trips, one thing you don’t have to give up is your nice cup of Joe by bringing along a camping coffee maker.

A camping coffee maker can give you a great cup of coffee matching what you could do at home, it may even taste better way out in the great outdoors taking in the great country air and views whilst sipping on your coffee.

Obviously taking along a camping coffee maker will mean extra weight and space used up in your backpack, any avid coffee drinker though I’m sure would be more than happy to sacrifice these things.

The Coleman Camp Coffee Maker

The Coleman camping coffee maker is one of the most popular coffee makers for camping. With the Coleman coffee maker you do not need to compromise the quality of your coffee and you will be able to enjoy as great cup of coffee first thing after sliding out of your sleeping bag. Be warned you may even get other campers asking for their morning coffee fix from your Coleman!

The Coleman is a drip coffeemaker which is a bit to good to be true for being a camping coffee maker but it’s very cool you must agree. The Coleman can produce about 10 cups from a single brew. When the coffee is ready it’s best to take it off the stove or flame so by doing this you will find your coffee can get cold pretty quickly. The best thing to do would be use a thermal insulated container like a thermal flask/carafe. This will allow you to have nice hot coffee all day long.

Upon reviewing the Coleman camp coffee maker one big flaw which is also a bit of a fire hazard is that if the handle is not put back correctly and lies slightly to the side then the handle can get burnt and melt. This will leave the carafe unusable.

Coleman Camping Coffee Maker Features

• solid steel base
• easy pouring glass decanter
• 10 cup capacity
• Swing out filter basket
• Brew pause and serve features
• 14″ x 11.25″ x 9.25″ Dimensions
• 1 year warranty

Camping Coffee Maker Summary

Whatever coffee maker you decide on taking on your camping trip make sure its not too big, bulky and can withstand lots of knocks and bumps. To get your daily coffee fix then definitely take a camping coffee maker on your trips if you have appropriate space too.

Have you ever been caught in the wilderness or deep in the country to find out your torch or lamp has ran out of batteries! Well Cybalite has a range of wind up torches and lamps/lanterns. You can use the Cyba-Lite LED lantern as your primary or main source of lighting on your camping trip.

Cyba-Lite is Eco Friendly

So you need a light source that is always available, as you most probably know batteries are quite expensive to replace. The wind up products from Cybalite are always ready and is powered through winding it up. If you cant muster up enough energy to wind the lamp or torch up then you also have the option to charge up from a solar panel or by plugging the product into your cars cigarette lighter.

Cyba-Lite Features & Specifications

• Powered through winding it up, solar energy or electricity.
• The lantern has 15 bright LEDs
• Lantern has an emergency siren
• Collapsible Lantern
• Easy storage
• Hi/Lo light settings
• Torch has dual light source
• A focused spot beam mode
• Flooding short beam mode

Here are the amount of minutes lighting time you for the Cyba-Lite lantern in relation to the wind up times. Obviously the light lasts longer on Lo settings than on high.

• 1 minute winding will give 10/8 minutes light (Lo/Hi).
• 3 minute winding will give 15/12 minutes light (Lo/Hi).
• 5 minute winding will give 20/15 minutes light (Lo/Hi).

The Cybalite wind up LED range is a nice addition to have on your camping trip as either an emergency back up or to use as your main lantern or torch.

The Brasher Hillmaster GTX Walking boot is one of Britains top selling and most popular walking boots around today. Here we give an overview and review of what the Brasher GTX is all about.

The boot is a very comfortable boot that is both hard wearing and also surprisingly lightweight. The upper leather fabric of the Brasher Hillmaster GTX is breathable and also waterproof which means the boot can be used in all seasons. The hillmaster also has a breathable Gore-Tex membrane. Due to all these features your feet will not sweat or feel uncomfortable in hotter conditions and the temperature will be regulated through the breathable boot.

Review of the Brasher Hillmaster

The great thing you will find about the Brasher Hiilmaster GTX hiking boots is that they are very comfy straight out of the box. Normally with some other walking boots you need a period of adjustment where your feet gets torn to shreds but you won’t experience this with the hillmaster boots.

One thing we found about the Hill master boots is that the sole is quite soft and wears down fairly easily. When going over some rockier terrains you can feel the stones through the soles. Even though the soles are on the soft side you do actually get a fantastic grip with the Brasher GTX boots. You find that many campers have had their Brasher Hillmaster walking boots for many years and get them resoled as they love them so much.

The leather uppers of the boot are very good and the boots have ankle padding which reduces injuries whilst walking.

The Hillmaster GTX’s can be one of the lightest boots used for hiking, this is great news for anyone going on long treks spanning days.

Summary of the Brasher Hillmaster Boots

The Brasher GTX boots are very comfortable, hard wearing and supportive. We found the main downside to be the durability of the soles which where a bit on the soft side. Apart from that the Brasher Hillmaster GTX Walking Boot is a great boot for hiking or taking on general camping trips.

If you need to have a sleeping bag that will stand up to the harshest of weather conditions whilst sleeping outdoors then a Berghaus bivi bag may be the answer.

Berghaus Big Wall Bivi Bag

This bivi bag gives great waterproof protection and has been tested in the worst weather conditions to ensure the bivi bag has great protection and comfort.

The bag is lightweight at about 1035 grams and is also breathable. You would be able to fit the bag nicely into most rucksacks.

Upon review of the Berghaus bivi bag, one feature we liked was the small window you are able to look out once you are all snug and cosy in the bag. You can lie in comfort and warmth staring up at the starry night knowing that you will be protected from any rainfall that will come your way.

The big wall bivi bag is a cool thing for even casual campers who are on large treks and do not have the space to carry a full sized tent around. We also reviewed another option in the hennessy hammock for people who like to be closer to nature and not use a camping tent.

A Closer Look at Berghaus Bivi Bags

The bag is made from Goretex. The bottom half of the bivi bag is much like any other sleeping bag but it also has a permaloft insulating layer. The top half of the sleeping bag is non insulated and just has a single skin of gortex. Due to this single skin on the top layer with no insulation you may want to have an additional inner bag or thermal wear in colder conditions.

Both the top and bottom of the Berghaus big wall bivi bag have kevlar with a ceramic coating which is both breathable and waterproof.

The 2 sections of the sleeping bag can also be detached which is neat if you need to attend to the call of nature as they say in the middle of the night. At least your top half will still be kept warm and snug.

Our Summary

Anyone looking for a durable, comfortable and water resistant bivi bag that gives good breath ability even when all zipped up then check out the Berghuas big wall bivi bag.

If you are looking for a great cooler for use on a camping trip then this review of the Coleman powerchill cooler may help you make your decision.

The Coleman powerchill cooler is a fantastic little cooler which can be used in both vertical and horizontal modes (upright or chest) giving you more options than some other camping coolers.

The main selling point of the Coleman powerchill thermoelectric cooler is the ability to be able to cool your food and beverages to 40 degress farenheit below the surrounding temperature. Although we have found it to be more like 30 or so degress lower. Even so the cooler cooled drinks to a nice coldness.

The cooler can be used with a D/C plug to plug into the cigarette lighter of your car or you can also use an A/C adaptor for use at a camp site. It must be said though that if you use through your car you will get a flat battery if the engine is not running.

With this cooler its possible to change how the door opens, so either open to the left or the right. This is a neat feature as it enables you to choose your location for the cooler and not be tied to certain positions as the doors in some coolers only open in one direction.

The shelves within the coleman powerchill cooler can also be adjustded and the cooler has moulded handles allowing the shifting and moving of the cooler to be easily achieved.

Benefits of the Coleman Powerchill Cooler

Using the coleam chiller you will not need to constantly get bags of ice so you will save some money on this. It’s also nice not to have to handle ice all the time on camping trips as your hands can get very cold.

One benefit for the blokes out there is that the coleman power chill can hold about 40 cans of beer!

The coleman power chill cooler is also a great cooler that can be re-used for say parties when back at home so you will definately get your money back and use out of the coleman cooler.

Summary of the Coleman Power Chill

A great little cooler which is perfect for camping, cars, campers or RVs. The coolers can be used on a variety of occasions and the storage and flexibility of the cooler is ideal.

If your looking for a versatile cooler then check out the Coleman powerchill cooler – 40 quart model.

When you plan your camping trip its important to not only plan your camping site and routes but also your camping checklist.

There is nothing worse than getting all the way to your camping destination only to find you have forgotten a vital piece of kit, its not as if you can just pop to the local shop to pick something up as more than likely you are stuck somewhere in the back country.

Planning a Checklist for Camping

This is something that cannot actually be provided by any one single camping checklist, there are lots of things to consider when planning your own checklist for camping and what you will take will depend on many different factors.

As an example if you are only out camping for a day or two then what you will take will vary greatly than if you are camping for a week to several weeks long. Another factor that will make camping checklists vary greatly would be the type of camping trip you will be embarking on. Will you be hiking up mountains and tough terrain or maybe you will be dropped off at your site in your car, these factors would be factors effecting what you can realistically take on your outing.

So you must determine how long you are staying, what type of camp you are staying at and how you will be getting there, what type of comfort are you suited to on your camping trip and who is with you on your trip. If you have a young family for example you will require quite a bit of extra camping gear included in your checklists.

Once you have determined and thought about your camping requirements you can then plan out your camping checklist, you may then reuse this list for further camping trips and modify it for the camping requirements.

Essential Camping Checklist

For any camping trip you will have a few basic areas that need to be covered. The basic check list areas that you will have include cooking equipment, first aid, fire building, sleeping kit and a few other categories. We will cover some basic checklist items for these areas within this article.

First Aid Kit

The first aid kit should be the first thing to check off your camping checklist. We can’t stress how important it is to have the basic first aid essentials on your trip. You may well be miles away from any professional medical help and some basic precautions can be life saving. Below are some basic first aid equipment to take camping:

• First aid kit
• Bandages and Plasters
• Ibuprofen or Paracetamol
• Antiseptic cream
• Insect repellent
• High Factor sun cream
• Antihistamines

Cooking Equipment

What you take for cooking will depend on if you are quite a minimalist camper or enjoy all the mod cons and gadgets. Some may just heat up some ration pouches whilst others love a cooked up meal on a camping stove, you may opt for a tripod grill or check out our campfire grill page for further grill options.

Some things you may include on you cooking checklist

• Cooking stove or campfire grill
• Matches or lighter
• Tongs and other cooking utensils
• Pots and pans
• Cutlery
• Napkins
• Thermos flask
• Washing up bowl
• Washing detergent
• Dish cloths
• Black bin bags
• Aluminium foil
• Cooling box for any fresh food you take
• Tin opener
• Bottle opener
• Some fuel ie gas bottle, wood or charcoal

Sleeping Gear

It goes without saying you will definitely need some basic equipment to enable you to live and sleep in on your camping checklist. There are many options for camping tents (link) and you have to choose a tent to suit your needs.

Here are basic sleeping checklist requirements

• Tent
• Pegs
• Sleeping bag
• groundsheet
• flysheet
• Hammer or Mallet
• Pad or Mat to sleep on

More essential camping gear

So the above items constitute a basic camping checklist to take on any camping trip, there are quite a few things you will need still that are not shown in the lists above. For example make sure you take some stuff for your personal hygiene. Stuff like toiler paper, shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrush will be enough for most people.

Make sure you also have a varying range of clothes to take. You need to make sure you have plenty of warm clothes and also some cool clothes if the weather is very hot. Make sure you also have waterproof equipment and clothes on your camping checklist and some suitable walking boots that are comfortable for long walks. Make sure your boots are worn in prior to you camping trip, nothing worse than getting sore feet or blisters whilst out camping.

Some more essential camping gear for you camping checklist is listed below

• Map
• Compass
• Duct tape
• Mobile phone
• Torches
• Reading books
• Camp games
• Seating and outdoor camping furniture
• backpack
• spare batteries

Be Prepared with a Camping Checklist

By planning out a checklist similar to the items included above then you are on your way to having a successful camping trip. Just remember that your camping checklist will have to be revised depending on your camping situation and requirements. You will be able to add items or remove items from the checklist you settle on and use it for every camping trip.

Planning your camping checklist is an essential part of going camping and one area that should definitely not be overlooked. We hope you found this article useful and can use the ideas to make your own camping checklist for your outdoor adventures.