Travel Review: Camping Gear

Camping experts Vango, Karrimor and Kathmandu have the best tents, sleeping bags and equipment going at affordable prices.

Tent: Icarus 600 by Vango. This tent is a must for long weekends away. You need transport to get it to your destination as its 17.15 kg, but its spacious, packed well, has good ventilation and best of all its waterproof! It is easy to put up, even for the novice, as gone are the old days of hammering in wooden pegs, flexible poles are the new thing! This tent boasts large windows, better vents and improved privacy. We found this tent ideal for a family of four (you could fix six in) and we were quite content to use it as a home from home.

Sleeping bags: Nitestar range by Vango and Nomadic by Kathmandu. There is nothing worse than feeling cold and wet as you camp. No danger here with the Nitestar range, Ruaridh bagged the pink one to make him look like a prawn! and soon snuggled down to a night under the stars with his warm as toast bag, complete with a hood and bottom bag to keep the head and toes warm. Flora enjoyed similar luxury as did mum and dad on a grander scale, with dad opting for a Nomadic style sleeping bag, with all the qualities and warmth of the Vango bags.

Sleeping mats: With the Scottish weather not know for its kindness, we opted for these good quality Karrimor explorer full mats. Made of durable 75D rip stop polyester upper fabric, they weigh 720g and are 30mm thick, but roll up well for easy to carry and pack in the car. And best of all they keep you warm and dry instead, of having to sleep on cold ground sheets!

Lantern: We could not have done without the Vango focus lamp. It was bright and easy to use, had folding and standing handles and lasted for five hours with good quality batteries. It is a must for parents with young children, scared of the dark!

Camping gear. Log onto www.vango.co.uk, www.karrimor.com and www.kathmandu.co.uk for the latest top notch equipment, prices, special offers and stockists.