campfiremag.co.uk

Plus here are a couple of ideas for more delicious tea and coffee for your camping breakfasts. Assuming you’re not a fan of instant coffee, have a look at the Wacaco Nanopresso for cafe-style, barista-quality coffee

If you’re thinking of getting a larger solar panel fitted into the roof of your campervan, then your installation will, most probably, integrate into your vehicle electrics and power your leisure battery. You need to check with the installer not just about the panel’s capability but about how power will be regulated to avoid damage to the leisure battery,” says Caroline. This is a fairly simple option for 5V and 12V devices, but if you want to plug in a three-pin 230V appliance (running on AC), you need an inverter. Either use mains hook-up, gas (for kettles and cooking) or look for 12V models – we’d always prefer to do without, however, than use a 12V kettle or feeble hairdryer (gas-powered and rechargeable tongs and straighteners work well! ).

My favourite piece of camping gear is the Kampa Khazi portable toilet. As a woman of a ‘certain age’, I find that these days my bladder has the capacity of a walnut. If I didn’t have this fab wee portable toilet in my tent it would make for an uncomfortable trip, having to wander to site loos or find a bush to hide behind at all hours of the night. It’s a sturdy and not too obtrusive bit of kit and the lidded bucket means you can discretely dispose of the contents.

Decathlon’s own brand is famed for its small pop-up shelters like this £30 two-second one (150cm wide and 110 cm high). They also have a few bigger options, including the Arpenaz Base Fresh (in medium for £80 or large for £130) and the  £200 Air Seconds Base (inflatable). Also have a look at their shelters designed for carp fishers. Not much head height in these, but who doesn’t want a khaki shelter!