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From The Sunday Times

January 17, 2008

All your tent gear

Ideas for which tent to buy, plus self-inflating beds, cookers and gadgets

MANY tents come with awnings, living areas and integral groundsheets. They are lightweight, easy to erect and fun. The Eurohike Flash Mach I (£59.99 from Millets, 0800 389 5861, www.millets.co.uk) comes flat-packed: throw it in the air and it pops up into a ready-made tent, perfect for first-timers.

For a lightweight high-performance tent, look at the domed Lupus Constellation II from Blacks (£94.99 from Blacks, 0800 665 410, www.blacks.co.uk). It has a front canopy, an integrated LED lighting system (powered by batteries) and two porch windows. The One Earth Tee Pee Tent (£179.99, Millets) is made from renewable pesticide-free organic cotton.

You can sleep on foam mats but a self-inflating air bed is comfier. John Lewis has a double AeroBed from £140 (08456 049 049, www.johnlewis.com). For a more natural vibe, try a cotton-filled double mattress, £99 plus £10 shipping, from Bell Tent UK (07830 355 993, www.belltent.co.uk). The One Earth sleeping bag (£49.99, Millets) uses 50% sustainable fibre made from plastic bottles.

The Campingaz Camping Chef (£49.99, Millets) has twin burners and folding legs. The Coghlans Camp Toaster holds up to four slices of bread over a single burner (£4.99 from Field & Trek, 0870 777 1071, www.fieldandtrek.com). Would-be gourmet campers use the Cobb Premier BBQ/Oven, £80 from www.cobb-bbq.co.uk.

The real fun of camping is coping with the unexpected. As well as wellies, washing line and a water container, you could think about taking the One Earth emergency wind-up light (£29.99), the One Earth wind-up mobile phone charger (£14.99) and a Eurohike LED head torch (£14.99), all from Millets.

When it’s time to pack up and go home, you’ll be pleased you took the Eurohike tent peg extractor (£1.99, Millets).